Bimmer 09 sails APEX to Iceland June 2023

[perfect match]

14 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Thanks vagporto.

If you've seen my later post you'll see we've already taken care of the rooftop bar/eats and proximity to Hagia Sofia by staying 200 yards from it. Very exciting. 

Is the the QV or QE in your shot? I looked at the QV for our cruise but the Azamara itinerary won out. Ending in Venice also gets us back there for the first time in 10 years (by the time we arrive)

Staying at our favorite hotel on the Grand Canal.

Norris

While I’m looking forward to cruising on Ruby Princess, which was our first Princess cruise and most likely where I discovered you, Carol, and your wonderful GSJ writings, I think I’m even more excited to follow the two of you on this Azamara cruise you’ve just booked! 

[winifred]

So glad to see you are back to good health and as always good humour! Thank you for your detailed Apex report, we will be on her very soon around the Baltic. We enjoyed Amsterdam too, it was a land holiday for us ( just as covid was being talked about on the news as an emerging new virus and we all know how that unravelled…) agree it’s the bikes you have to watch out for the locals are so fast and the tourists after some Dutch “ cakes” are wild! 
Istanbul is on our radar for a future cruise too. 
Going now to read your past trip reports and look forward to seeing your future ones, thanks again. 
 

[Bimmer09]

Here is our Itinerary for the Istanbul to Venice cruise- if you have been to any of these places and have good or bad memories of them please let me know. Cut and pasted from the Az site. 

Fri 17-May TO Sat 18-May 2024	Istanbul, Turkey	Embark	- (May 17)	10:00PM (May 18)
Sun 19-May 2024	Canakkale (Kepez), Turkey	Docked	8:00AM	4:00PM
Mon 20-May 2024	Kavala, Greece	Docked	8:00AM	8:00PM
Tue 21-May 2024	Thessaloniki, Greece	Docked	8:00AM	10:00PM
Wed 22-May 2024	At Sea	Cruising	-	-
Thu 23-May TO Fri 24-May 2024	Athens (Piraeus), Greece	Docked	9:00AM (May 23)	8:00PM (May 24)
Sat 25-May 2024	Santorini, Greece	Tendered	8:00AM	9:00PM
Sun 26-May 2024	Chania, Crete, Greece	Tendered	8:00AM	6:00PM
Mon 27-May 2024	Olympia (Katakolon), Greece	Docked	1:00PM	8:00PM
Tue 28-May 2024	Corfu, Greece	Docked	8:00AM	8:00PM
Wed 29-May 2024	At Sea	Cruising	-	-
Thu 30-May 2024	Venice, Italy	Debark	7:00AM	-

 

[Bimmer09]

9 hours ago, Justpackingmybags said:

Hi Norris, 

I’ve only just discovered your GSJs and have been hooked! Glad to hear your pneumonia is receding and that more holidays are on the horizon. 
if your port for Olympia is Katakolon, you’ll be able to spend a few pleasant hours at the tavernas near the ship, indulging in Greek food and maybe an ouzo or two. Or stick with Mythos beer. 
Looking forward to your next journey 

I began my research into the ports yesterday evening and first up was a good 4K video  featuring Costa Deliciosa in Katakolon. I am not interested in Olympia and once I saw those tavernas and plates of Greek food coming to the tables I said to Carol "I'm so there!" I loved the little fishing boats in the harbor and how quiet and relaxed the scene was. Nice little town too.

The first thing I thought of when looking at this cruise and this region of the world was the food rather than antiquities. We arrived in Katakolon at 1 p.m-just in time for lunch!

Thanks for the comment! You obviously know me well!

Norris

[JeanieC,Aston]

Hi.

One of the most thought provoking moments I’ve had on a cruise ship was sailing from Çanakkale to Istanbul when you sail through the Dardanelles past Gallipoli.

If you sail past in daylight your good camera will take in all the Anzac/Turkish monuments to that terrible part of WW1.

We had a CD who gave a running commentary,,,,with poems read out written bysome of those who perished bringing tears to the eyes.

 

Unfortunately most cruise ships pass during the night,,your ship I see leaves Istanbul at 22:00 so unless daylight comes early before you reach Çanakkale you will miss it.

There May be boat trips from Çanakkale to Gallipoli.

 

Did you know the current through the Dardanelles runs both ways,,,one on top of the other.

 

Love that itinerary.

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by JeanieC,Aston

[Bimmer09]

10 hours ago, PurpleTraveller said:

 

What time of year will you be going? I will be spending four nights in Istanbul in June 2024 before going on a 7 day Celebrity Infinity cruise to the Greek Islands out of Athens and then a 10 day Celebrity Constellation cruise of Italy and Croatia out of Rome (Civitavecchia). We will also be staying in the Sultanahmet area.

Allison

Allison, we fly home from Venice on Saturday June 1 so will be gone before you reach Istanbul.

We fly out to join the Azamara Onward (ex Pacific Princess) May 15. Review will begin June 3 on the Azamara board. I'll link here and at the end of the Ruby review.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

20 hours ago, Solar Yellow said:

Norris, Von from Iowa here.  I was on Azamara Quest in 2021 with you and Carol.  Have you looked at Oceania for Istanbul?  It appears Marina, Riviera, and Vista visit Istanbul in 2024.  Vista is their brand new ship and probably the most expensive option.  Riviera has been recently refurbished very nicely and Marina will be refurbished in April 2024 or thereabouts. They're lovely mid-size ships with 1200ish passengers and good food.  Even standard veranda cabins are a good size with nice bathrooms.  Entertainment is not their strength but sometimes the shows are remarkably good for a smaller ship. Their new Simply More package includes internet, drinks, and some tours.  No extra cost for premium dining restaurants, always country club casual, and no photographers or art sales.  Gratuities are extra but if you find the right travel agency, you'll often get more OBC and gratuities covered.

 

Istanbul is top two or three for me of the cities I've been to.  I agree with the poster above that says at least one or two nights in a hotel before embarkation even if the cruise starts with an overnight.  Be forewarned that the Galataport is a hot mess.  You'll see the ship 40 feet way from you but will have to walk a mile to get to it and probably get a little turned around on the way there.

Von, good to hear from you again. We certainly remember you from our Azamara Quest Med Cities cruise.

I did look at Oceania but they only had 10 days (affordable)  sailings and there were no sea days which wouldn't suit Carol. They also only gave us 11 hours for Athens. Price was $500pp per day so same as Azamara. I usually don't research Oceania as their pricing with their crack-induced "Brochure Price" is tacky...make up a price that no one on Earth would ever pay then take 50% off. It's like Macy's quoting MSRP then their 50% off.Also their best food at sea registered mark is a self-given boast and not the result of extensive market research by an impartial body of experts.

I'm sure their food is very good but I'm never a fan of hyperbole. Their prices are competitive and I would probably test them out in the Caribbean. Thanks for the recommendation.

I'm glad to hear your thoughts on Istanbul. We have long had an interest in that unique city and will have 3 days to enjoy it.

Any cruises planned?

Norris

[Justpackingmybags]

Hi Norris,

I’ve visited a few of the places that your Az cruise goes to. One of the advantages of living in the UK is that they’re all 3-4 hours flight away.

Santorini : so much is written about it. It’s so busy these days. You’ll probably not be the only ship tendered there. If you want to go up to the main town of Fira for a walk then you’ll probably have a wait for the cable car to take you up (sometimes a 2 hour wait to come back down which steals an unwanted chunk out of your day) Otherwise it’s a walk up a steep & twisty path full of mule 💩 and said mules laden with tourists.
Another option is to take a boat from the port level across to Oia (also very busy), wander round there before getting a bus down to Fira. It may even be a good place to take a ship’s excursion. If it’s a bus excursion they often leave from the ferry port at Athinios. There’s an interesting archaeological site at Akrotiri and several vineyards. Santorini wine is pretty good!

The 2 main holiday resorts away from the Caldera are Kamari and Perissa, both of which have black volcanic sand beaches.I have been know to rent a car for the day and spend it touring at my own pace, which includes sitting at a beachside cafe in Perissa & having a swim. You still have to drop the car off back in Thira & brave the queues to get back down to the tender port.
Santorini is the remnant of a volcanic eruption that is rumoured to have destroyed Atlantis. I’ve also visited the islands on the Caldera. Nea Kameni still has a little smoking volcanic activity and it’s possible to walk up to it. The other islands are Paleo Kameni and Aspronissi, but I don’t recall many trips visiting them. If you get to see a Santorini sunset, it’s beautiful. I’m not sure how the island doesn’t overbalance from the weight of all the people lined up all the way from Oia through Imerovigli to Thira watching it. Stunning place, but a victim of its own beauty. 

I’ll ponder about Chania later & report back

Sal

[JeanieC,Aston]

I agree Sunset is the thing in Santorini,,,,this year sunset was about 20:25hrs.

With Bummers ship sailing next year at 21:00 he should be OK.

[Bloodaxe]

20 hours ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Hi.

One of the most thought provoking moments I’ve had on a cruise ship was sailing from Çanakkale to Istanbul when you sail through the Dardanelles past Gallipoli.

If you sail past in daylight your good camera will take in all the Anzac/Turkish monuments to that terrible part of WW1.

We had a CD who gave a running commentary,,,,with poems read out written bysome of those who perished bringing tears to the eyes.

 

Unfortunately most cruise ships pass during the night,,your ship I see leaves Istanbul at 22:00 so unless daylight comes early before you reach Çanakkale you will miss it.

There May be boat trips from Çanakkale to Gallipoli.

 

Did you know the current through the Dardanelles runs both ways,,,one on top of the other.

 

Love that itinerary.

 

 

We did a ships your to Gallipoli from Canakkale when on Azamara a few years ago, good tour but a bit rushed, would not try it unless through the ship, we were late back due to just missing a ferry but the Ship waited for us.

[Bimmer09]

9 hours ago, Justpackingmybags said:

Hi Norris,

I’ve visited a few of the places that your Az cruise goes to. One of the advantages of living in the UK is that they’re all 3-4 hours flight away.

Santorini : so much is written about it. It’s so busy these days. 

 

Sal

Sal, thanks so much for the rich detail on visiting Santorini. There are 6 ships booked there today but on our date May 25 2024 there are 3- Onward, Regent Seven Seas Grandeur with max 750 pax and Voyager of the Seas with max 3,114 for a potential 4534 pax. In most of our ports we are the only ship.

In Corfu we are joined by the new Sun Princess 4300 max pax and Viking Sea max 930.

Piraeus we'll see Queen Victoria max 2060 px, MSC Sinfonia max 1960 and Celesta Olympia max 1450.

In Istanbul there is just us and Regent Seven Seas Voyager max 700 for both days.

Chania I am happy to say we are the only ship so I'll be stuffing my face in a harbor-side taverna.

Besides those listed above we are alone in the rest of our ports!

Cheers!

Norris

[Justpackingmybags]

You’re welcome.

Now then, Chania…

the ships dock at Souda. We got a taxi into Chania from there; there were plenty at the port. I can’t remember how much that cost (pre Covid and many gins ago) the town is a great place to wander round, lots of places to eat and drink round the harbour area and a bustling town centre to wander through. You’re at the end of the island where the Samaria Gorge is, for the very active. For me, Heraklion is the better port for visiting places like Knossos, Chania is more laid back.
Most of the Greek ports are great for ambling round on your own.You could even catch a cricket match in Corfu Town, a bizarre legacy us Brits left 😆

Sal

Edited July 19, 2023 by Justpackingmybags

[lilghallinsf]

On 6/23/2023 at 9:26 AM, Bimmer09 said:

Mike and Mary, thanks for your kind comment-"entertaining and informative" is what I strive for.

I hope you are sitting down when I tell you the price (I've seen much cheaper)...it was E 270 for each leg and we thought the efficiency, communication and the service was worth the splurge.

You could get an Uber for less. Train is cheap cheap but we can't schlepp luggage off and on trains then wait for taxis and such. We got what we paid for-professionalism, Mercedes E, on time, car and driver ID with the link to the driver's phone number on the day to advise delays etc-youvcan also request an extra stop, such as the Markt in Rotterdam. The E Class sedan cost more than the minibus price but we like sedans.

Hope this helps!

Norris

Years ago, when I was younger, we would do the trains. It is very doable, but as I have aged and been able to afford private cars too and from I can't imagine going back. However, life can throw you a curveball and I would certainly do it again if needed. 

[Bimmer09]

Hi, my latest review is now underway on the Princess Board

Hope you can pop over and say Hi

Norris

[MisterMet]

1 hour ago, Bimmer09 said:

Hi, my latest review is now underway on the Princess Board

Hope you can pop over and say Hi

Norris

See you there my friend!