The Very Best Day of The Cruise!
by Jeffrey Guard
Saying Goodbye to The Viking Star
The Viking Star had been a part of our lives for a solid 7 days and we were going to miss it all; the room service, the comfortable cabin, the elegant spaces, friendly staff and passengers, it made me realize how much of a good time we had on Viking now that it was time to leave.
We had a very quick breakfast at The World Cafe before getting ready to leave our Cabin for good, and head for our post extension excursion organized by Viking.
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Disembarkation of Viking Star
The Viking Disembarkation follows a very specific process that is outlined in a document that was delivered to your cabin the day we arrived into Istanbul.
The most important part of the process are the colored luggage tags. They have a color and number that indicate the time and location of where you must be for disembarkation.
The time varies based on the time of your return flight. There were groups leaving as early as 1:00 AM in the morning. We had a disembarkation time of 8:30 AM. However, all passengers are required to vacate their cabins by 8:00 AM.
The second important point of disembarkation was the luggage service. If you need help lifting and carrying your luggage, it’s required to be in front of the door the previous night by 10:00 PM. If you opt out, you will be responsible for carrying it yourself.
We opted to carry it out ourselves; we’re light packers, and it honestly seemed more inconvenient to leave it out and have to carry a backpack with a change of clothes and toiletries.
By 8:00, we gathered in Deck 1, waiting for our color and number to be called. The Bar was serving cookies, treats, and coffee drinks for anyone who wanted one last yummy treat before leaving.
Once called, we disembarked and followed the signs outlined along the path, where we were led to a large yellow-walled locker area where all the luggage was stored. They also had restrooms in this facility, so we stopped for one last go because we were about to board our excursion bus and didn’t know when there would be a bathroom break.
After getting your luggage from the area, you continue to customs and immigration, where you declare what you have to declare or move on and get your entrance stamp from passport control. We had nothing to declare except for our excitement in touring through Istanbul. Stamp in hand we made our way to our excursion bus. Our luggage was loaded onto the bus, and we were off to a whirlwind tour of Istanbul!
The Blue Mosque
The excursion bus took back to where we were yesterday, the Sultanahmet square area and that was fine by us because there was still so much to see and explore!
The first stop on our excursion was The Blue Mosque, officially the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is a 17th-century architectural masterpiece in Istanbul famed for its six minarets and stunning blue Iznik tilework, offering visitors a breathtaking glimpse into Ottoman imperial grandeur and Islamic artistry.
The Blue Mosque is by far, in my opinion, the most beautiful of all the mosques we visited. Everything inside this gorgeous and majestic space felt sacred and serene. The colored, filtered light, the elephant columns, the towering domes, the overwrought embellishments and tiles. You need a minute to get yourself together because it’s an overwhelming experience in all the good ways.
Boat Cruise Lunch on The Bosporus
Afterward, we walked back to the bus, and it took us to a ship that was going to sail the Bosporus while we had some lunch. For some reason, I completely forgot about this and was pleasantly surprised when the bus landed by the dock.
It was a wonderful way to sit and rest, enjoy some lunch. We had made friends with some fellow passengers, and I was completely caught up in having a grand old time with them that I forget to get video and only some photos.
We did take some time to enjoy the stunning views, especially of Dolmabahçe Palace which kind of blew our minds. We would be seeing that tomorrow. Cruising by boat through the Bosporus Strait is an exceptional way to get a big picture view of Istanbul’s old world grandeur but also its enormous size.
Hagia Sophia
It was our final visit to another of Istanbul’s grand mosques the Hagia Sophia. If the Blue Mosque was the most beautiful, Hagia Sophia is by far the most interesting.
Hagia Sophia is a monumental symbol of Istanbul’s layered history, originally a 6th-century Byzantine cathedral turned Ottoman Mosque and now a functioning mosque-museum hybrid, renowned for its massive dome, Christian mosaics, and Islamic calligraphy—capturing the spiritual and cultural crossroads of East and West.
It was fascinating to see Islamic believers in prayer while on the walls you see Jesus Christ, Mary with child, and old Christian Emperors. For me, Hagia Sophia in so many ways tells Turkey’s origin story: an identity forged in antiquity, showing its Roman roots with the tile mosaics then with the Christian elements, then the Muslim elements. So many powerful and intriguing layers are here for you to savor and contemplate.
The Basilica Cistern
Just down the road from the Hagia Sophia is the Basilica Cistern, which is an underground marvel built in the 6th century by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
It’s a hauntingly beautiful water reservoir supported by 336 ancient columns.
It’s mind-blowing when you stop to remember this incredible marvel of civil engineering was built around 600 AD. Amazing. The lights against the basin of water provide an otherworldly, almost ethereal-underworld atmosphere, like you could imagine Persephone meeting Hades here, after she forced to return to the underworld.
They opted for it to be a cave for Medusa, and that’s cool too. The only thing that annoyed me besides the crowds was the slow drip from the ceiling. Aside from that, it was truly a remarkable experience.
The Grand Bazaar
And if that wasn’t enough, the tour guide walked us down the road to the Grand Bazaar. It was a lot like yesterday’s Spice Bazaar but on steroids. The big problem was the cigarette smoke and poor ventilation. It was so bad that my eyes began to burn, and I could feel my lungs beginning to seize the literal second, I stepped inside. if you have asthma, respiratory issues or allergies, be very careful because it’s like walking into an ashtray filled with dense cigarette smoke.
Instead, we took a break. There was a Turkish version of Starbucks that we tried, and it was just like Starbucks. We hung out had some Turkish coffee and snacks and waited for the group to rejoin.
Check In and Uber Extortion
Finally, it was time to get to the hotel and that was a good thing because we were cutting it close. I’ll talk more about the Hotel in my next video because as soon as we arrived at the Conrad Hotel, we had to literally put our stuff into our room and race back to where we had just come from to catch a prayer session of The Whirling Dervishes.
Racing outside the hotel we tried to catch the bus only for Google Maps to take us to the wrong place and missing it by seconds. The next bus would put us a half hour too late. So, I had to open the Uber app and found a car nearby, schedule the pickup.
I get a message from the driver telling me that in addition to the Uber rate, I need to pay extra—like almost double the rate. It’s rush hour he tells me. He’s not lying about that, and cars were few and far between and we had to get to the performance, so I agree.
It felt like extortion, but I had no choice. On the plus side he drove like Speed racer. It was only until he got to the really old part of Istanbul near Sultanahmet Square that things went sideways…or one-way. All of the narrow one way streets become a maze that pushes you further and further away the center. I finally told him stop and gave him what I had, telling him he didn’t take us to where we wanted to go and to just accept what I gave him which was like 60% of what he quoted me. He agreed.
We ran out of the car, bounding towards the performance space. With minutes to spare, an orange and white cat at the gate greeted us and led us to a human who scanned our tickets to go inside. We went into a waiting room and in a few minutes, more were brought into another venue, the spiritual space were the session would occur.
We made it!
The Whirling Dervishes
Of all the things on this cruise that I wanted to see it was The Whirling Dervishes. Ever since I learned about them, they have held a place in my heart, mind and soul. And we were here! My heart was beating with excitement as we sat waiting for it to begin.
Soon a band began playing music, old Islamic music that sounded therapeutic and soothing. Afterwards the dervishes, one by one appeared and began their spinning.
The “Whirling Dervishes” are followers of the Mevlevi Order, a Sufi brotherhood founded by the followers of Jalal al-Din Rumi (Yes, THAT Rumi). The “whirling” is part of a sacred ceremony called the Sema, which represents a spiritual journey toward union with the Divine.
It’s not just interpretive dance — it’s a meditative, physical prayer steeped in ritual and symbolism. The Whirling Dervishes are not Gnostics by name, nor monastics by structure—but they are spiritual kin to both.
They are Islamic, mystical, and devoted to the pursuit of divine love and unity — spinning not to escape the world, but to transcend ego and dissolve into the One.
It was visual poetry to watch them, a visual salve that at once calmed me down and sent me into a spiritual space that made feel incredibly light and free. It was profound, sacred and I felt so honored to be a part of something so incredibly spiritual and intimate.
Above anything else, this is what I recommend the most if you are Istanbul. There’s a link in the description. I’m not paid to advertise this, I just really believe in this beautiful and pure practice.
This for me was the very part of the trip.
Back To the Hotel
After the spiritual practice was over, we took the tram back to the hotel. The tram line ended near Dolmabahçe Palace, and it was about a half hour walk to the hotel. There’s a university in the area, so there’s definitely a young, college vibe in addition to a hip residential feel as well. It’s non-touristy so the walk was nice in that you get to mix with locals.
To say that we were exhausted was an understatement, but I was elated and grateful. My heart was full. I had such an amazing day filled with art, history, design, culture and spiritual wonder. It was enough to offset missing being on the Viking Star.
I didn’t recommend the pre-extension in Athens because I realized I could do it cheaper myself, however I would recommend the Viking post-extension package because of how efficiently they used the disembarkation day. We were shown so much that it truly felt we had experienced a huge piece of Istanbul in one short day.
Tomorrow would be our last full day in Istanbul, and it too would be full of more action and adventure, coming up!
Recommendations:
🧳🛅 Save yourself the hassle of having to have your luggage out early and take it with you instead, on the day of Disembarkation.
👟🚶🏼♂️ For The Post-Extension Whirlwind Excursions, definitely wear comfortable shoes; there’s a lot to see and a significant amount of walking. Nothing too strenuous, just a lot of walking.
✅🚌😍 I would recommend the post-extension for Istanbul. The number of excursions you see on disembarkation day is high quality and worth it. The hotel is also very nice.
✅🙏🏼✨❇️ I recommend watching the captivating spiritual practice of the Whirling Dervishes. It’s near the Sultanahmet Square and very easy to find.
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