Istanbul... Would you.....

[british betty]

... .risk the flight scheduled arrival time of 12.55 on the day that the ship departs at 5pm ?? :eek:

[WestLakeGirl]

Never

[wineoclock]

Absolutely not.

[jo-b]

Only if booked as a fly cruise otherwise I am with Never and Absolutely not!

 

In fact I would get there a day or two ahead and spend some time at leisure exploring Istanbul if you haven't been before, or at least the day before in any event.

[cruisestitch]

Even though yours won't involve a transatlantic flight, that's cutting it too close.

 

Consider the result if you miss the ship. How would you get to the next port to catch the ship? Where is the next port? Is there a sea day first? How much of the cruise would you miss? Where would you stay?

[Algebralovr]

No way!

 

Fly in the day before. You have to be on board by 330 pm or so for the safety lecture.

[4774Papa]

Absolutely not, the traffic in Istanbul is terrible, especially in the middle of the day.

[upwarduk]

There are such things as flight cancellations (and delays)

We flew from Manchester early morning on the day of our 2day repositioning cruise to Southampton.

When we arrived at the airport, I saw that the flight after ours was cancelled.

 

It was only because it was 'an extra' that we hadn't flown in the previous day.

I wished I had seen more of Amsterdam.

[Phxazzcruisers]

As said above, ABSOLUTELY NOT. Istanbul is a wonderful City. Plan to arrive at least a day before and explore the City itself. You will not be sorry, or stressed.

[treasure4two]

No way-I would not even do that going from Charlotte to Ft. Lauderdale. Please, do not do that.

[milamber]

Another no. We are getting in at 12.55 (possibly the same cruise?), but the day before. Worth the cost of one day's hotel in Istanbul for peace of mind. Anything could delay the flight. Even if it doesn't I wouldn't want to spend the whole time driving to the airport, on the plane, and getting to the ship worrying if I was going to make it. That's no way to start a holiday.

[kysupt]

Don't even think about it!

[Tommy3putts]

"Are you crazy?"

 

--Fred G Sanford

[Islander500]

... .risk the flight scheduled arrival time of 12.55 on the day that the ship departs at 5pm ?? :eek:[/quote

 

I have taken a similar risk in Boston knowing that if I missed the ship, the first port stop was near enough that we could drive there and pick up the ship. It was a terrible experience, between the stress and the cab driver misunderstanding where we needed to go taking us to the bus station instead of the ship's terminal.

 

Never again!

[Keith1010]

... .risk the flight scheduled arrival time of 12.55 on the day that the ship departs at 5pm ?? :eek:

 

As they say no how no way.

 

Your flight could be delayed.

 

You have to collect your luggage.

 

The drive can take one hour and possibly more that time of day.

 

I would arrive the day before.

 

Keith

[KirkNC]

Absolutely not.

 

No, no, no never.

[TheBeeSea]

I like Instanbul. As others have posted the city is well worth a visit and so I would schedule time to enjoy. The traffic in Istanbul can be horrendous and I would want t be in the city at least the day before the cruise departure.

 

In saying these things you maybe lucky and get an easy and quick exit from Airport to ship. What if the flight is delayed?

[davidob]

As others have said you would be crazy to try this. I departed Istanbul on Equinox last week, we flew in the day before, and the transfer from the airport was very slow with gridlocked traffic. We all agreed that to try to fly in on day of departure would be madness and incredibly stressful. It also took quite some time to get through Istanbul airport.

[EvelynAlexa]

Plan a couple days pre-cruise in Istanbul. You can't go wrong with that.

 

Eve

[british betty]

Thanks everyone for your advice.

 

We've actually been to Istanbul before and are aware of the traffic problems but you know what it's like, you just want someone to give you the answer you want to hear ;) now I'm going to have to see if I can get an extra day off of work as it takes me over my allowance :o.

 

I hate having to grovel to the boss :mad:

 

But I do love to cruise :D

[TeaBag]

Good decision British Betty. It is so much better to relax in the embarkation city and know you're going to get on the ship.

[SPacificbound]

The grovel will be worth it. :)

[british betty]

The grovel will be worth it. :)

 

It worked!

 

Everyone who was thinking I was out of my mind can now rest at ease. We are flying in 2 days before....more shopping time!!! ;)

 

Thanks to all for your input and concern, all in our best interests, as always.

[BosoxI]

Absolutely not, the traffic in Istanbul is terrible, especially in the middle of the day.

 

 

Very true. And the ride from the airport is rather long. Plus, the possible wait for luggage can be daunting. While I shudder to mention such things, weather and mechanical problems do occur. Please, OP, don't do it. Ooooops. I just read your last post. Good choice.

Edited June 30, 2014 by BosoxI