CrispyRice Posted November 10, 2015 #1 Share Posted November 10, 2015 We're looking to take a cruise where we can see the Dardanelles as we cruise through. I'm looking at two options, both of which come from the Med and overnight in Istanbul. (HAL and RCCL, both round-trip from Venice.) Am I correct in thinking that we will pass through the Dardanelles in the dark on RCCL, which docks in Istanbul at 11:00 am and leaves the next day at 5:00 pm? HAL specifically has "Cruising the Dardanelles" on the itinerary and doesn't dock in Istanbul until 4:00 pm. RCCL just has a great deal right now, lol, but I'm guessing if the Dardanelles are one of our main goals, then HAL is the way to go, right? Thanks! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vada_9 Posted November 27, 2015 #2 Share Posted November 27, 2015 To give you some idea of timing, on our cruise last year we departed Istanbul at 12 midnight to be cruising the Dardanelles from approx 8am to 10 am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeyetlse Posted November 27, 2015 #3 Share Posted November 27, 2015 According to this site, the distance is about 120 nautical miles, so around half a day away from Istanbul (depending on the ship's speed of course). So basically your ship needs to arrive or depart Istanbul in the nighttime in order to pass through the Dardanelles in the daytime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrispyRice Posted December 1, 2015 Author #4 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Thank you both! That will help with the planning. Of course, if Istanbul ends up coming off itineraries in the next year, then I'm guessing the Dardanelles will be off, too. We'll wait and see a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no fuss travel Posted December 7, 2015 #5 Share Posted December 7, 2015 The problem with the cruise ships leaving Istanbul is that they are only allowed to leave at certain times. The channel operated 6 hours, all ships go in one direction, the next six hours they go in the other direction and it reverses. Luck of the draw. We did a ferry trip across the Dardanelles during the day and to be truthful, not that much to see from the water. You need to do a land trip to appreciate the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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