Hi everyone. I am new to this site. On June 21st 6 of us will venture off to Rome where we will take a 10 night cruise. One of our port of call is Kusadasi Turkey. I was just doing some research and found out that a Visa is needed. But I am reading conflicting reports. Some places say I need to obtain a visa 10 weeks prior others say I can get a visa upon entering. Can anyone offer any advice? thanks in advance.

I don't know about now, but when we were in Turkey (Kusadasi and Istanbul) a few years ago the visa was stamped right into our passports on the ship. The cruise lines are good about advising you on these matters in plenty of time if some action is required by you. I wouldn't worry about this.

I think if you are just stopping in Turkey for the day you do not need to get one.
You will be covered by the ship's group visa but if not they say you can buy them at the port.
If you are flying to/from Turkey or staying for a day or so then you need one.
We were there but it was 10 yrs ago and we never had a visa.

Thank you LHT28, you just jogged my memory;

we flew home from Istanbul, that is why we needed the visa stamp.

To play it safe I called the consulate and since we are just for the day and not flying in or out of Turkey no Visa is need for just a day trip.
Thanks for you help.

Hi. I was just in Istanbul and Izmir Turkey last month. It was our first European Cruise and it was the only time that Carnival kept our Passports when we entered the ship. I was on Carnival Freedom, and they gave us the card we needed to go into Turkey. Carnival paid for us to receive the card. We were told that they would collect the card on our way back on the ship, but no one was there to collect them when we returned to the ship.
Have a Great time, but MAKE SURE YOU DON'T WEAR ANY EXPENSIVE JEWELRY, AND WATCH OUT FOR THE PICK POCKETS. Actually all the ports we went to on our Mediterrean Cruise we were told not to wear any good jewelry and there are many pick pocketers at the ports. We went to Rome, Istanbul, Izmir, Livorno, Athens, Katakalon and Rhodes.

We just got off the Emerald Princess April 23. One of our stops was Kusadasi, Turkey. The cabin stewards collected passports and held them while we were in Greece and Turkey. I think they were returned the evening we left Croatia.

Kusadasi was one of our favorite stops. We had a great deal of fun bargaining. Glad we brought an extra suitcase! Ephesus was terrific and the Terrace Houses aren't to be missed.

Hi Granny, We are on the emeral princess this june. Can you tell me about the ship? Any excursions that you think we can't miss> Thanks for any help

I hope you love the Emerald Princess as much as we did. We had worried about crowds and long waits with so many passengers. That didn't happen. Everything ran smoothly for us from start to finish. Our room was spacious and very comfortable. Well, the shower could have been a little bigger and the internet could have been a lot faster. We enjoyed our fixed seating but did go to the buffet twice - both were very good. The Princess Theater filled up on three or four nights. I’d suggest you arrive 20 minutes before show time. Some of the lounges got crowded around 7:45. Were there specific things you wanted to know about the ship that I haven’t covered?

Our excursions:
Santorini - walked around on your own, had lunch at one of the scenic restaurants.

Rhodes - We got a taxi driver who was terrific. (I can give you his email address.) We spent all day with him seeing Old Rhodes, beaches, churches and Lidos.

Kusadasi - Ephesus and the Terrace Houses are a must see. High on the list is time to shop at the Kusadasi Basaar. It’s only a few blocks from the ship.

Mykonos - We took the free shuttle bus into town and walked around on our own.

Katakalon - We saw the Olympia museum. It was OK. The highlight for us was the folklore show.

Athens - The acropolis is a must do. We also enjoyed the relaxing ride down the Corinth Canal. The bus ride was long but the stop for lunch made up for everything. The resort where we ate was beautiful.

Corfu - The Achilleion Palace was nice. If I had it to do over again, I'd catch a cab into Corfu Town and climb up to the fortress.

Dubrovnik - We did the Taste of Croatia & Dubrovnik. There wasn’t much to taste but the scenery on the way to Cavtat was lovely. We spent time walking the walls on our own. The views of the crystal clear water are spectacular.

Venice - A gondola ride is almost a must do. We didn’t do one last year and didn’t know what we were missing. You can bargain to get a reduced fare. Also, we did the evening private tour of St. Marks Basilica. That was the perfect end to our wonderful trip.