Istanbul to Rome Cruise Review

Following is my review/journal of our cruise. It is very long, let me know how you like it.

These are my reflections of my husband, Joe and my 11 day Sea Dream II cruise to the Mediterranean, Sept 4 to 15, 2007, Istanbul to Rome. We also did a 3 day pre cruise stay in Istanbul and 1 day in Rome after the cruise. This was our first cruise on Sea Dream. The cruise started in Istanbul and went to Cannakale, Kusadasi (for Ephesus), Santorini, Paros, Athens, through the Corinth Canal, Itea (for Delphi), Fiskardo, Taormina, Amalfi, Capri and ended in Rome.

I will start this with a review of the ship and then do a day-by-day journal of the cruise.

SEA DREAM II

The first thing you notice about the yacht is her size. When it sits at the dock, next to a large cruise line, you realize the difference. To us, this is a good thing. There were 96 passengers and 95 crew members. The evening attire on Sea Dream is country club casual, so no need for dressy gowns or tuxes. This is one reason we booked with Sea Dream instead of the other small ships. The captain on our sailing was Johannes Tysse. We were surprised at how young he was. At 41, he was younger than most of the passengers. Sean Healy was the hotel manager and Richard Jones, the Activities Director.

Except for a few exceptions, service aboard was great. Kudos to the waiters, especially Gabor and assistant waiter, Marrten. We had a few problems with Werner, apple tea instead of apple juice and not understanding us when we ordered our meal. After we asked that he bring us the correct drink, he grumbled to other waiters and pointed to us.. He never seemed to smile or try to be pleasant. All of the other crew members were happy to serve, called us by name and knew our drink of choice.

Another part of service that I was surprised with, was the lack of it at the Balinese Beds on the Top of the Yacht. We usually spent our on board time there, because the lounge chairs at the pool seemed to be always in use. We were never offered the little snacks, ice cream bars, etc. that were available in the pool area. In fact, I didn’t know they were offered until the cruise was coming to an end

CABIN

Our cabin, 308, was in a great position. A few steps to the ship lobby, a few more to the Main Salon and the pool area. One deck down to the Dining Salon, and one deck up to the Spa and the Library. Our cabin attendant, Deralin, kept the cabin neat and clean. She also cleaned our shoes when they were muddy from an excursion. We tipped her individually and also contributed to the crew fund. Although the size of the cabin, 195 sq. ft. was small, we weren’t bothered by it. I still missed having a balcony, even though the outside decks were a few steps away. The beds, however, were to us, very uncomfortable. They would have been better if there was a box spring under the mattress rather than a wooden platform.

Every evening we received a schedule of the next day’s events with times posted using the 24 hour clock. We also received printed reminder cards if we had signed up for a shore excursion or had scheduled a spa appointment. Since the days began to blend into one another, the reminder cards were a nice touch. In the room was a TV, DVD, and CD, and movies were available for check out from the Concierge. We found two that we liked and enjoyed them in our cabin.

PASSENGERS

The passengers ranged in age from mid 30’s to 70’s, with most in the 50 to 65 range. They came from areas around the world: England, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Germany and the U.S. All were very pleasant and loosened up as the cruise progressed. We met some really nice people, with whom we had some very interesting conversations over lunch or dinner. There was a couple across the hall from us (Cabin 307), John and Tricia from Perth, Australia. The first day, I was coming out of our cabin and John was coming out of his and he called me by name. I couldn’t figure out how he knew my name, but it so happened that he is a member of Cruise Critic and read my post where I mentioned my cabin number. We had more than one laugh about the situation. Come on John, let’s hear from you, no more lurking, give us your opinion.

DINING

The food on Sea Dream was excellent, wonderful and any other description you can come up with. We were well fed. In fact, Richard, the Activities Director, told us the first night during cocktails, that most people gain 1 lb. a day. I feel good, because I only gained 5.

Early morning coffee, juice and rolls began at 7 a.m. There were a handful of people there, including me and other early risers, some in their bathrobes. Breakfast from 8 to 10:30 a.m., was always at the Top of the Yacht Restaurant. There was a cold buffet with cereal, fruit, juices, rolls, and a toaster for bread. You could order from the menu, eggs, pancakes, French toast, etc. We always had breakfast in Marrten’s section, except for 1 day in the already mentioned, Werner’s section, which we avoided from then on.

Lunch was also on deck from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. Again, there was a buffet with soup, bread and lunchmeat, salads and ice cream and pastries for dessert. There was also a menu with several items. The hamburgers and hot dogs were the best.

Dinner was from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Dining Salon, with a few nights under the stars at the Topside Restaurant. On the menu was an Always Available Section that was the same each evening: Caesar Salad, beef broth, steak, pasta, chicken, and a fish. The menu had several sections: Starter, Soup and Salad, Main Course and Dessert. In each of the sections, there was a chef’s special printed in red. The main selections were never repeated, except for one dessert, the Fondant au Chocolate. OUTSTANDING!!!!. It was available early in the cruise and on the last evening. One night, none of the desserts appealed to me, so I asked Gabor if they could make me a Fondant. He said, of course, but not that evening. He had it for me two nights later. I also requested the recipe and received it the last evening before disembarkation. When the main course was served it came with a covered dome. The waiters would remove the covers at the table at the same time and call out Vo’la!

Dress in the Dining Salon was mixed. One or two ladies were very dressy, most were country club casual with a few of the younger passengers wearing jeans or shorts. Most of the men wore sport shirts and casual pants, sometimes with a jacket – no ties. It was always a little chilly in the Dining Salon, and I needed to bring a shawl with me.

I wished the meals were a little earlier at breakfast and dinner, maybe a half hour earlier. Most people were exhausted, including us, from shore excursions, and went to bed shortly after dinner. We did visit the Casino a few evenings and actually won! I was disappointed that the Casino was only open late at night, never before 10 p.m. and sometimes as late as midnight. I know if a ship is in port or anchored the Casino remains closed, but there were several times when we were sailing in the late afternoon, or early morning and the Casino remained closed.

The Library was fairly large with a good selection of books. There were two computers for passenger use. You bought a card to use the computer. They weren’t expensive. The per-minute rate was a lot less than on other cruise ships we have been on. There were some times when the computers were down, but we were able to receive our e-mails and send some to our family. I was also able to send a message to Cruise Critic.

SPA/FITNESS CENTER

The Spa was small with 4 or 5 treatment rooms, which were tiny. The Fitness Center was large and had several machines. It was never crowded and always had room if a passenger was interested. We each had 5 massages and a facial and I had a manicure and a pedicure. All of the salon employees were Thai and very pleasant. The massages were very good. I requested the same girl for each service. We tipped after each appointment.

ACTIVITIES

There were several activities on board each day. Yoga classes, stretch and Tai-chi class were available. After dinner there were movies in the Main Salon with popcorn. Emilio was at the piano each evening. Also on days when the yacht was anchored, the marina would be opened for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. The crew would bring out the water toys and passengers could water ski, swim, etc. We never took advantage of this, because we were usually in port.

As I am writing this, my husband came in with today’s mail. In the pile was a book called “The Art of Sea Dream”. There were pictures of the yacht and the crew. I’ll have to spend some time looking at it.

I will end my review of the ship now and go on to my day by day journal. There is one last thing to mention about the ship and the passengers. We felt slightly uncomfortable during the cruise, because we don’t, by choice, drink. I believe we were the only 2 out of 96 passengers who didn’t imbibe. Some of the passengers drank so much, all day and all through dinner, they needed help leaving the dining room. We have no objection to people drinking (we just never acquired the taste), and it was our fault that we felt uncomfortable. Some people really got their monies worth.

THE JOURNAL

I’ll begin this section by relating the details of booking the cruise, etc. We have always wanted to see the countries that border the Mediterranean. We thought the best way to see the area was by cruising, where we could visit the most places in the shortest amount of time. For the life of me, I can’t remember how I came up with Sea Dream, but come up with it, I did. I also looked into other cruise lines, but the itinerary on Sea Dream had everything we wanted. We had never been to any of the ports of call except for Rome. I called our travel agent (also my best friend) and told her to book the cruise. We did this in April, 2006. Early, I know, but I wanted my choice of cabin.

I then looked into airfare, thinking to use miles with American or United. I waited until the day I could book the airline, but to no avail, we weren’t able to use our miles. I chose American Airlines because we could fly non stop from Chicago to Istanbul, and home from Rome to Chicago. The American Airline flight to Istanbul was operated by Turkish Air.

After booking the cruise and air, I looked into private guides for the cities we would be visiting. On the Sea Dream web site, I found information for our 3 days in Istanbul. Sea Dream recommended Sea Song. (fedorko@seadream.com) I contacted them and they sent me an itinerary. Sounded good to me, so I booked with them for 3 nights and 4 days of sightseeing and some evening activities in Istanbul, with a driver and guide for around $5,000 for both of us. The charge included: VIP airport and port transport, 3 nights at the Four Seasons Hotel, with breakfast, wine and canapés one evening and a massage for each of us. It also included 4 days of touring, belling dancing show, whirling dervish ceremony, and a Bosphorus cruise with dinner.

I also looked into Paul in Athens (www.*****) (250E), and Drive Amalfi in Amalfi. (*****) (450E). I had heard good things about both of them on Cruise Critic. I booked with both of them. I did all of this fairly early in our planning. About two months before the cruise, I looked into transportation from the port in Civitivecchia to the Rome airport. After much searching, I decided on Rome Cabs. It turned out to be very good choice. The charge was 120 Euros, and we had a very pleasant drive to the Hilton Airport Hotel. Our driver even gave us a book on Rome that was in the limo. Finally we were ready, but had a long wait until the big day arrived. I spent many an hour on the internet learning about the places we would visit, and made a 3inch 3-ring binder with information. Finally the day arrived.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2007-CHICAGO/SATURDAY, SEPT. 1, 2007-ISTANBUL

Since our 10 hour flight from Chicago to Istanbul left at 5 p.m., we spent the morning doing last minute things like finishing packing and locking up the house.

We flew business class on American Airlines operated by Turkish Air. We left Chicago ½ hour late, but arrived in Istanbul on time. We both took a couple of naps during the flight. Upon arriving in Istanbul, there was an airport employee with our name on a sign. We placed our hand luggage on a riding cart and we were whisked away to get our $20 Turkish visas. Joe gave her the money and she obtained our visas and we went through passport control. Soon later, our little cart was on its way to luggage. This treatment was what Sea Song called their Prime Class VIP Service. We were glad we had this service. Istanbul’s airport is very big, and it would have taken us an hour to get through the airport, without this service. We finally got our luggage and went through customs through “Nothing to Declare”

Outside we met our guide Dogan, from Sea Song. He was very pleasant. After introductions were made, we were driven to our hotel, 30 minutes away. The Four Seasons Istanbul is a small 65 room hotel, which was at one time a prison. It is located in the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul. It was within walking distance to the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, St. Sophia and Topkapi Palace. The hotel was very posh, but the food was just okay. The bed and pillows were the most comfortable we have ever slept on, including home. I asked if I could purchase the pillows. The Concierge gave me the email-address where I could inquire about ordering them.

We rested for the remainder of the day. Jet lag hadn’t caught up with us yet, but we were sure it would. That evening we were picked up by our driver, Ishmael, and taken to the Kervansary Restaurant where we enjoyed the Turkish Belly Dancers and other local dancers during our dinner. The dinner started with chilled shrimp and lobster. For the main course, I had filet and Joe had a mixed grill. We both had great ice cream for dessert. Today is Joe’s birthday and the show was his present. We left a little before it was over, since sleep was beckoning. Ishmael was waiting to take us back to the hotel. We had a good night’s sleep, wondering what we would experience the next day.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 2, 2007-ISTANBUL-75 DEGREES-MORE AND MORE CLOUDY-RAIN PREDICTED, BUT NEVER CAME

We slept until 8a.m., so we had to hurry for our 9a.m. pick up. We drove to the Hippodrome, which was the largest chariot race track in the Byzantine Empire. It was built before the Blue Mosque and St. Sophia. It is much smaller now, a park with statues and benches.

After visiting the Hippodrome, we walked a short way to the Blue Mosque. The mosque is very large with a very large dome. It had 260 windows that enable the sunlight to reach inside, making the interior very bright. The blue tiles on the walls give the mosque its name. Dogan showed us a section called a “niche” which is a recessed area which faces Mecca for prayer. He also pointed out the pulpits, one of which was up a set of stairs to honor Muhammad. Preachers only go ¾ of the way up, because only Muhammad can go to the top. We asked him about the practice of Muslim in Istanbul and he said about 30 to 35% answer the call to prayer during the week, and 45 to 60% on Friday. The call to prayer is five times a day. He showed us a rosary-like set of 99 beads that is used for prayer. The 99 beads represent the 99 names of God.

From the Blue Mosque we walked through a lovely small park to Hagia Sophia or the Church of Divine Wisdom. Originally, the Hagia Sophia was St. Sophia Church during the reign of Justinian. It remained the greatest church in Christendom until the conquest of Constantinople by Sultan Mehmet II, when it was converted into a mosque. The mosaics in the church were covered by plaster. Ataturk proclaimed Sophia a museum, which it remains today. Archeologists uncovered the mosaics. Today you can see some Muslin objects, such as prayer niches and some mosaics representing the Christian religion.

This was the end of our ½ day tour. We asked Dogan to recommend a restaurant with meatballs for lunch. He recommended Turhi Sultan Ahmet Koftecisi on Divan Yolu. It was near the park between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia and within walking distance to our hotel. We ordered salad and meatballs and a drink. It was very inexpensive, less than 10 Turkish Lira for both of us. The meatballs were a little spicy, more like sausage meat and long rather than round.

After lunch we heard our first call to prayer come over the loudspeakers around the city. It was very loud and lasted about 15 minutes. We didn’t see anyone visually respond. I think most go to a mosque for their answer to the prayer call. Throughout our stay in Turkey, we never saw anyone praying in the streets.

We sat in the park for a while and then walked back to our hotel and had ice cream. We took a nap and woke for dinner and then early to bed. We had made arrangements with Sea Song to see a Whirling Dervish ceremony, but opted out due to the length of the show and jet lag. I still regret missing this experience. If they ever come to Chicago, I will make a special effort to not miss it again.

MONDAY, SEPT 3, 2007-ISTANBUL-82 DEGREES, SUNNY AND HUMID

We were up by 7a.m., had breakfast and met Dogan at 9a.m. for today’s tour. We drove to Topkapi Palace. It is located on a promontory jutting out between the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. There are some magnificent views from the terraces. Built between 1465 and 1478, it was the residence of the Sultan, his courts and harem, and was the seat of the government for the Ottoman Empire. At that time there were as many as 4,000 living in the Palace.

We toured the Harem and the Treasury. In the treasury we saw the Spoonmaker’s Diamond and the diamond Topkapi Dagger. Both were spectacular. The Palace on the whole was disappointing – no furnishings, just a lot of empty rooms. We stayed at the Palace for about two hours.

After the palace, we went to the underground Basilica Cistern. It was built by Justinian in the 6th century. It is 70 meters wide and 140 meters long and can hold up to 80,000 meters tripled of water. We saw beautiful carved columns. There are 336 columns and two of them are carved with the head of Medusa. This Cistern was really something to see. During the Sultans’ time, it held enough water for use at Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia. The poor could go to the Mosque for food and water at any time.

We then went for a visit to the Grand Bazaar with its more than 4,000 shops. Small shops next door to each other sold carpets, jewelry, carpets, jewelry and some other items. It was so big with so many little streets, with loud shopkeepers barking their wares, and so many people. I don’t believe we saw more than 1/8 of the Bazaar. We didn’t buy anything.

After the Grand Bazaar we headed back to The Four Seasons. We had a very good pizza for lunch and a relaxing massage (included in Sea Song’s price) and rested for the rest of the afternoon.

At 6p.m., Dogan picked us up for a private sunset cruise on the Bosphorus River. It was a nice way to relax and see another side of Istanbul. We passed the Dolmabahce Palace, a 19th century Rococo palace which is now a museum, the Ciragen Palace, which was another Sultan palace which is now a hotel, and many other sights. After cruising for 1 ½ hours we arrived at the Korfez Restaurant, famous for their fish entrees. It is located on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. We ate on the terrace, and had a restaurant pre-selected meal. I’m not a fish eater, so I really didn’t eat much. We took the boat back to the European side, where Ishmeal was waiting to take us back to our hotel.

These are my reflections of my husband, Joe and my 11 day Sea Dream II cruise to the Mediterranean, Sept 4 to 15, 2007, Istanbul to Rome. We also did a 3 day pre cruise stay in Istanbul and 1 day in Rome after the cruise. This was our first cruise on Sea Dream. The cruise started in Istanbul and went to Cannakale, Kusadasi (for Ephesus), Santorini, Paros, Athens, through the Corinth Canal, Itea (for Delphi), Fiskardo, Taormina, Amalfi, Capri and ended in Rome.

I will start this with a review of the ship and then do a day-by-day journal of the cruise.

Thanks for sharing Mary Lou!

Interesting observations and very balanced review.

Isn't Capt. T the best?!?

I appreciate all the detail on your pre-cruise tour.