Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
General Topics => All things that have nothing to do with Turkey => Topic started by: nichola on September 25, 2013, 07:03:19 AM
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We are going on a weeks cruise in November. We have never been on one before and would really appreciate any tips from those that have for making the most of this experience.
We aren't really into organized tours and I just wondered how easy it is to make our own way into the places where we dock.
Places we dock include Istanbul, Dubrovnik, Venice, Bari and Katakolon.
It's with Costa, you know the one that has been on the news quite a lot recently ;)
Thanks
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Are you sailing from Izmir ? or Kusadasi ports ?
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One important thing to remember.
If you are on a tour organized by the cruise ship,if there are any delays,traffic etc the ship will wait for you.
If you do your own thing and are late the ship will leave without you.
We tend to do a mixture of organized tours and also do our own thing.
you will have a great time.Venice is lovely and easy to just stroll around. :)
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We used an excursion firm (found on line) which was excellent, much cheaper than the organised trips from P and O or NCL. We also talked to people on the ship who had cruised many times, (you will find plenty of them!!) and you will get lots of advice. We also wandered round the ports under our own steam, there are always taxis waiting when the ship docks, many of them will haggle with you over prices etc. they will also take you wherever you would like to go. The cruise ship usually has a free transfer bus to take passengers to the nearest town. I am sure you will have a great time, it seems to be addictive, some of the people we met had been cruising twice a year for decades!!
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As soon as you get on they invite you to a meeting so they can sell you trips. However, you can go along and find out what trips are available and how much they cost and most important, how long they take. After you have this information you can then, if you wish, do your own thing, once armed with all the tourist information of what and where, you can decide to go it alone if you want to. We have always take a few of the trips offered on cruises, but also chilled out ourselves.
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Andy and Mark have done the cruises from here Nichola. you could try asking him...
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we did a mix of both but we were in the carribean and were unfamiliar. We used the ships tours for certain excursions and did our own thing for others. However when I say own thing they were arranged on line from the uk well in advance of us travelling in the main. We were planning a specific day in Aruba for my ( coughs) birthday - however it involved a beach club and on the day the rain was torrential( couldnt make it up could you) so we took a tour from one of the touts waiting by the pier- which was fab! However as has been said I would make sure for any that you do not organised by the ship- dont cut it fine! particularly in big cities as traffic hold ups etc wont be accomodated for tours not organised with the ship. i'd be particularly concerned about Istanbul !
However places like Venice and Dubrovnik will be easy as the ship docks close to the centre of everything.
Useful advice I got was take hooks! yes hooks! You dont get loads of storage, its not bad compared to some Turkish hotels I've stayed in but hooks provide you with additional hanging space for things like toiletries etc.
Also have you tried going on cruise critic, www.cruisecritic.co.uk
its really useful. Joing the 'roll call' for your cruise and ask these questions there - its a really good source!
Would be interested in your thoughts on the cruise as we are looking at a similar itinerary for next year -Italy and Croatia are our must sees.
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Are you sailing from Izmir ? or Kusadasi ports ?
We leave from Izmir, then onto Istanbul where we spend a full day. the longest amount of time compared to the other places. Not too worried about being late here as I know my way around really well.
I heard it's a good idea to buy all inclusive drinks packages onboard!
The hooks sound a good idea and I will check the cruise critic web site too.
Dogan wants to go on a gondola and we will definitely want to eat somewhere nice every place we visit.
What about clothes - do people really dress up on board for dinner?
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The Costa Pacifica looked impressive on Saturday docked in Istanbul!
(http://s8.postimg.org/jgrnuk4r5/IMG_0929.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/jgrnuk4r5/)
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Every cruise ship is different, and they all have different restaurants, some where you are expected to "dress for dinner", and some more buffet style places where you can wear what you like. On the Oriana if you were eating in the "posh" restaurant you were expected to dress up, and everybody did, but on some of the less "stuffy" cruise ships, it was more a case gentlemen requested to wear long trousers, no shorts or jeans. If you want fine dining, with good food served by waiters, a couple of dressy outfits is a good idea. With ref to the drinks packages, if you like wine with your meal, and a few (or more) drinks in the day (or night) we have found alcohol on board is very expensive (around £30.00 for a bottle of wine) but we did smuggle some alcohol in our cases to have in our cabin!!
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Cruises we have been on there is always a choice as echogirl says. The formal dining room or a serve yourself place. Even in the Formal one, it's not D.J's just smart casual, however, I like to dress up some nights, after the dinner there are usually shows or dances, casinos etc., so you just go on to one of them.
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We had the all inclusive drinks package on the Thomson cruise - what I liked about it was not only could I work my way through the alcoholic coffees, you had the good stuff! None of this local drinks only stuff. You were treated exactly the same as any other customer.
You will be converted once you have done a cruise....we love them!
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It was quite dressy on our cruise(princess) so even on informal nights in the dining rooms it was smart dress. On the formal nights which numbered 2 each week it was most definitely dj's for men and sparkly frocks for the ladies. There is always a Buffett style eaterie which is in-formal but we only did breakky and occasionally lunch there . Not keen on that style of dinning, reminds me of a canteen no matter what star rating it carries. On the formal night that would've been the only option for those not wishing to 'dress' for dinner. If we'd had the option of a drinks package we would have grabbed it because as mentioned drinks are expensive. However Princess being an American based company offered 'soda' packages and coffee cards but no booze ones!
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Nicola, the best way to find out the details of your cruise ship is to google the name of the ship online and find out all the details from there. :)
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Who would ever have thought of that :D
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I did already ;) €19 per person per day
http://www.costacruise.com/usa/all-inclusive-cruise.html
No premium brands included though!
As I understand it if you don't do the package gratuity at 15% or thereabouts is added to every drink purchased so can bump the cost up quite a lot on top of an already quite expensive drink. Wish the exchange rate for the € wasn't in the region of 2.65 :(
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Wishing you a fantastic cruise! We've just done a cruise this year, and would recommend that you do an organised trip for Venice as it is very busy, and by the time you have sorted out the best price, it would be time to go back to the ship! We did our own thing in Dubrovnick and a couple of the other places we went to.
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When I took a cruise last week, Mrs Tickets and our fellow guests all ate at the captains table, and although the wine list was limited we all enjoyed an efes, but there was no AI available. The treat of afternoon tea with a chocolate cake is a real joy. Our choice of cruise providers this year has been Calis Water Taxi Cruises, but others are availble from Fethiye ;) :) :) ;D
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Hi. My best advice would be to do as much research before you go as you can. There are loads of cruise review sites and there are detailed reviews from people who have probably done the same cruise as you. There are drinks price lists on there too, so you can decide if the drinks packages are right for you. I have used Cruise critic but also Lonely Planet, Trip Advisor, Cruise.co.uk and You Tube.
You will not have a lot of time in port so need to know what you want to do when you get there. Check if you are docking or tendering. If you are tendering the organised trips take priority, and there may be long queues to get off, all reduces time available. Never be late, the boat won't wait for you! Check out your cruise trips beforehand and prices.
Check out the drink policy for your company, some (like Thomson) sell you bottles on board and let you take to your cabin, most will take it off you until you leave.
Luggage- take soft cases/holdalls may be difficult to store hard cases.
Dress- Most cruises don't allow tshirts/ shorts sandals into the dining rooms, usually smart casual. It is your chance to dress up and get your high heels out. There will also be one formal night but usually not compulsory.
Toiletries- shops on board are limited - take your favourites with you, don't think you will be able to buy them on board.
I'm sure you will have a great time.
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If you to to the Official Formal night, you have to wear D.J. Evening Dress etc., and meet the Captain and get your photograph taken with him. 8)
We actually discovered Turkey on a cruise around the Greek Islands and Turkey. I like the cruises that don't have lots of days at sea. Best ones are where you wake up every morning to a new place.
We plan a few in the future... Inshallah. ;) :D
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I did a shed load of research before we went and still found the first couple of days a little daunting! my husband who had done no research and very little listening to me( who'd have thought it) was totally 'gobsmacked' ! However he had visualised the cross channel ferry rather than the amazing ship we were embarking! I cant vouch for Costa though I imagine theyre are a great many similarities but the whole experience was fantastic.
For those naysayers who think theyre
1-too structured - cant do with being organised
2- too restricting - cant do with eating or being with people we dont know
3- full of old fogeys- having watched the BBC programme The Cruise-which was full of old fogeys
4- Too claustrophobic- no where to escape
I can offer the following
1- opt in or out the choice is yours- even structured excursions offer freedom and flexibility
2- opt for anytime dining and ask for and be prepared to wait for a table for 2.
3- there are a number of elderly people who cruise but lets face it they have the time and generally the dosh . Equally there are many young folk and then people like us!
4- The promenade deck on our ship was used by runners as 3 times around it was a mile. We were on the highest passenger deck -14 and there were 3 decks of recreation facilites above us. These things are humungous! there is a whole deck of bars etc- we go to fewer in Calis!
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We had the all inclusive drinks package on the Thomson cruise - what I liked about it was not only could I work my way through the alcoholic coffees, you had the good stuff! None of this local drinks only stuff. You were treated exactly the same as any other customer.
You will be converted once you have done a cruise....we love them!
Didn't convert me! I hated that claustrophobic feeling, even though we had the best suite on the boat. I just didn't like being confined. We went from Singapore all around Malaysia and Thailand but decided cuises are not for us.
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Why have your photo taken with the Captain? I don't ask the pilot to pose with me on easyjet flights :D
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Scunner, you are so ;) common
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LOL LOL Scunner.
You will probably need a plug adaptor if you take anything that needs charging. Sometimes available on board.
Some companies let you opt out automatic tipping charges when you board, so you can tip your own favourites.
Only been on six cruises but like others have said read customer reviews as they are very useful and research each port to find out what you really don't want to miss and look at the trips on the ships web site. Wine package on Costa is usually very good. Enjoy
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Why have your photo taken with the Captain? I don't ask the pilot to pose with me on easyjet flights :D
I am sure if you asked the Pilot would love to pose with you, particularly now you have that lovely auburn wig ;D
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Why have your photo taken with the Captain? I don't ask the pilot to pose with me on easyjet flights :D
Now that is a money making idea for the airlines!! Cocktail party with compulsory very expensive photo with the pilot!
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When you check in, your luggage is usually taken to your cabin for you. This can take a couple of hours before it arrives in your cabin. Take anything you may need in the meantime with you in hand luggage.
Day at sea- always the busiest time on board, if you want a sunbed on deck, you will need to reserve one early as there are never enough!
If you are cruise only, and no flights involved, an extra holdall/ bag is useful for your duty free/ gift etc, also no luggage restrictions so you can take the extra clothes/ shoes you don't know if you will need or not!
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Some companies let you opt out automatic tipping charges when you board, so you can tip your own favourites.
I read on one of the cruise forums about a tour of crew quarters/ kitchens etc. There was a list displayed of everyone who had opted out of the their tips. This was referred to as the spit list!
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I have become somewhat overwhelmed by the complexities of cruise sailings but appreciate all the tips none the less. I had no idea it was going to be such hard work ;)
It's going to take me a week to work out the cruise critic web site... It's not easy like the Çaliş Beach Forum :(
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I find it all too confusing too (cruises) and that's maybe why I have avoided them. The tips (as in gratuities, not advice) situations baffle me, and the very fact that you have to pay them one way or another - why? I pay for the cruise and if the service is good I would like to leave a tip. Otherwise it's a charge, not a tip?
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Well said Keith but I think maybe its taken into consideration so they pay a lower wage. Our last two cruises were both for 21 nights and you would be surprised at the add on. I guess Nichola is I think only doing seven nights so it will not be a concern huh.
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We have to pay €7 each per day in tips! And I have learned that if we want decent service at the bar it's advisable to tip the staff there too!
Having finally found the reviews on cruise critic (sleepless nights followed) for the actual boat we will be sailing on I almost wish I hadn't!!!!
The almost overwhelming consensus of pretty much every reviewer is that the food is complete s h i t e :-\
We will definitely be buying into the drinks package and I will abandon my 'I rarely drink' lifestyle to join Dogan and be making up for the lack of food sustenance with copious amounts of liqueur so every cloud has a silver lining after all ;)
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Love it Nichola! Way to go girl!!!
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I've been looking at a 'Cruise' for a holiday with a friend, thanks to all for all the very useful info, really helpful :)
Nichola & Dogan, wishing you both a fab hol, & thanks for starting this thread :)
PS: Venice - is charismatic, hypnotic & beautiful , enjoy :)
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I have been reading with interest as its on my bucket list and I really enjoyed the cruise round the Bahama's i went on many years ago. So much so I have booked a weeks cruise leaving monday from Marmaris eekk!!! so excited, will have to miss the captains dinner though cos O H hasnt got a dinner jacket. Boo :o
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It's possible to hire a D.J. from your nearest hire shop. They will hire out for a week. Or look at My Tuxedo
http://www.mytuxedo.co.uk They have some great bargain D.J's and if you a like the cruise you may want to have another one.
Also, check out your local Charity Shops. I help out the local Cancer Research Shop and I know up in the store they often have D.J's and Evening Dresses but don't put them down in the shop, they wait until they are asked, or until they have a special time i.e. Christmas, to put some thngs out. I am often amazed when I go upstairs and look through the lovely evening wear and even Wedding dresses. ;D ;)
Enjoy your cruise. 8)
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I have been reading with interest as its on my bucket list and I really enjoyed the cruise round the Bahama's i went on many years ago. So much so I have booked a weeks cruise leaving monday from Marmaris eekk!!! so excited, will have to miss the captains dinner though cos O H hasnt got a dinner jacket. Boo :o
Sue depending on his size I have a Tux in calis you are welcome to borrow, I assume you are going on the celebration, most wear just a suit or shirt and tie and jacket. it is a really nice cruise and great value, when we went to Kusadasi for Ephesus we booked a private taxi from the ship in advance with our own tour guide 8 of us cost £22 each instead of £60 off the ship.
Mark
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I have been reading with interest as its on my bucket list and I really enjoyed the cruise round the Bahama's i went on many years ago. So much so I have booked a weeks cruise leaving monday from Marmaris eekk!!! so excited, will have to miss the captains dinner though cos O H hasnt got a dinner jacket. Boo :o
Sue depending on his size I have a Tux in calis you are welcome to borrow, I assume you are going on the celebration, most wear just a suit or shirt and tie and jacket. it is a really nice cruise and great value, when we went to Kusadasi for Ephesus we booked a private taxi from the ship in advance with our own tour guide 8 of us cost £22 each instead of £60 off the ship.
Mark
Then thought what the heck £229 each we booked on it as well I have sent you a pm.
Mark
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Most ships, well the line we were on hire them out you can book in advance and collect it on board if you want to join in with that of course.