Trip Report - Istanbul to Istanbul, RSSC Explorer, 10/19 - 30, 2022

[forgap]

We have had at three cruise booked and cancelled that included Istanbul and I am delighted to say that we have finally made it!  We used points to fly business class directly from Atlanta to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines.  Although we were an hour late leaving ATL for some unannounced reason, our flight was one of the best we have experienced.  
 

We were on a brand new Dreamliner with all the bells and whistles of the 21st Century.  For example, the windows did not have window shades - they dimmed or became transparent by pushing a button.  I didn’t realize this until I woke up 7 hours into the 10 hour flight and the cabin was still dark.  It seems that the crew tricked us into a restful sleep which was really appreciated as the flight didn’t take off until 11 pm. 
 

I loved the retro uniforms! 

The most unique aspect is that there is a chef on board in full regalia who comes around with the menu and any special requests.  It was so late, I opted for a Meze plate and a deconstructed shrimp Caesar salad. I’m not sure what the chef actually cooked but it was a lovely, unique addition to flying.  Breakfast was a fruit plate, croissant, cold cheese and meats, yogurt and honey, with the option of a feta omelette or a waffle.  I passed, as the cold tray was plenty.
 

i was most delighted at the addition of a “votive candle” in a little bag that was placed on my napkin covered tray.  My mega embarrassing moment was mistaking the little cloth bread holder for pita bread.  I had passed on the bread, picked up the “pita”, spread something from my meze plate into it and took a bite.  OOPS!  Well, it was about midnight by that time and well past my bedtime! I scraped out the food and tried to cover my tracks! 

Our view on landing….the TV gives you the option of seeing what the pilot is seeing.  The photo is blurry but the plane was shaking! 

 

The Istanbul airport is a city in itself.  It took us 30 minutes from landing to arrive at the gate, and another 20 minutes of walking to arrive at customs.  Business class has a dedicated passport line but everyone seemed to be directed to the general line.  I insisted, and they let us through.  We were the only ones in the cue.  I assumed we were in a database as the passport control officer had no interest in our visas or health declaration form.  
 

Even though we were an hour and a half past pick up time, our driver from “Welcome Pickups” was waiting for us at door 13 with throngs of other drivers and tour operators, all unmasked and smoking.  It took an hour and a half to get to the Intercontinental with rain and horrendous traffic in the city.  Check-in was easy and we upgraded to the club level.  I think we have a view of the Bosporus but it is still cloudy and dark.  I woke up to the call to prayer at 5:30 am.  It really gave me a sense of place.   

 

 

[PhD-iva]

Thx! Looking forward to more posts.

The reviews of Turkish Air seem to be either fabulous or failure. Glad it worked for you.

[Boatmans Lady]

Lovely start to your trip and the food sounds lovely. Look forward to hearing more about your travels. 

[1982CruzStart]

Can't wait to follow along on your travels. Thanks for taking us along. Have a wonderful cruise. 

[Aloha 1]

Great post. Agree about Turkish Air, excellent service. Thanks for the detail on how long it took to get to your ride to the IC ( which is a very nice hotel!) We land Tuesday afternoon at 3:25 PM. I won't expect to get to the Grand Hyatt until 6:30 PM based on your report. 

[asnaleah]

Thanks for taking the time to post! We also have had cancelled trips which included Istanbul. Trying again but not until May, 2024 on Grandeur.

[forgap]

We were still a bit foggy today due to travel, time change, and, of course, old age.  We decided to take it easy and just walk around in the Taksim district.  The rain had passed and it ended up being a beautiful Sunday in Istanbul.  

Our room with a view at the Intercontinental:

 

It seems that everyone was out and about on Sunday.   We walked to Istiklal street which is a long pedestrian street with an old time trolly running down the center of it.  There are many high and low end shops, cafes, and grab and go food shops on this street. It is the perfect place for people watching.  There are side alleys with even more shops and restaurants.  It can get very steep, very quickly, and reminded me a bit of the side streets in Montmartre. 
 

 

 

We had an afternoon appointment at the Çukurcuma Hamamı for a traditional Turkish bath.  This ended up being the perfect antidote to jet lag.  Typically, Turkish baths are separated by gender.  This is one of the only ones that allows men and women to bathe together.  Men wear swim trunks and women wear two piece suits.  They have paper trunks and bikinis if you haven’t brought any along but, I have to say, the bikini’s are not designed for older bodies!  Fortunately, we were wrapped in yards of Turkish cotton so we weren’t a spectacle.  
 

The Hamman is absolutely stunning.  After changing, your first ten minutes are spent lounging and relaxing in a warm room.  
 

 

 

Then, we were led by the hand to a wet area where we sat on warm marble benches next to basins filled with hot water.  We relaxed some more as our pores opened and our cares went up with the steam.  After 15 minutes, we were led by the hand to another large area with a huge marble slab surrounded by more marble benches and basins of water.  Our guides then sat us down on the benches and started to scrub us head to toe with a loofa like mit.  Then onto the slab where we were enveloped in a blanket of bubbles and massaged.  This was another 15 minutes, I think, but I was pretty blissed out at that point.   Then back to the bench for a shampoo and cream rinse and doused with cool then cold water to bring you back to consciousness.   Finally we were led to a cooler area where we were dried off, wrapped in dry cotton towels and led to the first room where we lounged on beds with juice and dried fruit. 
 

The whole experience was incredible.   My husband is not one to gravitate to this kind of thing but he is ready to go back after the cruise.  Tomorrow we hit the old city so, hopefully, we will sleep and be ready to tour! 
 

[briar14]

We are celebrating our 50th anniversary this summer, Mariner, Barcelona-Istanbul with additional time in Turkey. Definitely doing the Turkish bath.Thank you for your wonderful description and for taking us along on your trip. I hope it is a wonderful one!

[RachelG]

Your trip sounds wonderful so far.  We have flown on Turkish Airlines and I thought it was great.  Jealous re that Turkish bath!

[RJ2002]

Great report of your first day in Istanbul.  What a beautiful view from your room.

 

Looking forward to more reports from Istanbul, and of course the cruise.

[cwn]

Thanks for taking us alone. Istanbul is one of our favorite cities. Been there a number of times over the last 40 years. Your day sounds wonderful and great room view!

[Lonedaddy]

Sounds wonderful thanks for sharing

[fudge]

We live a one hour plane ride from Istanbul, a lovely city been many times. We join the Voyager in three days and will spend an overnight in Istanbul, looking forward to our second Regent cruise very much.

[Gilly]

@forgap what a fabulous start to your trip!  We love Istanbul but have never ventured into the Turkish Baths, even though it was always the first thing my father would do, given the opportunity (in addition to getting a shave/haircut!)  I'm already thinking "next time.....".  Thank you so much for sharing the details,  We are there with you in spirit!!

[jimbri]

Beautiful photos!

[irishwitchy]

We have also had to cancel trips in Istanbul,  so I look forward to your adventure.  The Turkish bath sounds wonderful!   

[forgap]

We had decided to schedule our Covid tests for Sunday evening using On-Point Testing.  We had done this prior to our cruise in August with no problem.  Regent doesn’t require testing to sail but you do need evidence of not having Covid on boarding in order to have Regent’s help during quarantine if you contract it on board.  
 

We received our confirmation and the link to our zoom room prior to leaving the US and thought we were all set. But, the zoom links were invalid and the website wouldn’t load.  My anxiety hit the roof.  I assumed they had gone out of business, but, in the elevator the next morning, a woman mentioned that many websites are frozen in Turkey.  
 

Since I was still upside down in my sleep cycle, in the middle of the night  I found an e-med website associated with the Binax test kit I had brought with us.  The problem?  Our test kit was the “self test” kit rather than the “at home” kit so it was invalid for monitored testing.  I then just did a general search for Covid testing in Istanbul and found a nearby lab that did PCR tests (tongue and nasal swab).  We went to the lab,  got the test done, and we had results by the evening.  
 

We had decided to spend the day in the old city and the hotel concierge assured me that the tram was easy to use so we walked downhill from the lab to the tram line.  There was a chaotic crowd at the ticket kiosk with some guys trying to sell us “pre loaded” transit cards.  They looked sketchy so we passed.  No one who spoke English could figure out the machine so we decided to hail a cab.  Three cabs refused to use meters and finally we found one who agreed on 200 Turkish Lira (about $11 which didn’t seem like a shake down) and we were off!  
 

Once in the old city, we arrived at the plaza with the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia along with what seemed like the entire population of Turkey and the Middle East.  We did get some help from a shopkeeper who passed up us off to his “cousin” who also happened to have a rug shop and was nearly impossible to politely ditch.  Fortunately, the crowds at the Blue Mosque assisted us in the effort.  
 

The Blue Mosque is undergoing renovation so be forewarned.  There is scaffolding and construction drapes everywhere so it is difficult to take in the beauty of the tile work.  

 

We literally entered and exited in 5 minutes but we were packed in like sardines trying to exit.  The bottleneck was because people were sitting on the exit stairs putting their shoes back on rather than exiting then accomplishing that task.  The crush  was almost panic inducing.  

Once outside, we went over to Hagia Sophia but the line was so long to get in we couldn’t see the end of it.  

So off to the Basilica Cistern only to inadvertently pass it and realizing it too late to back track.  We had a tourist map in English and google maps on my iPhone was in Turkish. I should have just taken my phone off airplane mode at that point but we were well into our Accidental Walking Tour of the Old City.  We asked a traffic policeman for directions but his English was only good enough to tell us how much he liked motorcycles .  I am the navigator of the family and I kept reassuring my husband that it was just a short way to the Galata Bridge and lunch….well, not exactly. 

 

So, we continued on, wondering why there was a huge police presence, TV cameras and people holding signs.  We had stumbled into a demonstration of solidarity for the women of Iran.  We passed them only to find a larger police presence with machine guns.  This time we found ourselves in front of the Iranian consulate.  We continued on in the general direction of the Golden Horn only to find ourselves in the garment district of Istanbul - specifically, the underwear garment district.   Store after store selling underwear and pajamas of all types for men, women, and children.  All I can say is it was quite the revelation to see what might be under the burkas and layers of modest clothing.  

We finally managed to navigate to the spice market just as hundreds of people were exiting the nearby mosque.  

 

We followed the crowd to the underground passageway below the four lane road and tram line that borders the water and made it to lunch on the lower section of the Galata Bridge. 
 

At this point of the day we were tired and decided to take a cab back to the hotel but this was not to be, so we walked….and walked….and walked.   The last section, from Katakoy to Taksim, was all steeply uphill.   This section of Istanbul reminds me a bit of a grittier San Francisco.   Our step count for the day was over 16,000 - a bit over 7 miles! 
 

Finally, a note about the dogs and cats of Istanbul….they are everywhere.  They seem cared for and fed but not owned.  There are makeshift cat houses and little beds tucked into windows and foyers.  

 

The dogs are tagged and seem to be asleep in all the public spaces.  I read that they are tagged, neutered and vaccinated and this is a long tradition in Istanbul.  
 

 

I will leave you today with a beautiful sunset from our room. 
 

.   

Edited October 18, 2022 by forgap

[liptastic]

Thanks for the great photos and narration. You are having a busy few days pre cruise. Have a lovely cruise.   Jean.

[Gilly]

Oh my word, you are certainly getting your steps in!  Bravo for your good humour and your patience - lesser mortals would have crumbled.

Gx

[GeorgiaPeach51]

So pleased to see your report on Istanbul!  Tops on my bucket list.  Enjoying your report! Thanks for taking the time to post.  Hope you have a wonderful trip.

 

Joanie

[Aloha 1]

You had an interesting day! FYI, your details of your flight over mirrored ours. Left Miami 50 minutes late, took the long walk down to Passport Control and then to baggage claim followed by an hour cab ride to the Grand Hyatt. Arrived about 6:30 PM tonite . Wonder what time we'll wake up this AM. DW is putting her money on 0300.

Ah, but tomorrow we board!

[forgap]

It is Wednesday morning, embarkation day!  Yesterday, the Intercontinental was packed with arriving passengers.  Regent had a desk set up with information about breakfast,  luggage, the morning transfer to the ship, and available tours for those wanting to see a bit of Istanbul.  The operation was efficient and well done. 
 

Yesterday we were determined not to repeat 16,000 steps by learning how to navigate the tram system.  The metro is located a short walk from the hotel in Taksim square.  Once we found the right entrance, I approached the machines to purchase an Istanbulkart and load it with enough money to get us around the town.  Fortunately, a metro worker had positioned himself next to a machine to help hapless tourists.  I learned that the card can be used between two people, but I had to load it several times as it never seemed that there was enough value in it to get us both through the turnstiles.  I think I was the problem as the exchange rate is about 18 TL to a dollar, and I wasn’t doing a fantastic job calculating the math.  
 

We took the funicular (F1) down the hill then the tram (T1) to Sultanahmet. It was simple.  Even with the rides and an easy day, we managed 10,000 steps.  
 

The lines too enter Hagia Sophia were, again, a mile long.  We decided to watch a documentary when we get home.  Instead, we got in line to enter the recently reopened Basilica Cistern.  This was a fantastic experience.  The pictures can describe it better than I can.  

Medusa’s head at the base of a column

 

 

There was also an  art installation throughout the cistern.

 

It was about lunch time at this point.  We weren’t  particularly hungry but a beer was definitely in order. I had spotted some interesting shops and cafes on the other side of Hagia Sophia, so off we went.  Looking up, I spotted a rooftop terrace.  The views were lovely.  

 

 

Our waiter feeding the seagulls:

The shops in this area sold a mix of tourist trinkets, beautiful carpets, textiles, and interesting ceramics.  Since we will be back in Istanbul for two days after the cruise, I made a mental note to return!  
 

We easily navigated back to the hotel later in the afternoon with a little hiccup as the tram we got on only went halfway.  Fellow passengers told us to get off and wait for the next tram.  The trams indicate the final destination on the digital displays, so once you know this, it is easy to get around.  
 

 

[Gilly]

Our "Go Local" Regent tour in Istanbul last November took us on a tram.  We were each given a pre-loaded card (which we returned to the guide once we were done) and we rode a tram for a few stops.  I guess the challenging bit - loading the card with money - had been done for us!

I think you made a great decision to visit the Cisterns.  That's not to say the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque are not wonderful too, but if there are crowds, then the experience isn't so special.  We - and everyone I know who's been there - speaks so enthusiastically about the Cisterns and I loved being there again with you on my screen this morning. 

One last thing about boarding in Istanbul which I've mentioned before but is worth mentioning again.  The (new) cruise terminal involves a l-o-n-g walk, to and fro and though there appear to be "short cuts" to avoid such things as the duty free shop etc, my pleas to use the direct link through a door that staff appeared to be using were denied.  Be prepared for yet more high step counts on your tally!!

Edited October 19, 2022 by Gilly
typo

[lincslady]

Yes, the cisterns are wonderful and not everyone has heard of them, so (at least a few years ago) there were fewer crowds there.

[papaflamingo]

Enjoying your review.  We will be overnighting in Istanbul next year so your commentary is very helpful and interesting.  

As for your comment "I should have just taken my phone off airplane mode,"  look into downloading a free GPS app.  I use Maps.me. I download all the cities or ports that our cruise will visit prior to leaving home. I then research each place for some recommendations, and "save" them on the Maps.me program.  When we arrive in port, Maps.me only uses the phone's GPS so you can stay in "airplane" mode and still have accurate walking or driving directions.   I've used it for years and highly recommend it.  Of course there are other equally good GPS apps available.

Looks like it'll be a great cruise. I look forward to following along. 😎