Are Celebrity still going to Istanbul?

In light of recent troubles, I wondered whether we will still be going to Istanbul on our upcoming cruise, or whether they may choose to swap it for a different port?

I would think that they will react to Foreign Office advice prevailing at the time. Personally, I don't think I would want to go there at this moment. Things are not going to improve anytime soon.

I think there is no reason to change itineraries unless there is a hostile event or imminent threat at or near Istanbul or Kusadasi, like the ones that happened in Tunisia. If cruise lines chose not to operate at cities in a country with conflicts, they should have started with Mexico, or Sochi, Russia.

.... If cruise lines chose not to operate at cities in a country with conflicts, they should have started with ..... Sochi, Russia.

Exactly!

I don't see why cruise line would stop going to Istanbul now. And I would not rush cancelling my cruise now because of Istanbul. Istanbul is absolutely beautiful! It has so much to offer! It would be a shame if you missed this great city.

One should be careful when following the news media. Istanbul remains a terrific city for tourists (one of our favorite in the world) and like most large cities does have its problems. But seldom does this impact on tourists or the main tourist areas. As a matter of fact, we just (2 days ago) were at a party with 2 Gay Gentleman (very old friends) who just returned from 2 weeks in Turkey. They actually were in Istanbul for the Gay Pride "event" and had a great time....despite some interference by local authorities.

And one needs to also be careful with geography. Most of the serious problems in Turkey are happening in the far Southeast (near Syria) which has about as much impact on Istanbul as violence on the Texas border (with Mexico) has on New York City.

Hank

One should be careful when following the news media. Istanbul remains a terrific city for tourists (one of our favorite in the world) and like most large cities does have its problems. But seldom does this impact on tourists or the main tourist areas. As a matter of fact, we just (2 days ago) were at a party with 2 Gay Gentleman (very old friends) who just returned from 2 weeks in Turkey. They actually were in Istanbul for the Gay Pride "event" and had a great time....despite some interference by local authorities.

 

And one needs to also be careful with geography. Most of the serious problems in Turkey are happening in the far Southeast (near Syria) which has about as much impact on Istanbul as violence on the Texas border (with Mexico) has on New York City.

 

Hank

You are very correct. The media does exaggerate issues anywhere. Istanbul is one of our favorite Cities in the world. There is so much history and so much to see. We have traveled there often, even when there were protests in Taksim Square and never had a problem. It is a big City and many big Cities in the world have issues. Just be vigilant.

Celebrity will not stop going there unless the issues pose a real threat to its guests, and i prey this never happens

Istanbul has had a lot of demonstrations, riots, and general unrest in the past year. News in the USA doesn't report events unless Americans are involved. Last winter I called my TA and requested booking a Celebrity cruise that was Istanbul RT. My TA told me not to book it. He sent me info on recent events. I like Istanbul. I stayed in Istanbul on a land tour. It is a great city with lots of interesting things to see and do. Unfortunately, Istanbul is not a good place to be now. Cruise lines do not want to take ships to dangerous ports. Often ports are changed if they are risky. If you book an Eastern European cruise, be prepared for changes. Cruise lines can change ports for many reasons. In some ways, on a cruise is safer than just flying in and staying.

In light of recent troubles, I wondered whether we will still be going to Istanbul on our upcoming cruise, or whether they may choose to swap it for a different port?

They'd be a few bigger issues than just your port day stop being altered, as a couple of next month's cruises either start (overnight) or end from Istanbul itself, including ours ;). The logistics of moving everything on the prior cruises to yours would be a nightmare for X, and so I presume they wouldn't make the decision lightly, without Foreign Office advice etc. That being said, thankfully, safety is high on the agenda with X.

I believe the Equinox will be there on the 24th of August after the charter cruise after ours.

My good friend has been working there for 5 months for his work and always describes it as a very mixed and metropolitan city.

They'd be a few bigger issues than just your port day stop being altered, as a couple of next month's cruises either start (overnight) or end from Istanbul itself, including ours ;). The logistics of moving everything on the prior cruises to yours would be a nightmare for X, and so I presume they wouldn't make the decision lightly, without Foreign Office advice etc. That being said, thankfully, safety is high on the agenda with X.

Agree. While we were diverted from Egypt to Istanbul at the last minute 4 years ago (it was only a 2 day stop), this fall our cruise departs from Istanbul. The cruise line does not want to risk not only the pax safety, but also the ship and its crew. I am sure X (& other cruise lines) is monitoring the situation closely. It would be a nightmare to change the logistics for the cruise line & pax who have booked their air already to make changes. On the other hand, of course we would make the necessary changes if things got worse.

One should be careful when following the news media. Istanbul remains a terrific city for tourists (one of our favorite in the world) and like most large cities does have its problems. But seldom does this impact on tourists or the main tourist areas. As a matter of fact, we just (2 days ago) were at a party with 2 Gay Gentleman (very old friends) who just returned from 2 weeks in Turkey. They actually were in Istanbul for the Gay Pride "event" and had a great time....despite some interference by local authorities.

 

And one needs to also be careful with geography. Most of the serious problems in Turkey are happening in the far Southeast (near Syria) which has about as much impact on Istanbul as violence on the Texas border (with Mexico) has on New York City.

 

Hank

Well said Hank, Tessikur ederim......

Just a few facts:

• Turkey has the 7th largest army in the world (+650K strong).
  
• The distance between Istanbul and Suruc (where the terror attack happened) is 800mi. That's a 12 hour drive, or 90 minutes flight.
  
• Turkey is a NATO member.
  

For ISIS or any terror group, hitting Istanbul is not easy. Istanbul is not immune to terror attacks, but its threat level is not that different as New York, London, or Paris.

We are also on the Equinox sailing out of Istanbul on 24th August and are starting to get a bit concerned. There is also a worrying threat on the UK Foreign Office site today about a threat to public transport. I am sure all will be well but I'm keeping a careful eye on the news. We are staying o/n in Istanbul pre cruise but do not intend to leave the hotel. Fortunately we had a great day there 4 years ago, so have no real need to go out site seeing which is a shame as Istanbul is such a great city. Once we board the ship, we won't be going ashore even though we are in port overnight. We also plan not to get off in Kusadasi but we made that decision a long time ago and is not related to the recent troubles. Unfortunately we are all living in scary times but life has to go on and we are so excited about this long awaited cruise. We have to put our trust in Celebrity and their security.

Itineraries weren't even altered when the missile was shot at the port in Ashdod Israel last year.

It's doubtful these will change, and IF they do, it will be determined quite close to sailing, if not during a sailing.

Never book a sailing for the sole purpose of visiting a particular port, there's always a chance of a change or cancellation, and no refunds.

Itineraries weren't even altered when the missile was shot at the port in Ashdod Israel last year.

 

It's doubtful these will change, and IF they do, it will be determined quite close to sailing, if not during a sailing.

 

Never book a sailing for the sole purpose of visiting a particular port, there's always a chance of a change or cancellation, and no refunds.

Curt,

These are totally different circumstances as several of the cruises actually embark (start) in Istanbul on overnights, or end there ;). Quite different from deciding during a sailing whether to dock or not.

Curt,

 

These are totally different circumstances as several of the cruises actually embark (start) in Istanbul on overnights, or end there ;). Quite different from deciding during a sailing whether to dock or not.

In this case, I would say it is VERY VERY doubtful there will be any modification, unless there is a "clear and present danger" since if they change the embarkation or disembarkation point, they will owe lots of passengers lots of compensation under the cruise contract, whereas they have to modify 3 ports of call before any compensation is due. And likely any such perceived threat, would require modifications to many itineraries all over the Med, and would mean we are nearing WWIII.

Anyone on these sailings needs to heavily weigh the cost/benefit for the Cancel Anytime kind of cruise insurance, and not rely on X to make modifications that will make them fell more comfortable with embarking in that port.

We are also on the Equinox sailing out of Istanbul on 24th August and are starting to get a bit concerned. There is also a worrying threat on the UK Foreign Office site today about a threat to public transport. I am sure all will be well but I'm keeping a careful eye on the news. We are staying o/n in Istanbul pre cruise but do not intend to leave the hotel. Fortunately we had a great day there 4 years ago, so have no real need to go out site seeing which is a shame as Istanbul is such a great city. Once we board the ship, we won't be going ashore even though we are in port overnight. We also plan not to get off in Kusadasi but we made that decision a long time ago and is not related to the recent troubles. Unfortunately we are all living in scary times but life has to go on and we are so excited about this long awaited cruise. We have to put our trust in Celebrity and their security.

We arrive a couple of days pre cruise, & while we will be vigilant, plan to explore this intriguing city. While keeping abreast of current news, I do not plan to live in fear. Life is meant for living.

We will be joining a cruise in Istanbul soon and plan to go at this stage. A warning has been released so you may need to be very aware of what is happening around you and your circumstances.

This link contains news from the area

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/Default.aspx?PageID=604&NewsCatID=509&p=2#3475

What have I missed that is making you all so concerned about visiting Istanbul? I work in the travel industry and haven't received any notifications of issues in this city and believe me, if there were any sort of threats to our clients (either for those already there or travelling in the near future) we'd be told so that we can advise accordingly.

The UK Government Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice does not suggest you should not visit Istanbul, but just to be vigilant, monitor media reports and keep up to date with this travel advice.

No advice not to travel, only warning of threat to public transport

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/turkey

Our cruise starts in Istanbul in September and we have every intention of sightseeing both before and after the cruise. We can't live our lives in fear

Our cruise starts in Istanbul in September and we have every intention of sightseeing both before and after the cruise. We can't live our lives in fear

Well said.

Amazing to see the impact of the media on public opinion on this thread. I was in Istanbul 5 weeks ago and had a fabulous time. The chances of something happening to you are probably larger in New York, Washington or London given that the big target is the west. For that matter, driving to the airport is probably even riskier :/

Istanbul is regarded as safe and as such there should be no alterations to any itineraries.

The latest update from UK Foreign Office is

"The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all travel to within 10 km of the border with Syria.

The FCO advise against all but essential travel to:

the remaining areas of Sirnak, Mardin, Sanliurfa, Gaziantep, Kilis and Hatay provinces

Siirt, Tunceli and Hakkari provinces.

Over 2,500,000 British nationals visit Turkey every year. Most visits are trouble-free."

As the warnings are for the other end of the country then all is OK.

Istanbul has had a lot of demonstrations, riots, and general unrest in the past year. News in the USA doesn't report events unless Americans are involved. Last winter I called my TA and requested booking a Celebrity cruise that was Istanbul RT. My TA told me not to book it. He sent me info on recent events. I like Istanbul. I stayed in Istanbul on a land tour. It is a great city with lots of interesting things to see and do. Unfortunately, Istanbul is not a good place to be now. Cruise lines do not want to take ships to dangerous ports. Often ports are changed if they are risky. If you book an Eastern European cruise, be prepared for changes. Cruise lines can change ports for many reasons. In some ways, on a cruise is safer than just flying in and staying.

I would be shopping for a new travel agent. :) I feel safer in Istanbul than in many areas of the U.S. Could that change in some point in time? Of course, but for now I had no problem when we were there, & was fine when my kids went there last Christmas.

Ten years ago, there was a bombing of a tourist van in Kusadasi. We were there on our honeymoon a week later. Don't let the terrorists win. Don't be afraid to travel. Be a smart tourist, minimize your risks, and enjoy our beautiful planet.

We were in Istanbul with the Constellation about two weeks ago.

The evening before arrival we got a letter from the captain. I don't have the exact wording but it explained that there was the possibility of demonstrations/events in certain areas and that extra care should be taken. He also made an announcement when we arrived.

However we had no trouble at all and enjoyed our two days there.