Cunard's Vistafjord: How is it?
Feb 16th, 1998, 06:15 AM
#2
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I sailed on the Vistafjord from Genoa to Hamburg in 1996. It is a splendid ship and you will thoroughly enjoy the voyage as everything about the ship and its crew is first class. You did not say what ports you are visiting in Italy after you sail from Venice but I assume they are not the same as I visited -- Sorrento, Sicily, Sardinia. I have also sailed the Greek Islands -- including Crete, Rhodes, Mykonos, Santorini and to Istanbul and Kusadasi in Turkey, on another liner so if you are interested
in whats what ashore from these locations feel free to e-mail me.
Now as for tips. I have two. First, take advantage of the shore excursions that are offered by the ship. The prices are extremely reasonable for the value offered by them. You cannot do the side trips better or for less on your own and remember, you are not likely to go back to most of these places so see them now while you have the chance. Just remember to budget an extra $400 to $500 U.S. to cover them all. And second. I swear smoked salmon -- as much as you could want and consume offered on the breakfast and lunch buffets on the Vistafjord -- added 20 pounds to my physique in a two week sail. I love the stuff and could not leave it alone. It took me a whole year to get rid of the excess poundage. So tip number two. Consumer the things that you crave and find so readily available in moderation. They serve over a dozen "meals" a day on the Vistafjord and you can end your trip as a heavyweight contender if you don't pace yourself and be sensible.
in whats what ashore from these locations feel free to e-mail me.
Now as for tips. I have two. First, take advantage of the shore excursions that are offered by the ship. The prices are extremely reasonable for the value offered by them. You cannot do the side trips better or for less on your own and remember, you are not likely to go back to most of these places so see them now while you have the chance. Just remember to budget an extra $400 to $500 U.S. to cover them all. And second. I swear smoked salmon -- as much as you could want and consume offered on the breakfast and lunch buffets on the Vistafjord -- added 20 pounds to my physique in a two week sail. I love the stuff and could not leave it alone. It took me a whole year to get rid of the excess poundage. So tip number two. Consumer the things that you crave and find so readily available in moderation. They serve over a dozen "meals" a day on the Vistafjord and you can end your trip as a heavyweight contender if you don't pace yourself and be sensible.
Feb 17th, 1998, 08:13 PM
#3
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Lanny: Thanks for your feedback. We will definitely plan on shore excursions set up by ship. Am glad your experience with the ship was positive. Our itinerary is Venice-Greek Isles- Turkey. Although I don't have the exact itinerary before me, we are 2 full days in Istanbul, also at Kusadasi and Troy. We visit Mykonos , Rhodes, and some other Greek Isles. Any tips on shore excursions at these locales would be appreciated. Thanks!
Feb 19th, 1998, 11:07 AM
#4
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Most cruise ships make disappointingly short stops in the Greek Isles -- sometimes for as little as a few hours. For instance, the one I was on "did" Santorini in the morning and Crete in the afternoon. It was obviously necessary to return to Greece on my own after that to do these places justice! My recommendations re the locations you have noted:
For the short time you are likely to be on Santorini, do the organized tour. It will take you to the archaeological site that dates to the destruction of the Minoan residents of that island, and you will get a good birdsye view of the island for your (underlined) next time!. It will also give you a great opportunity to take some superb photos of the wonderful white buildings and blue roofs that characterize this island. Personally, I returned home to Canada after my trip and painted my bedroom walls the colour of the roofs and hung white sheers in all the windows to recreate the ambiance I found on Crete. It is unnecessary to pay for a tour of either Mykonos or Rhodes, in my view. They are offered but the people I talked to who did them found them disappointing. I had far more fun wandering around the shops and cafes of Mykonos and the shops and battlements of the Crusades era castle in Rhodes, all within easy walking distance of the dock where the tenders put you ashore. Buy souvenirs instead in these locations. On Crete you have a couple of options. You can go by yourself to the museum -- blocks from the harbour and see the marvellous pieces that were excavated from Gnossos, just paying the museum admittance, or you can go visit Gnossos on a tour which will last several hours and will probably include a quick run through the museum on your way back to the ship. Personally I would do the tour on this one but if you are really into achaeological artifacts, rather than sites, the museum would be your first choice because the goodies inside are indescribably wonderful.
Now for Turkey. First off, bring lots of US $1 and $5 bills. These are worth their weight in gold for haggling for goods in the bazaars and markets. Everyone wants U.S. dollars because they are a hard currency and you can get a lot more value for your money if you bring them. I had $200 U.S. in small denominations and it was just about right for three days in Turkey. In Istanbul, I did a tour that took you to the various mosques, including the Blue Mosque, Saint Sophia, the Obilisks, the Bazaar, etc. etc. I highly recommend this. I also did a half did trip to Topkapi Palace, another absolute must. I also did an evening excursion which included a ride over the Bosphorus to the Asia side of Istanbul, after which you get a certificate announcing you have been in both Europe and Asia (I had been in Asian before this, but anyway, good idea for many first time tourists!). The evening concluded with an excellent dinner at a restaurant which also included Turkish music and belly dancers. It was wonderful and I say this as a feminist. Please remember in Turkey and for that matter in Italy and Greece to dress modestly while visiting religious sites. For women this means no shorts and shoulders covered. A skirt and short-sleeved blouse is a very comfortable and reasonable outfit for touring these sites and it provides a measure of respect for local sensibilities which deserve to be respected. I believe strongly that people should leave their personal opinions of other people's society, customs and religious practices at home when they travel and appreciate the differences they find while travelling for the things that make other places so worthwhile visiting. When you go to Kusadasi you must, must, must go to Ephesus. It is, in my view, one of the two or three most impressive archaeological sites in the world and you will flog yourself if you miss it The alternative at Kusadasi is to hang around the town and market -- a good half hour away from Ephesus so you cannot walk it or even consider taking a taxi at a realistic price if you get bored with the town -- and spend your time haggling with the merchants. When we went to Ephesus we had time left over on our return to Kusadasi to shop (name of the game is haggle, haggle, haggle, then walk away and let them come to you at YOUR price)so enjoy. A couple of final things. Guide books to sites are sold by many vendors in and around these sites. The prices vary from vendor to vendor for the same booklet -- often being half the price after you have passed the first few vendors. Shop around. And finally, Greece is most annoying because they charge an extra fee at historic sites for video cameras -- up to the U.S. equivalent of about $7 when I was there. Do yourself a favour and bring a good 35 mm camera and take photos that way. As I write this note I am looking at 8 x 10 photos on my walls of both Santorini and Olympia that I took while in Greece. You can't do that with a VHS tape! If you have more questions, query again! Good luck. Lanny
For the short time you are likely to be on Santorini, do the organized tour. It will take you to the archaeological site that dates to the destruction of the Minoan residents of that island, and you will get a good birdsye view of the island for your (underlined) next time!. It will also give you a great opportunity to take some superb photos of the wonderful white buildings and blue roofs that characterize this island. Personally, I returned home to Canada after my trip and painted my bedroom walls the colour of the roofs and hung white sheers in all the windows to recreate the ambiance I found on Crete. It is unnecessary to pay for a tour of either Mykonos or Rhodes, in my view. They are offered but the people I talked to who did them found them disappointing. I had far more fun wandering around the shops and cafes of Mykonos and the shops and battlements of the Crusades era castle in Rhodes, all within easy walking distance of the dock where the tenders put you ashore. Buy souvenirs instead in these locations. On Crete you have a couple of options. You can go by yourself to the museum -- blocks from the harbour and see the marvellous pieces that were excavated from Gnossos, just paying the museum admittance, or you can go visit Gnossos on a tour which will last several hours and will probably include a quick run through the museum on your way back to the ship. Personally I would do the tour on this one but if you are really into achaeological artifacts, rather than sites, the museum would be your first choice because the goodies inside are indescribably wonderful.
Now for Turkey. First off, bring lots of US $1 and $5 bills. These are worth their weight in gold for haggling for goods in the bazaars and markets. Everyone wants U.S. dollars because they are a hard currency and you can get a lot more value for your money if you bring them. I had $200 U.S. in small denominations and it was just about right for three days in Turkey. In Istanbul, I did a tour that took you to the various mosques, including the Blue Mosque, Saint Sophia, the Obilisks, the Bazaar, etc. etc. I highly recommend this. I also did a half did trip to Topkapi Palace, another absolute must. I also did an evening excursion which included a ride over the Bosphorus to the Asia side of Istanbul, after which you get a certificate announcing you have been in both Europe and Asia (I had been in Asian before this, but anyway, good idea for many first time tourists!). The evening concluded with an excellent dinner at a restaurant which also included Turkish music and belly dancers. It was wonderful and I say this as a feminist. Please remember in Turkey and for that matter in Italy and Greece to dress modestly while visiting religious sites. For women this means no shorts and shoulders covered. A skirt and short-sleeved blouse is a very comfortable and reasonable outfit for touring these sites and it provides a measure of respect for local sensibilities which deserve to be respected. I believe strongly that people should leave their personal opinions of other people's society, customs and religious practices at home when they travel and appreciate the differences they find while travelling for the things that make other places so worthwhile visiting. When you go to Kusadasi you must, must, must go to Ephesus. It is, in my view, one of the two or three most impressive archaeological sites in the world and you will flog yourself if you miss it The alternative at Kusadasi is to hang around the town and market -- a good half hour away from Ephesus so you cannot walk it or even consider taking a taxi at a realistic price if you get bored with the town -- and spend your time haggling with the merchants. When we went to Ephesus we had time left over on our return to Kusadasi to shop (name of the game is haggle, haggle, haggle, then walk away and let them come to you at YOUR price)so enjoy. A couple of final things. Guide books to sites are sold by many vendors in and around these sites. The prices vary from vendor to vendor for the same booklet -- often being half the price after you have passed the first few vendors. Shop around. And finally, Greece is most annoying because they charge an extra fee at historic sites for video cameras -- up to the U.S. equivalent of about $7 when I was there. Do yourself a favour and bring a good 35 mm camera and take photos that way. As I write this note I am looking at 8 x 10 photos on my walls of both Santorini and Olympia that I took while in Greece. You can't do that with a VHS tape! If you have more questions, query again! Good luck. Lanny
Feb 21st, 1998, 08:05 AM
#5
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We did the Vistafiord a few years ago. Ship was great. Not big and glitzy like the polyester crowd likes. Smaller and first class. I also second the tour of Ephesus....outstanding. Kusadasi will try to sell you rugs, rugs and more rugs. If u have any desire to buy a rug on your trip, check out the prices in US ahead of your trip. They really try to hit you for top dollar and if you know what you are looking for, you can negotiate a better deal. Dont plan on using Greek money in Turkey. I could not get the change agent to take it. Thise people do not like each other. Enjoy the trip! Plus, I took my video camera all over the sites and was never charged an extra fee. That last message was new to me and we were there in 1995.
Feb 21st, 1998, 12:47 PM
#6
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Thanks for the update Bob. I toured the Greek archaeological sites in May 1994 so it is quite possible that the bitterly resented surcharge for those using video cameras was removed by 1995. The Greek guide who escorted the small group I was with from Athens through the Pelopeneeses to Delphi and back to Athens on an 8 day land tour said the government was reviewing the charge because of the resentment to it by tourists. If it was gone in '95 then I presume the protests worked. I second your recommendation that anyone wanting to buy Turkish carpets do adequate research before leaving home. I know people who have done well, and some who have done badly in this area. There are true bargains to be had but you must know your carpets, the thread count, whether they are hand tied, machined, in silk etc. etc. intimately, before you buy. It is really caveat emptor because the vendors are very persuasive and charming. Greece and Turkey are also good locations to buy gold -- I found some very good manufacturing jewellers in Rhodes, Delphi and Kusadasi, and I bought a couple of nice pieces of jewellry at very good prices from them during my trip. But before I did I checked with a reputable jeweler in my city about the going rate prices per gram for gold in U.S. dollars for various carats, and recorded these for future reference. When I went shopping I had a benchmark and knew what I could get the stuff for at home and so haggling to reduce the price as far below that as possible for something I really coveted was possible.
Feb 23rd, 1998, 03:02 AM
#7
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The Vistafjord is a wonderful ship. The service is outstanding. The accommodations are lovely, with lots of closets and drawers, terry cloth robes and slippers,and very efficient stewardesses. Plan to have dinner in the alternative restaurant: Tivoli. The Italian food is excellent, and the waiters are charming. The ship is everything a luxury cruise ship should be.
When I was on the Vistafjord a year ago, all the announcements were made in German as well as English. (I don't know if the ship is still bilingual since they moved their home port to Amsterdam from Bremerhaven.)
Enjoy your cruise!
Sandy
When I was on the Vistafjord a year ago, all the announcements were made in German as well as English. (I don't know if the ship is still bilingual since they moved their home port to Amsterdam from Bremerhaven.)
Enjoy your cruise!
Sandy
