Shuttle still offered by HAL from ship to Istanbul's Centre(Old City)

[Moosers Mom]

The last time we visited/overnighted with HAL in Istanbul, a shuttle was offered by HAL from the ship to Istanbul's Centre(Old City).

Does anyone know if this shuttle is still offered? It was a great way to get to the major attractions and enjoy the port on your own.

Thanks

[lyndarra]

I don't know about a shuttle however, if the ship berth is at Galata it's a nice walk along the waterfront, passing many cafes and restaurants, to the tram stop at the Galata bridge. The trams run regularly into the city and are cheap, no traffic worries. 

[cruisemom42]

I doubt HAL is offering any free shuttles anymore, not in the current economic environment. At many of our stops in Japan where shuttles were previously offered for free (from reading past reviews), now they were charging from $25 to $40 per person, depending on the length of the ride.

 

Also, Istanbul has a new cruise port. It is slightly farther from Sultanahmet (the old part of the city where Haghia Sofya, Topkapi and the bazaars can be found) than the old one at Galata. I believe the tram is still a possibility as it runs out further along that road than the old port. I'll be going there in October with an overnight but not on HAL. Hope to get a better understanding of the new lay of the land. Everyone says the port itself is huge -- lots and lots of distance to cover to get through it.

[Torquer]

In August 2022 aboard Oosterdam, we docked at the new Galataport Terminal in Istanbul.  There was definitely no free shuttle to the old city, and as far as I can remember, no shuttle at all.  In addition, the underground cruise terminal itself is huge with more walking to get out of it than in any port I can remember.  We arrived in early afternoon and walked northeast on the main street to find a tour boat on the Bosporus.  We overnighted there and the next day we had a private tour, but I still don't think there was any shuttle available to the old city, but of course we weren't interested at that point, so I may have not noticed it.

[Moosers Mom]

Thanks to everyone for their reply. I figured this shuttle is not being offered anymore. Too bad, but I guess having the new port made it difficult to do.