Shore Excursions - Wind Spirit Istanbul to Athens

[robynindc]

Greetings! My husband and I decided on the Wind Spirit trip, July 19th, Istanbul to Athens. If anyone has recommendations on the shore excursions for that trip, we'd love to hear them. We are generally pretty independent travelers, and get around just fine with a travel book and some help from locals. But we definitely don't want to miss out on anything good! Thanks in advance,

Robyn

[milepig]

Greetings! My husband and I decided on the Wind Spirit trip, July 19th, Istanbul to Athens. If anyone has recommendations on the shore excursions for that trip, we'd love to hear them. We are generally pretty independent travelers, and get around just fine with a travel book and some help from locals. But we definitely don't want to miss out on anything good! Thanks in advance,

Robyn

 

I'm just back from Wind Sprit (Rome to Athens) - see my post on the "beancounters have arrived" thread.

 

My advise would be to skip the score excursions unless there is something that takes you exactly where you want to go. We found them to be overpriced for what you got. People on our cruise were having great luck just hiring a cab for a couple hours for much less money than the excursion.

[marycang]

I would really encourage you to go to a Turkish bath. I wanted to go but I was a little afraid I wouldn't like it or I would feel uncomfortable. I got a lot of encouragement to go from 3 couples we met on the ship. I am so glad I went, it was one of the best memories I have of our 2003 Windstar cruise. Istanbul to Athens. We went to the hamam in Bodrum. There website has a good description of a Turkish bath.

 

http://www.bodrumhamami.com.tr.

 

In the afternoon in Bodrum we and 2-3 couples from the cruise walked along the docks and negotiated a boat to go out in the bay and we swam and lazed for 2-3 hours.

[Texasnark1]

It's a great cruise. We did it two years ago and will definitely do it again. Be sure to get a private car and guide for Ephesus. Really incredible tour. In Bodrum, I recommend the cruise's tour for the castle and the gullet (sailboat). It was worth the money and the gullet was great. You cruise around the coast, eat a great lunch on-board and swim a little. Highly recommended.

 

In Rhodes, I would just rent one of the taxi's for the day right by where the ship docks. Go to Lindos and see the temple and then go to Old Rhodes and explore and have lunch. The seafood is great in Rhodes with fresh squid (as big as onion rings), fish and shrimp. There is also another Roman ruin on the island, but I can't remember it.

 

Santoroni is awesome. We hired a taxi and went to Oia which is really nice. You can explore the shops and have a great lunch with a great view.

 

Mykonos is also nice. We had a great time just walking through the crazy and crooked streets lined with shops. I recommend having dinner by the water (there a quite a few you can choose from near the wind mills). We enjoyed the ship's tour of Delos in the morning. Great Roman ruins to explore and you get back in time to shop, have lunch, etc.

 

In my opinion, this is the best cruise you can choose. If you like great history, culture, food, etc., it can't be beat.

 

 

Have a great time!

[kimiata]

Hi, we are just off this cruise. You HAVE to do the "Dining Among the Ruins" evening excursion at Ephesus. That was the only shore excursion we booked and it was worth every penny.

 

I second the recommendation for the Turkish bath. We went to one in Istanbul. (Our cruise did not stop in Rhodes, and went to Didim instead.)

 

We thought the cruise was wonderful and the service was exceptional. Have fun!

[HawkeyeCruisr]

We were on the May 24 cruise with Kimiata and I just want to emphasize what she said about "Dine Among the Ruins". It was an unbelievable experience -the highlight of the cruise for us. Be sure to see Ephesus during the day (we used a private guide) and then return at night for the dinner.

[aleoops]

Kimiata

 

Did you enjoy Didim? We have been rescheduled to stop there on our 7/5 Istanbul-Athens cruise. How did you spend your day? Thanks

[HawkeyeCruisr]

Aleoops -

 

Didim will be a tender port so the water sports platform will be open in the afternoon. The tender drops you off at the central street with a beach on one side and a retail area on the other side. The beaches looked nice and were relatively uncrowded but we found the shops and restaurants charmless. But . . . it was hot without a hint of a breeze and I was pretty overheated so I didn't enjoy the walk. I know Kimiata and her husband liked the area much better than we did so she'll give you a more positive review.

 

If you're not a beach or water sports platform person, you might like the excursion that visits the 3 nearby archeological sites. We talked to several people on the cruise that did that excursion and really liked it.

 

BTW, the ship's navigator told us why the itinerary changed from Bodrum to Didum: Bodrum used to be a tender port and then they built a pier and now REQUIRE ships to use it and not tender. The pier is a good distance from the town and would require some sort of transportation to get people back and forth. And they are collecting bigger port fees for docking along with the the associated tugs and pilot to get the ship into the harbor, so it now costs more to stop at Bodrum. It sounds like Windstar also wants a port where they can use the water sports platform and that means tendering.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise - we loved ours!!

Nancy

[aleoops]

Nancy

 

Thanks for your quick response. We're truly looking forward to our first Windstar cruise!

[HawkeyeCruisr]

It was our first Windstar cruise also (just got home 24 hours ago) and now we are spoiled for any other cruise line!! The crew is fantastic; we thought the service was the best we've ever had on a ship! We loved the size of the ship and the feeling of camaraderie among crew and passengers. I can't wait to plan another cruise with them!!

 

Nancy

[robynindc]

Thank you all so much for the info! I am logging on to Windstar now to book the dinner at Ephesus. We are so very excited to go! It sounds like the ship doesn't stop at Bodrum anymore? Is that right?

[HawkeyeCruisr]

It sounds like the ship doesn't stop at Bodrum anymore? Is that right?

 

Yes, that's my understanding from what the ship's navigator was telling us. Unless Bodrum changes their "no tendering" rule, Wind Star will be substituting Didim for Bodrum.

[robynindc]

Thanks. Do you think we are missing anything significant by not going to Bodrum? We are in Turkey for a little over a week before the cruise, and could make our way to Bodrum if there's something we would really miss without stopping there. Again, thanks for all the info!

 

Robyn

[atudorquene]

Thanks. Do you think we are missing anything significant by not going to Bodrum? We are in Turkey for a little over a week before the cruise, and could make our way to Bodrum if there's something we would really miss without stopping there. Again, thanks for all the info!

 

Robyn

 

but if they don't stop at Bodrum I will have to take another - Bodrum has a Marine Archaeology museum that I am VERY interested in visiting... one of the best, if not the best, in the world.

[HawkeyeCruisr]

but if they don't stop at Bodrum I will have to take another - Bodrum has a Marine Archaeology museum that I am VERY interested in visiting... one of the best, if not the best, in the world.

 

I believe (but am not positive) that Bodrum is just a 30 minute drive from Didim. It might be possible to rent a car and drive there on your own.

[Capt. Mike]

Hi, we are just off this cruise. You HAVE to do the "Dining Among the Ruins" evening excursion at Ephesus. That was the only shore excursion we booked and it was worth every penny.

 

I second the recommendation for the Turkish bath. We went to one in Istanbul. (Our cruise did not stop in Rhodes, and went to Didim instead.)

 

We thought the cruise was wonderful and the service was exceptional. Have fun!

 

We took your advice and signed up for the Dinning Among the Ruins. Two other couples we know also signed up. Sounds like a once in a lifetime experience. Sailing October 11.

 

Mike