Cappadocia Extension?

[portisheadblue]

We are taking the Cappadocia pre-cruise extension in October 2022. Could any of you have taken this extension recently please? Can you share information on the travel arrangements from and to Istanbul please? Also we’re any of you able to fit in a dawn ballon ride? If so, how?

 

Thanks for reading this far. Safe Travels. Cheers
 

[Mich3554]

We did this on our own while on a trip to Turkey to visit friends.  I can’t comment on Viking’s extension, but I do highly recommend it.  We did do the dawn hot air balloon ride as well.  It was incredible.

[Mitina]

Following. We’re doing the Cappadocia post in October.  Same question

[Liz Masterson]

The balloon ride is a bucket list item of mine... Please do it until I can!

 

[Jazmyn49]

Just be aware that if the winds aloft are too strong, balloons are not permitted to lift off.  That's what happened to us.....and it was a 3:45 AM wake up call.  We stayed at the venue until 8, hoping conditions would improve but were disappointed.  When we tried to book for the following day, they told us they were booked up for weeks in advance.  We were bummed but managed a safari balloon ride in Africa while on a World Cruise (with Viking, of course!).  FANTABULOUS!

[Msgolferfhcc]

We didn't do the balloon ride but this extension was a highlight of our trip  You will absolutely love it. The hotel is fascinating but a lot of walking up and down hills and steps. And crawling through the tunnel on one of the tours is definitely not for the non-mobile or overweight people. A few had their struggles.  But again, it is the most fascinating and unusual place in the world. 

[hbtraveler]

Hi.  We did Cappadocia as a post cruise extension in early July.  So the sequence may be a bit different for a pre-cruise trip.  It was a packed 3 days but well worth it.  We left the ship at 4:00 am to drive out to Istanbul airport, which is 45 minutes or more outside the main city, for our 6:45 am flight on Turkish Air to the small Nevşehir airport.  Note that there are 2 security checks at Turkish airports, one to get into the terminal and a 2nd one after getting your boarding pass.  We had 4 buses (at about 2/3 capacity) for all of the Viking folks.  Once at Nevşehir, we drove to the Göreme Open Air Museum, which was our first stop.  The guide took us to several of the churches built in the caves and we then had some free time at the sight.  Back on the bus, we drove to the nearby Pasaba Valley with its fairy chimneys.  After some brief introduction by the guide, we were free to wander amongst the chimneys.  By this time, it was getting toward lunch.  So we went to the town of Avanos for lunch.  A decent "local" lunch.  After lunch, we started toward the hotel, stopping at a couple places around Uçhisar, a pair of peaks filled with cave dwellings.  A lot of the cave hotels are here, I think.  We drove a while to our cave hotel, Kalsedon Cave Suites.  It was located adjacent to a small town which didn't seem to have a lot in it.  The hotel was nice enough, although our room wasn't actually in a cave.  We had dinner here the first night after some rest time.  Note that there is a fair amount of up and down walking to get to some of the rooms.  So, if you have mobility issues, I'd try to request a room close to the lobby.

 

With regard to balloon flights, Viking let us know a few days before arriving in Istanbul that an optional balloon flight would be available on the morning of the 2nd day.  It was $290 per person.  Since it was one of the top things to do in Cappadocia, we signed up, as did most of the people on the extension.  Unfortunately, on the way to the hotel on Day 1, the guide informed us that, due to predicted high winds for the next morning, the balloon flights were cancelled.  Needless to say that everyone was disappointed.  But safety first.  Viking said that they would refund the cancelled flights (although I'm still waiting for my refund).  At least we got to sleep in.

 

Day 2 started with breakfast at the hotel.  A much more leisurely pace today as we then headed out to the Kaymakli Underground City.  Early Christians used these caves to live in while hiding out from the groups that wanted to quash them.  This underground city is 7 stories deep.  You can go to the 2nd level and then exit, or go all the way down to the 7th level before heading up.  Not for the claustrophobic or those with back or other walking issues.  I went to the 2nd level before heading back.  Like most sites, there are plenty of souvenir stalls around to keep you busy until the rest of the folks return.  We then took a scenic ride to Ortahisar heading for a rug demonstration.  As with most of the rug demos, they had a couple of the women show how they wove the carpet.  Then there were beverages while the owner showed the various types of rugs.  It is a low pressure sell.  We found something we liked and, after the expected bargaining over the price, bought one (they really are quite lovely).  If you are interested in a carpet, you may get a better price here than in Istanbul.  After carpets, we headed to lunch in Uçhisar.  Nice view.  After lunch, we headed to Avanos for a pottery demo.  It was quite interesting and they let one of us work on a pot.  A visit to their showroom followed (really nice work if you are interested in ceramics).  We finished up the day at Love Valley with more stone formations.  We were supposed to stop in the valley, but the parking lot was jammed.  The driver took us to an overlook and then went back down the road for a very slow drive-by of the formations.  We then headed back to the hotel.  For dinner that evening, we went to a restaurant that featured some folk dances from the various cultures that populate Turkey.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it and more than a few joined in the dancing when asked to join (me included).

 

Day 3 was another early start, leaving the hotel after breakfast at 6:45 am to catch an 8:30 am flight.  Passed through 2 security checks (even at this small airport).  They checked the weight of all bags, including carry-ons.  Anything over 8 kg became checked baggage.  After the 1 hour flight to Istanbul airport, we picked up the luggage and took a bus for the long drive to Istanbul.  They took us on a driving tour of some of Istanbul (which they admitted was mostly killing time until our overnight hotel room was ready).  I would think that, for a pre-cruise extension, they'd take you to the cruise terminal.

[Mitina]

21 hours ago, hbtraveler said:

We left the ship at 4:00 am to drive out to Istanbul airport, which is 45 minutes or more outside the main city, for our 6:45 am flight on Turkish Air to the small Nevşehir airport.

Any restrictions on baggage for the inter-country flight to Cappadocia?

[hbtraveler]

4 minutes ago, Mitina said:

Any restrictions on baggage for the inter-country flight to Cappadocia?

I believe it was the Turkish Airlines normal economy class restrictions (1 larger checked bag, 1 carry-on less than 8 kg, and a personal item).  Viking did an interesting thing for the post-cruise extension.  You could leave any bags that you didn't need on the extension and they would take and store the bags at the post-extension hotel in Istanbul, which worked great.  Not sure if they would do the same for the pre-cruise extension, but that uncomplicates things quite a bit.

[Mitina]

16 minutes ago, hbtraveler said:

I believe it was the Turkish Airlines normal economy class restrictions (1 larger checked bag, 1 carry-on less than 8 kg, and a personal item).  Viking did an interesting thing for the post-cruise extension.  You could leave any bags that you didn't need on the extension and they would take and store the bags at the post-extension hotel in Istanbul, which worked great.  Not sure if they would do the same for the pre-cruise extension, but that uncomplicates things quite a bit.

We're also on the Cappadocia post extension.  Thanks for the answer.

[portisheadblue]

22 hours ago, hbtraveler said:

Hi.  We did Cappadocia as a post cruise extension in early July.  So the sequence may be a bit different for a pre-cruise trip.  It was a packed 3 days but well worth it.  We left the ship at 4:00 am to drive out to Istanbul airport, which is 45 minutes or more outside the main city, for our 6:45 am flight on Turkish Air to the small Nevşehir airport.  Note that there are 2 security checks at Turkish airports, one to get into the terminal and a 2nd one after getting your boarding pass.  We had 4 buses (at about 2/3 capacity) for all of the Viking folks.  Once at Nevşehir, we drove to the Göreme Open Air Museum, which was our first stop.  The guide took us to several of the churches built in the caves and we then had some free time at the sight.  Back on the bus, we drove to the nearby Pasaba Valley with its fairy chimneys.  After some brief introduction by the guide, we were free to wander amongst the chimneys.  By this time, it was getting toward lunch.  So we went to the town of Avanos for lunch.  A decent "local" lunch.  After lunch, we started toward the hotel, stopping at a couple places around Uçhisar, a pair of peaks filled with cave dwellings.  A lot of the cave hotels are here, I think.  We drove a while to our cave hotel, Kalsedon Cave Suites.  It was located adjacent to a small town which didn't seem to have a lot in it.  The hotel was nice enough, although our room wasn't actually in a cave.  We had dinner here the first night after some rest time.  Note that there is a fair amount of up and down walking to get to some of the rooms.  So, if you have mobility issues, I'd try to request a room close to the lobby.

 

With regard to balloon flights, Viking let us know a few days before arriving in Istanbul that an optional balloon flight would be available on the morning of the 2nd day.  It was $290 per person.  Since it was one of the top things to do in Cappadocia, we signed up, as did most of the people on the extension.  Unfortunately, on the way to the hotel on Day 1, the guide informed us that, due to predicted high winds for the next morning, the balloon flights were cancelled.  Needless to say that everyone was disappointed.  But safety first.  Viking said that they would refund the cancelled flights (although I'm still waiting for my refund).  At least we got to sleep in.

 

Day 2 started with breakfast at the hotel.  A much more leisurely pace today as we then headed out to the Kaymakli Underground City.  Early Christians used these caves to live in while hiding out from the groups that wanted to quash them.  This underground city is 7 stories deep.  You can go to the 2nd level and then exit, or go all the way down to the 7th level before heading up.  Not for the claustrophobic or those with back or other walking issues.  I went to the 2nd level before heading back.  Like most sites, there are plenty of souvenir stalls around to keep you busy until the rest of the folks return.  We then took a scenic ride to Ortahisar heading for a rug demonstration.  As with most of the rug demos, they had a couple of the women show how they wove the carpet.  Then there were beverages while the owner showed the various types of rugs.  It is a low pressure sell.  We found something we liked and, after the expected bargaining over the price, bought one (they really are quite lovely).  If you are interested in a carpet, you may get a better price here than in Istanbul.  After carpets, we headed to lunch in Uçhisar.  Nice view.  After lunch, we headed to Avanos for a pottery demo.  It was quite interesting and they let one of us work on a pot.  A visit to their showroom followed (really nice work if you are interested in ceramics).  We finished up the day at Love Valley with more stone formations.  We were supposed to stop in the valley, but the parking lot was jammed.  The driver took us to an overlook and then went back down the road for a very slow drive-by of the formations.  We then headed back to the hotel.  For dinner that evening, we went to a restaurant that featured some folk dances from the various cultures that populate Turkey.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it and more than a few joined in the dancing when asked to join (me included).

 

Day 3 was another early start, leaving the hotel after breakfast at 6:45 am to catch an 8:30 am flight.  Passed through 2 security checks (even at this small airport).  They checked the weight of all bags, including carry-ons.  Anything over 8 kg became checked baggage.  After the 1 hour flight to Istanbul airport, we picked up the luggage and took a bus for the long drive to Istanbul.  They took us on a driving tour of some of Istanbul (which they admitted was mostly killing time until our overnight hotel room was ready).  I would think that, for a pre-cruise extension, they'd take you to the cruise terminal.

Thank You for your in depth reply above …. a great amount of detail; and you are right about the post cruise being very different to the ore cruise.

 

Did you fly Turkish Airlines or Pegasus or another airline please?

 

Kind Regards

[hbtraveler]

2 hours ago, portisheadblue said:

Thank You for your in depth reply above …. a great amount of detail; and you are right about the post cruise being very different to the ore cruise.

 

Did you fly Turkish Airlines or Pegasus or another airline please?

 

Kind Regards

From Istanbul to Cappadocia, it was a regular Turkish Airline A320/321 flight.

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

If you are on Facebook, look for one of the "fan" or "travelers" groups for Viking.  Someone recently really didn't like the extension.  My opinion was that he or she really didn't understand what Cappadoccia is - for example, that it's basically a cave land, with hotels built into and around caves.  The person felt the hotel was poor (forget the name, but not the one mentioned above), with no service, no AC, old and musty, etc.  And the person didn't like getting up at 3:30 to catch the flight.  But as I know from researching Cappadoccia extensively a few years ago, there are limited cushy hotels there, and somewhat limited flights, and two airlines that go to 2 different airports, and several different places in the area known as Cappadoccia.  I was planning my own 3 or 3 day adventure post cruise, but of course then it never happened due to Covid and cruise cancellation.  But I guess what's important in deciding if you really want to do this extension is to realize that this is NOT Singapore or Cairo or New York City.   But it IS quite a unique place.  My plan was to fly on Turkish to Nevsehir (spelling?), stay at Zara Cave Hotel, and concentrate my sightseeing in Goreme.  That would result in mostly using foot power and taxis.  I wanted to get up early and see the balloons, but didn't want to do a balloon ride.  (I've done a couple in Albuquerque and loved them, but don't think I want to take a chance on safety issues in Turkey so far from home.  And from what I've seen, they use huge baskets, and put a lot of people in them.  So while I'm sure it's an incredible experience, I decided to pass on it.)

 

But I think as long as a person realizes that even though Viking usually plans and pulls off quite good extensions (and almost always uses top notch hotels), the standards each person expects may not be met every place on the earth that a person wants to travel to.  And if a cruise line has to provide fabulous, American-style hotels and transportation to 50 people at a time, it just may not turn out well. And it's likely not possible to add enough caveats to the description of each extension or excursion to cover everything that may be encountered, especially now, as Covid lingers and flights get messed up.

 

Just my opinion, as I wasn't on the extension.  But I hope this helps.  

 

Edited August 28, 2022 by IWantToLiveOverTheSea

[Mitina]

On 8/8/2022 at 5:48 PM, hbtraveler said:

We did Cappadocia as a post cruise extension in early July

Getting ready for our Athens to Istanbul (with Cappadocia) trip in October.  With the port stops in Turkey, what currency is recommended for any independent excursion entrance fees, meals, tips, etc?  Euros, US$ or would you recommend Turkish Lira? 

[hbtraveler]

10 hours ago, Mitina said:

Getting ready for our Athens to Istanbul (with Cappadocia) trip in October.  With the port stops in Turkey, what currency is recommended for any independent excursion entrance fees, meals, tips, etc?  Euros, US$ or would you recommend Turkish Lira? 

We paid most everything with a credit card, which was charged in Lira.  For the handful of purchases with cash, we used Lira, although for things like tips for guides, I think they'll happily except Euros or US$.

[FlyerTalker]

Given the state of the Turkish Lira, USD or Euros are VERY much welcome and in demand.

 

It's not quite as back as the situation in Argentina, but still a place where western currencies rule.

[Mich3554]

14 hours ago, Mitina said:

Getting ready for our Athens to Istanbul (with Cappadocia) trip in October.  With the port stops in Turkey, what currency is recommended for any independent excursion entrance fees, meals, tips, etc?  Euros, US$ or would you recommend Turkish Lira? 

Lira.  That was preferred when we were there 2 years ago.

Edited September 10, 2022 by Mich3554

[FlyerTalker]

43 minutes ago, Mich3554 said:

Lira.  That was preferred when we were there 2 years ago.

 

Two years ago, the Lira was worth about 13 cents.  It's now worth a bit over a nickel.  When currencies drop over half their value in two years, strong foreign currencies are always desired.

 

I say this in reference to tipping for personal services.  Official payments, such as entrance fees and the rest are best done in Lira, if only because of the lousy exchange rate that such establishments would give.

[Mich3554]

42 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Two years ago, the Lira was worth about 13 cents.  It's now worth a bit over a nickel.  When currencies drop over half their value in two years, strong foreign currencies are always desired.

 

I say this in reference to tipping for personal services.  Official payments, such as entrance fees and the rest are best done in Lira, if only because of the lousy exchange rate that such establishments would give.

If you are going to use US $, they need to be pristine, otherwise Turkish banks will not accept them.   A Turkish friend emptied her US account to go home after her sabbatical here.  She went through each bill given to her by the bank and rejected probably 2/3 of the US currency she was given.  She said her bank in Turkey will not accept them.

So if it’s the choice of an undervalued lira that will be accepted or a crumpled $10 bill, chances are the lira will be preferred.

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, Mich3554 said:

So if it’s the choice of an undervalued lira that will be accepted or a crumpled $10 bill, chances are the lira will be preferred.

 

Wise, experienced travelers know to use new, crisp bills.  But thanks for the reminder.

[MikeyB]

We were on a Viking Ocean cruise the end of last year.   In our first port I asked our guide where is the best place to exchange currency.  We were going to do Istanbul on our own for three days.

He said, "are you kidding?".   He said to use US dollars.  He was right.  All they wanted was foreign currency.  Everything was cheap!  It is now much cheaper.

And the US dollars need not be pristine.  Everything was acceptable.

All the advice above is incorrect..

[Mich3554]

10 hours ago, MikeyB said:

We were on a Viking Ocean cruise the end of last year.   In our first port I asked our guide where is the best place to exchange currency.  We were going to do Istanbul on our own for three days.

He said, "are you kidding?".   He said to use US dollars.  He was right.  All they wanted was foreign currency.  Everything was cheap!  It is now much cheaper.

And the US dollars need not be pristine.  Everything was acceptable.

All the advice above is incorrect..

What is accepted in the more cosmopolitan Istanbul is much different than the more rural Cappadocia. 

[portisheadblue]

Here we are sat in Athens awaiting our flight home and we are at the other end of the cruise having completed the Cappadocia extension - which went very well on the whole.

 

… on arrival we checked into our hotel, Carlton Hilton, where we spent 9 hours….. arrived at 7pm and up and out by 4am to catch scheduled flight with Turkish Airlines

… first surprise was to be told on arrival that we could leave our luggage with Viking and they would look after it and it would be on our bus from IST to the ship … a nice surprise that generated a rapid re-packing

…. Second surprise was to be told we had until 2pm next day to confirm or decline a booking for the ballon ride the next day … we opted to do the ballon ride but it was cancelled due to wind speed. Had it gone ahead it was 290 USD per person charged to your room on the ship and nothing to pay if it doesn’t go ahead

.. third surprise was that there were about 150 of us doing the pre extension

.. we stayed at a “cave” hotel but none of them have 75 caves so don’t be disappointed if, like us, you got a “normal” room

 

Well worth the effort and lack of sleep to visit Cappadocia especially in the good hands of Viking.

[deec]

thanks for this review of the extension!

[RBachmann]

We cruised from Istanbul in May and chose the 2 day precruise extension in Istanbul.  A very large number of folks on our cruise who did the precruise extension in Cappadocia came back to the ship and were positive for COVID a day or two later, and spent the rest of the cruise isolating in their cabins.  Don't know if there was anything unique about that excursion that allowed the infection to spread so widely, but might be a good idea to wear masks and be more cautious if doing that excursion.