Med Ports and Disemarking

[mimbecky]

I know that with tendered ports it can take quite awhile to actually get off the ship, but what about docked ports? I have private tours in Istanbul and Kusadasi and am wondering how long it takes to get off the ship in these docked ports.

[ghstudio]

I know that with tendered ports it can take quite awhile to actually get off the ship, but what about docked ports? I have private tours in Istanbul and Kusadasi and am wondering how long it takes to get off the ship in these docked ports.

 

Disembarking at both Turkish ports is painless unless you must be the first one off in which case you will queue up with all the others who are afraid they will miss something. If you wait 15-20 minutes after they announce that you can get off, there will be almost no wait...

[austinlw]

In Istanbul and Kusadasi we walked right off the ship just a few minutes after they made the announcement saying we could. No problem in either place. We were among the first ones off and had no trouble meeting our guide in Kusadasi for our Ephesus tour.

[TLCOhio]

From last June in the Med, it was real easy and simple getting off of the Celebrity ships at docked ports. Since their ship tours have a variety of staggered times, that spreads things out very nice. Both Istanbul and Ephesus are super, super wonderful. These are each world-class locations with such great history, culture, architecture, etc. Below are a couple of my visuals samples from being there. Hope these get you pumped up and excited about both of these spectacular stops. Are you visiting the two Istanbul palaces pictured below?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 80,167 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

Looking downhill towards the library and other ruins from when Ephesus, along the Turkish Coast, was Rome's capital of Asia Minor. The history here is real and totally amazing! Ephesus has the famed outdoor theater that hosted Saint Paul preaching, plus rock stars, etc. At this large, 25,000 seat outdoor theater in the 1st century AD, the Apostle Paul did a famed sermon condemning pagan worship. He spent over three years in Ephesus preaching the Gospel.:

 

 

 

Topkapi Palace was the official and primary residence in Istanbul of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign. It was the setting for state occasions and royal entertainments. It is a major tourist attraction today, containing the most holy relics of the Muslim world such as the Prophet Muhammed's cloak and sword. At the height of its existence as a royal residence, the palace was home to as many as 4,000 people. After moving to the new Dolmbahce Palace in 1856, the imperial treasury, the library, mosque and mint remained at this location. :

 

 

 

In 1856, Sultan Abdul Mecid I moved his court to the newly-built Dolmabahce Palace, the first European-style palace in the city. Located on the European side of the Bosporus, it served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1922. Fourteen tons of gold in the form of gold leaf were used to gild the ceilings. It is the largest palace in Turkey. The world's largest Bohemian crystal chandelier is in the center hall of the palace. A gift from Queen Victoria, it has 750 lamps and weighs 4.5 tons. Dolmabahce has the largest collection of Bohemian and Baccarat crystal chandeliers in the world and one of the great staircases has bannisters of Baccarat crystal. Below is the changing of the guard and the Sultan's carved Alabaster bath.:

 

 

 

 

 

Inside Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar that attracts three million people, here is one of the merchants/artists making us a custom item for our daughter-in-law from pink stones. Check their website: http://www.grandbazaaristanbul.org. It is one of the largest covered markets in the world with 60 streets and 5,000 shops, and attracts between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. It is well known for its jewelry, hand-painted ceramics, carpets, embroideries, spices and antique shops. Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by type of goods, with special areas for leather, gold jewellery and the like. The bazaar has been an important trading centre since 1461 and its labyrinthine vaults feature two bedestens (domed buildings), the first of which was constructed between 1455 and 1461 by the order of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The bazaar was vastly enlarged in the 16th century, during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and in 1894 underwent a major restoration following an earthquake. Here is a custom item for our daughter-in-law being made there.:

 

 

 

Here was our first views of Istanbul in 2006 from our just-docking cruise ship as we smelled the sweet blend of this historic Turkish city. YES, you could really smell how “special” is this unique city with so much culture, charm and interest!: