Steirisch

For Americans and many others, there will be a new visa procedure to visit Turkey and if you have not complied a visa on arrival will NOT be an option. Note below that, also, your passport must be valid for 6 months after arrival.

If you are American you can get a visa on arrival up through April 9, as of April 10 2014 you will need to secure electronic visas for each and every traveler ($20 each, online, Visa or MasterCard, good for 90 days multiple entry within 180 days of entry date validity).

Of course, you can also get a ninety day visa at your local Turkish Embassy or Consulate, or via a (expensive) visa service.

http://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/

Bits and pieces from the FAQ:

Quote:

E-Visa is an endorsement that allows the bearer to enter Turkey.

It replaces “sticker”- and “stamp-type” visas formerly issued at the border crossing.

Applicants obtain their visa electronically after entering required information and making payment by credit card.

After successful application, e-Visa is e-mailed to the applicant. Applicants must print out their e-Visa, show it to airport officials and customs officers and carry it with them at all times during the travel.

E-Visa is only valid for tourism or trade purposes. For other purposes such as work or study, an application through our Embassies or Consulates must be submitted.

Turkish authorities can deny entrance of a holder of e-Visa to Turkey in certain cases. Holders of visas issued by Turkish embassies or consulates are subject to the same procedure too, thus can be denied entrance.

You need:A minimum 6-month-valid passport, flight (or any other possible means of transportation) reservation and a credit card (Master or Visa). (But, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarifies: • Passports should be valid at least six months longer than the expiry date of the requested visa.)

I could get “sticker type of visa” at the airport. I don’t want to apply for e-Visa. Can I still get “sticker type of visa” at the airport?

Yes. However, please note that visa on arrival will no longer be available as of 10 April 2014.

Do I need e-Visa if I am on a cruise trip? Go

You don’t need e-Visa, if you will not leave the ship.

You don’t need e-visa, if you only tour in the respective port city of Turkey (You will be given a permission by local border police authorities to enter Turkey).

You need e-Visa, if you want to tour beyond the respective port city of Turkey.

From IATA TimaticWeb (the source airline ticket agents check to clear you onto international flights):

Quote:

Visa and Health Information

/ 08MAR14 / 0013 UTC

(N1)

CURRENT NEWS

TURKEY: VISA ON ARRIVAL FACILITY TO BE ABOLISHED

The Visa on Arrival facility is being abolished in Turkey and

replaced with an electronic visa (e-Visa), which must be

applied for, on-line, prior to departure for Turkey. The

introduction date for this change is expected to be 11 April

2014.

E-Visas can be applied for at http://www.evisa.gov.tr and the system

is now in place and operational. Those nationals eligible for

the visa on arrival facility can already apply for their e-Visa.

During a transition period, which is to include the 2014

tourism season, those eligible for the visa on arrival

facility will still be able to apply for their e-Visa on

arrival, via interactive kiosks at Turkish airports. However,

passengers are strongly recommended to apply for their e-Visa

prior to departure, to avoid any queues at the kiosks.

Timaticweb Version 1.3

08 March 2014

__________________

Dave,

Your thread has enlightened me on the Ryndam...I so want to try this ship. We've been on the Prinsendam, but this looks great. Love all your photos, too.

Many thanks.

It's evidently a very popular tour and the fact that so few people are allowed on each tour. I tried in June of 2012 for late October and of the two dates I requested, they were both fully booked.

My massage therapist collects rosaries. She's not Catholic, but she loves rosaries. I got her one with the Pope on it and it was cloissone. She loved it, but it may not be for everyone. On the street in front of St. Peters, where you can see St. Peters at the end of the street, there are lots of shops selling religious items.

Great website, captainmcd. Learned a lot and it sure piqued my interest.

I checked TripAdvisor and it looks like hit or miss with this company.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1-i10703-k6114598-Cruising_Excursions-Cruises.html

Joanie...just wanted to add my thanks to you for all your long hours on this project. It is very helpful. Cheers.

eroller, great photos and wonderful trip report. I want to go now. Thank you.

A group of us took We Hate Tourism Tours' Pirates tour for cruise ships. http://wehatetourismtours.com/

No luxury, and irreverant, but toally enjoyable as a change of scene. Ricardo was great, and his personality certainly helped make the day. He adapted to our wants, and we took so much time it added up that we were almost late for departure. Lisboa, Sintra, hot Pao raodside picnic, Cabo Roca, coast, surfers, fishing port, warm and fresh Belem Pastries, and lots of opportunities for photos. Our cruise was interrupted a day arriving in Lisbon due to weather, and Tatiana rebooked us on three days notice to the following day.

Another vote for WeHatetourismtours. Had a great trip to Sintra and loved our guide. Also loved the warm and fresh Belem Pastries.

I also had wanted to visit the Archeological Museum, and it's closed the day we are in port, so be sure to check that too!

After visiting Herculaneum and loving it, we took a cab to the Archeological Museum. It should have been open, but that day it was closed due to a one-day strike by museum personnel. Very sorry to have missed that.

The HAL website seems woefully inadequate in their information about ships, so this board is a fabulous source of information not available elsewhere.

We're considering a booking on the Prinsendam. Just wondering what the

Oak Room is. Is it a smoking lounge?

This would be our first HAL experience. We usually sail with Crystal.

We also like HA (especially the Prinsendam). Since you are experienced travelers I will give you advice for well seasoned travelers. Walk over to the taxi queue and just tell them you want to go to the train station. Also try to find another couple that is also gong to the station (we usually find other folks near the taxi queue) since the fare (20 - 25 Euros) is per taxi (not per passenger). Make sure you do agree on the fare before you leave in a taxi. Even in the worst-case scenario where you would not be able to get any taxi to take you to the station, you have not lost any of your other option which is the shuttle. Now you might wonder why the "shuttle" does not also go to the train station?? We have been told this is by design since the cruise line does not want to make it easy for you (they prefer that you buy their overpriced excursions) and the City of Livorno wants to shuttle you into the heart of Livorno (so you will stay and spend money in their city) rather then help you escape their "paradise." Some might even call it a "conspiracy." After doing our own thing in Europe for over thirty years we have grown to accept the cruise line "conspiricy" which is to do everything possible to sell overpriced excursions (I call them cattle drives) and make it more difficult for independent travelers. Sorry to be so darn cynicle :)

 

Hank

Hank, you're not cynical...just realistic from your experiences. I feel the same way.

Last time we were in Livorno, my husband called it a "sea day" and had no intention of leaving the ship. I wanted to go to Florence, so I took a cab from the dock (and they didn't appreciate me asking for a cab to the train station...no one wanted to take me). The train to Florence didn't leave for an hour, so I had to wait and there's not much to do at the Livorno train station except have a coffee. When I got to Florence, I walked around, had lunch, and found an internet cafe to check my email for less cost than on the ship. A fellow passenger recognized me in the internet cafe and asked if I came to Florence by train. I said yes. She asked if I knew there was to be a train strike this afternoon. I checked trenitalia.com and sure enough, it was supposed to start at 3:00 p.m. or so and it was already almost 2:00 p.m. Fellow passenger said if I couldn't make it on the train, to meet them at the Duomo at 3 p.m. and they would fit me into their taxi. Well, I did make it to the train in time and back to Livorno. When I got into the taxi at the station and showed the man my little map of where we were docked, he started yelling, jumped out of the cab, jumping up and down, and generally trying to get me out of his cab. Just then, a uniformed man came by and asked what the problem was and I (still sitting in the cab) showed him my map. He had a few words with the driver, who continued his rant and then the uniformed man asked the driver in the next cab it he would take me. He reluctantly agreed to do so. I tipped him big when I got to the ship because I was grateful and wanted the other driver to know that he missed out on a big tip. Anyway, what one Italian on board told me was once you're in a cab, do not get out even if they rant and rave. It's their game. I guess I was just lucky that time.

Amazing photos. I thought icebergs like this were just in the movies. Love your daily report.

The Steakhouse was not worth it to my husband and me. We should have just gambled the $60 away. The service was poor and unfriendly. The waiter always served my husband first and then me. My husband ordered a $21 glass of wine with his steak and instead of bringing the bottle to show him that he was getting what he paid for, they bring over an individual-sized carafe and just pour it in the wine glass. Who knows what was really being poured. When you pay that kind of money, you want to see the bottle.

My husband didn't like his steak at all and finished less than half of it. I ordered the chicken and it was dry, but the flavor was good.

I felt the food in the Main Dining Room was way better, and the service friendlier.

Apropos of that, our wonderful Dining Room Waiter told us that as of the next cruise on the Conquest, the waiters are going to be given more tables in the dining room, 3 more tables each, I believe he said. So this cruise had great service in the Dining Room, but that could go downhill after this.

I forgot to mention Karl and Britta Edlbauer...in Florida.

Hi Margi

 

 

Wish there was a website for "old" RVL crew to chat together.

It's nice to read these posts though.

Me, too. My husband (Austrian) was on the RV Sea and we're still in touch with quite a few former crew. Does anyone remember Heinz and Micky? How about Eric Bridgeman? We're in touch through Eric with Bruce (mentioned earlier in this thread) and Eva. Alex Don is now with Crystal and Alana Warden is in Florida now. Wendi Pels now lives on Cape Cod. Karl Volker in Boston. Peter Maeder in Las Vegas. Anni Martinsson back in Stockholm. They're scattered all over the place.

Anyone know where Peter Einfeld is these days?

I just started the Atkins program a couple of weeks ago and all is going well. It is the diet that works best for me because I don't have any cravings. My current doctor says whatever diet works best for me is the best diet there is. He doesn't recommend one over another because it can be difficult, so make it easy on yourself.

When I did it before, I would fall off from time to time. I didn't start the beginning phase all over again, just went back on the regular diet. It worked for me, although by starting the induction phase again, I probably would have been a few pounds ahead.

I went off once because we had visitors and a bottle or two of wine. One thing I found for myself is that when I had two glasses of wine, I felt totally looped after those two glasses. It felt as thought I had drunk a whole bottle by myself.

By the way, when I did Atkins three years ago, I had just had my annual check up. After six months, I saw the doctor again and he reported that my cholesterol went way down despite the meat, cheese and butter.