Behind the Scenes Tour and Istanbul!

I have been on many cruises over the years and always wanted to attend the “Behind the Scenes” tour, but it has either filled up before I remembered to sign up, or it was too damn early. Oddly enough on this trip, I have been getting up pretty darn early, and the tour was unusually poorly attended, so we were able to grab a spot.

The tour began at 8:30 am, and I was there with bells on my toes; just kidding, but I was there. We were able to view the largest kitchen on the ship, the one that prepared food for the three main dining rooms, the main thoroughfare for the employees, the laundry, and the theater.

The kitchen was immaculately clean and very busy! We were told about the mounds of bacon consumed every day,  and the amount of eggs that were used; it was staggering. I learned that they have a butcher shop where they cut all of their meat. There are separate coolers for every type of meat; no cross-contamination there. Their bakery bakes all of the desserts and breads for the entire ship, too. I can scarcely comprehend what a feat feeding 5000 people, a minimum of three meals a day, is.

The next area that we visited was the crew area, it was bustling with crew members in and out of uniform. I believe the only mandatory requirement of the staff, is that they wear their name badge at all times. People were coming and going from all directions and every single one of them said “good morning”!

The next stop was the laundry, and that was my favorite stop on the tour! Seeing how the laundry is done in mass quantities is fascinating. The machines were HUGE, and watching the sheets, comforters, and duvets being sucked into a presser, and then automatically folded was so satisfying. I always wondered how everything was always so crisp and without wrinkles, and now I know.

The theater wasn’t much to talk about, they have replaced all of my favorite Broadway shows with what I would consider cruise acts, which is disappointing, but I will hold out full judgment until I see the “new” show on board in a few days. 

The standing act at Sid Norman's Pour house is outstanding! The band is so talented, and they put on an amazing show.

After the tour, we had breakfast and went back to our room. It was going to be a few hours before we pulled into Istanbul, so we thought relaxing in our room, away from the crowds would be best.

Pulling into Istanbul was amazing! I had no idea what to expect, but the skyline was gorgeous! There were so many mosques, domes, and minarets dotting the city that it hardly looked real. I have never seen anything quite like it, and to say I was surprised is an understatement.

We did not sign up for any of the ship’s tours and opted instead to hire a cab to take us to Sultanahmed Square where we could see the Blue Mosque, St. Sophia’s Cathedral and Museum, and a large shopping area. They offered three hours for $100, and we bartered for four. Of course, he did not drive us for four hours but spent several hours waiting for us. Something is reassuring about knowing you have guaranteed transportation back to the ship. Money well spent.

It took an hour to arrive in the square because of the traffic. Bumper to bumper to bumper. The good news was that our cab driver had a translation app on his phone and encouraged us to ask questions. He was extremely informative and personable and we enjoyed him immensely.

When we crossed the bridge, he pulled over and said, “One Minute!”. What he meant was that we had one minute to jump out of the car to take a photo; he jumped out behind us, and took a great photo of us!

Eventually, we arrived at the square and headed straight to the Blue Mosque. The Blue Mosque's official name is the Sultan Ahmen Mosque and was constructed between 1609 and 1617. It has a classical Ottoman layout with a central dome and four semi-domes over the prayer hall.

It is decorated with thousands of Iznik tiles and painted floral motifs which are predominately blue. There was no entry fee, just a long line. We went to the exit and asked if we could enter through the "out" door as I had a difficult time standing out in the sun due to my leukemia. The gentleman agreed to allow us to enter through the exit; such a blessing. 

Of course, we had to take our shoes off before entering and I had to cover my head. I brought a dinner napkin from the ship, just for this purpose. The first thing we noticed was the smell of stinky feet! The second thing was the beautiful interior of the mosque, it was indeed blue.

Once we left the mosque, we headed to the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque. This is the third church built on this location. It was built between 532 and 537 as the cathedral of Constantinople. In 1453, after the Fall of Constatine, Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror turned Hagia Sophia into a mosque.

The Mosque was beautiful, and expensive to enter, in my opinion, but we figured we would likely never be in Istanbul again, so we bought the ticket. We also purchased the Sophia Museum portion, which we assumed was in the same location; it is not. And unless you are really, really into relics, I would skip it.

After the museum, we went in search of our cab driver; he was also looking for us, so we reconnected quickly. We had previously told him that I wanted to try the Turkish coffee, so he led us to his “cousin’s” shop. I believe that every single cab driver has a cousin, or brother with a shop!

The shop was lovely, and we tried numerous Turkish Delights made from honey, and they were all “delightful”! So, of course, we bought four “logs” of delight! Not cheap, but delicious; they will be a real treat when we are back home in the States. I also tried the coffee; it is very, very strong and had small coffee grounds floating in the teeny, tiny cup. I am not sure if all Turkish coffee is the same or not, but I am not 100% certain that I liked it.

The proprietor then dropped a crystal into a hot cup of water and said. "Smell!" Holy Moly! We experienced the potent menthol crystal, that comes “from the mountain”, and is guaranteed to knock your socks off! It smells like Vick’s Vapo-Rub times a thousand.

Once our “host” realized we were not purchasing anything else, we were ushered to his cousin’s carpet shop. I quickly informed the salesman that I had no intention of purchasing a rug, and when he realized I meant it, we were ushered outside.

Our cab driver was waiting for us with the car, and he brought us right back to the ship. He was amazing, and we enjoyed our day immensely, despite the crowds and the heat. I felt pretty good about the four-hour excursion for $120. (We gave our driver $20 cash)

Once we were back on the ship we went to Wasabi, the sushi bar onboard. It was quite good and more than I could eat, so we strolled around the ship for a while, before heading to bed.

Night, y’all!

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