which ports are a must see?

[vacation fool]

Looking at various itineraries for greek isles and turkey. If one offers Santorini then it doesn't offer Istanbul, etc

For those of you that have done most of these ports which ones in your opinion are the most "must sees"?

Appreciate your thoughts as it is hard to choose. :)

[cruisemom42]

Are you more into history, cities, scenery, beaches, shopping?

 

For me, Istanbul would be a "must" and also Ephesus and Athens.

 

Santorini is the iconic "Greek isle."

 

Rhodes and Crete are both interesting and have a combination of history and scenery.

 

I'd put Corfu and Mykonos a little lower on the list.

[Cobbie48]

Celebrity offers both Istanbul and Santorini plus other Greek isles we are sailing on Oct 19, 2013

[John Bull]

Like cruisemom, Istanbul would top my list, and Athens would be somewhere up there too.

And I'm not heavily into history.

But that means Ephesus, perhaps the only worthwhile destination from either Izmir or Kusadasi, comes bottom of my list, along with Katakolon (Olympia)

 

The Greek islands are mainly for the laid-back villages (Mykanos :)) & towns, & for the scenery (Santorini :)) but they have their dusty old ruins too :p

Corfu is perhaps more missable than most, though the shopping is good.

 

We're all different, but some sort of mix would be ideal.

You may find the Athens Acropolis, Ephesus & Olympia unbearably hot in summer, best visited in spring & fall.

 

JB :)

[Waihekean]

Yes, check out Celebrity Reflection. This itinerary has Santorini and Istanbul**overnighter, also Mykonos, Athens, Kusudasi (Ephesus) and Naples (Pompei & Amalfi Coast or Herculeneum & Sorrento or the island of Capri etc.)

Cruise also starts from Civitavechia so easy to have some days in Rome pre or post cruise.

 

Another great itinerary from Celebrity is the one that leaves from Venice.

Plus they have a the great 1,2,3 promotion on at the moment where you can pick two of the free options of a beverage packet (includes alcohol and can easily upgrade to premium for $ 11.50 per day), free tips or OBC of $300. For all categories except insides.

 

Another amazing itinerary is the Grand Med from Princess, which will start this year on their new ship the Royal Princess.

 

Both the Reflection and the Royal offer all the must sees for first timers to the Med. Or pick sail-away from Venice (awesome). Enjoy the researching:)

[delily]

Istanbul, Athens and Ephesus go to the top of my list. As for Greek Islands Crete and Rhodes. Santorini or Mykonos not so much. If the ship stops there I'll get out and look around of course but I wouldn't choose a cruise that spent a lot of time there. There's not much to do. They're just very pretty.

[mskaufman]

Santorini and Mykonos were on the top of my list, ahead of Istanbul. Olympia would be the one I could pass on. I guess that's why they make different itineraries - so everyone can get where they want to go.

[Hlitner]

We have been to that area many times and our port priorities would be Istanbul, Santorini, and Kusadasi with Pireaus coming in 4th place. Take a cruise with those 4 ports and you will be very pleased with all the ports. Preferably the ship would overnight in Istanbul (if you begin or end in Istanbul you would extend your trip) and not be in Istanbul on Sun, Mon or Tues when various places are closed.

 

Hank

[vacation fool]

wow, thanks for all of the information. keep it on coming :) did not realize sites were closed sun-tues in istanbul so that is a great tip. iwhich ports are more diy vs needing a private tour in order to squeeze everything in? thanks again.

[John Bull]

did not realize sites were closed sun-tues in istanbul.

 

They're not :)

Hank's post was a bit ambiguous, what he meant was that many close for one of those days. So for instance if you're only there on a sunday you'll not see the Grand Bazaar - but it's open mon & tues. So a little research to plan your days if you're in Istanbul on a couple of those days.

 

To be worthwhile, Ephesus needs a guide. You can pick one up on site, but if your port is Izmir it's much further than from Kusadasi so probably a pre-booked tour is a better bet.

Same reliability issue about transport from Katakolon to Olympia, though like many others we hired a car & did it DIY.

 

The other places I've been are pretty-OK by DIY, depending on whether you're prepared to do a bit of research or appreciate the services of a guide.

For instance, Piraeus to Athens by ho-ho or metro or taxi, Corfu very cheap & easy by frequent local bus, Mykanos by shanks's (or across to Delos by ferry), Santorini ship to town by cablecar or donkey (even if on a tour), Istanbul cheap & easy by tram (but you will need Turkish lire, all rides one price, 2TL per person per ride)

 

JB :)

[Hlitner]

wow, thanks for all of the information. keep it on coming :) did not realize sites were closed sun-tues in istanbul so that is a great tip. iwhich ports are more diy vs needing a private tour in order to squeeze everything in? thanks again.

 

My bad and should have been more concise. Different things are closed on different days but those are the 3 days of the week when you should do a little homework. For example, the Covered (Grand Bazaar) is closed on Sunday and Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays (although some cruise tours might get to see part of the place). Many cruises overnight in Istanbul which means folks can plan for 2 days.... Taking into account what is closed on which days can be an important issue. We were actually on a cruise that was docked in Istanbul on a Monday and Tuesday and met a couple who spent the first day shopping at the Grand Bazaar and Egyptian Bazaar (Spice Market) and strolling around town (always fun). They planned to go to Topkapi for half the day on Tuesday and had no clue the place was closed. If they had done their homework they would have simply altered their plans.

 

Hank