atlantic cruiser Posted August 10, 2013 #1 Share Posted August 10, 2013 I have tentatively booked a private tour with Ephesus shuttle for a tour of Ephesus and some other sites. The tour is for 7 hrs. with a pick up time which I chose for 9:00 a.m. I just realized that we leave port at 4:00 so obviously some changes will have to be made. Have advised tour operator but has anyone had issues with this company regarding getting back to the ship in good time. They come highly recommended on tripadvisor but not sure about punctuality. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie21 Posted August 10, 2013 #2 Share Posted August 10, 2013 I am not familiar with this tour company but I can strongly advise you to schedule your tour to start as soon as the ship clears. Our experience - we were among the first off the ship around 7 AM. Our guide was waiting and when we arrived at Ephesus we were virtually alone. It was cool and clear and we were able to see most of the area before the crowds arrived. Tour busses started arriving around 9:30-10 and the site was very crowded (as in elbow to elbow) by 10:30. It was also getting very hot. Best of luck and enjoy. Don't miss the terrace houses. That was the best experience. Robbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PaulMCO Posted August 10, 2013 #3 Share Posted August 10, 2013 No issues with them last month. They will tailor the your tour to whatever you want. Just talk with the guide at the beginning and they typically will do so. Tez was our guide and was just great. Most of the guides are there early anyway - so I agree an early start is best -- especially the heat at Ephes can be oppressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted August 11, 2013 #4 Share Posted August 11, 2013 I have tentatively booked a private tour with Ephesus shuttle for a tour of Ephesus and some other sites. The tour is for 7 hrs. with a pick up time which I chose for 9:00 a.m. I just realized that we leave port at 4:00 so obviously some changes will have to be made. Have advised tour operator but has anyone had issues with this company regarding getting back to the ship in good time. They come highly recommended on tripadvisor but not sure about punctuality. Thanks One quick reminder: if the ship is SAILING at 4PM, the "All Aboard" is likely to be at 3pm, and you certainly don't want to cut it any closer than 3:25 or so. In this crazy, post 9/11 World, the ship has to submit a complete list of everyone who is actually onboard, before they can get permission to sail, so pushing the envelope is a VERY BAD idea. :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atlantic cruiser Posted August 11, 2013 Author #5 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Thanks for the feedback folks. We have decided to change to a 1/2 day tour which will give us a little time to wander around Kusadasi before getting back on the ship. I too like to be back in good times. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted August 11, 2013 #6 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Most private tours of Ephesus try to include a visit to a carpet factory where they claim to show you how carpets are made but their real objective is to sell you one. If that's the case with your tour I would insist on eliminating that to save time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare crusinbanjo Posted August 11, 2013 #7 Share Posted August 11, 2013 i am not familiar with this tour company but i can strongly advise you to schedule your tour to start as soon as the ship clears. Our experience - we were among the first off the ship around 7 am. Our guide was waiting and when we arrived at ephesus we were virtually alone. It was cool and clear and we were able to see most of the area before the crowds arrived. Tour busses started arriving around 9:30-10 and the site was very crowded (as in elbow to elbow) by 10:30. It was also getting very hot. Best of luck and enjoy. Don't miss the terrace houses. That was the best experience. robbie very good advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandiagal Posted August 13, 2013 #8 Share Posted August 13, 2013 I am interested in what Tour Company Robbie used in Ephesus. Thanks:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grmmybtty Posted August 14, 2013 #9 Share Posted August 14, 2013 We used Ephesus Shuttle during our Med cruise last fall. The guide was waiting for us on the dock when the Marina arrived. She was waiting with all the other guides with our names on a sheet of paper. My husband and I were led to a fairly new Mercedes minivan and taken directly to the Ephesus site. When we arrived, there were only a few other people there, which was great. By 10 or 11, most of the buses had unloaded their passengers and the place was a zoo, and we were ready to leave. We had booked the whole day tour along with the Terrace Houses and had plenty of time to see everything we wanted. We declined the carpet tour. We requested to be dropped off in Kusadasi for lunch' walked through a few shops after lunch and were back on the ship by 3:00. The guide was very good, gave us sufficient time to see everything we wanted, was a wonderful source of historical and cultural information and spoke excellent English. I highly recommend Ephesus Shuttle and not missing the Terrace Houses. The town itself isn't anything special, so if you are interested in the historic biblical sites, then take the whole day tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PaulMCO Posted August 14, 2013 #10 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Most private tours of Ephesus try to include a visit to a carpet factory where they claim to show you how carpets are made but their real objective is to sell you one. If that's the case with your tour I would insist on eliminating that to save time. Ephesus Shuttle will specifically ask you if you wish to go to the carpet or porcelain shops. In fact they tended to discourage this. We used the same company for Istanbul and the guide specifically told us not to waste our time with carpet shops. By the way I would avoid the town bazzar. The shop keepers were very rude and you will see more in the Grand Bazzar in Istanbul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie21 Posted August 14, 2013 #11 Share Posted August 14, 2013 I believe we used Ekol for our Ephesus. I don't remember our guides name but he was some sort of history professor. Very good English; very interested in us understanding the history of his country. There are lots of well recommended guide services in Turkey. Check the ports of call as well as tripadvisor. By the way - we did 4 days pre cruise in Istanbul without a guide. Walked a lot, used the tram a couple of times and had our hotel clerk write out our taxi destinations for us. Easy to do. Robbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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