Costa Mediterranea - Eastern Med. Excursion Questions

[RB]

Hello,

We are a group of four heading out on the Costa Med. this September. We are looking into the shore excursions available, and are looking for advice and maybe someone sharing past experiences.

We are planning on avoiding the cruise line offerings, and going on our own on some stops. Here is what we are looking into:

Bari - on foot

Katakolon - looking for help here. We are considering the cruiseline option, a private tour, or renting a car (if that is possible)

Izmir - this is what we have found but we are open to suggestions http://www.meandertravel.com/ephesustours/ephesus_tours...useumtour&m=1&md=sc1

Istanbul - on foot, taxi

Dubrovnik - on foot

We are also looking for past experiences with obtaining a visa for Turkey. We are Canadian, and have been told that we can buy them after getting off the ship. Is this difficult?

Any help would be great!

Thanks!

Rob

[Uwe]

@Istanbul:
http://cruise-chat.com/eve/forums/a/...1/m/1901094332
@Dubrovnik:
http://cruise-chat.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1261017441/m/...671067681#1671067681
@Katakolon:
http://cruise-chat.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1261017441/m/...681074012#6681074012
@ Bari:
http://cruise-chat.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/533601132/m/7...791002912#1791002912
Have a nice cruise-
Regards
Uwe

[RB]

Uwe,

Thanks for your response. As you seem to be the master of all things Costa Mediterranea, I have a couple of follow up questions. First of all when you disembark in all the countries, are there long waits for customs, or is it rather quick?

Now for the stops :

@Katakolon: Are there enough taxis or are we at risk of missing out? How much did you pay, and will the driver wait for you during the tour in Olympia? This stop is only real concern and cause of worry.

@Izmir: What did you do?

A couple of ship questions:

1) What was the beer selection like, and what were the prices?
2) Did you notice any board games? a strange question I know, but we like a bit of gaming with our beer

Thanks!

Rob