Ephesus Turkey?

I am going on a RCCL cruise which stops in Ephesus Turkey in September. Has anyone recently been there? Considering what is going on is the mid east and Syria should there be some concern about cruise ships stopping there?

We are still scheduled to dock there May 10th on our Jewel cruise. I hope it stays on the schedule....

If a cruise line considers a destination unsafe it will cancel it. Ephesus is nowhere near Syria.

We were there in October. No issues what so ever.

As far as I know Ephesus (Kusadasi) has not been pulled from any itineraries and is largely considered to be safe from the violence that has plagued other parts of Turkey. I wouldn't be worried (but I understand your concern). We were there several years ago and it was just amazing.

No problems in that area

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I am going on a RCCL cruise which stops in Ephesus Turkey in September. Has anyone recently been there? Considering what is going on is the mid east and Syria should there be some concern about cruise ships stopping there?

It's an amazing place. Enjoy

If a cruise line considers a destination unsafe it will cancel it. Ephesus is nowhere near Syria.

Geographically you're correct, but if you have been following the news for the past couple of years and especially this month, there is a real Syria Turkey tie.

I am going on a RCCL cruise which stops in Ephesus Turkey in September. Has anyone recently been there? Considering what is going on is the mid east and Syria should there be some concern about cruise ships stopping there?

Jewel went there last month. No issues

I was there on the Vision OTS in late November.

Like you I was concerned about the Kusadasi stop, particularly as other lines had dropped all Turkey stops & the state dept. had evacuated embassy families from Istanbul a week or so before the cruise.

That said, I am so glad I had the chance to see Ephesus. I did take a ship excursion (the one that included the terrace houses @ Ephesus.) There was nothing about the stop that was any different than the other ports, other than the regret of the Turkish people that their troubles had reduced the number of visitors to their land.

There on jewel in mid November and absolutely no problem. I would not hesitate to go ashore.

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I haven't been there in years, but when I did, it was amazing! One of our favorite stops :)

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Ephesus was the absolute highlight of our Med cruise this past summer. It's such a shame that so many lines are pulling out of this stop. We used "Ephesus Shuttle" for a day-long tour, and it was amazing. Highly recommended.

Make sure you see Mother Mary's home!

We did tour #10:

http://www.ephesusshuttle.com/kusadasi-to-ephesus/

Worth every penny. Awesome port and amazing sights.

If you do an Ephesus tour make sure it includes the Terrace Houses. They're a not to be missed.

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I was there on the Vision OTS in late November.

Like you I was concerned about the Kusadasi stop, particularly as other lines had dropped all Turkey stops & the state dept. had evacuated embassy families from Istanbul a week or so before the cruise.

That said, I am so glad I had the chance to see Ephesus. I did take a ship excursion (the one that included the terrace houses @ Ephesus.) There was nothing about the stop that was any different than the other ports, other than the regret of the Turkish people that their troubles had reduced the number of visitors to their land.

We were also on the Vision. It was our 3rd visit to both Ephesus and the House of the Blessed Virgin Mary. What caught our attention was the crowd...of lack of it. Both sites were nearly empty.

On our previous visit to the House of the BVM...it took us over an hour wait just to get to the front of the house. This past November...absolutely no line...incredible. Same thing in Ephesus...we can actually take pictures with no one in the background. On our previous trip to Ephesus, we couldn't walk without bumping into another tourist.

Our guide sadly told us that cruise ships no longer stop in Istanbul and the number of ships stopping in Kusadasi was reduced.

Happy sailing...hope your ship stops in Kusadasi.

One of my favorite ports of all time. We also used Ephesus Shuttle. So sad that many will miss this opportunity of a lifetime due to ships pulling out or their own fears. I'd go back in a NY minute.

I also loved Ephesus, and would not hesitate to go. We will be in Turkey next summer again.

I also loved Ephesus, and would not hesitate to go. We will be in Turkey next summer again.

Good for you!

We used Ephesus Shuttle for two different tours,a few years ago..outstanding!

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I highly recommend Ephesus Port Tours for a wonderful experience.

http://ephesusporttours.com/

An opportunity to visit Ephesus w/o the crowds shouldn't be missed. Ephesus, like all of Turkey, is wonderful and a long way from Syria. Go and enjoy. You'll cherish the memories!

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An opportunity to visit Ephesus w/o the crowds shouldn't be missed. Ephesus, like all of Turkey, is wonderful and a long way from Syria. Go and enjoy. You'll cherish the memories!

 

 

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Agreed! An incredibly interesting country. While in Ephesus, a visit to the town of Srinci is also a treat.

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I cannot believe the disinformation in some of the posts. We also like Turkey and have been there many times (on both cruises and land vacations). But these days, the country is in some turmoil, has a President with some "issues," and has real issues with terrorism. Several major cruise lines have already canceled all port calls, in Turkey, for the foreseeable future and others will likely follow. Here is a link to a very current report on the issue:

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/articles/terrorism-1/ While I am now a big fan of the attorney who wrote the article, his information is generally very accurate.

While many cruise lines have already announced port changes, in some cases the cruise schedules (online) still show Turkish ports for future cruises. We suspect within the next month these ports will disappear from schedules and itineraries will be totally revamped to avoid Turkey.

Personally, we would still feel comfortable in Kusadasi (Ephesus) but we are somewhat adventurous and have gone to places like Tunesia when many others would not :). DW and I would also go to Istanbul tomorrow....but would also acknowledge that there is some risk associated with that city. But cruise lines have to deal with their insurance carriers, and public perception. The bad publicity for Turkey will cause many cruisers to avoid any cruise to that part of the world...so the cruise lines will follow the best course to enhance their bookings...which means avoiding Turkey for most (if not all) of 2017.

..

Hank