shmabbies

Thank you both, and yes, we tipped wheelchair guy and buggy guy in Turkey as well as any other countries where we could secure assistance. Even if we weren't already inclined to do so, Turkey is most definitely a tipping culture. Most definitely do. Out of all the "assistance" in relation to dealing with the airport and Galataport, this one was probably the most critical.

Thank you Peregrina651, I have learned SO much from CC, my goal in some small way is to pay it forward. OK two days of Galataport: Arrival from airport via Viking transfer (another note - I believe in addition to providing incorrect information about the necessity of a visa, Viking also provided incorrect information about the embarkation port - in earlier posts in this thread, that conclusion was contemplated, and not that I can read Turkish, but I do believe the embarkation port information was incorrect, which did not affect us as we were on a ship transfer, but fellow passengers on independent pre-cruise stays reported their taxi drivers had problems with the Viking provided embarkation port address, which was not simply the word "Galataport"); anyway, the Viking bus drove us into the massive Galataport garage, where we identified our luggage and it was taken away, and then we walked to (as others have noted) one of many passport controls, and from there to a check-in desk (where we were given all of our tour tickets - I'm not so sure handing jet lagged passengers juggling luggage and documentation their tour tickets was necessary at that point in time) and from there a wheelchair was obtained for me, and Mr. Shmabbies reports the distance from check-in desk to tent outside gangway to be about a half mile. From there it was normal embarkation stuff. That night after dinner I went to guest services and asked what wheelchair services might be available on the next day in order to access the "easy" excursion we'd booked, and was told nothing would be available, that the service provided on embarkation day was a one-time service provided by the port. It was acknowledged that the walk from ship back to the bus was long and it was suggested if I intended to do the excursion that I get an early start! The person was lovely and kind but basically I was told very nicely to "suck it up." The next day we planned to start the walk allowing sufficient time, but when I looked off our balcony, which was against the dock overlooking the tent, I noted two wheelchairs with attendants. Duh! So we disembarked, again, much earlier than normal people might need, approached one of the wheelchairs, and was delighted to find he was more than happy to deliver me to the bus in the garage (where we'd been left off the previous day). We were quite early, having allowed all that extra time, but we were able to embark the bus and everything was fine. The tour itself (the Bosphorus cruise which included a pre-visit to a mosque & the Spice Market) was really good and we enjoyed it a lot. There were no super long slogs and I'd probably concur with its "easy" rating; that said, someone confined to a wheelchair with major mobility issues would probably have a problem. At the conclusion of the tour, after disembarking the small boat used for the Bosphorus cruise, I guess essentially we were still in Galataport, because it's SOOOO huge. We went thru yet another passport control and then about a half mile thru Galataport shops until we reached the same spot where the transfer had dropped us off the day before, and where the bus had picked us up that morning; in other words, in the parking garage. I found this half mile walk probably the worst part of the day, but fortunately the same wheelchair guy (who Viking had told me did not exist) there and he pushed me that last half mile from garage to Viking tent. Did we make it work? Yes! Did we have a great time? Yes! Do I think Viking could have been a tad more helpful? Yes! Do I think there are folks who would have issues with Galataport's size? Yes!

I'm back from arriving at Istanbul airport and dealing with Galataport. I'm posting about the airport first and will do a separate post about Galataport. I'm going to qualify everything I say by saying I CAN walk and I can do stairs, it's long long interminable slogs with no place to sit for even a few moments that do me in, so what I report may not be appropriate for everyone. We flew on Turkish Air nonstop JFK-Istanbul. TK is one of my favorite airlines despite their absolutely horrible website & phone assistance. Used United miles. Prior to departure, I called both UA & TK to request a wheelchair. TK told me to call UA. UA told me it would be taken care of. There was no wheelchair for me or anyone else on the flight. We walked what to me was quite a way & saw no one who appeared as if they could provide any assistance or answers, but did spot a phone that said "buggy wagon" or "buggy service" (why do normally sensible people like myself go into brain freeze after long flights - I could have taken a photo of the darned sign). A couple in the vicinity of the phone said they had already called, and sure enough in due course the buggy arrived. The buggy transported us to passport control. Without the buggy I would still be walking. Mr. Shmabbies says it was about a mile walk. After passport control (quick and easy - might I add here that after sending us an e-mail a few months ago that Turkey no longer required visas for US citizens, Viking's final e-mail to us contained the heart-stopping message that visas WERE required - which they are not - clearly Viking did not update their final e-mail text, and yes, I understand it's my responsibility to know this), there was more walking to the luggage carousel, but it was not that far. A Viking staff (we had purchased their transfer) was at the carousel helping with the luggage. When he saw my cane, the staff member told me to go sit down, which I did. When he had things sorted, he escorted us to the transfer bus. I initially started walking because there was no other option, but eventually he commandeered a wheelchair and escort. Mr. Shmabbies says the distance from carousel to bus was probably a half mile. Again, all of the above applies to a specific set of circumstances (the airline we used, the gate we got, and so forth) as well as my perception of what constitutes too much walking, so my details may not apply to everyone. PS. Thanks for your efforts Mich3554. More to follow about Galataport after I touch bases with Mr. Shmabbies for brain refreshing.

Thanks bookbabe. Have been to the new Istanbul airport before but only between flights, never left it, so I know the distances are epic. Mixed bag that we don't handle our own luggage from baggage claim (no pun intended). Part of me wants it on my person, and part of me knows it's better someone else is wrangling it. I'm not confident of assistance at Galataport - finding a staff member may be easier said than done! But - we'll know shortly! Thank you again for your persistence in trying to assist. Have a great cruise!!

The back-to-back sounds lovely. I have a 91 year old mother and we do animal rescue work, so being away that long is not possible, but we've been to the Med and this part of Europe lots and lots of times. Been to every port on this cruise multiple times. We disembark in Rome, way before you, and consider ourselves very fortunate to be able to do that much. You'll have a great time!

Yes, that was me (a little worse for the wear). I will have to check out your link, that sounds very cool. I'm not totally sure I'm ready for Egypt yet, at least as in depth as what we had planned because we've been there so many times and want to see things way beyond the "norm." We had a 100% private tour booked at the time of the Arab spring, obviously we cancelled it, and haven't been back since. It's Mr. Shmabbies favorite country in the world. Good luck to both of us in getting there!

I guess we're at opposite wishes! One of us will be happy! Have a great time, especially if you haven't been to Istanbul before. It's a great city!

Yeah the videos are depressing AND seeing the long concrete corridors really doesn't tell you much about distances. But I'm not going to let anyone hurry me on embarkation day. AND even though we booked an included excursion the next day, if I have to walk all the way back out again (this time with time pressures to keep up with the excursion) and then walk all the way back in again after the excursion (with time pressures for sailaway), I just won't do the excursion (which I will be really angry about as it's something I really want to do). BTW - do you remember me from our discussions MANY years ago (pre Arab spring and pre Covid) about doing a multi-day felucca on the Nile? Did you ever get to do that?

Actually, after I typed and submitted my post, I told Mr. Shmabbies about it, and he corrected me and said that years ago it WAS Dolmabahce Palace that we were docked nearby (and walked over to), not Topkapi, so I think the address provided by Viking IS that old port and WOULD BE a great alternative. As far as checking with Viking, they are often clueless, so I don't think I would learn anything from them, and we did purchase a ship transfer from airport to port, so as long as THE TRANSFER DRIVER knows where he's going, the amount of walking is going to be what it is. Since we don't sail until the next day, I guess I can take my time!

Bookbabe, we're on the same cruise!

Cruisemom42, you have added another wrinkle. We received our final documents that contained at least one error, including that we must obtain a Turkish visa - this after they sent out an e-mail after the first of the year telling us visas were no longer required (which we knew from independent sources) - but the final docs caused my blood pressure to rise. Another potential inaccuracy is that this is our embarkation location per aforesaid docs: Yeni Yolcu Terminali Salipazari/Findikli Meclisi Mebusan Caddesi Salpazar Liman Sahas 1 numaral Yolcu Salonu Beyolu Istanbul, Turkey. If the embarkation location were Galataport, why not just say Galataport. I do not believe this is Galataport's address - but I'm not sure - which means either we are possibly at the small old port you mention OR it's a failure to update the docs to reflect Galataport. I'm pretty sure when we sailed from Istanbul years ago, we were at the old port near Topkapi Palace that you mention, and I totally agree that it was an easy location to access. All I can say is I'm glad we purchased a ship transfer BUT I'm still concerned about the amount of walking. Thank you for your input!

Edinburgher, of course I will relate my experiences and information. I'm really amazed at the lack. My two theories are: I'm worried for nothing (best option) OR people who have experienced it are still so exhausted they can't even post. Like bookbabe, I will be at the port next week - too late for her to provide any information for me, and too late for me to provide any information for her. BUT we can help others!

Have read a lot of negatives about the amount of walking required in Istanbul's relatively new cruise terminal, Galataport - but no one has offered any information about how to deal with this. The consensus is that such a new facility should have services available - I've read & re-read the Galataport website but (maybe it's me) I can't find a word about availability of wheelchairs, even benches for taking a break. Every post seems to mention the large amount of walking. We are embarking there in a few weeks and I'm beginning to get very concerned, not only about the embarkation process, but about an excursion we've booked for the next day which sounds like we may have to do "the walk" all over again to exit the terminal and then re-enter after the excursion. We've embarked and disembarked in Istanbul in years past but all were before Galataport and frankly the "old way" sounds as if it were much more user-friendly. Hopefully someone will tell me I'm missing something!

Thank you so much for doing this!

Actually I did review the posts in that location a while ago (but thanks for suggesting it). Other than pretty much the same comments as here (LONG SLOG), I found nothing but confirmation of how much walking is involved. As in this thread, one poster mentioned that such a facility MUST have services - which we all agree is a logical conclusion - but no one has posted use of said services or a link to said services. I'd be happy with PAYING for assistance. But you're right, I should put a post there. Thanks!

Thanks to all for confirming my worst fears - glad I asked! For those who referenced Galataport and the fact that for such a big, new, upscale facility it MUST have handicapped help - I would agree that it seems logical that it must be so. BUT I have been all over the Galataport website and I've read an awful lot about all the awards it's won and all its shopping opportunities and all the restaurants it has etc. etc. but I have NOT found one word about wheelchairs or handicapped assistance, nor have I found a phone number or e-mail or other way to reach out to Galataport management to ask. I'm really kind of flabbergasted. And disappointed. One takeaway from carolinetodd's comments that I think I was mistaken about - I think I thought check-in would be pretty close to the ship entrance/gangway, because in my experience it usually is. But her comments lead me to believe that even after check-in there is yet more walking to leave the structure - would that be true? This is all so different from the way it used to be embarking in Istanbul. I'm kindof regretting the choice. But appreciative of the input received and welcome more!

Have been to Istanbul many times by land and sea, but have not flown in for a cruise since the new airport opened and not sailed in since Galataport opened. Embarking Viking in a few weeks in Istanbul and am concerned about the amount of walking just to board the ship. 1. Have booked a Viking transfer. Have booked airport wheelchair assistance (for the first time) that will hopefully get me from aircraft to Viking transfer rep i.e. through passport control & luggage pickup. While I understand this is all speculative with no absolutes - does anyone who has embarked Viking in Istanbul and used a Viking transfer recall how far a walk it was from Viking rep meet point to the actual transfer vehicle (I ask because in Rome FCO the bus was parked very far away from the Viking rep meet point & we were expected to gallop after a young & very fit rep on a mission to get us to the bus & it was a nightmare for me). 2. The transfer vehicle presumably drops us off at Galataport, which I understand is massive and I cannot locate anything about wheelchair services available there. Experiences with how much walking is involved from getting off the transfer bus to the ship check-in location would be appreciated if anyone has them. 3. I assume from ship check-in to actually boarding the ship is not that far, but in case it is, any experiences appreciated. 4. The next day we have booked the Bosphorus cruise, which is described as "easy." My experience with Viking excursions is that they do not at all take into account how much walking is involved to board any vehicles and do not take into account how much walking there might be from where the vehicle leaves you off to the site entrance (since many sites understandably don't allow big buses to pull up very close). At Olympia, for example, we'd only ever been there by private excursion and were dropped off right at the entrance - with Viking, the buses parked at the top of a small hill that we had to walk down (and on return, up) and the total walking distance NOT on site was about 1/2 mile each way per Mr. Shmabbies). So with this "easy" Bosphorus cruise excursion - does anyone know if we have to walk back through Galataport to a bus to get to the boat, or maybe we board the boat right near the ship which would be nice? I really want to make clear I am NOT complaining - I am seeking information to evaluate against my personal strengths and weaknesses and this information may help others. Many thanks!

. We've been home from our cruise for almost three months and it has pained me to keep quiet about this, but given this topic as an opening, I can no longer resist commenting about our experience in YC. We had a wonderful Bellissima cruise pre-Covid and suffered thru endless cruise cancellations during Covid until finally getting to sail in the Med in October - where we found YC to be loaded with kids, unlike our previous relaxing experience in YC on Bellissima. I know school vacations are different in different parts of the world so I expected if our timing wasn't good that there might be kids around ages 5-14, but these were BABIES. Infants. And lots of them. On the days we could laugh about it, we joked they and their mothers were discharged from the delivery room directly to the YC boarding tent. We pretty much lost the use of our balcony because of the screaming babies in cabins with their balcony doors open, OR screaming babies ON the balcony (hopefully in the arms of an adult). We could not escape the screaming on some days and obviously it had to affect other passengers as well. Gone were hours relaxing with a good book on the balcony. Gone were quiet dinners in the YC dining room. We did book a future cruise while on board, but if our future experience is the same as this one, that will probably be our last MSC cruise and our last YC experience. I'm not sure if we would have preferred the guitar in Top Sail but I think possibly we would have because we could have left and gone back to our cabin and taken a chance the babies were asleep.

I totally agree except for the title of the thread, which maybe should be more like "Things you are going to learn after booking that are going to annoy you the most" or something like that?? Especially this one that you really don't learn until the excursions become available, which literally can be years after you book due to the early final payment issue?

Speaking of the Corinth Canal - can I brag about Mr. Shmabbies? Many many years ago we crossed over the Corinth Canal on an excursion and he saw the people bungee jumping off the Corinth Canal bridge and said "I'm gonna do that someday." Mind you he's NOT a risk taker and this was a surprise statement from him (we are no spring chickens either). Fast forward a few years and the bungee jump was featured on an episode of "Amazing Race." I was comfortable this meant that CBS had done their due diligence about the company offering the jump, so I made the arrangements for him with the same company (probably the only company) on a week we were staying at an AirBnB in Athens. Because the instructions are very precise, and he was not allowed to wear his hearing aids during the jump (and is prone to nod "yes" to anything said to him when he's not wearing them), I asked to go with him to the jump spot under the bridge (which in itself was a little intimidating and more than enough for me) to be sure he understood the instructions. He did it - and I know he counts that as one of the coolest things he ever did! Back to reality - I can speak very highly of the Corinth Canal cruise AND visiting Ancient Corinth. If I had to pick one, I'd pick the Canal cruise, because you will never see anything like the Corinth Canal FROM the Canal. But both are very nice! Thanks bookbabe and MidnightSailingSam and lackcreativity!

The devil is in the word 'generally.' Last year in Chioggia, for example, Verona was offered on the "turnaround" or "middle" day, and that was not an offering on the other Chioggia days. It was one of our favorite excursions. I don't know if it was ever offered again, but I did post that it HAD been available, and hopefully this knowledge helped someone plan their middle day. I think Viking should put their cards on the table and show us, and allow us to book, their middle day offerings in advance (not just Athens). As many continually point out, their cruises are often filled way in advance, so they know darned well close to how many people are disembarking on that day and how many are continuing onto the next sailing. While I'm not a computer expert, it seems their system can be configured to reject anyone who tries to book an excursion on MVJ on their own personal disembarkation or embarkation day. It's sophisticated enough to not let you book two overlapping excursions in a given port, for example, so surely it can be set to not let someone disembarking book an excursion on disembarkation day. In Chioggia, we took a chance to see what was offered on the middle day. I'm likely not going to do that this time, in which case I will book something private or buy ferry tickets or ??? In other words, I will probably not wait to see what Viking offers, thus reducing by two people the demand for Viking excursions on the middle day, which then is self-defeating going forward, because lack of interest may reduce the number of offerings going forward. Not sure I'm explaining that well.... My request still stands, if anyone recollects what was offered on their middle day in Athens, I'd love to know what they were. I have my big girl panties on and know that there is no guarantee of what will be offered on my cruise, but the knowledge will help me decide whether to book something on my own before sailing, or wait and take my chances.

Does anyone who has done the three day port stay in Piraeus/Athens, with no excursions available to book in advance on the middle turnaround day, have a list of what ended up being offered on board, or have any recollection of what might have been offered? Thanks!

Two per person on Seashore in Mediterranean in October 2023. I had phone & tablet and DH had different phone & different tablet.

Have already done them and agree well worth seeing, especially with a knowledgeable guide!

Thanks for that info! That is what DH remembered from many years ago but he recalled construction kindof hindering our walk. We are in Kusadasi twice on our cruise and Viking only allows you to book an included excursion once per port, so it is on our first docking that we are doing the included Ephesus excursion. Don't remember the Kusadasi sign shown in your photo! Looks like the one in Marseille!