Istanbul to Athens - our fabulous trip

[zennor]

So here's my thoughts on our very recent cruise on the Azamara Journey from Istanbul to Athens. All in all we loved it & would love to sail Azamara again if we can find an itinerary that suits us. We have bought another Open Passage (we used one this time too). This was our second Azamara cruise and this time we really took advantage of the long stays in port. Unfortunately this also meant that I didn’t get to try out the new loungers, unpack my bikini or open my book (OK kindle!). We could have done with another week to relax.

 

Pre-Cruise, Day 1 & First Impressions

 

As we've always wanted to visit Istanbul, we chose to stay for 3 nights & make our own arrangements. Fortunately we chose the Ibrahim Pasha right in Sultanahmet close to all the major sites & away from the protests. Guests who had booked through Azamara in the Hilton weren't so fortunate & were apparently confined to the hotel in the evenings. The hotel was a slightly quirky boutique hotel just behind the Hippodrome with a wonderful roof terrace with views of the Blue Mosque and on to the sea of Marmara - gorgeous. We didn't get too much time to enjoy it as we'd booked 2 days days of private tours with the excellent Lale Kosagan of KSG tours. On the Saturday we had a very full day visiting the Blue Mosque, underground cistern (amazing), Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazaar. I bought a lovely Izmik tile and we did buy a beautiful rug from Punto – a shop close to the Bazaar. We probably paid too much but we’re not too good at bargaining. It has since been delivered and we love it! At lunch Lale took us for a traditional meal and explained the various mezzes and other dishes. That really helped us when we out in the evenings. The rest of the day was spent at the magnificent Topkapi Palace. Each evening we ate out in the nearby street of tourists restaurants, Ticarethane Sok, with their puffed up pitta breads, trays of mezzes and kebabs – it was easy – and our favourite was Khorasani. The next day, Sunday, Lale arrived with a car and driver & took us to over the Bosphorus to visit the Beylerbeyi Palace built in the 19th century in a Baroque style and so different to the other Ottoman palaces. Back on the European side we visited another mosque, Chora church and the spice market – we bought back loads of Turkish Delight & saffron. Lunch was on the top floor of Hamdi with fabulous views. Then we were supposed to visit Taksim square – out of the question of course – but in fact the substituted Bosphorus cruise was a welcome choice. By then we were shattered.

 

Day 1 – Embarkation Day

 

Monday morning, we left the hotel around 11am thinking that the procedure would be similar to Venice where we had checked in, dumped our luggage, boarded, had an early lunch and got off again for some sightseeing. I don’t know if this is usual in Istanbul but once we had been handed our cruise cards and were about to go through immigration we we were told that we couldn’t get off once we’d boarded! At the same time staff started to stick-up signs saying the same. We weren’t too happy and so they agreed that as we hadn’t yet gone through immigration we could leave our luggage and go out again. Unfortunately this involved unloading all our valuables including laptops, cameras etc. into our small back packs as we didn’t want to leave our hand luggage lying around in the terminal. At the time we didn’t find the staff particularly helpful but when we finally got to our cabin, there was a note of apology with a bottle of wine – nice touch!

 

We spent the next couple of hours riding the tram (back to the hotel to return the room key that my DH had found in his pocket!), wandering across the Galata bridge and lunching on ‘Fish Sandwiches’. We were really glad that we had had the two days of tours but it was good to be out on our own too!

 

On the Ship – first impressions

 

As others have commented the changes aren’t that noticeable. The carpet in the MDR is horrible but doesn’t really bother me. Our cabin on Deck 7 was much the same as our last one. The new balcony chairs are more comfortable but the table is way too big. It’s fine for dining but not for relaxing. I know there’s no space for loungers but footstools would be good. The bathroom is as tiny as ever and the only luxury item – the Elemis toiletries, a known spa brand, have been replaced by something called ‘About Rose’. The packaging is cheap and all the labels are the same. They were just about legible but I think they must have confused the stewards as we had several bottles of the shower stuff but only one body lotion which ran out. In the end I left a note asking for more. All four products – shampoo, conditioner, shower cream and body lotion are white, smell slightly of ‘perfume’ and are either thick or more liquid. I did wonder if there was just one big tub of concentrate which got diluted according to the product! Anyway, it’s Ok, I used it but I wouldn’t purchase it or take it home – perhaps that was Azamara’s intention. Our hotel in Istanbul had lovely Molton Brown products (those went home!).

 

On our bed were several sheets of paper including the welcome letter from Heike (HD) telling us that there was complimentary wine at mealtimes in the restaurants. No mention of the new included drinks or wine now being available from the bars too. I heard this being queried several time while on board. Once we had found the list of included cocktails both alcoholic and non-alcoholic we really enjoyed ordering drinks as and where we wanted without having to sign a tab. We’re not big drinkers and were happy with what was available. This really added to our enjoyment of the cruise. Unfortunately the new inclusions are hidden away at the back of a large drinks menu and are not publicised anywhere else on the ship at all. If you asked for a cocktail, you would be first asked if you wanted the Premium version.

 

On this trip we had decided to try the ‘Enrichment’ Lectures so we went to the first one at 6pm (sailaway time). It was excellent and given by Michael Hick – do look out for him. He is so good. The first lecture was in the Looking Glass lounge & the AV wasn’t working which was a shame as we really needed a map to understand it all. That was one item – a detailed map of Europe, Turkey & Greece – that we wish we had packed. But it was still fascinating and we made a point of going to all 4 of them. They were also repeated on the ship’s TV. Does anyone know if you can get DVDs of them? We would love to have one.

 

Most evenings we ate in the MDR & often had lunch in the port. After all the meat kebabs in Istanbul the healthy option and fish was very welcome.

 

Coming up Canakkale & Ephesus.

[Lottie A]

Thanks for this very interesting start to your cruise report Zennor. I'm looking forward to the next instalment.

 

But it does indeed seem that the crew on Quest and Journey deal with the "included drinks" menu differently. I much prefer the Quest way! :)

[autumn lass]

Thank you Zennor for your report. Looking forward to reading the rest. We are on 30th August Cruise, cruising to many of same ports but with some island and Turkish coast additions and looking forward to reading about your experiences. My husband is keen to go to Gallipoli from Canakkale but I will probably look at going to Troy. Did you do either of these trips? It will be the first time we will have done separate shore exc. We experienced the refurb in January on Quest, like you not keen on the carpets. But as long as they don't change the on board experience and welcome you receive we are happy.

 

Hilary

[Texed]

Thanks for posting. :)

[tgg]

I'm enjoying your review and look forward to reading more. Thanks for taking the time to post the details.

[Phxazzcruisers]

Thanks for your posting. We are not big on writing long reviews. We loved our last B2B2B on Quest. The new drink policy was easy and we had a great time. The carpets don't matter much to us, the unbelievable crew is what matters and they are just the BEST

[zennor]

Here are a few photos of our pre-cruise before I carry on:

 

 

The Blue Mosque viewed from the terrace of the Ibrahim Pasha

 

IMG_1995

 

The Galata Bridge across the Golden Horn

 

IMG_1989 on Flickr

 

A tasty Fish Sandwich!

 

IMG_1139 , on Flickr

 

Azamara Journey waiting for us to board

[zennor]

Day 2 Canakkale

 

We were only in this port until 2pm and although quite a few people opted for excursions of Troy or Gallipoli, we decided to take it easy that day. As we did for every port, we visited the Tourist Office desk on deck 4. There was one guy sitting at an almost empty desk. He had no maps and said it wasn’t necessary as there are only a couple of streets. Am not sure why he was there. But he did give us both mini evil-eyes to pin to our shirts and they worked well! But the town of Canakkale is actually a good 20 mins or so shuttle bus ride from the port of Kepez. And the town itself, well it certainly wasn’t small. Even the guy on the shuttle bus seemed unwilling to give us one of the maps he had – very odd. From a tourist perspective there is a long waterfront with a very interesting monument:

 

IMG_2003 , on Flickr

 

Apparently donated by Brad Pitt frm the film set of Troy.

 

There are also plenty of interesting little shops and after the old city of Istanbul it felt a lot more like a real town. We wandered about, visited the tourist office and were given a really good detailed map of Turkey – it’s enormous - we would love to go back. Finally we found a lively café on the seafront, full of locals playing backgammon and drinking Çay (is tea & pronounced Chai). I really wished I’d bought one of the lovely tea glasses.

 

FB_IMG_13704358947466322 , on Flickr

 

And then time to go back to the ship for our next lecture.

[genineh]

Thanks for posts, looking forward to more.Had a chuckle over the keys to the hotel hehe ;):o:o

[zennor]

Day 3 Ephesus (and my birthday!)

 

For Ephesus we had opted for another private tour with KSG tours. Yelda met as at the Kusadasi terminal at 08:30 and it was getting hot! Ephesus is astonishing and Yelda made it so interesting. We were starting to get our heads around all the history and the different civilisations and the 4 locations of Ephesus. Apparently the one we visit is Ephesus 3. Here you get a little feel for the extent of the site:

 

IMG_2013 by, on Flickr

 

And if you go, you must pay the extra for the Terrace Houses – they are amazing – with the most wonderful mosaics and frescoes still intact. Unfortunately by then it was getting a bit too hot for me so we gave Mary’s house and some of the other small sites a miss and headed off to the nearby town of Selkuk to enjoy a lunch of Mezzes washed down with Ayrun (their yoghurt drink) and Baklava at the restaurant Agora. Back in Kusadasi, we found a café with wifi, did a bit of shopping in the shopping mall just by the ship and went to get ready for the AzAmazing Evening.

 

I have to say we have mixed feelings about that evening and I’m really hoping that they’ve acted on the feedback received as I know we weren’t the only ones & the issues can easily be resolved. First of all the location – the Odeon at Ephesus - and the music from a chamber orchestra and harpist was fabulous. Unfortunately access to the seating was very unsafe especially in the second half when it was dark. To get to our sites, we had to climb up ancient steps that were either very smooth or crumbling and most of us were holding glasses of wine. I saw several people nearly stumble and heard glasses breaking. All it needed was to position members of staff with torches in the theatre to help people to their seats. And really they need to stop people taking glasses in or provide plastic ones.

 

IMG_2020 on Flickr

 

And the food & drink was very odd. The brochure said we would have wine & delicious mezzes. On one sheet it said cocktails. A buffet was provided on board before & afterwards but Eric de Gray had told us that most people found the food plentiful and didn’t need to eat anything else. As I’m pretty sure ours was the first Ephesus event, I think this was a general comment for all events. On the coach from Kusadasi the tour guide told us that all the food would be vegetarian as ‘this was easier’ but that wasn’t the case either. Basically when we arrived there were trays or red or white wine (both were horrible) or some sort of juice which we switched to. There were plates with cubes of cheese, some pretty hard olives, nuts & dried fruit. Waiters were serving a few canapés of bread with vegetables. We ate them as were hungry & we didn’t know if that was all there was. In the interval they did serve some other things that were rather stodgy and unidentifiable, some of which I’m pretty sure was meaty – but it really wasn’t very good and not nearly as good as the canapés as the CC Meet & Mingles! Co-incidentally my parents were on the Quest at the time time at their event in Bilbao at a 3 * Michelin restaurant. I envied them. But when I spoke to them afterwards, that hadn’t been very good either. It seems that the restaurant couldn’t cope with such large numbers. They said that the cava and food at their Flamenco event in Barcelona the week before was much better. I’m sure Azamara is learning from this.

 

Nevertheless, we had a good time & here we are looking pretty silly:

 

IMG_2024 on Flickr

[zennor]

Day 4 – Night out in Kos

 

In both Kos & Rhodes we didn’t take any excursions but tried to manage with various maps and self-guided walks I’d downloaded.

 

In Kos we were in port until 11pm so we decided to eat out that evening and were keen to have fresh fish. The girl at the tourist desk on deck 4 was a bit vague and told us about a mini-train that supposedly went to a viewpoint outside the town but we couldn’t find it & someone else said it no longer ran. But she did recommend the restaurant Caravelle which we wouldn’t have found on our own. It was right on the waterfront across from where the Journey was docked. We wandered over to have a drink and check it out & booked our table for 7:30. Then we took the mini-train that trundles around the city and actually gives you a very good overview. It actually went down the street of fish restaurants, Averof street, where you see all the fish restaurants followed by the beach cafes where you can use their loungers for the price if a drink. We spent some time trying to find Hippocrates tree and wished we’d found it before we had lunch in the Agora as it was in a charming square with some nice looking cafes.

 

So at 7pm we escaped from the ship and went out to dine by the water’s edge. We chose our fish from the selection in the fridge and had a lovely evening:

 

IMG_2031-001 on Flickr

[mara01]

Zennor - is the shuttle bus to Canakkale a ship's shuttle and if so, was it free? We are visiting Kepez on our Turquoise Coast cruise at the end of August so any information is appreciated. Enjoying your review and the lovely photos! :)

[zennor]

Zennor - is the shuttle bus to Canakkale a ship's shuttle and if so, was it free? We are visiting Kepez on our Turquoise Coast cruise at the end of August so any information is appreciated. Enjoying your review and the lovely photos! :)

 

Yes it was a ship's shuttle & it was free. I think they went about every 30 mins but if one filled up, they called another one. There is really nothing at the terminal although we did notice a few cafes when we returned on the bus.

 

I think that was the only place where we needed a shuttle. We tendered at Santorini & Mykenos (reports still to come!).

 

Zelda

[mara01]

Yes it was a ship's shuttle & it was free. I think they went about every 30 mins but if one filled up, they called another one. There is really nothing at the terminal although we did notice a few cafes when we returned on the bus.

 

I think that was the only place where we needed a shuttle. We tendered at Santorini & Mykenos (reports still to come!).

 

Zelda

 

Thanks very much for the info. We're also visiting Santorini and Mykonos, both places we have been to before but you can't have too much of a good thing! My sister and brother in law board the Journey tomorrow and also have a lovely itinerary, finishing in Rome.

[kathy9]

Thanks for the great information on Istanbul .... We are going in April 2015 !

Kathy

[islington]

Thank you Zennor for your report. Looking forward to reading the rest. We are on 30th August Cruise, cruising to many of same ports but with some island and Turkish coast additions and looking forward to reading about your experiences. My husband is keen to go to Gallipoli from Canakkale but I will probably look at going to Troy. Did you do either of these trips? It will be the first time we will have done separate shore exc. We experienced the refurb in January on Quest, like you not keen on the carpets. But as long as they don't change the on board experience and welcome you receive we are happy.

 

Hilary

Hilary,

I wouldn't do the Troy Tour as it is very bad value for money and not a good tour at all. It was supposed to be a 4 3/4 hour tour but was only 3 1/2 including two twenty minute stops for photos/ souvenir shop and a long wait at the museum. The Ephesus tour the following day was very little extra but 7 hours and included lunch.

Jenni

[autumn lass]

Hilary,

I wouldn't do the Troy Tour as it is very bad value for money and not a good tour at all. It was supposed to be a 4 3/4 hour tour but was only 3 1/2 including two twenty minute stops for photos/ souvenir shop and a long wait at the museum. The Ephesus tour the following day was very little extra but 7 hours and included lunch.

Jenni

 

Jenni

 

Thanks for this info, very useful, I am not keen on souvenir stuff being included in trips. I will go with Colin to Gallipoli instead as both our grandfathers were there.

 

Hilary

[Bloodaxe]

Day 3 Ephesus (and my birthday!)

 

For Ephesus we had opted for another private tour with KSG tours. Yelda met as at the Kusadasi terminal at 08:30 and it was getting hot! Ephesus is astonishing and Yelda made it so interesting. We were starting to get our heads around all the history and the different civilisations and the 4 locations of Ephesus. Apparently the one we visit is Ephesus 3. Here you get a little feel for the extent of the site:

 

IMG_2013 by, on Flickr

 

And if you go, you must pay the extra for the Terrace Houses – they are amazing – with the most wonderful mosaics and frescoes still intact. Unfortunately by then it was getting a bit too hot for me so we gave Mary’s house and some of the other small sites a miss and headed off to the nearby town of Selkuk to enjoy a lunch of Mezzes washed down with Ayrun (their yoghurt drink) and Baklava at the restaurant Agora. Back in Kusadasi, we found a café with wifi, did a bit of shopping in the shopping mall just by the ship and went to get ready for the AzAmazing Evening.

 

I have to say we have mixed feelings about that evening and I’m really hoping that they’ve acted on the feedback received as I know we weren’t the only ones & the issues can easily be resolved. First of all the location – the Odeon at Ephesus - and the music from a chamber orchestra and harpist was fabulous. Unfortunately access to the seating was very unsafe especially in the second half when it was dark. To get to our sites, we had to climb up ancient steps that were either very smooth or crumbling and most of us were holding glasses of wine. I saw several people nearly stumble and heard glasses breaking. All it needed was to position members of staff with torches in the theatre to help people to their seats. And really they need to stop people taking glasses in or provide plastic ones.

 

IMG_2020 on Flickr

 

And the food & drink was very odd. The brochure said we would have wine & delicious mezzes. On one sheet it said cocktails. A buffet was provided on board before & afterwards but Eric de Gray had told us that most people found the food plentiful and didn’t need to eat anything else. As I’m pretty sure ours was the first Ephesus event, I think this was a general comment for all events. On the coach from Kusadasi the tour guide told us that all the food would be vegetarian as ‘this was easier’ but that wasn’t the case either. Basically when we arrived there were trays or red or white wine (both were horrible) or some sort of juice which we switched to. There were plates with cubes of cheese, some pretty hard olives, nuts & dried fruit. Waiters were serving a few canapés of bread with vegetables. We ate them as were hungry & we didn’t know if that was all there was. In the interval they did serve some other things that were rather stodgy and unidentifiable, some of which I’m pretty sure was meaty – but it really wasn’t very good and not nearly as good as the canapés as the CC Meet & Mingles! Co-incidentally my parents were on the Quest at the time time at their event in Bilbao at a 3 * Michelin restaurant. I envied them. But when I spoke to them afterwards, that hadn’t been very good either. It seems that the restaurant couldn’t cope with such large numbers. They said that the cava and food at their Flamenco event in Barcelona the week before was much better. I’m sure Azamara is learning from this.

 

Nevertheless, we had a good time & here we are looking pretty silly:

 

IMG_2024 on Flickr

 

Hello Zennor,

 

We were also at the event & totally agree with your comments about the access & the food.

We were pleased that we had been to the buffet on the ship before the event.

I made our feeling know on the mid cruise comment card has it certainly needs a little better planning

That said it was a lovely & memorable evening has was the rest of the cruise.

 

Regards Eric

[zennor]

Update to Day 4 - Kos

 

I forgot to mention that there is a lovely indoor market just on the edge of the main town square which I think is the Agora (market place). We ate at one of the restaurants in the centre & then visited the market. They had lots of olive oil based items including soaps so would make lovely gifts.

 

Also, once we'd found Hippocrates tree there were also signs to the Hammam/Turkish baths. These are no longer in use but you can visit them for free & were very interesting. You can pick up a laminated information sheet from a box on the wall just inside the entrance.

 

All in all, plenty to see & do in Kos. :)

 

(coming up Rhodes).

[NC&KY]

On this trip we had decided to try the ‘Enrichment’ Lectures so we went to the first one at 6pm (sailaway time).

So did this lecture conflict with the Mix and Mingle or were they at different times? Thanks for the review.

[zennor]

So did this lecture conflict with the Mix and Mingle or were they at different times? Thanks for the review.

 

As far as I remember the Meet & Mingle was at 5pm & the lecture at 6 - but I might be wrong. It certainly didn't interfere with it. :)

[Ithikan]

Thank you, Zennor, for your thoughts re. this marvelous cruise. I especially appreciate your summary of what's available at Ephesus (what a nice birthday outing!) and your photo of that fabulous fish dinner on Kos. Quite a find, that restaurant... I do love the Greek islands :)

[MrMojoRisin]

Thank you Zennor for your report. Looking forward to reading the rest. We are on 30th August Cruise, cruising to many of same ports but with some island and Turkish coast additions and looking forward to reading about your experiences. My husband is keen to go to Gallipoli from Canakkale but I will probably look at going to Troy. Did you do either of these trips? It will be the first time we will have done separate shore exc. We experienced the refurb in January on Quest, like you not keen on the carpets. But as long as they don't change the on board experience and welcome you receive we are happy.

 

Hilary

 

If you are not really into archaeology the Troy trip might be a disappointment. There isn't a great deal to see and the museum that is included in the tour is quite poor (good artefacts but very little in the way of explanation and poorly laid out).

 

I think that to enjoy this trip you need to be quite au fait with the mythology and Schliemann's attempts to locate Troy and his excavations. I enjoyed it but archaeology is a major interest for me.

[zennor]

Re Troy/Gallipoli excursions, based on some feedback I heard, the Troy excursion was disappointing but I did hear the lecturer Michael Hick say how good the Gallipoli trip was & how knowledgeable the tour guide was.

[zennor]

Day 5 – Rhodes

 

We were last in Rhodes over 30 years ago & stayed at a cheap hotel within the old city. I should think it’s an expensive boutique hotel now! Anyway, on this occasion I do wish we had a more detailed map & a good guide book. The lady at the tourist desk only had a map of the island and the tourist office in the town had run out of maps! So we bought one from a stall but it was very difficult to read. I had already downloaded a self-guided walking tour from the National Geographic website but we had a little difficulty finding the start point. We managed it eventually and made our way around the town. Am afraid I don’t really have any good photos of Rhodes. We stopped for lunch in a pleasant place with a shady courtyard and I made the mistake of ordering the ultimate tourist dish, a ‘Greek Plate’ which was way too much and included half a moussaka, a stuffed tomato, stifado, rice etc. etc. My fault – I just like trying the different food! We carried on our walking tour after lunch and did go into the Palace of Masters but it wasn’t that interesting and basically had lots of rooms with some rather too perfect floor mosaics, many removed from Kos!

 

I then wanted to find the synagogue. In Istanbul I couldn’t visit any without pre-booking for security reasons. In Rhodes I half-expected to find the entrance and not be able to go in. But you can visit it and it’s lovely, very moving and with an excellent museum attached. I met several others from the ship in there too. There is no longer an active Jewish community on Rhodes – 1673 Jews from Rhodes & Kos were deported to Auschwitz in 1944 and only 150 survived. Most of these emigrated to other countries but their descendants support and have contributed to the museum. The synagogue is also open for services during the summer for visitors to Rhodes. Do visit it if you’re going to Rhodes. It’s worth trying to find. http://www.rhodesjewishmuseum.org/ & a fabulous panoramic view here http://www.synagogues360.org/synagogues.php?ident=greece_005