We had a leisurely start to the morning as we had a 12pm flight from K back to Istanbul and to transfer to the ship by 3.30pm. We knew time would be tight but were happy when our flight took off and landed on time unfortunately it stayed on the runway for 20 minutes before we could disembark and then even though our luggage had been put through priority ours were the last two to come out. We had a big farewell from our fellow travellers whose company we had enjoyed for the past two weeks.
We headed off into Saturday lunch time traffic in Istanbul. We were happy to be speeding along and thought we had plenty of time until we got right into the city and then everything came to a standstill. Time to be on board was fast approaching and we were feeling very nervous. Our driver spoke no English so our fingers were crossed that he knew the right port for our ship. Imagine our relief as "Celebrity Constellation" loomed large in our view. We went through passport control and embarkation procedures and were on board at exactly 3.30 pm. The ship is not full but there are 2150 passenger aboard only 180 Aussies but haven't spotted any yet. Most passengers are American or English and the vast majority definitely older than us We are able to dine and be served in one of the restaurants which is better than going to a buffet. Dave has a alcohol package so will do his best to make sure he gets his money's worth. Our cabin is roomy enough and it is good to unpack the suitcase. We are happy with our position and the large porthole.