Sun Princess in Istanbul - Was Our Excursion Worth It?
Istanbul PortGreece CountryTürkiye CountryPrincess Cruises Cruise LineMykonos PortNaples PortPalermo PortSun Princess Cruise Ship
Is a Princess Cruises excursion in Istanbul worth the money? 🇹🇷🚢 We explore Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Grand Bazaar, sharing what we loved and what disappointed us! Welcome back to Cruise Travel And Explore - With Stick Man Steve! Today, we're arriving in Istanbul, Turkey, aboard Princess Cruises' Sun Princess, as part of our seven-night Mediterranean cruise from Naples to Athens. We've booked the Princess Cruises excursion "St. Sophia, Blue Mosque & Time On Your Own", lasting approximately 7½ hours. This was our first ever excursion with Princess Cruises, so we were really looking forward to it! 🇹🇷 WHAT WE EXPLORE IN ISTANBUL ☕ Coffee Currents - Our usual double espresso and a pastry before a very early start! 🚢 Galataport Istanbul - One of the most impressive modern cruise terminals we've seen. 🕌 Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque - Absolutely stunning, although we would have loved more time to explore. 🕌 Blue Mosque - A magnificent building and one of our favourite highlights, despite the long queue. 🏛️ Sultanahmet Square - Discovering the Obelisk of Theodosius, Serpent Column, Walled Obelisk and German Fountain. 🛍️ Grand Bazaar - Exploring Istanbul's famous covered market, although shopping isn't really our thing! 🍽️ Traditional Turkish Lunch - We stop at Tarihi Çemberlitaş Muhallebicisi for a lovely meal. Two meals, two coffees, two orange juices and a dessert cost us approximately €33 in October 2025. 🏛️ Beyazıt Square - One of our favourite discoveries, with the magnificent Istanbul University entrance and beautiful Beyazıt Mosque. 🚢 BACK ABOARD SUN PRINCESS After getting up at 5am and spending a busy day exploring Istanbul, we're ready for a well-earned rest! That evening, we visit the Wheelhouse Bar before returning to Crown Grill for another fantastic steak dinner. We loved it so much the first time that we booked it again! 💭 WAS OUR PRINCESS CRUISES EXCURSION WORTH IT? We paid $139 per person for our excursion in October 2025, using some of our onboard credit towards the cost. Prices change regularly, so this isn't necessarily today's price. We absolutely loved Istanbul, and our tour guide was brilliant. However, with 42 people on our coach, limited time at some attractions and almost three hours allocated to free time, we personally didn't feel the excursion offered good value. Knowing what we know now, we'd consider exploring independently or booking a smaller private tour. That's simply our experience, and yours may be different! 💡 OUR ISTANBUL TRAVEL TIPS ✔️ Allow extra time for queues at popular attractions. ✔️ Check mosque dress requirements before visiting. ✔️ Look carefully at how much guided and free time an excursion includes. ✔️ If you prefer sightseeing to shopping, consider whether the itinerary suits you. ✔️ Always allow plenty of time to return to your cruise ship. 🚢 OUR SUN PRINCESS CRUISE SERIES We're sharing our Mediterranean cruise adventure, including Naples, Palermo, Crete, Istanbul, Mykonos and Athens, plus the restaurants, entertainment, bars, excursions and life aboard Sun Princess. Our next stop is Mykonos, Greece, where we've booked another Princess Cruises excursion and dinner at Love by Britto! ❤️ If you enjoy genuine cruise and travel experiences, please give us a thumbs up, leave a comment and subscribe. It's completely free, and we'd love you to join us for the rest of our adventures. Would you book an organised excursion in Istanbul or explore independently? Thanks for watching! Steve ❤️ #Istanbul #PrincessCruises #SunPrincess #IstanbulCruisePort #IstanbulExcursion #BlueMosque #HagiaSophia #GrandBazaar #IstanbulTurkey #CruiseVlog #MediterraneanCruise #CruiseExcursions #CrownGrill _____________________________________ ☕️ Support the Channel If my videos have helped you plan a cruise or holiday and you’d like to say thank you, you can buy me a coffee here: 👉 https://ko-fi.com/cruisetravelaandexplore There’s absolutely no pressure - your likes, comments and support mean just as much. But any contribution helps towards filming, editing and keeping the channel going ❤️