Istanbul Safety

Hello everyone! So we are looking at a cruise next summer that stops in Istanbul, stays overnight, and debarks the next day. To anyone who has been there recently, have you felt safe amid the the chaos there, at least this is how it seems to be portrayed by the media, which can obviously be false. Obviously if the cruise is a year away, it is impossible to tell the situation that the city will be in then, but my wife is hesitant to booking the cruise for this reason.

The protests that have taken place in Istanbul in the last few weeks have not been of the large scale like those earlier in the summer. Also, all of the protests so far have mainly impacted one particular area of Istanbul which is NOT where tourists usually go and NOT where ships dock.

Cruises are continuing to call there, and I actually just read a figure saying tourism is up 5% there so far this year compared to last year, so I guess people aren't being scared away.

I've booked a cruise that begins in Istanbul in 2014 and I have no qualms about it; I'm hoping to spend a least another day there. I've been several times already and Istanbul is one of my favorite cities.

We have been to Istanbul 5 times (often for multiple days) and last visited this past November. It remains one of our favorite cities in the world and we have not detected any noticeable change in the Turks attitude to Americans. These guys are great entrepreneurs and can drive you crazy trying to sell anything.....but its a lot of fun if you have the right attitude. As to safety, DW and I walk all over the city and have seen no reason for any fear during daylight. After dark, it is like any large city and one should use normal caution as in any city (stick to populated lighted areas).

The OP is asking for a prediction nearly a year in advance, and given the changes in the Middle East and Muslim world there just I no way anyone can say what we shall see next summer. However, Turkey remains a strong NATO ally, one of the best established democracies in the world and it would be reasonable to expect no major changes. Many folks may not realize that Turkey has full women's rights and women have been able to vote since 1935! One should keep the recent demonstrations in perspective as they only represent a small part of the population and they happened in a relatively small area of a large city.

Hank

We were there in June of this year on the day when the gov't/police cracked down on the protests in the square. We didn't have a clue anything was happening in the city until we were back on the ship and saw some smoke coming from Taksim Square area, and watched some of the tv news that night.

We felt perfectly safe taking the tram from the dock are to the old city and back to the dock.

We were there in July for one day, on the NCL Spirit. It turned out to be one of the best days of our cruise. We never felt unsafe taking the tram from where the ship was docked, and had a wonderful time seeing the Blue Mosque, the Underground Cistern, the Bazaar and the Spice Market. All easy to walk to, and aside from the crowds of street "vendors" trying to sell us perfume, watches, etc outside the Grand Bazaar, we never felt uneasy. They were more annoying than threatening.

Istanbul is a beautiful city, and honestly hearing the call to prayer ring out over the city while we were there was an experience I will never forget.

As others have said, it is hard to predict anything a year in advance. But Istanbul is definitely on our 'return' list.

My daughter and I spent several days in Istanbul a couple of years ago. We felt perfectly safe wandering the streets at all times of the day or night even walking down a pitch black alley.

Our visit coincided with Ramadan when Istanbul comes alive after dark. Definitely not to be missed.

We'll be in Istanbul in a couple of months. Booked after the problems broke out & didn't worry about it.

Such problems come & go anywhere in the world, & next summer is a long way away.

The problems occur more frequently in some countries more than others - Israel & Egypt for example. But in Turkey the likelihood is low.

JB :)