Istanbul. I Shall Report Back.

[mocrimlaw]

Really - we need to bring toilet paper in Istanbul, Tom? Everywhere in Turkey too - like Ephesus? Is the issue that there is no TP or is it just awful? What about Istanbul hotels?

[LocoLoco1]

Crimlaw.... GOOGLE up non-Western toilets with the Footprint floortreads astride a hole. usually Clean, but different. In 4-star Western Hotels it's TP on a roll. Elsewhere it's often 'splashy-splashy' with their bowl of water...then hand sanitizer. I gently reminded my wife...she forgot, but won't forget again. Locomotiveman

[LocoLoco1]

Crimlaw...l should have said. GOOGLE up 'Squat toilet' on Wikipedia. Robe/skirt with no Undies....no problem!! Otherwise it's a balancing act at times. Locomotiveman Tom

[Wiltonian]

Crimlaw...l should have said. GOOGLE up 'Squat toilet' on Wikipedia. Robe/skirt with no Undies....no problem!! Otherwise it's a balancing act at times. Locomotiveman Tom

 

They're also still quite common in France, especially out of the big cities. Known in our family as "stand and deliver" loos.

 

Stuart

[paradiselivin1]

Paradiselivin1,

Young teenagers in Istanbul dress mostly like in any Western country. HOWEVER, women need to have a scarf on when entering certain Mosques as a tourist. Guys need to have long pants...women too. (They provide plastic hoodies and whatnot at the doorways...but they look awful.) Off the beaten track tank-tops, flip-flops and shorts would probably get a "tsk-tsk..." from the locals. The Bazaars/streets have maybe 25% of locals dressed in robed Islamic garb and headwear...the rest mostly in conservative Western garb. So....wear blouses that cover the shoulders, buy a nice Scarf in a market, and wear slacks n walking shoes and you'll be good. Or don a robe with head-wrap. Bring TP for bathroom duties..sez my wife. Locomotiveman Tom

 

Thanks. Hope I can get away with a skirt that fall to the top of knees w/top that may be sleeveless but bought a black scarf here yesterday large enough to cover head and shoulders. Appreciate ALL of the tips (tp) and thank your wife ~ that's why I'll elect for a skirt over slacks!!

[mocrimlaw]

Well I remember being a bit shocked to see squat toilets in the Milan airport last year, but they did have toilet paper! I will be suitably prepared for Turkey!

[StressFree]

Locomotiveman, Thanks for your great review of Istanbul! Ann

[angeleyes27]

Ugh!! I was in Santorini Greece on a cruise in May and had to use one of those squat toilets. First time I had ever seen one. I thought I made a mistake and went in the mens room...and I had to pay to use it as well. I used the bathrooms at Ephesus and all were normal toilets with toilet paper.

[paradiselivin1]

Ugh!! I was in Santorini Greece on a cruise in May and had to use one of those squat toilets. First time I had ever seen one. I thought I made a mistake and went in the mens room...and I had to pay to use it as well. I used the bathrooms at Ephesus and all were normal toilets with toilet paper.

 

Yikes! We're flying to Santorini after Istanbul. Now, I will pack double the tissues that I am taking. Had the same "opportunity" in Milan once but found there was a normal toilet behind one of the doors. The entire busload of people lined up for that one!:eek:

[lemonjelly]

aim well luke !may the floor be against you :)

[LocoLoco1]

Locomotiveman, Thanks for your great review of Istanbul! Ann

Thanks Stressfree. I would say 2 publications should be on most cruiser's reading list. Rick Steve's Guides To -------. and TurkeyTravelPlanner by Tom Brosnahan. Those 2 guys 'cut to the chase' as regards practical info. and skip debates on Ritz-Carlton vs 4Seasons blah-blah.

They and Lonely Planet are usually spot-on for independent snoopers such as I. Locomotiveman

[mocrimlaw]

For those of us with knee issues (mine from a car accident), squat toilets are really tough to use. Are they all like that in Santorini?

[roothy123]

We didn't see any such toilets in Santorini in 2006. I wouldn't worry about Santorini. Really, I have seen few of them in my travels - except, of course, in China, where there were plenty.

 

Lonely Planet and Rick Steves happen to be my favorite travel books, too - I have the LP Istanbul and Venice pocket guides, and they pack in a lot of info and maps with good detail. I love Steves' books because he tells you all the practical stuff about where and how to take a bus, how to ride a tram, etc. Once in a while his maps are too sparse in detail to enable me to do the exploring I crave, but overall his books are great. The only time I really was disappointed was when he called Heidelberg "too touristy." I loved it! Oh well, everyone's different.

 

Tom - still counting the days until I cruise, but now at least I have only 5 more weeks to go! Thanks again for the info - we're two birds of a feather, it seems - love to explore!

Edited August 19, 2015 by roothy123

[no fuss travel]

We found this past March that the squat toilets in China were cleaner than the western toilets. One of the women touring with us had bad knees and she said she would put up with the pain for the cleanliness. She actually braced her arm on the wall which gave her the support she needed.

[angeleyes27]

We were just in Santorini and Kusadasi this past May. There were regular toilets with toilet paper everywhere I went in Kusadasi and Ephesus. There were regular toilets at the entrance to Ephesus and well as at Virgin Mary's house.

In Santorini, I used a public toilet in Fira near the Prehistoric museum. It was one of the squat toilets and the first that I had seen like that and it was a pay toilet. The woman outside then cleaned it with a mop. Not sure if they have regular toilets elsewhere. In Olympia, Greece, they had regular toilets in ancient Olympia museum, but you had to throw your toilet paper in the trash can, not the toilet itself.

[dabear]

Enough of the toilet matters. I've just seen that Princess has just cancelled all Turkey embarkment & stops on its Crystal and Costa lines.

[roothy123]

Enough of the toilet matters. I've just seen that Princess has just cancelled all Turkey embarkment & stops on its Crystal and Costa lines.

 

I'm almost afraid to ask this question for fear that I will be seen as someone who's clueless to world news, but what has gone on in Turkey to cause this? I know some people on another board are complaining about cancellation of stops in Tunisia, but hadn't heard anything about Turkey. I'll be quite disappointed if I hear that our cruise line is going to bail.

[cruisemom42]

I'm almost afraid to ask this question for fear that I will be seen as someone who's clueless to world news, but what has gone on in Turkey to cause this? I know some people on another board are complaining about cancellation of stops in Tunisia, but hadn't heard anything about Turkey. I'll be quite disappointed if I hear that our cruise line is going to bail.

 

1) Dolmabahce Palace guards in Istanbul were attacked today by two gunman. No casualties and the men were quickly apprehended.

 

2) ISIS has just released a "call" to their followers to capture Istanbul. (They are not happy with Turkey's agreement to let US planes use Turkey as a base, among other things.)

 

 

Neither of these two things, in and of themselves, would strike me as a clear reason to cancel Turkish ports on upcoming cruises. However, cruise lines always operate from an excess of caution (often going beyond what government warnings suggest). I am sure this is partly due to the fact that many skittish travelers will cancel cruises that go to ports they consider "risky".

 

Having said that, I do feel that the extreme safety I have felt in traveling there over the past few years is ever so slightly diminished by recent events. (However, I'd still travel there -- just maybe a tad more cautiously.)

Edited August 19, 2015 by cruisemom42

[Lexieboo]

We received our notification yesterday that Costa Deliziosa departing on Nov 5, 2015 from Venice would not be stopping in any port in Turkey. It was scheduled for 2 nights (1 full day and 2 partial days) in Istanbul and one day in Izmir (Ephesus). The itinerary has been completely revised.

Edited August 19, 2015 by Lexieboo

[dabear]

Correction: Cunard and Costa are owned by Carnival, not Princess. Interesting that Costa, which focuses mainly to Europeans , changed the itinerary for a 2015 cruise while other changes were for 2016 cruises more than one year away.

[LocoLoco1]

Some things have a long history. Byzantine, Roman, Persian, Ottoman peoples have aired their differences around Istanbul for Millenia. As Turkey's cultural pendulum is swinging a bit wildly lately I was quite serious when I told my wife, "Lets go to Turkey....while we still can."

 

Locomotiveman Tom

[Lexieboo]

We were surprised as well. I expected the US cruises to stop Turkey ports before Costa. We are very disappointed, but not much we can do.

[cruisemom42]

Correction: Cunard and Costa are owned by Carnival, not Princess. Interesting that Costa, which focuses mainly to Europeans , changed the itinerary for a 2015 cruise while other changes were for 2016 cruises more than one year away.

 

It could well be reactionary on Costa's part as one of their ships had a number of fatalities in the Tunisia terrorism incident at the Bardo. So they may be a bit over cautious.....

[HLGW60]

Correction: Cunard and Costa are owned by Carnival, not Princess. Interesting that Costa, which focuses mainly to Europeans , changed the itinerary for a 2015 cruise while other changes were for 2016 cruises more than one year away.

 

 

Well....actually Carnival Corporation owns Princess, Holland America, Costa, etc. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=200767&p=irol-products

[Wiltonian]

Such actions simply play into the terrorists' hands. Sad.