SD I 3-17 Oct Athens-Istanbul-Athens

Anyone joining us on this one? Some repeats (Santorini and Kusadasi) but many more new (Bodrum, Patmos, and Rhodes).

Looking forward to it!

Vandrefalk

Hi Vanderfalk,

We're on the Sept 11 cruise out of Istanbul, wish we were on the same sailing. Hopefully we will be on the same one together soon. Are you concerned about Istanbul? I read one of the Celebrity ships is no longer overnighting in port and skipping it on another cruise. Costa also took Istanbul off there sailings for the rest of 2015.

I've been to Rhodes several years ago. We went to the castle and a great jewlary store, the guide we used was George Sialadakis at rhodeswonder dot com

On Patmos, be sure to visit the monastery and grotto of St. John. We took a cab or shuttle bus (forget which, but think there is a shuttle) to the monastery, then walked to the grotto, then walked back to the port. About an hour walk total, downhill :) Smart phone did a good job of guiding us back. Just take a gander at it when the tender lets you off so you know what quay you are at. I think I dropped a pin on the quay.

We are on the 10/10-10/17 portion of the trip from Istanbul to Athens. We're going to have 4 days in Istanbul pre-cruise since we haven't been there before.

You must be on SD 2. We're on SD 1 on Sept 11. Your going to love Istanbul, we spend two full days touring last time and have our same guides wife booked for another day this time. Have a great trip!

Be sure to watch "From Russia with Love" before you go to Istanbul, and then tour the underground cistern ;)

And for breakfast one morning call room service and ask for:

"Yogurt, green figs, coffee, very black."

Be sure to watch "From Russia with Love" before you go to Istanbul, and then tour the underground cistern ;)

 

And for breakfast one morning call room service and ask for:

 

"Yogurt, green figs, coffee, very black."

"Red wine with fish, well that should have told me something". The Bond movie closest to the actual book.:D

Cole, wish you were going to be with us! We do need to get together again! Your cruise is going to Venice -- then they will go back to Athens and then we will get on board. Sixties Traveler will join the second week from Istanbul back to Athens. Will look forward to meeting you, Sixties! You'll find me at the Piano Bar :eek:

Thanks, Ragnar, for the suggestions -- we do plan to visit the grotto on Patmos.

I haven't been particularly worried about Istanbul, but am a bit concerned about Lesvos (where a lot of the refugees have been landing) and Bodrum (where that tragic sinking took place). Will wait to see what (if anything is needed), SD decides to do. I am hoping this situation/crisis will come to some sort of acceptable resolution soon.

Vandrefalk

You'll find us at the Toy Bar when we arrive and the piano bar every night after dinner.

The sophisticated folks here probably already know this, but here is what we were told on a recent voyage as to refugees. Indeed it is a sad and tragic situation for which we all hope and pray for a resolution. In the meantime, the captain did confirm that the rules of the sea, so to speak, require SD and other ships to come to the aid of vessels in distress including those carrying refugees, whether legal or not. Given we were closer to Italy and western Greece on that voyage last month, it really didn't come into play though as noted here it could on other itineraries such as the ones you all will be on.

Karen,

I think I saw you post you were going on SD in January. We will be on SD1 January 30. Will you be on that week?

Cole

Bon voyage Karen!

Wishing you fair winds and following seas.

Thank goodness you aren't home ... the Carolinas have turned into swamp:eek:

Wishing you a wonderful sailing! Wish even more that we were with you!

Reporting in from SD I! Flight to Athens was uneventful (the best kind) if long. One night in Athens where our view of the Acropolis was somewhat marred by the huge crane in front of the hotel. Wonderful to get on board and see: Capt Remi, CHRISTOPHE!!, TOMACZ!!, Hayden and Michelle, Mikee, Brian and others we know and love. Francisco is head bartender so Manual is on vacation. New Maitre D and sommelier. Brenda is concierge.

There is a large group on board -- members of some amateur golf association -- they are from China, US, Canada and elsewhere. Some of them know each other in various little groups. They were booked by Richard (former Cruise Director on SD and now doing sales from Thailand). It's been great to see him again and his lovely wife (former casino manager on SD). We knew the group would be on board and so far they seem to be okay.

It's the first time in a long while that we haven't sailed with friends -- crew keeps asking where our friends are! So, friends (and you know who you are!), you are missed by us AND the crew!!

Couple of not surprising itinerary changes -- we are not going to Lesvos or Bodrum but will substitute Mykonos instead. Then we will have a sea day on our way to Istanbul. We are also getting an evening concert at Ephesus! SD used to do this but the Commodore told me that the prices just became exorbitant. Guess they've become more realistic, if still not exactly bargain!

Today was Santorini. We went to Akroteria (a prehistoric town from 3700 years ago!). Has been closed for several years in order to put it under cover. Fascinating to see the excavations -- and to know that there are two other older cities beneath it! So is this the lost Atlantis? Who knows? Then on to Oia, crowded as always. We'll actually be back next week and will probably just go to Oia. Holland America and Silversea were also in port.

Ship looks pretty good, but have noticed one particular thing in the Main Salon. After drydock last year when they redid the lounge, they put in marble topped cocktail tables. On our Dover-Lisbon cruise last August, we noticed that cocktail glasses were leaving noticable rings on the marble. I thought at the time it was not a good choice and they were going to have the devil's own time keeping them clean. Guess it didn't work, since they are now using white linen strips over each table at cocktail hour! Guess they didn't seal the marble properly or something. Otherwise, SD looks good!

That's it for now -- internet is its' usual quirky self so will do the best I can!

Vandrefalk

Have a great time Kaaren! We enjoyed out cruise and are still working on the time zone adjustment and its been over a week. Manuel is no longer with Seadream and I know your missing Rutzie. I hope they do the crew show for you, it was wonderful. So much talent on board.

Thanks for reporting in Karen!

Sounds like you will be well taken care of:cool:

Glad it's going well so far. Looking forward to meeting you next Saturday when we board in Istanbul. I wonder what they'll replace Bodrum with on next week's cruise.

Rutzie isn't there, Karen? I hope it is only because she is on vacation. Should I fly out there to sing with you?

Zimmy's DH

Mr Z, I think she's just on vacation. Yes, you need to join me! I'm pretty much holding down the fort!

Sixties -- we'll be going to Mykonos next week instead of Bodrum.

Vandrefalk

Enjoying your posts! Keep them coming. Sorry to hear Manuel has left. He was one of my favorites. Think the port substitutions were probably a good thing. Say hello to Christophe and others that you think might remember us. It's been a little over a year since our last SD. I am getting a little itchy to return but not sure about DH.

Everyone remembers you, WhatNot!!

I miss Manuel, but Danny, Marko, and Francisco are doing a great job!

Oia and Fira nearly did my legs in and I've been trying to avoid hills, mountains, and steep climbs with little success! Our stop in Rhodes included a trip to the Lindos Acroplolis -- about 2/3 down the island. It was an interesting drive and the beaches are lovely, if a bit rocky. When we got to Lindos, there was a shuttle going downhill to the village, from where you begin your climb to the Acropolis. I took one look and knew I was going to have a problem! Fortunately, they do have donkeys that can take you up, so I opted for that. These donkeys are treated well so it's not like Santorini. Once up, the views were tremendous. You can certainly understand the importance of forts with such commanding views. Not much left of the statues and columns, but still worth it. Coming down wasn't a problem and the village is full of little tacky tourist shops. Next week, we'll take the waling tour of the old town, which should be very interesting!

Yesterday was Mykonos. None of the tours went (the two big groups on board seem to only be doing certain things) so we just wandered around. There are some lovely jewelry shops (with pretty expensive stuff) but I found a cute necklace that didn't cost an arm and a leg.

Today we are in Ephesus. We opted not to do the three cities tour as we will be back next week and, given that we have the concert tonight, it would have made for a very long day. So we wandered around the waterfront a bit and came back to the ship. Lunch was late (to accommodate the groups at Ephesus) and dinner is early so we can get to the concert. When we get back, there will be a belly dancer by the pool! Will let you know how that goes!

Tomorrow is a sea day (since we are not going to Lesvos) and we'll arrive in Istanbul Friday morning. We'll do a Bosporus cruise that day and then try to get out of everyone's way Saturday morning. We're the only ones staying on for next week!

Food is outstanding as always; crew is delightful; it's the usual wonderful SD experience!

More later!

Vandrefalk

Thanks for reporting in. Mykonos is fine with us instead of Bodrum, we haven't been to either place. We've been in Istanbul for two days and the hills are killing our legs. Donkeys here we come. We're enjoying Istanbul but we're looking forward to our time on Seadream.

Great reporting Vandrefaik! Now I understand the the Donkey Duck you bought for my dear Lucy.

When we went to Rhodes we loved the drive to Lindos but we opted not to do the trek to the Acropolis. Don't remember the donkeys there but that was maybe 10 years ago and perhaps not as touristy as now. We went back down to the port and did the Old Town. It was very nice. Bought some nice not to expensive jewelry there.

Looking forward to more! Hope all is well in Istanbul! It still is one of my favorite cities!

How on earth do I begin to describe the concert in Ephesus and do it justice? Now is when I wish I had the talent of HH or Ragnar, but will do my best!

For those of you who have been during the day, you know how impressive it is to look down the long, descending street and see the Library at the end. Now imagine coming in at night at the pier/amphitheatre level (the pier where Antony and Cleopatra once walked). Everything is gently lit from the base with low lights, but enough to see your way on the uneven, centuries old path stones. Suddenly you see the Library -- illuminated from behind -- just a glorious sight. Tables for 6 were set around the plaza with white tablecloths, mirror frames with candles and very nice hors doerves. Wine was served. Even the chairs were covered in fabric. Up the steps of the Library in the center section was an eight piece orchestra -- flute, violins and cello. We were treated to a two part classical concert of Mozart, Bach and others. It was fun to watch Enrico (our pianist who is classically trained) -- he was simply mezermerized! Perhaps I will be able to load a picture when I get home! It was just a magical evening!

Long sail from Ephesus to Istanbul! The sea day was nice and everyone seemed to be able to find something to do. Last night's entertainment was a bit of a crew show (without Rutzie, who is on vacation). Turns out Hayden has quite a Jimmy Buffet voice -- and I never knew Brenda had such a great voice!! It was a lot of fun.

Today, there were several tours but we took the Bosporus cruise since we've seen a lot of the other sights. There were six of us on our own private yacht (sound familiar?) sailing past the second bridge. Weather was perfect, if a little chilly, and scenery delightful. Upon our return, we went to the Grand Bazaar and actually did a little shopping. Tonight is the farewell dinner and everyone else disembarks tomorrow -- but not us :D We get another week!

It's been a great first week and will look forward to meeting Sixties and reporting on the second half!

Vandrefalk

Sounds like an incredible evening Karen! I can't imagine being surrounded by such history and beauty.