kusadasi

[bapaleg]

Is it worth $50 more to see the Terrace houses on our tour from Princess. For $50 we see the usual sights of Ephesus. Thanks

[cruisemom42]

$50 more than what??:eek:

 

For the price you seemingly are paying, you could probably get a private guided tour through one of the several reputable agencies in Kusadasi!!

 

FWIW, I think the Terrace Houses are a real "must see" but I think I would look into booking a private tour. If you share amongst several people it will inevitably be cheaper.

[Terpnut]

It's only an additional $15 per person to see the Terrace Houses and it is definitely a "must do" in my opinion.

[texancruzer]

$ 50.00 more ??? How many people is that for ???

 

We paid $15.00 per person more to do the Terrace Houses.

 

We did a private tour that day.......you should really explore that possibilty !

[EV2008]

$ 50.00 more ??? How many people is that for ???

 

We paid $15.00 per person more to do the Terrace Houses.

 

We did a private tour that day.......you should really explore that possibilty !

I second that. We did it with a private tour and it was so worth it, but only had to pay $15.00 extra.

[Hlitner]

Do yourself a favor and book a private tour! You can actually get do your own tour with your own car/driver for less than the tours charged by most of the cruise lines. There are several very reputable tour companies that offer various tour options and you can book on-line. As an example, on our visit this past April (our 3rd time at Ephesus) we booked a private tour through Ekol. We had a tour for only the 2 of us and we were provided our own guide (he was great), an air conditioned van and our own personal driver. We paid about $160 for what turned out to be a 5 hour tour to Ephesus, Terrace Houses, Virgin Mary House, Basilica of St John, Temple of Artemis, and a stop at a ceramics factory (this was at our request). Since we had our own guide we were able to spend more time in Ephesus and have some excellent discussions with our guide which was more in depth than what is provided on large group tours (since it was our third visit we wanted more depth).

 

Hank

[ILoveScotland]

Can't remember what I paid two years ago but definitely not $50.00.

 

And, yes, well worth the extra. The Terrace Houses are beautiful, and I learned so much about how people lived.

[SandG]

We directly paid our admission at the terrace houses and I believe we paid 8 Euros each. They were definitely worth that extra cost.

 

I suspect the $50 more is to get into a smaller group as they will not take large groups in there. Getting into a smaller group is a always a good idea, which is why (as others have said) you should look into getting a private tour. Join up with others in your roll call to save money. We formed a group of 10 and hired Mesut Yilmaz - he was excellent - and the price split between us ended up less than the ship tour that didn't include the terrace houses.

[chubbypiggy]

I will be going to Kusadasi (for the second time) this November (Princess cruise); this time I want to stay in the town of Kusadasi. I read on the internet there is a place called Pigeon Island (I "think" it is less than a 30-minute walk from the cruise port). Have anyone visited that Island? If so 1)do you think it is worth going, and 2)what is there to do there?

 

Thanks in advance for your suggestions/information.:)

[cruiser620]

If you are visiting Epheses, you MUST see the Terrace Houses. Ship's tours are ridiculously overpriced and put you in large groups to herd around. I just returned from my cruise yesterday and was very satisfied with the tour we got from Hello Epheses. For just $75 each my daughter and I had our own PRIVATE tour with a guide, driver, and small bus JUST FOR THE 2 OF US. We did not have to pay any money ahead of time, and paid with $ at the conclusion of the tour. The guide was waiting at the port with my name on a sign, we climbed in our private vehicle, and off we went on our 6 hour excursion which included a wonderful lunch and all admittance fees to Epheses, Terrace Houses, and Selcuk museum. Our guide spoke EXCELLENT English, and we were able to go wherever we chose and stay as long as we wanted. It was a great day!

[lcccbeloeil]

The Terrace Houses are wonderful... mosaics, frescoes, the original floors and parts of the walls, even parts of the original pipes in the walls. Very interesting and worth it. The entrance is located in the middle of the Ephesus grounds.

[joramrose]

If you are visiting Epheses, you MUST see the Terrace Houses. Ship's tours are ridiculously overpriced and put you in large groups to herd around. I just returned from my cruise yesterday and was very satisfied with the tour we got from Hello Epheses. For just $75 each my daughter and I had our own PRIVATE tour with a guide, driver, and small bus JUST FOR THE 2 OF US. We did not have to pay any money ahead of time, and paid with $ at the conclusion of the tour. The guide was waiting at the port with my name on a sign, we climbed in our private vehicle, and off we went on our 6 hour excursion which included a wonderful lunch and all admittance fees to Epheses, Terrace Houses, and Selcuk museum. Our guide spoke EXCELLENT English, and we were able to go wherever we chose and stay as long as we wanted. It was a great day!

 

OK, whom did you use and how do you get in touch??

Answer here or e-mail me at JRose10700@AOL.com.

Thanks

love

joan

[cruiser620]

Hi Joan,

 

Just go to http://www.helloepheses.com You can see information on their tours, but I actually contacted them to customize one for me rather than just going with what was listed. I really wanted to see the museum in Selcuk with the famous statue of Artemis. I found out when we were there that a some of what you see in Epheses are reproductions and the original statues, etc. are actually in the museum.

 

Whatever you choose to do, though, I would say the Terrace Houses are a must see!!

 

"Hello Epheses" was very professional in all my dealings with them, and even followed up after I returned home. Based on my personal experience, I would not hesitate to recommend them for a tour.