circleboy Posted July 24, 2009 #1 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Going on the Solstice Oct. 9 2009. Which of the land tours from Celebrity should we take and which should we do on our own. Late 50's and in shape. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZiggyKeys Posted July 24, 2009 #2 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Just got back from a sail on Solstice & if I were to go back & do it again my 1st recommendation would definitley be Turkey. Any of the tours that include Esphesus (sic?) is just outstanding, espcially the one "with lunch". Why "with lunch" you might ask ??? This is just not a brown bag & soda but a huge spread of about 30 differents things. You get a great look at the country also. JMHO Ziggy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimSLP Posted July 24, 2009 #3 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Going on the Solstice Oct. 9 2009. Which of the land tours from Celebrity should we take and which should we do on our own. Late 50's and in shape. Thanks Hi Circleboy you need to come and join our roll call for the Oct 9th. We have 40 people on it and we have talked about ship tours and have set up private tours and transportation that you can join. Hope to see you there. Also sign up for our connection party. Kimberly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samka Posted July 24, 2009 #4 Share Posted July 24, 2009 We were on July 6 Eastern Med Solstice 11 night sailing. We took all private tours. There were 3 of us and for most of the tours there was very little difference in price. Some like Naples were even less expensive than the ship excursion Plus we had a private car, guide, did not have to wait for anyone and could tailor the tours to our interests. I would be more than happy to share who we used if you are interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaroleLee Posted July 24, 2009 #5 Share Posted July 24, 2009 We were on July 6 Eastern Med Solstice 11 night sailing. We took all private tours. There were 3 of us and for most of the tours there was very little difference in price. Some like Naples were even less expensive than the ship excursion Plus we had a private car, guide, did not have to wait for anyone and could tailor the tours to our interests. I would be more than happy to share who we used if you are interested. Totally agree we did all pvt in June Solstice. Price for 4 people in pvt car way less that a bus for 40. I have a list- rec. Athens you must book George the Famous Taxi Driver he is fabulous. Has you walking & exploring all of Athens, Cape Sounion etc. You will work hard for his money-but you are rewarded with a fantastic experience Carole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisenouvelle Posted July 24, 2009 #6 Share Posted July 24, 2009 We took this tour and thoroughly enjoyed it! We had a great guide, and the lunch was wonderful- authentic dishes, plenty of wine tasting, and we were able to buy a couple of bottles at the winery: http://www.celebritycruises.com/shoreExcursions/product/detail/view.do;jsessionid=0000MlbmvYkS8hHzSxBw3FmKOm_:12hdbcuh7;jsessionid=0000UMZNf5YbEL-bKltHjZRqRCO:12hdbcveb?ProductCode=MY08&ip_text= Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacky Posted July 24, 2009 #7 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Totally agree we did all pvt in June Solstice. Price for 4 people in pvt car way less that a bus for 40. I have a list- rec. Athens you must book George the Famous Taxi Driver he is fabulous. Has you walking & exploring all of Athens, Cape Sounion etc. You will work hard for his money-but you are rewarded with a fantastic experienceCarole Hi CaroleLee, can you email be with George's contact info if you have it? nordien1 at cogeco dot ca. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbh2 Posted July 24, 2009 #8 Share Posted July 24, 2009 We were on July 6 Eastern Med Solstice 11 night sailing. We took all private tours. There were 3 of us and for most of the tours there was very little difference in price. Some like Naples were even less expensive than the ship excursion Plus we had a private car, guide, did not have to wait for anyone and could tailor the tours to our interests. I would be more than happy to share who we used if you are interested. Samka, I am working on deciding on private tours for 11-9-09 11 day Solstice cruise and would very much like to hear about the tours you recommend. Thanks, Barbara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frisbeeace Posted July 24, 2009 #9 Share Posted July 24, 2009 You can do most of the ports on your own without spending money on tours. Certainly you need to do some research and have a good travel guide on hand (Rick Steve's are excellent). If you decide for any tour, go private and avoid Celebrity's. It is cheaper and much better. We only booked a tour of Ephesus with terraces, Artemis temple and Virgin Mary house with Ekol tours. They were awesome. We had a mnivan for the 4 of us, with comfy leather seats and a great guide. I guess that if you do the Amalfi coast instead of Capri you will need a tour too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
money4mice Posted July 25, 2009 #10 Share Posted July 25, 2009 We will be on the Solstice on Aug. 7, a family of 4. For those that have done tours in Greece, which islands do you recommend a tour and with whom. We are set with private guides in all other ports. I have been vasillating on what to do in these ports and am driving myself crazy. We like to see sites, but also enjoy the local culture. I don't want to have to waste time in ports waiting in line for tenders or sites. Right now, the only ship tour I booked is in santorini, I was hoping to avoid waiting to get off the ship. Is this advisable? athens, should we do on our own or hire a private taxi company like George? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare hcat Posted July 25, 2009 #11 Share Posted July 25, 2009 No reply yet on the port boards so i am posting here too: we have a very early morning excursion to Ephesus & are looking for ideas for the remainder of the day in Kusadasi-- nearby sights & or lunch-not alot of help on the internet what is there nearby (walking distance) the port? Apparently some of the places to eat there are pricey... is it safe to walk around? how far is it to Ladies Beach?--seems there are some cute restaurants & cafes not as pricey there-- but not sure if it is worth the trip..taxi or bus? what is the operative currency--will they take Euros or Dollars or just ???? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillsboro Posted July 25, 2009 #12 Share Posted July 25, 2009 We were on July 6 Eastern Med Solstice 11 night sailing. We took all private tours. There were 3 of us and for most of the tours there was very little difference in price. Some like Naples were even less expensive than the ship excursion Plus we had a private car, guide, did not have to wait for anyone and could tailor the tours to our interests. I would be more than happy to share who we used if you are interested. We're going on Celebrity Solstice August 7. What private tour companies did you use? We have ekol tours in Ephasus, but don't have a recommendation for Italy or Greece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
money4mice Posted July 25, 2009 #13 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Are you on our Cruise connection site for our sail date? If not please join all of us. Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samka Posted July 25, 2009 #14 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Samka, I am working on deciding on private tours for 11-9-09 11 day Solstice cruise and would very much like to hear about the tours you recommend. Thanks, Barbara I highly recommend the following: Athens - georgetaxitours@yahoo.com (We actually had Tony and he was great) Istanbul - kosagan@yahoo.com Kagan Kosagan We had a private van with driver plus Kagan was our guide. he really knows the ins and outs of Istanbul. It was great having him around to order street food for us. He even encouraged me to use the Turkish I had learned in the class on Solstice. Kusadasi - nahide@ekoltravel.com Nahide was our guide with a private driver and van. She gave us a great tour of Ephesus and took us to a rug making school where we were treated to Turkish hospitality. She also showed us a great Kepab restaurant on a side alley in Kusadasi. Lovely, warm tour guide Naples- ********************* Salvatore was our driver guide. He was great. He comes from the town of Amalfi. We arranged to go to Pompeii, Positano and back to Naples for pizza. Since he is a driver guide, he cannot give a tour of Pompeii. It was 100 euros for a licensed guide of Pompeii. We didn't hire someone, but I now regret not doing that because Pompeii is so large and I do not think we got everything we could have from it. Salvatore was so knowledgeable about the are. He was also very kind. The tours are to be paid in cash. We had a problem getting cash from the ATM and Salvaotre allowed us to pay by charge without a problem. We also hired a guide in Santorini. We were supposed to have Nikos who is supposed to be the best but instead a female guide showed up. She was fine but we were a bit annoyed because we had specifically requested Nikos and he confirmed that with us. I think if you really want to see all of Santorini, you do need a guide though. Tender tickets for Santorini were handed out at 9. Get there by 8 and you will be able to get on the first tender and you shouldn't have a problem seeing everything you want to in Santorini. Mykonos - no guide--we just walked around town and we used the $10 shuttle to get back and forth into town. Hope this is helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samka Posted July 25, 2009 #15 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I see the email didn't come through for our Naples guide in the last post. It is ********************* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samka Posted July 25, 2009 #16 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I see the email didn't come through for our Naples guide in the last post. I don't know why that link won't work The company is Drive Amalfi. You can Google it for more info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
money4mice Posted July 25, 2009 #17 Share Posted July 25, 2009 We booked George for Athens, however he will be on vacation so he is sending an associate. Do you recommend we try to book a tour for Santorini, or do the morning tour from the ship or just on our own? Thanks again. Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frisbeeace Posted July 25, 2009 #18 Share Posted July 25, 2009 We will be on the Solstice on Aug. 7, a family of 4. For those that have done tours in Greece, which islands do you recommend a tour and with whom. We are set with private guides in all other ports. I have been vasillating on what to do in these ports and am driving myself crazy. We like to see sites, but also enjoy the local culture. I don't want to have to waste time in ports waiting in line for tenders or sites. Right now, the only ship tour I booked is in santorini, I was hoping to avoid waiting to get off the ship. Is this advisable? athens, should we do on our own or hire a private taxi company like George? Thanks. You don't need a guide in Santorini or Mykonos. Rent a car in Santorini for 30 euros and visit Oia on your own. With the cruise tours you will board one of the many buses and visit the town with the crowds spending a lot of money. In Mykonos, rent ATVs for 16 euros each, which will be waiting for you at the dock (saving you $10 pp), and visit the town and the near beaches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samka Posted July 25, 2009 #19 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I wouldn't do the ship tour. I would either rent a car or hire a private guide. I am glad we hired a guide. She knew where to park. There was no getting lost and I feel like it enabled us to use our time most effectively. If you do rent a car she brought us to a fabulous taverna on the beach--Galini Fish Taverna. Also, since you hired George and he will not be available, ask for Tony. We thought he was great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebeccalouise Posted July 25, 2009 #20 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Istanbul was really a do it yourself place IMO. The Haiga Sophia, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace are all in one spot- visible from the ship. The Grand Bazaar is on the way back from these wonderful sites. Also- I was told that the underground cisterns are fascinating but we didn't do them. Traffic Monday-Friday in Istanbul is really bad though- so sometimes it is cheaper to do the ship tour than risk being stuck in traffic with the meter running. But if you are there on a Saturday or Sunday- no problem. City is very quiet on weekends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samanth1 Posted July 26, 2009 #21 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Hi we are a family of 5 and will be on the same ship. I dont know if you have organized a tour for the ephesus stop on the 12th but we have a private tour oragnized but the van seats 10. Would you be interested in sharing the tour with us. if interested let me know and i will give you more details Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
money4mice Posted July 26, 2009 #22 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Thanks for the offer, however, we are set with ephesus. Have you joined our Roll Call for our sailing? Please join us. a few of us have been ralking for months and it would be great to have you join us. Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
money4mice Posted July 26, 2009 #23 Share Posted July 26, 2009 I forgot to add, when you join our roll call and mention on the board you have some space available, I know there are some group members who may be interested in joining you. We recently saw some new members in the past few days who are looking to join some private tours. Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffthefish Posted October 22, 2009 #24 Share Posted October 22, 2009 I am on this cruise for 11/9 and would very much appreciate your advice re tours. Pls email me at fishmanj@bellsouth.net Thanks Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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