Wind tar June 4 Istanbul-Athens

[new_cruiser]

RSSC has finally made it official that our Diamond August 20 Istanbul-Athens cruise are cancelled so my husband and I will be on the Wind Star for the June 4 Istanbul-Athens. Having tried Celebrity and Windstar, I wanted to try RSSC and the August date would have been nice because it would be after our son's wedding this summer, but in some ways I'm glad to be on the Wind Star - the weather should be better in June and we won't have to pack clothes for a formal evening.

 

Now I have to set up the air and make hotel reservations. I'm planning on spending a few days pre-cruise in Istanbul and a couple of days after in Athens.

 

Who else is on this cruise with us?

 

We will probably do most or all of the ports on our own and would be interested in sharing guides at some of them.

[captjohn]

Aloha New Cruiser

We were in the same "boat" ! We were on the Diamond June 18th. We had all our air set up, well you can guess the rest. When we found this cruise the decission was simple. We had a pre-cruise tour w/ RSSC for 6 days. So we were able to arrange another tour with a local tour co. at the same price. If your insreased in more info we will be happy to help. BTW we lived in Walnut Creek before moving to Honolulu 4 years ago. John & Christina

[realproperty]

We did this trip a few years ago and also stayed a few days in Istanbul before the cruise. If you want to stay in one of the finest hotels in the world and have the bucks, I recommend the Ciragen Place Kempinski Hotel (pronounced Sheeran palace). It is right on the Bosphorus, with an infinity pool and the most luxurious surroundings. Check out the price and compare with wherever you might be thinking of staying. You might be surprised. If nothing else, make sure you visit the hotel and you will curse yourself for not staying there.

[new_cruiser]

Real Property, we are looking forward to exploring Istanbul but I would rather stay in a hotel in the midst of the historic area, Sultanahmet. We have booked the Hotel Sari Konak. I expect that it isn't as spectacular as the Cirigen Palace, but all the reviews are very good, its location is perfect for us and it is about 1/3 the price. I've always enjoyed staying in small family run hotels. The Blue House hotel also would have met our needs.

[realproperty]

New Cruiser, I was just trying to help. You will not regret choosing Windstar for this cruise--the area and the ship made it quite magical. As for the Istanbul hotel, make sure you see this hotel and you will understand why I suggested it. As for the cost, I never said it was cheap, just spectacular. We managed (don't ask me how) $182 US a night a few years back and I doubt that that can be repeated. Istanbul is a great tourist city. Make sure you get a private guide--it is well worth it since the history is not something we North Americans ever learned in high school.

 

One more thing, since the ship is small, you don't get the big crowds on the tours like the bigger ships so you might want to think twice about ship tours, especially in Kusadasi since Ephesus is a little out of the way. The other days, we self toured which was quite easy.

[shirleyvan]

This is a fabulous cruise....We did it last October...

Ports are great - Ship is great (Be prepared for delicious meals)

[lovecruisingtoo]

Another hotel to consider in Istanbul is the Four Seasons. Not cheap by a long shot but a fantastic hotel. It is right in the middle of everything and gives fantastic service.