Seven Seas Mariner at Kusadasi: Private Taxi to Ephesus

Regent Seven Seas Cruises' Seven Seas Mariner has two Kusadasi calls in the next year, almost twelve months apart. The first, Saturday 17 October 2026, runs from 08:00 to 18:00, which is enough for all four stops by private taxi. The second, Sunday 26 September 2027, has no times announced yet. Both are shared port days: four ships on the first, three on the second.

Good to know: our standard cruise port taxi is the round trip to Ephesus. The House of the Virgin Mary, the Temple of Artemis and Şirince are not part of the Ephesus transfer; they can be added as extra stops for an additional charge. Tell us which ones you want when you book.

Saturday 17 October 2026: ten hours, four ships

Celestyal Discovery, Enchanted Princess and Marella Discovery are all due in Kusadasi alongside Seven Seas Mariner that day. When that many ships are in, the sites are busier, so make the most of the 08:00 arrival and be ready to go as soon as you can get off.

Here is how the ten hours divide up (our planning estimate; traffic and queues vary):

• Getting off the ship: allow about 30 minutes.
• Back at the port: by 17:00 at the latest, one hour before the 18:00 departure. If Regent sets an earlier all-aboard time, that is your deadline.
• What is left: roughly eight and a half hours, comfortably more than the full four-stop loop needs.

The order we would use:

1. Port to the House of the Virgin Mary (30-35 min). The chapel on Bülbüldağı is where, by tradition, Mary spent her last years. Spend 45-60 minutes; modest dress, with shoulders and knees covered.
2. To the Ephesus upper gate (about 10 min). Your driver drops you and drives round to the lower gate.
3. Ephesus on foot (about 2 h). Downhill all the way: Curetes Street, the Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre. The site is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
4. Temple of Artemis (5-10 min drive, 15-20 min stop). One column survives on the site of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
5. Şirince (15-20 min drive, 60-90 min stop). A hill village of stone houses, known for its fruit wines.
6. Back to the port (30-35 min).

Even at the slow end of every estimate, this leaves some spare time before 17:00. You can use it for the Terrace Houses at Ephesus (30-45 minutes, separate ticket), but if you add them, keep Şirince closer to 60 minutes than 90.

Mid-October is usually a pleasant time to walk Ephesus. Even so, there is little shade, so take water.

Sunday 26 September 2027: plan once the times are known

MSC Splendida and Celestyal Journey are listed in port with Seven Seas Mariner. Times are not announced. When they are, use the hours in port to choose:

• 8 hours or more: all four stops.
• About 6.5 hours: House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus, Temple of Artemis.
• About 5 hours: Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis.
• Under about 4.5 hours: no round trip to Ephesus; the cruise port is in the town centre, so Kusadasi itself is the alternative.

Send us the times from your cruise documents when you book; the driver's plan follows them.

Seven Seas Mariner Kusadasi calls

Date	Day	Arrives	Departs	Also in port that day
17 Oct 2026	Sat	08:00	18:00	Celestyal Discovery, Enchanted Princess, Marella Discovery
26 Sep 2027	Sun	not announced	not announced	MSC Splendida, Celestyal Journey

Source: public port schedule data, checked 4 October 2026. Cruise lines change schedules; check your own cruise documents.

With us on the day

• Your driver waits at the cruise port exit with a sign bearing your name, so there is no hunting for a taxi on a four-ship morning.
• The vehicle is private to your party, up to 8 passengers; bigger groups get a second vehicle.
• Wherever you stop, the driver waits until you are ready.
• Tickets are bought by you at each site and are not included. We provide the transport; there is no guide.
• You pay the driver in cash on the day, in EUR, USD or TL. Nothing is paid beforehand.
• We are a D2-licensed transfer company based in Kusadasi.

Seasonal hours and ticket rules at Ephesus are published on muze.gov.tr, the official Turkish museums site. Check before you sail.

If the 17 October times change

What if Seven Seas Mariner's 18:00 departure moves? Tell us the new times as soon as you see them. The plan is built on the times you give us, and a shorter day simply means dropping Şirince.

To reserve, send the date, the ship's times (or "not announced yet"), the number of passengers and children's ages through the cruise port taxi booking page. See also Seven Seas Mariner at Kusadasi, our House of the Virgin Mary taxi guide and the plan for Regent's Seven Seas Navigator.