IWantToLiveOverTheSea

We used a service from the airport in Istanbul to a hotel in Sultanahmet in May. We still had to wait a bit for them to pick us up, so I don't know if pre-booking will really save you time or not. But then our luggage didn't make it, so we were a bit late for pickup after making a claim at Lufthansa's baggage room. Perhaps they had to use our driver for someone else. In any case, we came out of the airport at the door instructed by Efendi, and saw someone with a sign with our name on it. That person instructed us to sit nearby for a little while until the driver came. I guess we waited maybe 15 minutes. The company was Efendi Travel, and I think they do taxi/tours as well as taxi service. They charged me US$45 including tax, prepaid by credit card, which was around 42 euros at the time. Our hotel offered to send a taxi for around the same amount. At least the Efendi Travel driver had no problem finding our very small hotel on a one way street. Our hotel had given us instructions in Turkish to give any taxi drivers we used, as some streets in that area of Sultanahmet can be challenging. You may want to ask your hotel if they recommend a particular company. But overall we were pleased with Efendi.

Galataport was a pain in the butt for embarking. Glad we didn't disembark there! It sure is a nice looking terminal, though!

I don't know, as we embarked in Istanbul, not disembarked. But when we have overnighted in a port and disembarked the next day, any passport or immigration check is done, if at all, when we pick up our luggage in the port's terminal. I know in Barcelona, for example, I think we had to show our passports upon leaving the port terminal with our luggage, but that was fast and easy. One thing I never really know is whether a country or port has "cleared" people to get off the ship based on examination of a passenger manifest or if they'll want to look at passports or something in the port terminal. But in any case, I would guess that you'd be able to meet a vendor maybe an hour after you disembarked the ship, or even perhaps less. But I cruise mostly on Oceania or Viking, which rarely have more than a thousand passengers to disembark. And I've never disembarked through Istanbul's new cruise terminal Galataport), so I can't tell you what they do. For the first day you have, I would say that generally I would try for meeting a guide 45 to 60 minutes after the scheduled arrival time. If the ship is a little late due to weather or something, most vendors will wait. But you just never know when something can cause But make sure you know where the person/vehicle will be. Istanbul's new port has mostly (or possibly all) pickups/drop offs underground at the terminal. In May it was kind of a mess, coming in via taxi. There wasn't much signage, and nobody around to direct the cab driver to an entrance. Once he found one and dropped one, we had trouble getting in because we hadn't checked into the ship yet and had no card to present. Hopefully now things have improved.

I'm on Oceania next spring and going to Portimao. So thanks for the information presented so far. I haven't had a chance to research the city yet. But I see that Oceania might offer excursions to Portimao Old Town, or panoramic tour of Algarve (Silves etc.), or Sagres and Lagos, or traditional villages of Alvor & Feragudo, or Lagos & Carvoiera, or Cape St. Vincent/Sagres/Lagos. Hopefully I can figure out what I want to do and then I'll probably try to do whatever I do by bus or taxi if possible. If not, then I'll pick an excursion. I don't mind ship excursions, but I also love doing things independently, and usually that ends up working out well while saving me money. Cleobella, you aren't on Oceania, are you? I'm starting to look for info on Porto (Leixoes) and Portimao, and some ports in Spain. I cruise in April. Other posters, thanks for the information! I copied it to look at later.

I'm sorry. I didn't see that someone had responded to my thread. But I can only tell you that we visited Paphos, not Limassol. So I don't know about car rental or tours there. Paphos was nice. I just walked around, visiting the archaeological park there (easy to find, not far from port). I saw the lighthouse and some of the ruins there. I also stopped at a thrift store on the way to one place I wanted to see and bought some shorts. In early May it was HOT! Then I went back to the ship, got my husband, and we walked along the water to the beachy area nearby, with some shops, restaurants, etc. A pelican strolled by at one of the restaurants and then on the small beach, we saw a woman with a huge pet iguana. All in all, it was a pretty fun day. Some people took a ship's excursion to see the Turkish part of Cyprus. It sounded less fun than my day, though, and definitely a bit of driving involved.

I may have already replied to you, on Mdina. But in any case, we (on one of Oceania's smaller ships) were in port with a large Norwegian ship and one of Viking's ships. I'm quite independent so didn't plan anything. But the taxis, if nothing else, were there. And so was the town, crowded or not. There was no wait at the tall lift up top to look down on the harbor, and things didn't seem too terribly stuffed. I agree that you should be up for the cruise into the harbor, especially if the sun is out. And cruising out after dark was kind of nice for us, as there were lights on lots of the ramparts. Enjoy whatever you do. I still haven't visited the other little areas around there by ferry, or some of the other fun things to do. And walking along by the ship was fun, inside the gate of the port -- a few restaurants along a promenade of sorts.

We haven't been to the Croatian ports you mention. But I'm one of those people who absolutely loves the smaller ports that O's smaller ships go to (plus probably other smaller ships on other lines). It never bothers me if I haven't heard of the port. I usually end up loving those places. On our last cruise, Chania (Crete) blew me away, and I loved Trapani, Italy. I even found things to do on a small Turkish island and a small port in Greece. And before that, I fell in love with Ronne, Denmark and Visby, Sweden. But I'm a photographer, so I'm not necessarily looking to visit world class monuments, or shop, or visit museums and churches.

We had all day (but not night) and I found it plenty of time to go to both Marsaxlokk fishing town and Mdina on a taxi tour. Right outside the port on the main street that runs down to the elevator taking you up top for the views there were a few drivers offering taxi tours. The price was reasonable and so we took a tour. Basically we told the driver where we wanted to go and for how long. I think it was for around 3 hours and it was 80 euros, but I forget. With a half hour visit to Marsaxlokk, the time in Mdina was a little short. But we did manage to walk around and see some of it. If you just want to see Mdina, you may want to go there only, or perhaps there and then a short drive around the driveable parts of Valletta. If you go to Mdina, you may get a wonderful glimpse of the town above in the near distance that's a knockout. I didn't ask our driver to pull over in time to photograph it, though, and while he tried to take me by there later, it was too difficult to do. In addition to some taxi drivers on the main street outside the port, there was also a place near where you walked out from the Valletta terminal where, past the jewelry store, there were some booths, presumably offering tours, plus a tourist info booth. We loved Malta.

It may be a little bumpy, and people may be in your way, but I also think it's doable. But trams may be very crowded, so unless you're lucky and/or go early morning, those may possibly be a bit of a challenge. (Tram from Tophane stop by Galataport in direction of Bagcilar, get off Sultanahmet stop. I would buy two tickets at a time from machines at Galataport to at machines.)

We didn't get any lira for our 5 days in Istanbul, Kusadasi and Bozcaada in May. Mostly I used credit cards. But I'm not much of a shopper, so maybe that's why I don't usually worry too much about such things. And I do things on my own, so seldom need money for tips. If I need it, I'll use U.S. notes.

I got a kick out of walking across the airport runway. And the lighthouse at the southern tip was beautiful to look at. I just took public buses to these places.

The ship is very secure at Galataport, which is great, but presents a little bit of a challenge in having people drop you at the ship like in some other ports. I'm not sure if taxis are allowed into the Galataport terminal basement to sit there waiting for passengers. But the port does have a website, and that may give you more info. If not, you can walk out of the building, head toward the main street nearby, and perhaps hail a taxi. When we arrived by taxi from our hotel, the driver was directed to the basement, so that's about all I know about taxis there. I did not see any other taxis, and no signs, but perhaps now that Galataport is getting more ships, things will be better marked and explained. Ships are "attached" to the terminal via ramps and perhaps a causeway thingey). But once you're underground, you can't see your ship. But if you walk out of the terminal at Galataport, you can probably find a taxi on the main street. However, I forget which way you turn to do that, and despite some signs, I first ended up in the crazy retail place right outside the port terminal rather than the street I wanted. But from the terminal to the tram, I'd say it's probably no more than a 5 minute walk. Be forewarned that you need to buy tickets before getting on, and I don't know if the machines that at least should be close to the stop accept credit cards or anything other than Turkish lira. We went to Istanbul early for our cruise and bought a few tickets before we went to the port. And be forewarned the tram can be pretty crowded, though we were there the week of Ramadan, so it was super extra crowded, so......? But if traffic is really slow, especially over the Galata Bridge, it may be faster than taking a taxi. If you take the tram, I'd buy two tickets. Some machines can be very busy. And don't cut your time short if coming back from Sultanahmet if you go by taxi. By tram, I'd guess it's no more than a 10 to 15 minute ride by tram to the closest stop to Blue Mosque. And Eminonu (a favorite place for me), Topkapi, the Bazaar, Basilica Cistern, etc. Take a head covering if you want to go in "real" mosques and be prepared to take off shoes and leave them outside or in a box. I loved Kilic Ali Pasa mosque near the port - quiet, beautiful, no tourists other than me, etc. I probably have more info on where the tram is, what direction you need for Sultanahmet (Blue Mosque, Hafia, etc.) and that kind of thing. Let me know if you do. I just took it down to the big park above Topkapi, and then came back and walked around, exploring two beautiful mosques near the Galataport terminal.

Yes. You can walk out of Galataport and look around. It was a little confusing, though, so you might want to take a map. (I used Maps.me app on my cell phone, after loading maps pre-trip.) If you want, you can walk a block or two to find the tram, which goes to Sultanahment area of the city, although I don't know for sure that there are token machines at that particular stop, and if so, whether credit cards are accepted or if you need Turkish lira. We went to Istanbul a few days early, and I already had an unused tram ticket when we went to the port. Here's some info: https://istanbulclues.com/istanbul-tram-map-t1-line/ You can also walk around the area of Galataport to see a few pretty mosques with few to no tourists (take and wear a head covering), plus a remodeled clock tower and other things. And there are restaurants and shops at Galataport. I imagine you can get a cab from near there, but I simply took the tram to where I wanted to go. I've been to Istanbul twice now, but always for embarkation/disembarkation, and shuttles are seldom offered by Oceania or a port on those days. But if you're up for riding the tram, I'd say the tram to Sultanahmet (Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, etc.) might take 10 to 15 minutes. You can also get to or close to the Basilica Cistern, Market, Topkapi, and my favorite area, Eminonu. Be forewarned, though, that the tram can be very crowded. But sometimes it's better (faster) than a taxi if traffic is really bad.

https://www.frankfurt-airport.com/en is Frankfurt airport's website. I believe they have diagrams of each hall/concourse (A, B, C or Z).

Well, I don't know how many passports they examined and when, but doing that is not unheard of when cruising. I remember we had to do that for one country in the South Pacific, where we lined up and did a face to face. But in Israel we had to turn in our passports to Oceania the evening before, and then got them back the next evening. So apparently Israel looked at them on the first day we were there (in Haifa). But when each one of us went to the terminal, all we had to do was line up for an immigration check (and possibly quick photo, but I forget!) and show them or tell them something, and Oceania took care of any passport inspection requirements. Now that testing isn't required, I don't know what they're doing. But I certainly would expect that they're doing SOMETHING with passports.

I think you'll be fine - see my post!

thanks for reminder!

I didn't look back to see what I was going to say about Israel. But here's how it went. But it's my understanding that about a month or less after we traveled, Israel dropped the onsite PCR testing there for cruisers, so people after that didn't have to worry about losing time there -- unless, of course, Israel decides to make another change. I don't know the current status. We got to Haifa port a little after sunrise on our first day of a three day visit to Israel. Oceania had scheduled us to go at different times into the terminal (about a half city block away) for immigration check and Covid testing. I forget if Oceania took our passports or if we still had them that day. I'd say the whole process in the cruise terminal for the two of us took about 30 minutes. There was a line, but it moved fairly well, first for immigration and then (very close nearby) for testing. PCR testing was thorough and efficient. We were given a little document to keep with us to say we had cleared immigration. We had also, I believe, done an application on an app while on the ship before getting to Israel. Once done, each person went back to the ship. I don't know exactly when the testing was completed, but at some point we all received a text or email which we could identify as being about Covid but couldn't read (unfamiliar characters!) Most or all of us (individually) panicked a bit. A little later the cruise director came over the PA and told us the notice was just a receipt saying that our tests had been received at a lab. Finally at 5 PM we got the "all clear" on the ship from the cruise director, saying testing was complete and we could leave the ship. I don't know if anyone tested positive or not. I never heard, although we did have some people quarantining on the ship at various times. In any case, by 5 most things near by were closed or closing very soon (like the Bahai Gardens) so I doubt many people went off the ship. That evening after dinner, the ship moved to a different dock at Haifa. It was my guess that it was because another cruise ship was arriving soon and needed the terminal to get their passengers cleared. The next morning we took an Oceania excursion to Masada and the Dead Sea. After that first day the ship sailed to Ashdod (at night). From the Ashdod port we took a tour with Guided Tours Israel to Jerusalem & Bethlehem. Both tours were quite good (large people mover van for GTS - a little cramped, but not too bad, and a coach for Oceania. Both O vendor and GTS picked us up right at the ports). Of course, there was a lot of driving to and from the sites, and of course, there were loads of people at each major site. But the experience was pretty incredible, so it was worth it. As for the scheduling, I had alerted GTS that our schedule might be upset due to Israel's testing, so they were on standby. Originally some people on our cruise were planning to do all 3 days with them - northern Israel, Jerusalem, and Masada, though maybe not in that order. GTS contacted me (email or text) a few days before we arrived in Haifa to let me know they (obviously) couldn't do the first day tour. They offered me a Jerusalem/Bethlehem tour on our third day from Ashdod and a northern Israel tour the second day. I had planned to go off on my own the second day, so passed on the northern Israel tour. I then signed up for Masada with Oceania to get to see Msada and the Dead Sea. Questions? Want to see photos? Just ask.

Well, in May it was a mess too. Galataport is nice and new, but not ready for prime time. By May they had only had a few cruise ships since re-opening after the worst of Covid, and you could tell they weren't ready! And you're right - no signage!

I'm jealous. The monasteries are on my bucket list. You didn't go to Crete (Chania) or Paphos (Cyprus), did you? I fell in love with those places in May - very nice surprise!

We had trouble in Istanbul too, back in May, when only a few ships had visited. The taxi driver drove around in the basement having no signage, no people, no help in finding where to drop us. Finally he found 3 guys to ask, but they were (I believe) Oceania crew members returning to the ship, and they told the taxi driver where the closest door was. But it turned out to be the door for people returning to the ship who already had the world cards. We had to trudge up the escalator with our luggage and then find where to go to check in -- not a pleasant or easy experience. I texted the hotel about our experience, telling them to warn cab drivers going to Galataport that they'll need to figure out, or ask at the entrance to the garage, where to go to drop people off at the correct entrance. But once we found and got where we needed to be, the process was pretty normal, except for a rather unusual security process that I had not seen before. But otherwise, the port's contractor or port agent employees or whoever checked us in fairly quickly. And then there was a slog up those ramps to the ship. Galataport was beautiful and clean, but yes, a mess. And then when I tried to go back out of the port the same day, my card didn't work. They had to call Oceania to verify. And of course, as I kind of expected, it didn't work when I came back. Hopefully in time they'll get a lot more experience and the whole process will go easier. But we were the only ship that day, and a small one at that (Sirena, total 700 people or whatever), so who knows how they will do when 3 or 4 huge ships converge at the same time... Anyway, enjoy your cruise. Ours in May was fabulous, with one of those famous port-intensive itineraries. And oh, it felt so good to be out on the seas again.....

If nothing else, Sirena will be in Oporto next month, so that should provide an answer, at least for me. But it doesn't sound like it will be hard to get to Porto, with or without a shuttle. It's apparently only a 10 minute ride. And the port website says taxis are available. Here's new port terminal in Leixoes.

I haven't been to Porto before, but have started doing a little research as I'm on a cruise in April which goes there. I read on a Facebook group for Oceania cruisers (not Oceania's official site) that someone visited Porto (Oporto) this summer. I asked the person if she knew if there was a shuttle to Porto, since cruise ships normally dock in Leixoes, which is a little bit away from Porto. (I'll be on one of the smaller ships (Sirena) and while it's smallish, I don't think it's able to go past there and down the river to Porto. Also, I saw on Marine Traffic that an Azamara ship (same size as Sirena) docked in Leixoes.) The person I asked didn't know specifically where the shuttle dropped, as she took an Oceania excursion rather than go out on her own. However, she was told it was a place near a huge church where people could walk down to the river (Duoro) and walk across the bridge to Gaia. Gaia has wine warehouses, river walk, and apparently a very popular view of Porto. I've identified a likely shuttle location, at least in terms of area. However, if you're doing a tour by a third party person/company, it's my guess that they could simply meet you just outside the port at Leixoes. I looked at whatsinport.com to find out more about Leixoes, and there is some good information on there about how to get from the port terminal (new, modern, beautiful) to the center of Porto (or Oporto). I would probably make sure the vendor knows that you're on an ocean-going cruise ship, and that indications are that you are likely to dock in Leixoes.

First, Edinburgher thanks for the link. It was interesting and probably useful if someone wants a tour to the vineyards from Le Verdon Sur la Mer. I'm still looking for information as follows, just in case someone can help me: In Verdon, is it easy to get a taxi for a short trip up to see a somewhat famous lighthouse (Cordouan) that's not far from the port? And do cruise ships typically offer a shuttle to Soulac or the beach area of Verdon -- or any other place? We'll only be in Verdon for 3 hours but I'm trying to figure out what I can do in that time.

Have only disembarked there on Oceania, but both times it was easy and fast to go to the terminal, get luggage, show passport on way out, and grab a cab with no line. But both times the ship itinerary showed 7 or 8 AM for disembarkation, and that was early enough for me.