Odyssey of the Seas in Kuşadası: Yellow Taxi Past the Queues

Odyssey of the Seas calls 09:00-19:00 on Wednesdays, October 2026 and May-September 2027. How to beat the big-ship queues with a booked yellow taxi.

Odyssey of the Seas calls on Wednesdays in the port schedule we follow: once in October 2026, then almost every week from May to September 2027, always from 09:00 to 19:00. That is a long, generous day: back at the port by 18:00 still leaves room for all four sights around Ephesus. What can eat into it is the first hour. A large ship empties slowly, and many of its passengers are heading for the same gate you are.

The first hour on a big-ship day

Getting off the ship and through the port exit usually takes 15-30 minutes. On a big-ship day it can take longer, with lines at the gangway, in the terminal and at the exit. There are two sensible ways to deal with it.

Option A: be off early

Be at the disembarkation point when it opens, with everything you need for the day already in your bag. You are in the first wave, you reach the exit sooner, and you can be in the taxi at around 09:30. The cost is a rushed breakfast and standing in the first line.

Option B: let the first wave go

Take a slow breakfast and walk off once the crowd has thinned, say around 10:15. The lines are shorter and calmer. The cost is about 45 minutes of your day, which you can absorb on this call by turning the order around, as in the second plan below.

Why a booked taxi helps either way

When a big ship empties, the exit fills with people looking for transport. With a taxi arranged in advance, the driver waits at the port exit holding a sign with your name, and you walk to the car instead of hunting for one. Tell us if you plan to come off early or later, and the driver will expect you then.

The second queue: at the Ephesus gate

Shore excursions sold by the cruise lines often reach Ephesus by coach in the late morning, and a big ship adds a lot of people at once. Expect lines at the gate and slow stretches on Curetes Street around then. With your own taxi, you can work around them by choosing the order: go straight in early, before most coaches have parked, or go up to the hills first and reach Ephesus around midday. Midday is not always quieter, but you are no longer part of the rush that came off your own ship.

Two clock plans for a 09:00-19:00 call

Off early, all four stops

• about 09:30 in the taxi
• about 10:00 upper gate of Ephesus, ahead of many coach groups if the gangway went smoothly
• about 12:15 lower gate
• about 12:40 House of the Virgin Mary, 30-45 minutes
• about 13:45 Temple of Artemis, 10-20 minutes
• about 14:20 Şirince for a late lunch, 1 to 1.5 hours
• about 16:20 back at the port, well before 18:00

After the first wave, the order turned around

• about 10:15 in the taxi
• about 11:00 House of the Virgin Mary
• about 11:55 upper gate of Ephesus, about 15 minutes down the hill; walk down to the lower gate
• about 14:15 Temple of Artemis
• about 14:50 Şirince for lunch
• about 16:45 back at the port

Both plans finish with time to spare before 18:00, the latest return on this call. If the all-aboard time printed on board is earlier, that time wins. Opening hours at the sites change by season, so check current opening hours before your day.

Odyssey of the Seas Wednesdays in Kuşadası

These dates come from the port schedule we follow. The line can change times, so check your own cruise documents.

The port pickup for this ship is on our Odyssey of the Seas page.

Ready for the gangway

• Payment: cash to the driver; there is no card machine in the taxi.
• Not included: entrance fees, food and drinks. Fees are paid at each site.
• For the heat and the marble: Ephesus has very little shade and the polished paving can be slippery. Water, a hat and shoes with grip help.
• Booking: send the ship name, the date, the number of people, and if you will come off early or after the first wave. Our cruise transfer page explains how pick-up at the port works.

A note on the plans above: the basic ride is the port to Ephesus and back. The House of the Virgin Mary, the Temple of Artemis and Şirince are extra-charge stops, so list the ones you want in your booking.