Hi! I am new to this board and my fiance and I will be going on our very first cruise this May for our honeymoon.

Boy do we need help!! We have heard that booking some of the excursions via the cruise is sometimes a ripoff and we really want to make the most of our $$ and see as much as possible.

We are wondering you might be able to suggest certain sights to see AND maybe even recommend your tour guide (if not booked via your cruise).

NCL Jewel ports for our cruise are as follows:
Istanbul
Izmir
Mykonos
Santorini
Iraklion
Corfu
Katakolon
Athens

We are excited about our honeymoon but are very uncertain about all of this and want to have a safe and fun holiday!

Congratulations on your pending marriage and your wondeful honeymoon cruise.

I cannot offer any specific advice on the ports you will be visiting. However, some general knowledge that may be of help.

(1) Spend a lot of time researching where you are going to be at on the internet. Google every single port. You will quickly find out what is or is not of interest to you.

(2) There is a 'comfort level' in cruise line excursions - if there is some kind of a problem that could cause you to be late getting back to the ship, the ship will wait for you. Given the same senerio with a private tour or do-it-yourself tour, the ship will not wait for you.

(3) For Greece and the Greek Isles, check out Greece and Greek Isles
I have found it to be extremely helpful in planning our June Med cruise.

(4) While on Google, use the google maps (satellite or hybrid views) for each port. Gives you very good insight about each port city.

Have a great honeymoon and marriage.

SRP,

First of all congradulations.

I can only help you with Mykonos and Santorini.

Mykonos town (Hora) is best seen on foot. Simply explore the great little city on your own. It is about a mile walk from the port. Simply take in the culture and make sure to visit the windmills. Mykonos is known for its parties and its beachs. If both of you are into a quiet day at the beach then that is always there or you should be able a party at one of the many hotels on the island.

Santorini is my favorite between the two islands as it is simply beautiful. I would not recomend taking the donkeys up to Fira (the main city) as it takes awhile and is very bumpy. Frankly there are also many better things to see as well. Santorini is quite possibly the most beautiful place in the world. The black sand beachs and Ia stand out. I am not sure how much time you have in port but make sure to get to Ia if nothing else but try for both. Ia is a stunning village right on a cliff that has the most spectacular sunsets. The black sand beaches are on the south side of the island. The one we went to was Perissa. We used the public buses for both with no problem, just make sure you alloy enough time to get back to the ship.

Hope you have an amazing time.

John

Here is a picture of Ia.

This is also a useful site for Santorini. Enjoy.

Santorini Pic[/URL] http://www.santorini.net/index.php?eID=tx_cms_showpic&f...bfc4fffaff410c38b065

http://www.santorini.net/home.html

Congratulations and good luck;
The excursions are sometimes overwhelming.That's for sure.
The major sights in İstanbul are Topkapi Palace,ST.Sophia,Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar.I've also seen a rug factory,which was nice...
Last summer I've spent two excellent days in İstanbul with my tour guide and she maneuvered me through the labyrinth of İstanbul traffic.So an Adviceefinitely stick with a tour guide.If there is need I can send you the contact information.
Hope I've been of some help for you...
Edda K.