Istanbul and the Black Sea

[Florida1947]

I am considering a Black Sea cruise with UniWorld starting at Istanbul. I understand Turkey requires a visa which costs $20. I'd like to buy it at customs upon arrival but UniWorld recommends sending my passport off to a private company and paying a lot of money to do it in advance because they say there will be a long line of people waiting to buy the visa and it will delay the tour. :eek: Does anyone have any suggestions or experience buying the Turkish visa at the airport?

 

 

If anyone has been on a Black Sea cruise before, suggestions are very welcome.:)

 

 

Thanks in advance

[cruisemom42]

Your question regarding the Turkish visa is frequently asked. You can get it at the airport. It's quick and easy -- I did it last April and there was no wait (1-2 mins max). No one else has reported a long wait. Just have your $20 exact as they don't give change.

[Florida1947]

Dear Cruisemom42,

 

Thank you for the excellent information and prompt reply.

 

Do you have any suggestions on where I can find other cruisers who have done the Istanbul to Kiev cruise? I am not sure if Istanbul is in the middle east or on the edge of Europe. it is probably both. <G>

 

Thanks again.

[cruisemom42]

Istanbul is half in Europe and half in Asia......but I wouldn't say Middle East!

 

As far as Cruise Critic is concerned, it appears that the Black Sea ports are covered on the Mediterranean board. :D

[oneparticularharbor]

Get your visa before you get into the customs line in Istanbul. We knew to do this because of CC, a lot of people waited in the customs line and then had to go back for the visa. I agree, quick and easy, I think quite a line formed after people were turned back from customs, so make sure you get the visa first.

[aa2qh]

We were in Istanbul earlier this year. It was the highlight of our Black Sea Cruise. I agree with the visa info. There are signs at the airport that direct you to the visa windows. It was actually PAST the customs lines for us, & somewhat hidden from view by the lines, so after we got it we had to backtrack a bit to customs again.

 

Now for a recommendation. We spent several days with Emre Onal, a professional tour guide in Istanbul and felt ourselves fortunate to have him.. He speaks excellent English, is very knowledgeable about sites & history, very polite & accommodating & always on time. He was willing to tailor our tour to our wishes, but also took us to several places that we never would have found ourselves. Yes, you can travel around Istanbul on your own, but we saw so much more & learned so much more by having Emre as our guide. We would use him again in a minute. You can just google to get to his site, or contact him at:

emreonal@superonline.com, 00-90-532-276-0-666, www.istanbultours.info, www.istanbulsightseeingtours.com

[goody1]

We cruised on the Black Sea last year with Azamara and thought it was a great cruise. Istanbul is a fascinating city, we spent 6 nights there 2 years ago and overnight on the cruise. Sevastapol, Odessa and Yalta we did ship tours and couldn't fault them.