We are very close to booking the July 6 2011, Black Sea. Would like opinions about this itinerey. Also, how hot & humid will Athens & Istanbul be in July??? Recommend the Black Sea or not?

We loved our Black Sea trip a few years back.

Athens will be very hot, not particularly humid, Istanbul will likely be very hot and humid. We were there in June and it was then. Both in Greece before the cruise and Istanbul after, we had time to relax and pace ourselves--have a nap or relax in the late afternoon before dinner and the cooler evenings. Get out of Athens to an island or somewhere near the water if you can.

We just did Black Sea last Aug/Sept - and loved it! Such great ports - we were the only ship in every port except Athens, Ephesus and Istanbul. It was great to be off the beaten path. I highly recommend this itinerary. Who knew Nessebur, Bulgaria would have an amazing church ruin on every corner? Odessa is such a charming city.

Yeah, Athens will be hot and humid. But, that's just one city. For us, Sochi was hotter than Athens (and Sochi's where the *winter* olympics will be - still trying to understand that).

You won't regret taking this cruise. Please ask if you have any specific questions - always happy to talk about past cruises!

:)
Liz

Thanks everyone!

The Black Sea was a great itinerary. Highlights were the Russian stops, along with the stop in NE Turkey. I don't know if they've shuffled the itinerary from 2009. We would recommend this one, especially as the ports are much easier to reach via ship than via land.

Cheers, Anne