Debarking in Istanbul

[itzfitz]

Asking for recommendation for transportation from port to Ritz-Carlton.  Are taxis available?  Uber?  We need to be at hotel by 9 to meet tour guide.

 

Thanks in advance.

Patty

[babysteps]

Hopefully someone who has been in Istanbul will reply!

 

We will be embarking there in June, all the research I've done suggests you are best off arranging a car service to pick you up at the port

[WESTEAST]

You may want to post or search on this forum for Istanbul:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/149-other-mediterranean-and-black-sea-ports/

 

We embarked in Istanbul years ago and our TA arranged a private transfer from our hotel to the port. When in other ports (Copenhagen and Sydney), we have arranged with the hotel concierge to pick us up by private car at their cruise terminal and was never a problem.

[Pearl64]

I don't know particulars about getting to your hotel but the Istanbul port is huge and requires a lot of walking. Now perhaps there are different locations for embarking and disembarking. Enjoy Istanbul.

[Vertygo]

Ritz concierge may be able to arrange. Airport to our hotel was quoted as $100 Euro, which is about double of what I’ve booked myself.

 

I’ve arranged private van for $55 by “Fat Taxi” through Viator. That was cheaper than using Fat Taxi’s site directly. We’re going in August so can’t report on actual service.

[DeanoNorthPerth]

In November last year I used these people for transfer from port to Sultanahmet area-

 

https://www.viporttransfer.com/en

 

Recommend them highly.

[itzfitz]

Thank you all for your responses!

[NCHPcruiser]

Istanbul Shuttle Here is who we are using in October for transfers  to hotel and then

airport after reading several very positive reviews (on CC and elsewhere).

[Psoque]

We were able to catch a taxi at the Istanbul cruise port in December of last year.  We took this taxi to our hotel in Sultanahmet.  We did not have to pre-book this.  There was a line of taxis picking people up there.

[no fuss travel]

Do a private pickup so you know that you are being picked up.  Taxis can be hit or miss even though with the new terminal it is much better than the old.  Why don't you ask your guide that you have booked to arrange for your pickup, then that way you are guaranteed on being there on time.

[clo]

15 hours ago, no fuss travel said:

 Taxis can be hit or miss

Are you talking about Istanbul specifically or just generally? We've taken taxis all over the world perhaps with no problems.

[no fuss travel]

Istanbul only. The traffic is horrible and the taxis do have a problem of getting to the terminal. It just may be that the demand will be greater than the availability. We found the private limo to be more reasonable 

[Psoque]

I think the OP was asking about transportation from the port to a hotel in Istanbul.  As long as the taxi is already waiting for you at port, I don’t think it makes any difference whether they had any difficulty getting to the port or not.  We’ve only been to Istanbul once, but we had no trouble finding a cab at the cruise port in December of 2023.  There was a long line of them waiting to pick passengers up on our day of disembarkation.  If I remember correctly, there was a sign for taxi boarding area.  The pricing was exactly the same as what the taxi fare calculators online said.  We also asked the hotel for private transfer and they we asking about 20 times more than we paid the taxi driver, so we declined that offer.  The same with the taxi fare to the airport from our hotel in Sultanahmet. The private transfer arranged by the hotel was unreasonably expensive (about 20 times as much as a cab), so we just took a cab.  The hotel still called and got us a cab for pick up.

[dock]

We have an overnight in Istanbul.

What would time would debarking commence? 
 

Im trying to figure out transfers to IST and flights to Cappadoccia.

Thank you.  

[no fuss travel]

WE disembarked at 3 am as we were heading to the International airport and it was a long ride there.  If you are at the closer airport, it will not be as long as a trip.

[Psoque]

15 hours ago, dock said:

We have an overnight in Istanbul.

What would time would debarking commence? 
 

Im trying to figure out transfers to IST and flights to Cappadoccia.

Thank you.  

The first question is easily answered by looking at your itinerary.  The official disembarkation time should be listed there.  However, that time could slightly change.  Since you will be overnighting in Istanbul, you should be able to get off the ship before the official disembarkation time, as long as you ask for it in advance, if you need to do so.  If you are flying to Cappadoccia, you can take a flight either from the new big international airport (farther) or the domestic one (closer).

[Treasure Hunter]

Have the concierge at the Ritz arrange it. We have done this and it is a slam dunk. You will be guaranteed an excellent ride and can bill your room. 

[JanDom]

We used“Istanbul shuttle port“ in November last year two times. Price for transfer to the Ritz will be between 40-60$ depends on the car you choose.

Both times they were on time and they always told us via what’s app when they will be at the arranged pick up. 
I can fully recommend them.

 

https://www.istanbulshuttleport.com/de

[JanDom]

Istanbul is a big port but it went very fast to get through the customs and all stuff.

we were in port with a huge NCL and we had to leave the ship before the passengers of the NCL ship, so nobody had to wait. But disembarkation starts very early 😵‍💫