Joe and I just got off the ship in Istanbul and arrived in our gorgeous apartment on the Bosphorous. Its STUNNING! The place is totally modern and has a wrap around patio that is larger than the interior of the apartment with a 200+ degree view of the city! There's even a little hot tub out there :)
The cruise was great - alot more relaxed and private than a typical cruise as there were just 150 guests. The rooms were all much larger than a normal ship too - the bathroom was more of a walk in closet size than just cupboard size of a typical ship and the service was excellent. When we originally checked in at the port in Athens, they had a guy that met us at the entrance and took us past all the lines directly on-board to check in 1-1 with an agent while they served us snacks and drinks. It definitely felt like 4 star service.
At each of the ports (Santorini, Mykonos, Bodrum, Rhodes, Kusadasi) we had lots of time too - often times arriving at 8AM and departing at 11PM, so we got the max time to enjoy the cities. Each place had its own charm but my favorites were the 2 ports in Turkey. In Bodrum, we took a day trip on a boat and swam and snorkeled in different coves of sparking water around the coast. In Kusadasi we saw ruins of an ancient city and a house where Mary lived after shopping (well haggling) for goods. Shopping is an adventure in Turkey...
Now we're in Istanbul and getting ready to head out on the town. More soon!
