Treasures of the Aegean - Greece & Turkey

Enabodin

I really appreciate the couple of folks who responded to my query about walking difficulty on this tour. Would love to hear more. Scheduled to leave home May 2, 2016 for flight to Athens. It's my husband's 80th birthday a few days later, and his wish for decades has been to show me Istanbul. We did get the trip insurance, and medical note should not be trouble. We need a reality check - do we really want to stay on the boat because we'll be lucky to climb the decks on boat, but more than that? Even airport hikes are quite difficult. We were live aboard sailors and the 2 of us did many nautical miles in all kinds of conditions for decades but once we hit land ~2006, our body parts gave out. Thinking we could do same trip in the fall and commit to getting in best shape possible for us old folks.

British

Ok, so it is me British again. First, you have posted this on the Italy forum.
Having read your post again, I really think you should call Tauck immediately because I do not think you are fit to take this tour from what you have written. Tauck make it very clear that they cannot help individuals with mobility issues. I would hate to be in your position myself, but these tours really are for able bodied people. I just don't know if you are totally wasting your money attempting to go.
I am not sure what you mean by medical note. If you cannot keep up with everyone else in the group there will surely be some very angry companions if they think you are impacting the pace of the the tour. I just read a similar review from another tour where there were some people on a tour who could not keep up with the tour and in the first few days the tour director worked with them, but the reviewer said they missed some sites because of this and after that the tour director asked them to stay on the bus. That would be awkward all around. Good luck!

joycesw

I don't like being negative, but I would be remiss if I told you walking was no big deal on this tour, especially if you are interested in seeing Istanbul. Frankly, there is not a lot you are going to see (or, more importantly, experience) from your seat on a bus. All of the major sites required a good amount of walking (and standing)...the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the Underground Cistern, not to mention just wandering around the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar! In Rhoads and Ephesus you take walking tours. The Windstar is not docked at each port, and sometimes you have to take a tender to get to land. One lady on our trip tripped getting into the tender and ended up looking like she'd gone a few rounds with Ali. And, she was in pretty good shape!
The tour is only a week away, so it seems a bit late to be considering this. It is an activity level 3 trip. You should really read what that means and if you can do the suggested activities for that level (it's part of the "trip overview) for this destination. You mention taking the trip in the Fall. I guess a realistic question would be, can you get into good enough shape in 5 months? I agree with British. You need to contact Tauck and be very upfront with them about your abilities. If you are working with a travel agent, he/she should have given you some fair warning about the rigor of this trip. Good luck, and I hope you get to enjoy Istanbul.

Enabodin

Thank you British and Joycesw - I've had such a darn hard time finding where I post about Treasures of the Aegean Northbound - didn't realize I ended up in Italy - but that's what I'm able to find again. !!@#$%&*!!
Don't worry about negativity - I am interested in REALITY! By medical note, I meant that we have to get a doctor's note to be refunded cruise $. I certainly read the Activity and Pace Level info and the fact that they cannot provide individual assistance. My husband thinks he's still 40 yrs old, and keeps fluctuating from of course we're going to I don't think so. Of course, I get to do all the work, research, phone calls...I've been looking up some of the stops to see what might be involved - elevation, distance from port to sight - Ephesus sounds HOT! If you can tell me how to post in the right place - and keep throwing grim reality at me...I'd appreciate it. Def will have to talk to Tauck by tomorrow. Right now husb & I are going try the mile walk around the neighborhood! I'll have to hold him to what he says right after that.
many thanks

British

I don't know want else to say to you. In addition, you do realize there are no elevators on the ship.

AlanS

Enabodin wrote:

Thank you British and Joycesw - I've had such a darn hard time finding where I post about Treasures of the Aegean Northbound - didn't realize I ended up in Italy - but that's what I'm able to find again. !!@#$%&*!!
Don't worry about negativity - I am interested in REALITY! By medical note, I meant that we have to get a doctor's note to be refunded cruise $. I certainly read the Activity and Pace Level info and the fact that they cannot provide individual assistance. My husband thinks he's still 40 yrs old, and keeps fluctuating from of course we're going to I don't think so. Of course, I get to do all the work, research, phone calls...I've been looking up some of the stops to see what might be involved - elevation, distance from port to sight - Ephesus sounds HOT! If you can tell me how to post in the right place - and keep throwing grim reality at me...I'd appreciate it. Def will have to talk to Tauck by tomorrow. Right now husb & I are going try the mile walk around the neighborhood! I'll have to hold him to what he says right after that.
many thanks

Once your post has moved off the "Active Discussions" area of the forums, you'll need to go to the forum page for your specific tour. It can be a bit confusing if you don't know where it is located e.g. "Travel Forums Home > Discuss Trips by Region > Europe > Mediterranean > Treasures of the Aegean". The easiest way to get back to your recent thread (assuming it is in the correct location) is to go to the tour page. In the lower right of the overview page there is usually a list of the most recent posts. As you can see from this screen shot below, your original post is still there, so all you need to do is click on it.



I assume there is no stopping this train, so I advise you to discuss you and your husband's issues with the tour director as soon as you get there. Best of luck. I hope you are able to enjoy the trip.

Enabodin

AlanS wrote:

Once your post has moved off the "Active Discussions" area of the forums, you'll need to go to the forum page for your specific tour. It can be a bit confusing if you don't know where it is located e.g. "Travel Forums Home > Discuss Trips by Region > Europe > Mediterranean > Treasures of the Aegean". The easiest way to get back to your recent thread (assuming it is in the correct location) is to go to the tour page. In the lower right of the overview page there is usually a list of the most recent posts. As you can see from this screen shot below, your original post is still there, so all you need to do is click on it.



I assume there is no stopping this train, so I advise you to discuss you and your husband's issues with the tour director as soon as you get there. Best of luck. I hope you are able to enjoy the trip.

Want to thank you AlanS I am now able to find the right location - now whether I'm responding correctly?

AlanS

Enabodin wrote:

Want to thank you AlanS I am now able to find the right location - now whether I'm responding correctly?

Looks good to me. You have a choice- you can "Reply" or, as you did, "Quote." And you can "Preview" your post to see how it looks before you actually post it. And . . . if you discover an error or want to add something, you can edit your original post.