Corfu, Greece vs. Istanbul, Turkey

I am currently stuck between choosing two separate itineraries for cruises. One cruise (Celebrity Constellation) goes to Istanbul whereas the other cruise (Norwegian Jade) goes to Corfu. I really want to go on NCL because it stays in Santorini until 10pm which means I get to see the sunset in Santorini that I really want to see.

Is the sunset in Santorini worth missing Istanbul, Turkey over?

Corfu vs. Istanbul, which is better?

Nope.

At least, not in my estimation.

If both itineraries include Santorini, then you're pitching that sunset plus the rather ordinary island of Corfu against one of the most interesting cities in Europe.

Does the ship overnite in Istanbul? Even better.

Just MHO, but I suspect most will agree with me on this one.

JB :)

Agree at Corfu is nice but fairly ordinary when compared to places like Santorini. I would vote for Istanbul over Corfu.

Nope.

At least, not in my estimation.

If both itineraries include Santorini, then you're pitching that sunset plus the rather ordinary island of Corfu against one of the most interesting cities in Europe.

Does the ship overnite in Istanbul? Even better.

 

Just MHO, but I suspect most will agree with me on this one.

 

JB :)

Yes it does overnight in Istanbul. I forgot to mention, not sure if this would change anything, but although the NCL cruise does not go to Istanbul, it does go to Ephesus. Not sure if Istanbul and Ephesus are comparable at all?

I forgot to mention, not sure if this would change anything, but although the NCL cruise does not go to Istanbul, it does go to Ephesus. Not sure if Istanbul and Ephesus are comparable at all?:confused:

I forgot to mention, not sure if this would change anything, but although the NCL cruise does not go to Istanbul, it does go to Ephesus. Not sure if Istanbul and Ephesus are comparable at all?:confused:

They are not comparable at all. Istanbul is one of Europe's great capital cities with more than you could see and do in a week: churches, mosques, palaces, historical sites, museums, nightlife, great food, etc.

Ephesus is the ruins of a famous Roman city, but it is only (I say with tongue in cheek) ruins. Kusadasi is the port city for Ephesus, and the only reason Kusadasi exists is because of Ephesus. The town itself is very unremarkable, lots of shopping opportunities geared to tourists, and some nice beach hotels for those staying there on holiday. Not much else.

Perhaps you might want to read a little bit about the places yourself before you make up your mind? Cruise Critic has a section with info on what to expect, not-to-be-missed sights, etc. for almost all of the more common Mediterranean ports.

Yes it does overnight in Istanbul. I forgot to mention, not sure if this would change anything, but although the NCL cruise does not go to Istanbul, it does go to Ephesus. Not sure if Istanbul and Ephesus are comparable at all?

No, not comparable other than that they're in the same country.

As Cruisemom's post, the only reason ships go to Kusadasi is for the ancient ruins of Ephesus, about a 20 to 30 minute drive away - there are frequent posts on here from folk who're on their second cruise with a stop at Kusadasi & want to know what else there is besides Ephesus. Well, there's not a lot !

If you're not into hot & dusty archaeological sites (sorry, Cruisemom ;)), Kusadasi isn't terribly worthwhile - it's just a regular little city.

Ditto Katacolon, which is very very small & has much less of interest than even Kusadasi apart from its raison d'etre, the ancient site of Olympia.

JB :)

There is definitely a difference between Ncl Jade and Celebrity too. Need to at least consider that. I would definitely choose Istanbul and Celebrity

Thanks guys that helps a lot!

Any recommendations on Rhodes vs. Corfu?

Any recommendations on Rhodes vs. Corfu?

Honestly, I'd put Corfu down near the bottom of the lists as far as Med ports go. It's just a very average place, pretty, but no ancient history.

Rhodes would win out in comparison.

If I had a choice, Rhodes would be a preference over Corfu.

Corfu is "very pleasant" but not particularly interesting.

And the town is very easy to access using a cheap (one or two euros) local bus which shuttles back & forth between port gate & centre.

The town has couple of castles, but is mainly for browsing the shops or people-watching from behind a tall cool beer.

Sorry, don't know Rhodes.

JB :)

On our cruise we have two stops at Ephesus/ Kusadasi

First one port time is 7:00am to 1:00 pm I am thinking about no tour for the first time here. What is by the port to just walk off and see? Any information would be very helpful as we have never need to this port before.

We have a tour on the second time we will be back. Port time for this is 8:00am to 5:00 pm.

Don't want to miss anything but on some of the ports I think we need to just take it easy. This is a 37 day cruise so we need to pace ourself!

Thanks,

Betty

On our cruise we have two stops at Ephesus/ Kusadasi

 

First one port time is 7:00am to 1:00 pm I am thinking about no tour for the first time here. What is by the port to just walk off and see? Any information would be very helpful as we have never need to this port before.

 

We have a tour on the second time we will be back. Port time for this is 8:00am to 5:00 pm.

 

Don't want to miss anything but on some of the ports I think we need to just take it easy. This is a 37 day cruise so we need to pace ourself!

 

Thanks,

Betty

With only 7am-1pm in port, and a second visit with more time later on, I think I would do exactly as you are thinking. The Kusadasi pier is right in the heart of the city. So you will be able to walk off the ship and explore shopping, cafes, a nice waterfront, carpet stores, etc. There's certainly enough to do for a few hours. It's not particularly exciting or anything, but it's clean and safe to walk around. I also was on a cruise with 2 stops here. My stops were both full days, so I booked 2 different tours, but with one of them, I was back in town with several hours to explore before the ship departed. I had no problem entertaining myself just by walking around.

Nope.

At least, not in my estimation.

If both itineraries include Santorini, then you're pitching that sunset plus the rather ordinary island of Corfu against one of the most interesting cities in Europe.

Does the ship overnite in Istanbul? Even better.

 

Just MHO, but I suspect most will agree with me on this one.

 

JB :)

Going for Istanbul!

Thanks everyone for your help! We have finalized Celebrity + Istanbul + Rhodes!