RCL to Greece/Turkey in July

[kat18law@yahoo.com]

Interested in going to Greece for my parents 50th with kids ages 4-12. Is this the right ship for us and is Turkey advisable right now with the recent attacks?? The July sailing only goes to Kusadasi, Turkey and I know nothing about it. Also, RCL seems great for kids but will it be too crowded for my parents? Have ready many reviews that indicate that the Jewel of the Seas has become quite dated.

 

Any and all thoughts welcome!

[Keith1010]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

I am pretty certain that the ship will stop at Kusdasi. There have been no issues there and it is a much more low key area. A great place to visit is Ephesus which is located about 30 minutes from the port.

 

Also, Kusadasi is a beach resort area.

 

Should there be any issues they will replace the port with another stop.

 

RCI is great for children as there are children's programs for them.

 

The cruise is great. Just be aware that in July this area will be hot and busy with tourists.

 

Keith

[kat18law@yahoo.com]

Thank you so much Keith!

[Clarea]

Interested in going to Greece for my parents 50th with kids ages 4-12. Is this the right ship for us and is Turkey advisable right now with the recent attacks?? The July sailing only goes to Kusadasi, Turkey and I know nothing about it. Also, RCL seems great for kids but will it be too crowded for my parents? Have ready many reviews that indicate that the Jewel of the Seas has become quite dated.

 

Any and all thoughts welcome!

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Jewel is scheduled for a revitalization dry dock in April, so you will bet the benefit of that process. Also, Jewel has only around 2100 passengers, so is nothing like an Oasis or Quantum class ship.

 

Bon Voyage!

[Keith1010]

You are very welcome.

 

Keith

[jocap]

Interested in going to Greece for my parents 50th with kids ages 4-12. Is this the right ship for us and is Turkey advisable right now with the recent attacks?? The July sailing only goes to Kusadasi, Turkey and I know nothing about it. Also, RCL seems great for kids but will it be too crowded for my parents? Have ready many reviews that indicate that the Jewel of the Seas has become quite dated.

 

Any and all thoughts welcome!

 

 

Kusadasi is a very popular holiday spot for Brits and Irish, and other northern Europeans. As for being safe- who knows in this strange world right now... be sure that the cruise line will not take risks.

If you want to see more about Kusadasi, try Google, or any TA brochure for the area.

[Langley Cruisers]

The July sailing only goes to Kusadasi, Turkey and I know nothing about it....

 

It was, surprisingly, one of our favorite ports. The port area is nice and there is some shopping there, but I feel you really need to take a tour. We did Ephesus on a ship's tour, and it was fabulous. You can do it privately if you wish, but we took ship's tours/excursions for our European cruise (just our preference). It was absolutely thrilling to stand where Paul preached to the Ephesians - goosebumps!

 

And yes, as stated, it will be hot - VERY hot, and crowded in July. Take water with you into port.

[SPacificbound]

I booked a private tour for just the two of us with the following:

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297972-d7598552-Reviews-Ephesus_Port_Tours-Kusadasi_Turkish_Aegean_Coast.html

 

We were picked up and returned to ship.

[nolatravelgirl]

I can't comment on that RCL ship but I did take a similar cruise on the NCL Spirit which is considered a smaller and older ship in the NCL line. After doing a ton of research on Med cruises I got the feeling from most that the ship was less important than the dates and ports. Med cruises are port intensive and you will be tired at the end of the day with less time to enjoy the ship. Kusadasi is an amazing stop! I wrote a very detailed review of this stop and you can read it here starting at post #141. We did a private tour with guide and thought it was well worth the money.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2256323&page=8