Is cruising the eastern Mediterranean safe?

Have just booked a Greek/Turkey cruise for the fall...and now more political, violent unrest in the middle east.

I know that RC will not go to ports of call that are questionable BUT in the meantime, I wonder if I've been foolish to even consider going and perhaps should pick another cruise elsewhere..it's all refundable at this point.

Do other cruisers have this concern/fear?

I wouldn't want to be in that area...those folks are nuts over there! But, many have no fear and would go in a second....it's all up to your tolerance for risk!

I live in the UK but already have a holiday booked for Turkey in October time. Meantime these places (especially Greek islands) would be safer than Jamaica or Belize or some other places in the Caribbean!!!! or Mexico!! Hear all the local police in some areas been killed/resigned etc and now they have a 21yr old girl in charge! So from that point of view Greece and Turkey are very low risk!!!! Infact even Haiti gets a continued bad press here in lots of ways but RCI still going and we are happy to go there.

As previous poster says it depends on what you want to risk (are London/Paris/Rome or New York safe - at some times they are and in some areas but not always!!!????)

Jackie

When we stopped in Turkey in '06 the Turks were probably the friendliest people we encountered at no time did I feel unsafe at any of our Med stops.

That being said we have a Holy Land cruise booked for the end of September and are hoping things in Egypt improve enough that we can safely stop there...the recent troubles are worrisome.

I wonder if trip cancellation insurance has a 'I got the heebie geebies' clause in it? Up until final payment, the ball is firmly in my court...after that....

I agree with comments that Jamaica etc are never 100% risk free...been there, done that, won't go back.

Wonder if the penguins in the Antarctic are planning a riot?

We're booked to go to Greece and Turkey this summer. Didn't give it a second thought. Neither country is like Egypt right now in terms of unrest. Each country in that area is very different.

But even then, hoping for Egypt for next year.

Have just booked a Greek/Turkey cruise for the fall...and now more political, violent unrest in the middle east.

 

I know that RC will not go to ports of call that are questionable BUT in the meantime, I wonder if I've been foolish to even consider going and perhaps should pick another cruise elsewhere..it's all refundable at this point.

 

Do other cruisers have this concern/fear?

Greece is part of the European union and Turkey not far off, they are not really near the hot spots of North Africa so get your atlas out and check where they are please.

They are Europe and not the Middle east.

Greece is part of the European union and Turkey not far off, they are not really near the hot spots of North Africa so get your atlas out and check where they are please.

They are Europe and not the Middle east.

thanks for the geography lesson but I do know where EU and Turkey ends and Middle East begins.

My question was not one of geography or political interpretation...it was merely 'did anyone feel uneasy about booking anywhere CLOSE, in the area, of where there WAS trouble'...that's it.

Period. Just your opinion. Asked and answered. Thank you.

ps the Kurds in Turkey today were not very happy so Egypt may look like a cake walk in hindsight.

Not sure what Greece or Turkey have to do with unrest in the Middle East?!?

Geographically they are not THAT close.

And yes, I'll be in those countries in May and am eagerly looking forward to it.

Do people stop visiting the US because of the drug wars in Mexico??? Nope. So why stop visiting a country (Greece) that's not even on the same continent.

I live in the UK but already have a holiday booked for Turkey in October time. Meantime these places (especially Greek islands) would be safer than Jamaica or Belize or some other places in the Caribbean!!!! or Mexico!! Hear all the local police in some areas been killed/resigned etc and now they have a 21yr old girl in charge! So from that point of view Greece and Turkey are very low risk!!!! Infact even Haiti gets a continued bad press here in lots of ways but RCI still going and we are happy to go there.

 

As previous poster says it depends on what you want to risk (are London/Paris/Rome or New York safe - at some times they are and in some areas but not always!!!????)

 

Jackie

I tend to agree, the Med overall is likely far safer than the Caribbean...or at least specifiically than Mexico.

The Dubia Middle East cruise seems pretty safe as well...of course we didn't go to Baharain & Yemen.

The cruise lines don't want to go to overly dangerous places, the crew could get hurt as easily as passengers and RCCL wants neigher put at undue risk.

Greece is part of the European union and Turkey not far off, they are not really near the hot spots of North Africa so get your atlas out and check where they are please.

They are Europe and not the Middle east.

THIS ^

Completely different culture, location and political climate.

Plus, you would only be hurting yourself not to go to Greece - one of the most incredible places I've ever traveled to. I would go back 100 more times :)

Greece and Turkey also have pretty stiff security, as in officials with guns keep an eye on things.

I would book a Med cruise with Greece or Turkey in it in a heartbeat. Heck, I'm even going to the Mexican Riviera in April. I've never felt unsafe there, and I've been down there a dozen times.

I was accosted in Fort Lauderdale by a group of young men walking down the street by myself. I was quite afraid. I've never been that afraid anywhere else. I won't stop going to Fort Lauderdale, either.;)

I'm not going to go to the border towns of Mexico, and would probably stay on the ship in Acapulco. Ochos Rios was our favourite port on one of our Western Caribbean cruises.

I'm not about to go to the Middle East right now, and honestly really don't want to anyway. I loathe how women are treated in these countries.

But Greece and Turkey - go. The history is mind-blowing.

And yes, I'll be in those countries in May and am eagerly looking forward to it.

 

Twiggers, not trying to stalk you or anything, but I posted on another thread that you are taking the Eastern Med cruise right after ours, and do you need any help or info on the ports? I've been to several of them already, and I have a great Ephesus tour lined up. Just thought I'd mention it again (last mention, too). :D

I just got back from an Eastern Med cruise. We were supposed to go to Egypt, but the riots started on day 2 of the trip. We ended up going to Istanbul for two nights. We also went to Izmir, Turkey and Athens (and Rome and Malta). I Did not feel unsafe at all in any of these ports. We saw a few demonstrations in each port, but they were small, peaceful and very much in control. The people in all of these places were extremely friendly and nice. Having two overnights in Istanbul meant that we did a lot of exploring on our own and pretty much walked everywhere.Just take the obvious cautions you should take when you are travelling anywhere and you will be fine. They were all amazing places to go to.

OP - just be prepared to miss Greece if any demonstrations are going on. We missed Athens last November because of this. Even though we were rerouted to Crete, we still came face to face with protesters, not once but twice. It was something I would rather not have encountered.

However, I do agree with the poster that said Turks are very friendly. We thoroughly enjoyed out port stop there.

Greece/Turkey seemed perfectly safe to me and I have not heard of any safety issues regarding tourists there. Pick-pockets are plenty and they can cause a lot of aggravation, but unlikely to kidnap you for ransom or slit your throat or other things one could be worried about. Note also that in Greece and Turkey there are no reports of semi automatic weapons being fired on a crowd at a Safeway grocery store, to mention just one such unfortunate incident in "safe" America. Ok, ok, you're from Canada OP, that was uncalled for!

I see nothing wrong with booking a cruise that covers Greece and Turkey.

I think some of the surprise from my fellow Europeans stems from the apparent tone received in the post that you are treating Greece and Turkey as if they were Somalia, while Greece is part of the EU and Turkey, well they would like to, and someday they probably will.

Are you afraid to take a cruise out of New York City? 3,000 people murdered in a terrorist attack in one single day. That's never happened anyplace else on the planet.

We still travel frequently to New York, and even shop at that famous discount department store right across the street from Ground Zero, and always pause in front of Ground Zero to say a prayer and remember how horrible the world can be sometimes, anywhere.

But it does not stop us from traveling, as long as we are cautious and aware of everyplace we go.

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

And yes, I'll be in those countries in May and am eagerly looking forward to it.

 

Twiggers, not trying to stalk you or anything, but I posted on another thread that you are taking the Eastern Med cruise right after ours, and do you need any help or info on the ports? I've been to several of them already, and I have a great Ephesus tour lined up. Just thought I'd mention it again (last mention, too). :D

 

Thanks so much pcur! We actually got a good group together and have booked all of our excursions already! I am SO incredibly excited to visit. I really hope nothing is going on in Athens though....if we missed that stop I'd be really bummed :-(

It's hard to plan for a cruise sometimes over a year away, knowing now what the climate might be like. I plan to book a greek isles cruise for spring 2012, and would like to try egypt or israel at some point. The political/religious unrest won't stop me, but I will just make sure to book something that doesn't have the potential to be many days at sea, like what happened to the Brillance itinerary.

That being said - I am so looking forward to time in Greece and Turkey!!!

Have just booked a Greek/Turkey cruise for the fall...and now more political, violent unrest in the middle east.

 

I know that RC will not go to ports of call that are questionable BUT in the meantime, I wonder if I've been foolish to even consider going and perhaps should pick another cruise elsewhere..it's all refundable at this point.

 

Do other cruisers have this concern/fear?

I'm surprised you make it out of your front door every day - more risk of being mugged in the streets around Ballentyne Pier than having trouble in Turkey or Greece.:rolleyes:

It's hard to plan for a cruise sometimes over a year away, knowing now what the climate might be like. I plan to book a greek isles cruise for spring 2012, and would like to try egypt or israel at some point. The political/religious unrest won't stop me, but I will just make sure to book something that doesn't have the potential to be many days at sea, like what happened to the Brillance itinerary.

 

!!

I think that this would be the biggest "danger" of booking a cruise in an area with unrest. Although I read the post that some passengers did encounter some protesters in Greece, this is rare - the cruise line is much more likely to cancel the stop and go somewhere that you had not planned for.

I would not be worrying about Greece and Trukey - Egypt and some of the Caribbean ports might concern me a little more.

Whenever you go on a cruise you must always bear in mind that the Captain could change the itinerary at the last minute due to weather or other factors. He will put ship safety first.

Enjoy your Eastern Med cruise.

Have just booked a Greek/Turkey cruise for the fall...and now more political, violent unrest in the middle east.

 

I know that RC will not go to ports of call that are questionable BUT in the meantime, I wonder if I've been foolish to even consider going and perhaps should pick another cruise elsewhere..it's all refundable at this point.

 

Do other cruisers have this concern/fear?

We did the Greek Isles and Turkey in 2008. We had a wonderful time and never felt uncomfortable with our surroundings. We loved Ephesus, Athens, Corfu, Santorini, Mykonons, and Oympia. Go for it....you'll love it!:)

When we stopped in Turkey in '06 the Turks were probably the friendliest people we encountered at no time did I feel unsafe at any of our Med stops.

 

That being said we have a Holy Land cruise booked for the end of September and are hoping things in Egypt improve enough that we can safely stop there...the recent troubles are worrisome.

We also have a Holy Land cruise booked in the Fall which also includes two stops in Egypt. We are really hoping everything settles down over there before then. If not, I hope the ship will decide to go to Istanbul! We have friends who have been there and LOVED it!

Greece/Turkey seemed perfectly safe to me and I have not heard of any safety issues regarding tourists there. Pick-pockets are plenty and they can cause a lot of aggravation, but unlikely to kidnap you for ransom or slit your throat or other things one could be worried about. Note also that in Greece and Turkey there are no reports of semi automatic weapons being fired on a crowd at a Safeway grocery store, to mention just one such unfortunate incident in "safe" America. Ok, ok, you're from Canada OP, that was uncalled for!

I totally understand what you are talking about. We have many scary things happen here in the U.S. I've been to quite a few countries in Europe now, and have , so far, felt very safe in each of them!