It seems that when you are on B2B segments there are no excursions planned for "disembarkation/embarkation". Makes sense just never thought of it before. :rolleyes: So on our upcoming B2B2B; Athens to Monte Carlo there are not any excursions arranged for our "second" days in Istanbul or Venice (these will be other's "embarkation" days). That's why we can not book any excursions for those second days. Just spoke with a RSSC excursion desk agent who said to see the Destination Desk on board and they could make arrangements for us on these "second days" in port, if we wanted. My question is has anyone done that? Is the cost comparable to a tour I might arrange on my own or more in line with Regent Choice costs. I know we can do Istanbul on our own pretty easy and I suspect Venice is similar.


Greg

Greg, Venice is a wonderful place to wander, all along the Grand Canal and into the neighborhoods. I would think with a good map and guidebook you could find the sights and soak up the unique ambience quite easily, without a tour guide. It's not a large area to cover, with so much to see over every bridge and down every little walkway. One good initiation is to take the vaparetto (No. 1 or 8, I think, but that might not be correct) that goes all the way along the Grand Canal and back. Enjoy!

I agree with Priscilla -- Venice is one of my favorite cities to just wander around. Another option with a little extra time there is to take a vaparetto or water taxi over to the island of Murano. If you have any interest in world-famous Murano glass, you can get a demonstration at one of the glass factories and browse the many shops with glass works of every size, shape, color, style and use. We spent a couple hours there, stopping for a nice lunch at a restaurant on the water.

-- Eric

In some of our previous experiences, Regent has made available "Regent sponsored" excursions during these port days for the folks "in transit" on B2B cruises. They just don't allow you to book anything in advance. They will usually let you know a couple of days ahead of time what might be offered. As I'm sure you know, their first priority is to get the those disembarking passengers "out of there"! So, usually the tours leave a little later in the morning. Not sure if they will continue to do that or not.

We were in Venice a couple of days on our own before getting on the ship, and we took the Vaporetta (public transportation system) to get to a few spots since I have a little difficulty walking. I think it was only about 20 euros for a day long pass. We also hired a water taxi tour to take us to Murano and Burano - it wasn't cheap - I think about 300 euros - but we split the cost 4 ways. Walking in Venice is pretty easy as long as you have a good map! We got lost several times!

If I remember correctly, when we told the concierge at our Venice hotel that we wanted to visit Murano, they arranged a pick up in a private water taxi to take us to Murano -- at no cost to us. The water taxi is paid for by the glass blowing factory, which gives you a glass blowing demonstration and then turns you loose in their monstrous shop. I don't know if the travel desk on this ship can make similar arrangements; they probably don't have the established contacts that the local hotels do -- but it couldn't hurt to ask onboard.

-- Eric

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I had already printed an "Istanbul Own Your Own" review from this board and think we're capable of handling that. Really appreciate the insights on getting to Murano; I think that'll be part of our "next day in Venice." Again thanks everyone for the help.
Greg

Greg, glad you've decided you can do Istanbul on your own--it's a wonderful city and nice to have the freedom that second day. Depending on whether you take a tour the first day, and what tourist sights you might already have covered, there's the main tram that wends its way through the city from somewhere close to the cruise port across the Golden Horn to the historic area where man sites are grouped close together.

There's also a Hoho bus which makes a large loop and gets you to a bunch of interesting sights--we took the Hoho over across the Galata bridge, got off at Taksim, walked sharply *downhill* on Istiklal Caddese, which is a very interesting shopping street, picked up the next stop and continued on our loop over to the Chora Museum (medieval mosaics, amazing). I think you can also get close to the Suleymaniya mosque, which is a spectacular sight as well, and not crowded with tourists (it's close the Spice Market as well.)