blan2

We will be looking to buy some Turkish delight when we are in port. Any suggestions as to where to purchase it? We will be in Istanbul and Kusadasi.

Thank you.

Just wander in town, or go to a Turkish bath. Avoid the shopping bazaar at the dock. Go to the shops in town, better deals, and much more old school. The port is a modern shopping mall with no character.

zqvol, thank you for your suggestions.

I was wondering if the shopping is better in Istanbul or Kusadasi? Particularly for Turkish Delight, textiles and pottery? There will be a group of us with different interests.

Yes, there is plenty within walking distance of where ships dock in Kusadasi. You will walk thru a shopping bazaar in order to leave the ship. Then you will be right in a safe, thriving business area. Lots of stores, shoppes, cafes, etc. to explore. There is also a nice sidewalk waterfront to stroll and people watch. No problems killing a few hours after a 1/2 or 3/4 day excursion out of Kusadasi.

Thank you for the info......it sounds like our plans for Kusadasi are set!

We were there three years ago and the castle was closed. Reading these posts, I wonder if it is ever open for tourists?

If we don't head to the island to walk around, are there other attractions or shopping close by to spend a couple hours?

We are thinking of doing Ephesus and then want to keep the day low key and just walk around the port a bit. Any suggestions?

Just an update. We have booked an apartment......3 bedroom, 3 bathroom in the Exaimple area. It looks like we are in walking distance to many attractions and close to the metro stations. The last time I stayed in Barcelona we were at the Majestic Hotel. That is out of our price range for this trip, but we are still just a few blocks away, as the Majestic is in a fantastic location.

We managed to get this apartment for 300 Euro a night.....divide that by three couples and we feel we have found a great accommodation, for 100 euros a night. I will be sure to post a review about the apartment once we get back......but we are still a long way out from our cruise.

Thank you for taking the time to post a review. We are booked for a med cruise next year and I love the planning and researching phase! So any tips and suggestions are always welcome. We will be spending time in Rome following our cruise......will look up your tour and hotel suggestions.

I look forward to reading your review!

Hi blan2, I am the original poster. Since my post we have done our cruise and I have taken the walk to Pigeon Island! It was a pleasant stroll from the cruise ship, past a small market, with a vendor selling the most amazing Mulberry ice-cream. The castle was closed when we were there last year. There isn't much else on the island, but like I said, it was a pleasant stroll.

 

 

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We will keep it on our list of things to do. We are thinking of taking a stroll after seeing Ephesus. The castle will hopefully be re-opened by the time we get there next year.

Thank you for all your feedback.

I usually wait until close to the last day and decide if there are any pictures that I really love. I was just curious about the pricing because of the Canadian dollar taking a dive at the moment, it could save me some money to pre-purchase the picture package prior to the cruise at the 11% exchange rate we have at this time for any pre-cruise purchases. Once we are on board everything will be in US$ and a $14.99 picture is now $20.

I will have to see what the dollar does closer to our cruise. I have a long time to wait, so hopefully there is some improvement!

Being an avid scrapbooker......pictures are very important to me. I am just curious as to the current prices for the pictures for purchase on board. I am wondering what the cost of the different pictures - 5x7 and 8x10???

I usually buy a few pictures from the cruise and am deciding if it is worth buying one of the picture packages, so I would like to know the pricing of single pictures. If any one has this info to share, it would be very appreciated.

Thank you!

We both also thought the steak at Le Bistro was much better than the filet at Cagney's.

It was really good.

 

The real sleeper was the Coq au Vin at Le Bistro.

Large portion (though it didn't appear that way at first), very tender and moist, and *just* the right flavorings - a real classic, and hard to find these days.

I just wish we had discovered that earlier in our cruise!

(I rarely order chicken when eating out, and it was my loss this time.)

 

By the way, the lobster that we got at Le Bistro was nothing other than tough chunks of <lobster?> in a very greasy, unappealing sauce, more sauce than "meat".

Not at all what we were expected, and once was more than enough.

 

We also found the service at Le Bistro much better than elsewhere.

But I think we had an unusually efficient and friendly waiter.

We ate there several times, and always requested one of his tables.

 

Yum... I'm tasting that Coq au Vin right now... :)

 

GeezerCouple

I will second the Coq au Vin from Le Bistro.......it was an amazing dish. I am really hoping it is still on the menu next year for our cruise.

I just checked at guest services. The desk which does currency was closed, but they did check the rate charged for the last transaction and it was 0.8357 euros per US$. There is also a per transaction fee (I think he said $10 but may have misheard).

 

I'm not sure of the current rates (I had some currency already so haven't checked rates lately), but that sounds quite low to me, as you'd expect.

Thank you very much for getting this information for me. Enjoy the rest of your trip.......I look forward to reading about it!

Interested in reading suggestions. We have decided to not make the trip into Rome, as we are spending a few days there post- cruise.

You might do some research on the pre-paid Euro cards. I have not used one but it looks like it might work to buy your Euro's now vs later. https://www.travelex.com/cash-passport

 

Edit: after posting this I looked at their exchange rate does not look favorable. They are quoting .82 Euro per $1USD when the actual rate right now is .91 Euro per $1 USD.

Flapbreaker: thank you for the info. We will have to look into it a bit before our trip. If the Canadian dollar keeps going down.....our trip is going to get very expensive.

Thanks for the review! We are so looking forward to our trip next year;)

I am just wondering if you happen to know what the exchange rate is on the ship at this time for buying Euros? With the Canadian dollar taking a dive at the moment, I am trying to figure out a few different options for us buying Euros, and would like to know roughly what the US$ to Euro exchange rate is on board.

Thank you for any info you can provide.

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

Not sure if this helps or not but the small castle on the island is currently closed for renovation (at least as of June 2015). No idea when it will be open. I don't think there is much else on the island except views.

 

If you are looking to try some good Turkish food, I'd recommend doing so in Kusadasi itself. Several good restaurants there with nice water views.

Thanks cruisemom42......we won't be there until next year, so we will have to check if it is open by then. We are really just looking for something to do for a couple hours after our tour returns, before getting back on board.....thought it might be worth walking over to look at.

Hi,

 

I have seen Pigeon Island mentioned a couple of times. Could someone who has been there tell me a little about it? I'm looking for info such as how to get there from the cruise port? What is there to see and do on the island? Are there places to get something to eat and a drink?

 

Would really appreciate any info you can give me!

 

Thanks :)

I was just doing a search for Pigeon Island......I am wondering the same thing? Is there anyone out there with info?

It seems to be within walking distance of the Kusadasi port.....but how long does it take? Also, can you have a bite to eat there? Any info on this old post would be greatly appreciated.;)

Thank you for sharing your blog. I agree on quite a few of the same topics you commented about......and at this time in my cruising 'adventures', NCL is also my favorite. ;)

I thought I was the only person that feels like there is just something missing with the daily activities offered by Princess. I do enjoy cruising with them and will continue to if the price and itinerary are favorable, but nothing ever seems to match what I am looking to do during the day, or if they have something that interests me the time conflicts with something else. NCL always seems to have a few different events offered during the day that I am interested in attending.

Carnival is great for their activities too and I did enjoy the adult area.......even though the mini golf was just a level above......so it wasn't as 'serene' as it could have been. I also feel it is just a bit more lively and the music maybe a bit louder, that it is a FUN ship......like yourself I will cruise with them again but they just aren't my favorite at this time.

Then I look at the cruises that I took with Celebrity and Holland America......they also have their strengths (food and service).....but I do enjoy NCL for not having to feel as though you have to dress up for 'formal' evenings.

I really am just happy on a ship..........but at this time a NCL ship is a better fit!

Thank you for sharing your adventure with us......I look forward to reading your review.

Day 14: Ephesus (Continued)

We stopped at a small carpet factory, where we learned how Turkish rugs are made...by hand! It takes anywhere from 8 -18+ months for these women to make the rugs. They are absolutely beautiful, but also very expensive. The rug I liked was over $20,000. :eek: There were some less costly ones, and a couple in our tour group bought one and had it shipped to their home. There was a bit of hassling to get people to look at the rugs, but there was not a high-pressured sales pitch. I simply left the building and waited outside until the couple had complete their order.

I was just wondering if you had known prior to starting the tour that day that you would be stopping at a carpet factory? I have read that most tours will try to get you in for a stop at a factory.......and have read some positive and negative experiences. I have read that some private tour companies will omit a stop at a rug factory if you are quite firm and just say you are not interested. How long was your stop there? I am comparing a few different tour companies for our cruise next year and am just trying to see the best options to spend our time in port.

Thank you for your review and feedback.

I am so glad I am able to read your review of Cinque Terre. I am very interested in doing this NCL tour if it is still offered next fall.....it is still on my list....looks beautiful!

Yes, the official M&G was on the first sea day at 10am in Henry's Pub, which was the 6th day of the cruise for us. So, we planned an unofficial M&G for embarkation day immediately following the Muster Drill. We met in the aft of decks 10 and 11 where there is graduated, covered seating...and a bar. :D

Thank you for our feedback. I love planning almost as much as I love cruising!

What day did NCL plan your Meet & Greet? I have already mentioned in my Roll Call that I am interested in organizing the event, as I did one for our Alaskan cruise a couple years ago. Was it the first sea day? I also like trying to organize a few other informal get togethers and I think I would like one of them before the official one if it isn't until the fourth day in. Thank for your time.

Looking forward to hearing about your trip.....we are booked for next fall! I love reading reviews and appreciate you taking your time to share with us.

We tendered with ncl one time and the other we paid approx $12 each but it's a lot cheaper to use the water taxi

I just had a look at the NCL Dailies from a recent Med cruise and it mentioned a shuttle service.

"Shuttle Bus Information: A complimentary shuttle service will run throughout the day. The shuttle will run approximately every 30 minutes from the ship to the town area. The last shuttle back from Mykonos to the ship is at 2:00pm" The all aboard for this particular cruise was listed for 2:30pm.

Hopefully this service is still complimentary for our cruise, otherwise I think we will look into using the water bus.

We tendered with ncl one time and the other we paid approx $12 each but it's a lot cheaper to use the water taxi

Thank you Tiggertastic. We won't have anything booked for the day in port so we will likely just use the water taxi and make it a lazy day not dependent on a schedule......other than making it back to the ship on time;)