Cappadocia Extension?

[Mitina]

9 hours ago, RBachmann said:

Don't know if there was anything unique about that excursion that allowed the infection to spread so widely

Just back from the Cappadocia post extension in October.  Not sure if the schedule wears down your resistance but be prepared for very early mornings and full schedules. Very little down time.  Add the multiple air flights and bus journeys, it may have heightened the risk.

[horsdoc]

At what point are we able to reserve our hot air balloon ride?  Precruise?  Don't want to miss!

 

[Mitina]

3 hours ago, horsdoc said:

At what point are we able to reserve our hot air balloon ride?  Precruise?  Don't want to miss!

 

We received a notice in our stateroom a few days before disembarkation asking you to sign up at Guest Services.  This was last fall and things might have changed.  At the Cappadocia hotel, the tour guide also asked if anyone else wanted to sign up.

[ARDXXX]

We  returned from the extension just over a week ago, interesting to see the price for the balloon ride was $290 last october, it is now $499! you can pre-book it or when you arrive in Cappadocia. We did not do it as when you fly out from the ship you have to get up at two in the morning for a four am departure and repeating the very early balloon departure the next morning did not appeal, we have done previous balloon trips as well. People who did it really enjoyed it, you are in the air up to an hour. We did not like the cave hotel at all, it is a death trap with lots and lots of unmarked marble type very steep stairs, lots of cobbles to get to hotel and very poor lighting, I bet there are lots of accidents occur there, it can be described as very quaint! but we were pleased to leave and it would never pass our healh and safety standards. The UNESCO sights are very interesting and we enjoyed the two full days out although another carpet factory visit could have been left out after Kusadasi. Pleased we did the extension though.

[Mitina]

The Cappadocia carpet factory was the worst part of the trip. High pressure and our bus full of passengers waiting to leave because the tour guide wouldn’t cut off negotiations for a handful of people.  We were rushed through the rest of day at the later (more interesting) stops.

[Emptynesters38]

On 10/29/2022 at 4:18 AM, portisheadblue said:

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.

We are on the Cappadocia pre-cruise extension in April of 2024.  I am hoping that we can leave some of our luggage with Viking to be delivered to the ship when we board like the OP was able to do in 2022. Has anybody done it more recently or have any up to date information on this?

[Emptynesters38]

15 hours ago, Emptynesters38 said:

We are on the Cappadocia pre-cruise extension in April of 2024.  I am hoping that we can leave some of our luggage with Viking to be delivered to the ship when we board like the OP was able to do in 2022. Has anybody done it more recently or have any up to date information on this?

I just spoke to someone at Viking who confirmed that we would be able to leave some luggage with Viking at the Hotel and that they would deliver it to the sh8ip.