Cruises departing or arriving in Istanbul

Our cruise in two weeks time ends in Istanbul. In view of the current unrest on the Turkish/Syrian border and the demonstrations on the streets of Istanbul, what will Azamara do? Will they end the cruise back in Athens, from where it began?

Lynne :confused:

You may want to contact Azamara directly or your TA for the answer.

If you look at a map you will see that Istanbul is nowhere near the Turkish/Syrian border. You will be fine. Istanbul is a wonderful city and because it is easy to see on your own it is a great port stop.

The demonstations if there are any are not likely to be where you will want to be.

You should not have any problems at all. As stated Istanbul is far from where the fighting is in Syria, and actually there are protests in Istanbul feather regularly. They will not interfere with your visit. Enjoy Istanbul, it is an amazing City.

Lynne, I second the advice regarding checking with Azamara, and monitoring travel advisories and the news for any developments that may affect safety in Istanbul.

But let me share our recent experiences in Istanbul. In July 2013, our ship (Ocean Princess, a R ship like the Azamaras) had a scheduled overnight stop in Istanbul on its way to the Black Sea ports. Because of the demonstrations at Taksim Square, we closely followed the news on the weeks before our trip. We figured that if our safety could be compromised, the cruise line would skip Istanbul or advice us to stay away from Taksim Square (or any other areas where our safety could be compromised). If you do a search on Cruise Critic, you will find postings by Azamara passengers who were in Istanbul the week before us, when there were dangerous clashes with the police, but passengers were able to tour the old part of the city (Sultanahmet: Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi, Bazaar) without a problem. When we docked, our captain announced that the demonstrations were over and that it was safe to go to Taksim Square. We went there to ride the Nostalgic Tram on our second day in Istanbul. We kept our eyes open for any disturbance or issue, but everything seemed fine to us.

In July of this year, because of a fantastic Turkish Airlines offer, we flew back from Europe via Istanbul, where we spent two nights. I tried to sense if there was evidence of the very sad refugee situation in Turkey's southeastern border (a million refugees from Syria and Iraq at that time) in Istanbul (a thousand miles away), but did not find it. There appeared to be more of a police presence in the street, but that was probably (at least in part) due to the intense political campaigning then going on. Lots of posters, free concerts, etc. This was during Ramaddam (Ramazzam in Turkish) so we went to the park that is between Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque at dusk to participate in the breaking of the fast. Thousands of families had set up their picnics all around us. Vendors were selling toys, beverages and food. The lights on the Blue Mosque's minarets turned on, we heard the prayers, and a sign in lights came on stating "May Nobody Remain Friendless." Everyone began to eat; so did we (we had an early dinner before going to the park).

In sum, if it's not safe, the cruise line will make other arrangements regarding ports or advise you not to go to certain parts of the city. The situation is ever evolving and what is fine one week, may not be the next (and viceversa). We love Istanbul and hope you'll have the opportunity to explore it.

Thanks everyone, especially Dididi. Your experience was very illuminating. I am sure that Azamara follow these situations closely and would not put passengers at risk. I know that Istanbul is a very long way from the border but it was the photos we saw on our tv screens last night showing the demonstrations in Istanbul that made me ask the question.

We have been to Istanbul previously and look forward to spending another day there before we have to leave the Quest for our flight home.

Thanks

Lynne :)

I would not trust Azamara to take any actions on your behalf if turmoils reappear in Istanbul. We were to board the Journey in Istanbul in june 2013 and had booked our pre-cruise hotel via Azamara. We barely made it to the hotel as the police fired teargas grenades directly at our van as it drove up in front of the Grand Hyatt. We were blind as we were dragged in the front door and reveived first aid together with other unfortunate bystanders. They were burning buses 20 meters from the hotel entrance. I was stating this in my FB update the same night: " Just arrived in Istanbul, - it looks like Kabul".

We heard nothing from Azamara until the next evening. A letter was pushed under the door urging us,- under the present circumstances, to stay away from areas around Taksim Square. No telephone or contact number. Well, our hotel was at Taksim Square and Azamara put us there. We were confined to the hotel for two days and were lucky to be evacuated to ship on sailing day.

I would never trust Azamara to aid you in any circumstances in a situation like this. If you go stay in the area around the Blue Mosque and avoid the Taksim area at all costs.

As for me. I would never go near Istanbul ever again.

Sorry you had such a bad experience. We have been in Istanbul over 5 times, the latest in August of this year. There were some minor protests in Taksim Square, we just avoided them. You are correct, it is safer staying in the Old Center of the City, and actually closer to a lot of sites. As long as one is diligent and stays away from any protests currently going on, Istanbul is a safe and incredibly awesome City to visit. One must be diligent, as they must be in visiting any foreign country these days.

Cruise ship companies are very conservative regarding port visits so I would feel safe as long as the ships still were docking there.

If indeed there are demonstrations, they seem to occur around Taksim Square, with no problems in the historic district across the Golden Horn of Sultanahmet.

If you are staying in Istanbul at a hotel, I would be sure it was in the Sultanahmet or adjoining Sirkeci areas rather than anywhere near Taksim Square.

We had a lovely four days in Istanbul in mid-May, a return visit after our first one in 2008.

Enjoy!

I have been in Istanbul twice in the last 7 weeks and there was no hint of any trouble. We stayed in the Sultanahmet area and I would say that this is a good location, very near the sights and away from Taksim Square. If there ever are protests, then this seems to be the area where they happen. Azamara often use The Grand Hyatt Hotel, which is very near Taksim Square so if that's where you are staying then I would consider asking to be moved.

I'm sure Azamara would never knowingly place their guests in danger, so perhaps contacting them a bit nearer your cruise date would put your mind at rest.

Thanks everyone - mixed views and experiences! We are not staying in Istanbul post cruise. Quest docks there the day before the cruise ends, so we spend a day in Istanbul before disembarking the next day and taking an Azamara transfer to the airport. Not too concerned if we spend the day on board but a bit apprehensive about getting to the airport, hopefully the route isn't through Taksim Square!

Lynne

Arrived back from Istanbul on Tuesday evening. We spent 4 days in Istanbul and we saw NO demonstrations even though CNN was reporting them. We had a guide for 3 days. He met us at the ship and took us everywhere and not just the usual tourist places. He showed us where previous demonstrations had occurred and the reasons. He was Kurdish. We enjoyed our 4 days in Istanbul and would go back again. I was very apprehensive because of what I had read in the media...all that faded away by the second day!! Istanbul is an amazing city and everyone should visit it in their lifetime.

We were on the HAL Ryndam. Debarkation was slick...all cruise lines use the same debarkation lounge. Our flight home was at 6:00 AM so we left hotel at 2:30 AM We were in the lounge at IST by 4:00. There are 3 layers of security so be prepared...Delta said to allow 3.5 hours before your flight. We needed only 2.5 in the middle of the night. We saw police road blocks on the way to the airport...they were looking for drunks and drugs...There were also hundreds of men fishing from the main bridge in Old Town. I'm convinced they fish there 24 hours a day. Traffic is HORRIBLE in Istanbul so be prepared for the traffic. We walked, used the tram and had a driver when we went to the Asia side.

BTW we're sailed the Azamara Quest twice and this was our first time on the Ryndam. We'd love to sail the 1200 passenger Ryndam again but she has been sold to P&O. Our cruise was Venice to Istanbul and we loved every minute.