Just returned from Nautica Cruise, any questions?

[rogfam]

Just returned from the July 7 Nautica cruise to the Black Sea. Ports included Istanbul, Nessebur, Constanta, Odessa, Sevestopol, Sochi,Yalta, Santorini, and Athens. Stayed pre cruise in Istanbul and post cruise in Athens. Any questions?

[mk0520]

I hope you had a wonderful cruise. We are on the 8-24 Black Sea Cruise. We have most of our excursions taken care of except for Kusadasi and Nessebur. We were on a Oceania Cruise last year that included Kusadasi so we have seen Ephesus and Mary's House which we loved and we were thinking of just going back there again. What did you do in these 2 ports?

How was the weather? What was your favorite port? Thanks for your help:)

[rogfam]

It was a great cruise! Loved every minute, and every extra pound of it! Nessebur is a port city that is very popular with Russian tourists. We took the ship's shuttle to the old town (5 mins away) and walked around for a few hours. Okay place, not planning to return anytime soon. We had been to Esphesus three years ago, but returned again to see the Terrace Houses which were not ready during our last visit. Kusadasi is still an interesting port to walk around and shop. Don't even get off the ship in Constanta Romania. Very depressing place, still looks like it is the end of WWII. Walked around for about an hour, and quickly returned to the ship.

Weather was hot in Istanbul, Santorini and Athens. Surprisingly, Esphesus wasn't too hot. Only in the low 80's with a breeze. Day before it was 110! Rest of the ports were in the low 80's...perfect. Only rain was in the afternoon in Sochi, and the morning of sea day.

Really enjoyed Sevestopol and Yalta. So much history! Also, returned to Santorini and still the most beautiful place to visit. Second visit to Istanbul (arrived a day early), and enjoyed it as much as ever.

Any other questions please ask.

[mk0520]

I'm happy you had a great cruise. Thanks for the info.

[CruseKrazy]

How was the food on Nautica? Any recommendations?

 

Dave

[Acrusa]

I hope you had a wonderful cruise. We are on the 8-24 Black Sea Cruise. We have most of our excursions taken care of except for Kusadasi and Nessebur. We were on a Oceania Cruise last year that included Kusadasi so we have seen Ephesus and Mary's House which we loved and we were thinking of just going back there again. What did you do in these 2 ports?

How was the weather? What was your favorite port? Thanks for your help:)

 

Just back also from 7/7/08 cruise.Hi Rogfam hope you had a good trip home?If you did not see the terrace houses the last time you where in Ephesus you missed alot. They are trully fantastic.If its not to late I would make sure you are starboard on this trip not portside. Are you pre hotel in Istanbul?If you are staying an extra night in Istanbul I highly reccomend the Swissotel Sky resturant for dinner, the best view in Istanbul.

[Napalover1]

Rogfam & Acrusa - perhaps if you could write a full review (time permitting, of course) in the Review section on this site, that would be most helpful.

[mk0520]

We have not seen the Terrance Houses and per your suggestion we will do so this trip. I don't know if we are on starboard (I don't know how to tell). We are in suite 8058. We are going to take the Post-Cruise Mystical Cappadocia that Oceania has offered. We will be in Instanbul overnight so we can go to the Swissotel. Thank you so much for the information.

[LHT28]

I don't know if we are on starboard (I don't know how to tell) .

 

When you are on the ship & face the bow (pointy end) the right side is starboard & left is port ;)

 

Just remember port & left are 4 letters:D also on O the EVEN numbers are also on the left

 

You are on the port side

[CintiPam]

Rogfam, we are first-time cruisers leaving Istanbul on Nautica to Athens on September 5. I have most port day plans complete except for Santorini. What did you do during your day in Santorini?

 

We originally planned to take the cable car up to Fira, check out the town and the Akrotiri artifacts there, then bus to Oia and bus back to Fira. However, there are three other cruiseships due in Santorini that day (Azamara Journey, Costa Fortuna, Star Clipper), so I am a bit concerned about the crowds. Would you recommend my trying to arrange some type of tour? I actually thought about an ATV rental to zip around this small island. Any advice would be appreciated from you experienced cruisers.

 

Thanks,

Pam

[rhohea]

Hi. Did you do any tours while in Istanbul, if so who with and where to and what was the cost. Also where did you stay pre cruise. We will try and make the Swissotel Sky for dinner - sounds good. We are having a few days in Istanbul prior to a May 09 cruise from Rome to Stockholm.:)

[mk0520]

LHT28, Thanks for the Port vs Starboard lesson. That is how my mother taught me to set our dinner table. The fork goes on the left. Fork has 4 letters and so does left. I have never forgotten :) .

Acrusa, I guess I'm on the wrong side of the ship:( .

[joek]

Rhohea,

Saw your question about tours in Istanbul. We docked there overnight in May and had a delightful evening and an all day tour. Guide was Gulgun Asutay, very knowledgeable and helpful. Recommend her highly. (guidegulgun@hotmail.com) She can arrange for various size groups. We had 6, 4 other CC members joined us.

 

Joe Kluepfel

[Acrusa]

Hi. Did you do any tours while in Istanbul, if so who with and where to and what was the cost. Also where did you stay pre cruise. We will try and make the Swissotel Sky for dinner - sounds good. We are having a few days in Istanbul prior to a May 09 cruise from Rome to Stockholm.:)

 

We used Ekol tours. We booked on line and they where there at 9 am and we toured all the hot spots for 7 hrs.The guide we had was good but know personnality.Cut and dry, I would try someone else.Are you staying in Istanbul or just off the ship?

[rhohea]

Thank you both for the info on Istanbul. We are having 3 days there before flying to Rome to join our May 14 Rome to Stockholm cruise on Regatta. Have booked accomodation at the Sheraton Istanbul at this stage unless we hear of other options. We have never been to Istanbul before.:)

[Lysee11]

We are probably going to book the 11/6 Nautica departure from Istanbul to Rome. Any recommendations on which hotel is best for pre-cruise as we'll fly in a few days early. Anything we should not miss while there? Restaurants, shopping areas, etc?????

[Acrusa]

Thank you both for the info on Istanbul. We are having 3 days there before flying to Rome to join our May 14 Rome to Stockholm cruise on Regatta. Have booked accomodation at the Sheraton Istanbul at this stage unless we hear of other options. We have never been to Istanbul before.:)

 

We took the O pre cruise 3 nite package to the Swissotel the Bosphrus. Fantastic the room we had over looked all of Sultinamet and the dock where the cruise ships docked.We had a wrap around window on the 12 floor.Room # 1253 a room with a view.The pool area was amazing.

[rogfam]

We booked the Four Seasons at Sultanahmet. It was great. In the shadow of the Blue Mosque, and a few steps from Topkapi and Hagia Sophia. Before it became a hotel a few years ago, it was the jail in Midnight Express! The prison courtyard is now where their dining room is located. Only 60+ rooms, great service, and again great location!

[lindaann]

Rogfam, we are first-time cruisers leaving Istanbul on Nautica to Athens on September 5. I have most port day plans complete except for Santorini. What did you do during your day in Santorini?

 

We originally planned to take the cable car up to Fira, check out the town and the Akrotiri artifacts there, then bus to Oia and bus back to Fira. However, there are three other cruiseships due in Santorini that day (Azamara Journey, Costa Fortuna, Star Clipper), so I am a bit concerned about the crowds. Would you recommend my trying to arrange some type of tour? I actually thought about an ATV rental to zip around this small island. Any advice would be appreciated from you experienced cruisers.

 

Thanks,

Pam

 

If Rogfam doesn't mind me answering for him (Hi Glenn and Meryl) I'll give you my suggestions for Santorini. My wife and I have been to Santorini 3 times, most recently last week on the Nautica. I don't think the three other ships in port with you are giants so I don't think the crowds will be unbearable although it will get crowded, especially in the afternoon. By far the main destinations in Santorini are Thira and Oia. The first time we visited we negotiated a 2 hour or so "tour" with a cab driver. He took us to Oia, waited an hour while we took our pictures, then drove us around the island. But really outside of Oia and Thira the rest of the island, while pretty, is not spectacular.

My suggestion is that you get off the ship as soon as it anchors, go up to Thira by cable car, then go immediately to Oia before it gets too crowded. We took a cab. 20 Euros each way. The drive is about 25 minutes. Some people (we didn't) choose to have their cab driver wait for them because cabs back from Oia can sometimes be hard to find. Or you can take the local bus, which many do. Oia is absolutely spectacular. Walk around, take lots of pictures and have a cappucino in one of the lovely cafes overlooking the caldera. Breathtaking! Then go back to Thira and repeat what you did in Oia, but by then it will be time to have a Mithos beer and a greek salad for lunch.

I would not bother arranging a local tour because this is the perfect island to do on your own. Nor would I rent an ATV (although many people do) because I think they are dangerous, especially in a place you are not familiar with. The road between Thira and Oia can get busy and it is a narrow mountain road with steep drop offs and inadequate guard rails.

Have a great cruise.

 

 

.........................Stan

 

P.S. Pre-cruise in Istanbul we stayed in a lovely Turkish hotel in the Sultanahmet. The Sirkeki Konak. Walking distance to all the main attractions in the Sultanahmet. The tram line is just outside the front door and a short ten or 15 minute tram ride gets you around to most of the other places you'll want to go to in Istanbul.

[rogfam]

Hi Stan, don't mind at all. Just emailed you a picture of Linda from Yalta.

Glenn

[CintiPam]

Thanks, Stan, for your very helpful advice.

 

Coincidently, we are booked to spend three nights at the Sirkeci Konak before we board our cruise in Istanbul. I am a big fan of tripadvisor for hotel advice on both our US and European travels, so it sounded exactly what we'd like: good location, not to big, and helpful service. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. It's not only our first cruise, but also our first visit to any of these ports.

 

Cordially,

Pam

[merryecho]

Rogfam- I agree about Constanta, but if you take a taxi to nearby Mamia beach (about 5 miles) there is a fantastic boardwalk, with tons of beachside cafes. Made for a nice day.

[CA traveler]

Hello fellow travelers - In Istanbul we stayed in Sultanahmet at a very reasonable hotel - the Hotel Nena - walkable to all the local sites. Friends of mine had stayed in the Sirkeci Konak and liked it a lot. We arranged 3 days of touring with Kagan Kosagan; he was booked in Istanbul and I requested Deniz as our guide due to reviews she received in the ports section of cruise critic. She was great. We were a group of 8 friends and we covered a lot of territory in 3 days. Kagan was our guide in Ephesus and he was very knowledgeable having preciously worked a dig at the site.

For those who want to access Euros in Istanbul, I found that HSBC ATMs give you a choice of receiving your cash in liras or euros.

 

In Santorini we took the public bus to Oai. With just 2 ships in port the bus was pretty crowded as was the bus station. Fira was also very crowded in the afternoon when we returned from Oai.

 

The ship was great as was the food.

 

Susan