When we drove up to our ship it hit me that we are about to embark on the most fantastic journey. We boarded the ship and headed straight for breakfast, once again we were extremely famished. We had breakfast on the 12th floor overlooking the city and it was so delicious. So many choices and all of them were absolutely tasty (we both agreed we will have to exercise some serious self restraint). After breakfast we went to our room to discover it is lovely! We have a stateroom with a large window, a king size bed and our bathroom has a double vanity. After unpacking we headed ashore to explore Istanbul. The cruise line provides a complimentary shuttle that took us from the ship to city center. From there we were able to walk to the Grand Bazaar. The bazaar was incredible. It was HUGE (in 3 hours we didn’t ever put a dent in exploring the entire bazaar). We found a few fun souvenirs for family (sorry I can’t post the details since I don’t want to give it away) and also a few fun things for ourselves.
After leaving the bazaar we walked to the underground cistern. OMG it was unbelievable. It is this enormous underground water tank that was built hundreds of years ago. They have wooden planks set up that allow you to walk through the cistern and enjoy the ambiance. It cost 10 Turkish liras a person but it was definitely worth it!
After we left the cistern we took the shuttle back to the ship where once again we PASSED OUT. We woke up around 6:30 at which point we met up with Tammi and Jordy (dance instructors from previous cruise) and they showed us around the ship. The tour took about 2 hours but it was extremely helpful. After the tour we ordered room service, which was so delicious since the last time we ate was around 10 am and it was almost 10 pm by the time we got our food. Then we went to the palm lounge to mingle and dance with some of the guests. All in all it was a great day and we are so excited for the next two weeks!