We-R-Off

Cruising the Sounds was one of the absolute highlights for me. So much so that we are booked to do it again.

We are taking this cruise at the end of January 2019. We'd welcome tips for the NZ ports for independent tours.

We have some OBC so we'll take one of the ship tours at one of the ports, most likely the Maori experience.

We're spending 4 days pre-cruise in Port Douglas, 5 days with friends in Melbourne & a week in Sydney, so we're all sorted there.

We live in Israel & are collecting friends we met on our last cruise for the day. Where do cruisers exit the port? Can I collect them by car at the port gates? We plan to travel to Akko & Rosh Hanikra.

 

I read these and thought, ok, the brochure stated there would be a Rabbi. You called to confirm. Good job.

 

The fact that services were not publicly held on embarkation day did not prevent you from privately observing in the privacy of your stateroom.

 

Plus, Guest services did confirm the Rabbi was on board, and services were held. The fact that services were not to your liking and that the Rabbi was not prepared for the services means that the Rabbi did not do HIS job and confirm the space and time constraints and that your expectations were too high for services by an unfamiliar Rabbi on a cruise ship.

 

If you want a specific service on a specific day, stay home and go to your local house of worship on that day, whatever your religious preference may be.

My thoughts EXACTLY. We didn't even look for services on our earlier cruises. We hadn't considered that they existed. We enjoyed the social side of the get together with no expectations. I don't go to services anyway on Friday night or Shabbat.

If you are looking for religious services, then don't travel during the High Holidays. We don't. Perhaps if you wish to AVOID High Holidays, take a cruise.

I am also Jewish, and if I cruised during the High Holy Days, I would not expect hours-long services. Rosh Hashanah services are several hours during the day, and unless you are Reform (or Israeli), it is 2 days, not one. Yom Kippur services are even longer, encompassing most of the day.

 

In any event, IMO, cruising on the High Holy Days violates their spirit, which is one of introspection, reflection and repentance. Services won't make up for that.

Sorry slight correction, in Israel Rosh Hashona is two days too.

Live there, so I know that.

The Rabbi conducted the morning service using material prepared by some rabbis and given to him by the ship -He thought that it was excellent but too long considering that we had to be out of the lounge by 9am--they had to set up for some party that was coming in at 9:30He had to skip and shorten the service He kept on looking at his watch and apologizing--Did you guess what group was having the party --my invitation was in my pocket --the rabbi announced the time and place for Sabbath services and at 9am we left. I did not feel that I would be good company and did not attend the 9:30 cruise critic party .

 

Time and place for Jewish services never appeared in the daily Summit Today .It was posted on the community board located in the lobby --beneath Mah Jong and above bridge

I can see how you were confused & disappointed. Erev Rosh Hashona of course would be the embarkation date.

On our last Baltic Cruise - I couldn't figure out how they would do Shabbat Services because it wasn't officially dark! I thought the announcement time of services would be on the front page of the the Summit & missed it the first week. The 2nd week I found it listed like the other meetings at 17:30 & attended. It was just before or after an Ilounge class (can't remember).

We have attended services before on Celebrity ships which were conducted by other passengers, not a Rabbi. There were printed short booklets which I think were provided by Celebrity as well as wine & challah. If you are a Traditional practicing Jew, these services are not close to regular services & very different from the services in the Synagogue.

We attended services twice on Celebrity & once on Princess, but more for the social atmosphere than religious. It was short & a pleasant place to meet people.

On the Princess there seemed to be some leadership rivalry going on between two unofficial service makers.

We introduced a few of our tunes which seemed to equalize the battlefield.

I had considered cruising during High Holidays, even though I am not religious. However, after your posting, I would personally chose to spend Yom Kippur at home with my family, especially if there's not a sufficient time slot for the services.

I think the Rabbi (presumably, paid or receiving a free trip) should have coordinated with Celebrity the time shedule/location where he was going to provide his services. I presume Celebrity only "employ" a Rabbi for High Holidays.

Seems to me, that could be a lucrative side line !!!! Makes one consider taking it up for a Free trip (or discounted) with so little work needed !!!!!

I don't think any cruise company need to provide services & it is a nice gesture. However, if you were assured there would be services, then that is a little discouraging.

Reflection 22APR 2017 arriving Civit on May 8. Is anyone organizing transport to airport?

There are lots of shuttle companies that you can find on line.

Alternatively put a post on your cruise forum.

I noticed that there are a few C2 aft staterooms (right at the back of the ship) for a cruise that we've booked. We currently have a midship stateroom. Is there any advantage of the C2 AFT staterooms?

so, for our recently booked equinox cruise, we'll have nearly $600 obc in addition to prepaid gratuities, premium beverage package, and unlimited wifi.

 

There are only three ports- in one of them we already have a non-ship-excursion planned, and may or may not book through the ship for the others.

 

There's always the spa, but even with obc those sky-high prices make me cringe... I'll probably get one treatment but can't imagine doing much more.

 

We are going to have access to blu which we really liked so i don't see much sense in spending even more for another restaurant.

 

Surely the premium beverage package should include enough things we want to drink?

 

I am not a big shopper so no jewels or purses in the onboard shops for me.

 

Persian garden included in aqua class, so don't need to buy that...

 

This is a great problem to have but i really am not even sure what other things i can spend money on? Help me get creative!

ipad

We are a middle aged couple with an overnight cruise stop in Aruba. We don't want to rent a car, but wondered if we could get around by public transport for cultural & scenic trip over the two days? Itinerary Suggestions would be appreciated.

I had read in past CC posts that the shipboard credit could be used in the casino and redeemed for cash. This is no longer true. Last week on the Summit we took out $150.00 from our shipboard credit at the Casino in exchange for chips. We received it all in $5.00 chips. We did not wish to gamble, we expected to turn them in for cash. Imagine our surprise when we realized that these chips were highly restrictive. We had to play the entire $5.00 chip at once, the chips were non refundable, and we could not exchange them for cash. We were not happy. Our only choice was to gamble them away. Fortunately, I told my tale of woe to a very sweet roulette dealer. He told me to play even, odd, red and black where I would double my money in two of the four bets. He then gave me my winnings in real chips. I played until I had used up all the $5.00 promo non refundable chips and walked away with $150.00 in cash. I'm not sure how long Celebrity will allow folks to beat the system, but it worked for us.

 

 

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That's good to know. I had intended to do the same last week, with our very healthy NR OBC. I splashed out & bought a new mini Ipad & will give my old one to my grandson !!! At least you won at the tables & got your money.

This review is to warn anyone who is contemplating cruising with Celebrity Cruise Line. On August 4 my husband and I were notified that our 2018 cruise from San Juan, Puerto Rico had been cancelled. Please keep in mind that we have had this reservation since late March 2016. We had tried to take this exact trip slated for January 2017 but were told the cruise had been cancelled. So after being told it was in for repair, we proceeded to book the 2018 cruise date.

 

Now this exact cruise, for the second time, has been cancelled. Upon further investigation I have uncovered that Celebrity Cruise has thrown everyone that booked on this cruise off so they could sell the complete booking to a company not only for the 2018 date but also the 2017 sailing. Which means, Celebrity Cruise has no loyalty to its booked customers. All that matters to Celebrity is the almighty dollar!

 

We have cruised for over 20 years with different cruise lines and never once has a cruise line kicked us off a booked and deposit paid cruise. This little game of booking a listed cruise until something better comes along is totally wrong. They have disrupted many planned vacations without so much as a truthful explanation of why. I assume it is easier to say the cruise was cancelled instead of we don’t care that we have spoiled your planned vacation for a better offer from someone else. They offered to rebook us on the December sailing of this itinerary but we would be flying home the day before Christmas plus we would have to pay an additional amount due to an increase in the fare. Since we are senior travelers, with more years behind us than in front, being with family is very important to us which made this not an option.

 

We, and I assume many other passengers, are left to get their refunds from whatever source they used to pay for this trip. Thank goodness we did not make airline or hotel reservations. We did, however, purchase travel insurance and were told we could not receive a refund due to the time cancellation policy even though it was not our fault that the cruise was cancelled by Celebrity. After many phone conversations and endless time with several representatives, we were able to receive an exception and were granted the full refund of our purchase of travel insurance. This inconvenience is one more factor that Celebrity Cruise caused with this unwarranted cruise cancellation.

 

Celebrity Cruise should be ashamed of itself for listing a cruise and not living up to its responsibility of providing the service they so proudly tout. This disrupting a cruise of so many customers because they received a better offer should be a warning to anyone who sails with them. Your planned trip could be next! Celebrity Cruise is not looking out for anyone but themselves and will “throw anyone overboard” that may already have a paid reservation. Traveler Beware, Celebrity Cruise Line newsletters usually have a “Thank You for Your Loyally” remark in them, but experiencing their “thank you” first hand, we know that Celebrity Cruise Line and its’ executives have only one agenda, the bottom line, not the consumer.:mad:

We had a cruise cancelled 6 months before by another cruise company & yes, we did lose the money we'd forked out for airfares.

At least you have not lost money.

Sorry that it has happened to you, we did the repositioning cruise with Celebrity from Puerto Rico & loved it.

If you look down the board you will see many recommendations for Alla, Red October, and several other companies.

We recently returned. We used Alla & were very satisfied. We included the Faberge Museum & in the end we were only a group of 6, which was fantastic.

They don't ask a fellow cruiser to arrange the groups & they guarantee your group of up to 16 people. If less sign up, you benefit.

No way we would plan go to Turkey at this time. Safety first. And Turkey is not a safe place now.

Quite agree. This latest attack was targeted at tourists, because it was in the International Departure section of the airport. In all respect for their "tight security" how did they get through the doors of the airport?

Another terror attack in a very volatile area.

Thanks so very much for your replies.

Hopefully, they will use the same performers as your cruise or a troupe of the same high standard.

We did contemplate going to a Ballet, but, we're not particularly Ballet fans, although I'm sure it'd be beautiful.

We're more interested in Folk Dancing & Music. We've seen the Red Army Choir in the past & hoped that the ship would provide entertainment on the overnight evening.

I happen to mention this to an acquaintence today & she told me that their cruise company also brought on local performers.

Your replies have been very helpful & decision to stay OB has been made.

Thanks again.

My parents (50's) and I (mid-20's) sailed with Celebrity on the Summit this past week (12/19-12/26) to the Caribbean. We have previously sailed with Carnival, Norwegian, and Princess. This was our 5th cruise overall and the first with Celebrity. I thought I'd post on our overall dissatisfaction to help others in their cruise research and to get feedback on whether our perspectives are unreasonable or atypical for Celebrity.

 

Negatives:

1. Dining Service and Selection

My family is vegetarian and this was indicated as such on our meal preferences at time of booking. From the very beginning of the cruise, we were surprised by the lackluster options.

 

Main Dining Room (MDR) - In the MDR, the vegetarian menu only featured 2 entrees on a given day - compared to 8 for other passengers (4 everyday classics, and 4 selections for the day). On all our other cruises, we at least had 4 choices to choose from. On our first time trying the MDR, our family was hoping to have a vegetarian pasta dish of some kind, as a pasta dish with meat was featured on the menu and vegetarian pasta was on the room service menu. They refused to accommodate the request and instead told us to special order for a subsequent day - which we were reluctant to do given the service level. On another day, rather stupidly, the 'vegetarian menu' was missing the pasta dish labeled as vegetarian from the main menu!

 

Buffet - My family often felt a game was being played at the buffet. When returning from a day at shore around 4:30 PM, the only food options open would be the pasta bar and pizza bar - nothing else. This led to long lines and subpar service. At the pizza station for example, given the small 10" or so diameter of the pizza, given mini-slices were picked up faster than they could be made. Why couldn't the diameter be larger and more reasonable? To reduce Celebrity's food costs? Similarly, the wait for garlic bread was often over 30 minutes. In one instance, after being told 7 minutes until the next garlic bread serving, I decided to wait and then was told that garlic bread was not their priority and not to wait - quite rude for something my family is 'addicted' to. In another case (on another day with another crewmember), my father kept on being told a next serving of garlic bread was coming out in 3 minutes repeatedly, and whenever he went back there was none. He decided to wait 30 minutes until they finally brought it out, and of course they burned it such that it was inedible. On another note, the ice cream station decided to close unannounced from around 4:45 to 5:30 PM everyday - right when people were coming back onboard and would appreciate a refresher. Such a long break in service should be mentioned in the daily program - we saw countless people going back and confused given the advertised hours. Of course their for-pay Gelateria never had such 'breaks' from what we could tell.

 

In terms of other food options, not much thought was put into the buffet for lunch and dinner - especially for vegetarians across from the daily pasta, pizza, salad, and sometimes an Indian curry and rice. There would be cheese, etc. for nachos without the nachos themselves. For dessert at dinner on Christmas Eve there were only cupcakes. Really - cupcakes on a holiday cruise, and on Christmas Eve of all days? The one thing we did love about the buffet was the unlimited complimentary fruit punch and lemonade - as there was often nothing but water outside of breakfast on our previous cruises. The family was satisfied with the breakfast service overall.

 

Room Service - For Concierge class, our 'afternoon savories' were advertised in-room daily. My family found these on the first evening of the cruise and nearly started eating the mini-sandwiches before I stopped them and decided to check with the stateroom attendant. Turns out that they were not vegetarian, as clearly indicated in our profile, and that the stateroom attendant was not informed of this restriction whatsoever. Another miss by Celebrity. In addition, why is premium orange juice available complimentary for breakfast via room-service but at a charge in the main buffet? Seemed like a game.

 

2. Double the Pricing without the Value

Compared to our previous cruises, we felt the pricing on Celebrity on-board was significantly higher, while providing equivalent or inferior value in return. Here are some examples that irked us:

 

1. Bingo cards are often around $20 on most cruises. Why was the minimum entry $39?

2. Family photographs (boarding, dinners, etc.) are often around $20. These were priced at a 50% premium at $30 on Celebrity.

3. Drink packages were overpriced. (Yes, there's an entire thread on this, but I thought it was worth mentioning again.) On Carnival and others, a non-alcoholic premium package for sodas, juices, and mocktails often went for around $12/day. Why was this priced at an 80% premium on Celebrity at $22/day? I'm aware it included more (e.g. Vitamin Water), but we couldn't justify the splurge as we had on previous cruises.

4. The Gelateria offered scoops of Gelato starting at $4 if I recall right. This seemed like the most under-utilized public area of the ship, given the unwillingness of most to cough up given the ice cream station in the buffet area (when that managed to stay open at least...)

 

I understand that Celebrity is a business and without capitalism, many of us wouldn't be taking a cruise to begin with. However, it just seemed a bit much. We ended up spending the least we have on any cruise on-board because of these differences.

 

3. Safety Drill

Out of all the cruises we've been on, the safety drill on the Summit seemed to be an effort by the crew to just 'check the box'. The lounge for our Muster Station was so packed that no one could hear the start (or end) of the announcements regarding the safety drill. The TV screen was not readily visible to most of the people at the Muster Station. In our previous cruises, we lined up on a deck in an orderly fashion. In addition, when a fellow cruiser accidentally pushed the elevator emergency call button on the last evening of our cruise, it returned a busy signal. Quite comforting...

 

4. Mandatory Prepaid Gratuities & Concierge Class

This was the first cruise where we had no choice but to prepay gratuities given the only dining option available - the Celebrity Select anytime dining. We've had anytime dining on all our other cruises without this requirement. The gratuity was higher at $13.45/day given our stateroom in the Concierge class. Despite the advertising that adjustments were possible with gratuities on Celebrity's website FAQs, the Summit program very clearly stated that no adjustments were possible for those that had prepaid. We would have liked for once to at least reallocate our gratuities given the service level we experienced for dining. Perhaps the service level we experienced was in part due to some staff (e.g. for Select in the MDR) being aware no adjustments were possible - exactly defeating the purpose of a gratuity?

 

Regarding Concierge Class, the differentiation was hard to find value in other than for 'semi-elite' branding. We still waited once over 20 minutes for the MDR at a peak dining time despite the 'preference' supposedly awarded. We never came across the widely advertised pillow menu and only found out about our options by asking the stateroom attendant. Nothing readily obvious for how the shoe shine service worked. We nearly took the pocket-sized binoculars as a gift before deciding to clarify with our stateroom attendant who indicated they were for use during the cruise only. Really seemed like a waste overall, and certainly not worth an increased daily gratuity for.

 

5. Misleading Price Guarantees / False Advertising

Onboard Lowest Authorized Price Guarantee - The shops onboard widely advertise a lowest authorized price / best price guarantee for everything they sell, without any apparent disclaimers. When buying a piece of jewelry under $25 early on in our cruise, we inquired how that worked and we were informed to just bring in any proof from an authorized retailer - even on our phone - and they would have no issues doing an adjustment. A few days later, when we wanted to buy a couple of more of the same item for gifts, I was ready with a screenshot from an authorized online retailer showing a discount on the order of 25%. As soon as we tried to make use of the guarantee, the sales associate was quick to come up with an excuse: no internet pricing or proof on any kind was to be honored. My family felt we were getting the run-around at this point, so we asked for a written copy of where that limitation was stated, as it clearly wasn't in all their advertising. It took a call to a manager and a few minutes of waiting before they could find a pocket-sized card stating the limitation. When asked how one reasonably was to make use of the guarantee, we were told to walk into a shop and take a picture of the item/UPC with the price. What are the chances of finding the same item and taking a picture to prove the lower price in front of a shop owner? Please don't have a guarantee if it's unreasonable to make use of it.

 

Celebrity's 48-Hour Best Price Guarantee - Celebrity on its website advertises a 48-hour guarantee after final payment on either promotions or the price paid for the cruise, regardless of the travel agent you booked with. We saw an offer advertising more OBC, so we filled out the form. No confirmation was received of the request after submittal, and a week passed with no update. On calling Celebrity, at first we were given the run-around and told to call our TA (who had nothing to do with the guarantee), then told to allow 48-hours from the time of form submission for a response (which had way passed), after which we were put on hold and informed the request had been denied (what a surprise). We're not as upset on the denial as we are about the lack of communication on the request, and clear terms stating how the policy worked. Seemed like another advertising tactic that was not honored.

 

Positives:

To be fair and balanced, there were some outstanding parts of our cruise that we enjoyed as follows:

 

1. Evening Entertainment

My family thoroughly enjoyed the evening entertainment. The Celebrity Summit dancers were overall fantastic, as were their Hollywood-style shows. The magic show of the cruise, iMagic, was a modern take on magic using prevalent technology. The a cappella group, Blue Jupiter, was highly unconventional for a cruise and quite interesting to see.

 

2. Room layout, organization, and maintenance

The amount of storage space in our stateroom was unparalleled, simply put. The layout of the room was such that the third bed could be fully in place and there was just enough space for someone to squeeze by into the balcony. On some previous cruises, the sofa bed went wall-to-wall such that the balcony became useless except for evenings. In addition, the shower was the largest we've seen of all our cruises. We could relax and unwind in the shower comfortably just like at home. For once our stateroom was nearly maintenance-free except for the mini-bar fridge not cooling that properly.

 

3. Service at Ports of Call

We were pleased by the iced towels and flavored water provided when returning to the ship at each port of call. In one case, we saw crewmembers going out with a stack of umbrellas all the way to the entrance to the ship area so that fellow passengers could minimize getting wet. This was a nice touch we haven't seen on our previous cruises, but perhaps this is standard for the Caribbean given competition.

 

Overall, we certainly did not have a horrible cruise, but neither did the cruise live up to our expectations. If we would do it again, we would certainly choose a competing cruise line given the concerns indicated. I hope this thorough review of our experience is useful.

I found your comments very surprising. We were on the Summit a few years ago & our last Celebrity cruise was last August.

My husband & I are vegetarians & on our previous 5 cruises have always found the vegetarian menu better than Princess or RCL. On our last Princess cruise, the food was AWFUL. They didn't have a seperate vegetarian menu. Were you given the Vegetarian Menu - not just the regular menu with the vegetarian dishes marked?

In addition, on the first day we told the MD that were were vegetarians & he would come to us each day to check we were accommodated. He told us that if we weren't able to find dishes suitable, we could check the menu the day before & order special dishes for the next day.

I always have an issue with food, that IMHO is not as hot as I like. After the first time I mention this, our food would come on super hot plates & the food always came extra hot. They couldn't have been more accommodating. I am wondering if they didn't give you the Vegetarian Menu. I would take both menus as I do eat some fish (my husband doesn't) & juggle beteen the two.

We found that in the Fountain cafe, we could find far more food options than our recent Princess cruise. I HATED the food on Princess & would probably not take another Princess cruise because of this.

My Time Dining on Celebrity is really great on Celebrity. On Princess it wasn't My Time. There were so many passengers dining early that we would have to wait for our preferred time slot & be paged when available. We did find that if we went at 19.30 we could easily get a table, be served promptly. However, this is not My Time it was Their Time. It was quicker than the set dining times & still more convenient for us.

I presume that gratuities have to be paid in advance because, your waiters could be different each evening, as the customer will dine at different time slots, thereby protecting that the waiters will get their gratuties.

We recently took the Princess soda package. We were dismayed to find that the soda was fountain fizzy drinks, which were awful. They offered to cancel it, but with 5 sea days there & back, we kept it. I drank regular soda most of the time because the coke etc was AWFUL.

I hope that this information was helpful & you will see Celebrity in better light.

We have 2 future cruises booked with Celebrity & although we liked the experience on Princess, we found the entertainment to be inferior to Celebrity & IMHO the food was incomparable.

We are overnighting in SPB & are booked for 2 Full day tours.

We were considering going to a Folklore performance offered by our tour provider.

I am not sure, if we'll be tired from the day tours to venture out in the evening too.

Does anyone know if Celebrity invite local entertainers on board for evening performances. Recently, on our Hawaiian cruise, Princess had a lovely evening with Hula performances & singing by a local troupe.

Why did you prepay Celebrity tours ? Why not cancel them and rebook them on board ?

Then there is always using the casino to "cash out " excess OBC ( if there is such a thing :D )

We did the "cash out" at the Casino. Cancelling your tours would be the best thing to do.

You can always splash it at the Ilounge to buy an ipad or of course some nice Bling !!!!! My last cruise the OBC went towards the Bling. I had no choice because didn't need an Ipad. That's my story & I am sticking to it.

We are sailing on the Baltic Itinerary, Silhoutte in July. We overnight in SPB.

Does anyone know if Celebrity invite local entertainers to perform as part of their entertainment, when we overnight in SPB?

We can book an evening excursion to a Folklore performance, but after a full day touring, I'm not sure if we'll have the energy for it.

Recently on a Princess cruise to Hawaii, there was a great show performed by a local Hula Dance School. We had a great evening.

Whenever we've sailed in the past there's been a nice printed brochure with all the cruise details in it plus the options for tours in port. A useful way to plan before boarding and a nice momento afterwards. Sadly, as times have moved on several operators including Celebrity have stopped doing this and you have to print your own. C'est la vie.

 

But even then, you could order printed luggage tags on line which were posted out. For our forthcoming cruise, it says on line that tags are not yet available so I phoned X (0844, chargeable phone number!!!! :mad:) to find that Celebrity don't even do that any more. Apparently, the contractor they use has a problem and presumably it's too difficult to pick up the phone and get them done elsewhere.

 

So the advice was to ask for luggage tags at check in. What could possibly go wrong? I can see me dressing for the first formal night in a tee shirt and flip flops.

 

C'mon Celebrity, we all want value for money and know you need to turn a profit, but you've gone too far this time.

 

 

.

We always print our own & use the laminating machine to waterproof them.

Saves, time & resources.

I wish that ALL the cruise lines cut back on all those pieces of paper they deliver to the staterooms daily. They talk about protecting the waves, but they should protect the environment more.

I don't think it's penny pinching at all.

We are overnighting in SPB & are booked for day tours.

We were considering going to a Folklore performance offered by our tour provider.

I am not sure, if we'll be tired from the day tours to venture out in the evening too.

Does anyone know if Celebrity invite local entertainers on board for evening performances. Recently, on our Hawaiian cruise, Princess had a lovely evening with Hula performances & singing by a local troupe.

The other ports that are non EU have issues regarding the size of the ship according to Celebrity. Back to your OP. There is no travel warning anyplace near the ports being visited. The area is about 400 miles away. I agree there is an issue with the refugee situation, but saying one should not go to Ephesus because of a travel warning in Eastern Turkey is the same as saying one should not travel to Crete or Malta because of the war in Syria.

 

And I do agree everyone has their own comfort level. Sadly if one is to avoid ALL terrorist violence today one would need to find a very remote island. It happens in the US, Canada and Australia as well.

It seems that Australia & New Zealand have also joined other countries who are warning their citizens regarding travel to Turkey, herewith their warning

here is extreme risk to your security within 10 kilometres of the border with Syria due to the threat of terrorism and kidnapping and the potential for violence associated with the ongoing conflict in Syria. We advise against all travel to this area.

There is extreme risk to your security in the city of Diyarbakir, in south-east Turkey, due to ongoing security force operations in the Sur district and we advise against all travel.

High Risk

There is high risk to your security in the provinces of Batman, Bingol, Bitlis, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hakkari, Hatay, Kilis, Mardin, Mus, Sanliurfa, Sirnak, Siirt, Tunceli and Van in south-east Turkey. We advise against all tourist and other non-essential travel to these provinces due to the unpredictable security situation and the threat of terrorism and kidnapping.

There is high risk to your security in Ankara and Istanbul due to the heightened threat of terrorism and potential for civil unrest. We advise against all tourist and other non-essential travel to these cities. New Zealanders transiting Ankara or Istanbul on their way to other destinations in Turkey are advised to minimise transit time and avoid tourist sites in those two cities.

Some Risk

There is some risk to your security elsewhere in Turkey due to the heightened threat of terrorism and the potential for civil unrest and we advise caution.

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Terrorism

There is a significant threat from terrorism in Turkey. Terrorist groups, including those based in Syria and Iraq, continue to make threats to conduct attacks in Turkey, including plots that may involve foreign fighters returning to Turkey from the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. There is also a threat from domestic-based extremists.

Most terrorist attacks in Turkey target Turkish government institutions and security forces, however recent attacks have also occurred in tourist areas and locations frequented by foreigners, resulting in deaths and injuries. Terrorist attacks have been regularly carried out in the south-east; more recently attacks have occurred in Ankara and Istanbul, and could occur in other parts of the country, including, Izmir, Adana, other major centres, tourist areas and along the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts.

Recent incidents include:

On 19 March 2016, a suicide bombing in Istiklal Street in central Istanbul killed 5 people, including foreigners, and injured a number of others.

On 13 March 2016, an explosion in the Kizilay district in central Ankara killed 37 people and injured many more.

On 17 February 2016, a large explosion in central Ankara killed 28 people. The attack appeared to specifically target military personnel.

On 12 January 2016, a suicide attack in the Sultanahmet tourist district of Istanbul killed twelve foreign nationals and injured a number of others.

On 23 December 2015, a mortar attack which killed one person was conducted at Sabiha Gökçen Airport, Istanbul’s second largest airport, by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK).

On 10 October 2015, an attack on a political rally outside the main railway station in Ankara killed 102 people.

Further attacks targeting tourists and Western interests in Istanbul, Ankara, or elsewhere in Turkey, are possible. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), who claimed responsibility for the 13 March and 17 February attacks, have stated their intention to target tourist areas in Turkey in future attacks.

New Zealanders throughout Turkey are advised to remain vigilant, keep themselves informed of potential risks to safety and security by monitoring the media and other local information sources. We recommend following any instructions issued by the local authorities and exercising a high degree of vigilance in public places, especially around buildings and sites associated with Turkish security forces. You should also be security conscious around landmark places known to be frequented by foreigners, such as embassies, tourist locations, public transport facilities, airports, places of worship, government buildings and identifiably western businesses.

If you are in a location affected by a recent attack, you should avoid the immediate vicinity, follow any instructions given by Turkish security forces and let you family in New Zealand know you are safe and well.

The terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) controls a part of the Syrian side of the border with Turkey. The long and porous nature of the border with Syria provides ISIL and other terrorists with an opportunity to travel with relative ease between Turkey, Syria and Iraq. Turkish security forces’ presence in these border areas has been strengthened to counter such illegal activity.

Although based in Syria and Iraq, ISIL has the capacity to carry out attacks across the border. Spillover violence in border areas is likely and we advise against all travel to within 10 kilometres of the border with Syria. ISIL has previously threatened to conduct attacks against targets elsewhere in Turkey.

A number of domestic terrorist groups are active in parts of Turkey. The Kurdistan People's Congress (also known as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK) has targeted Turkish government interests, although Westerners have also been targeted in the past. Following the ending of a ceasefire between the Turkish government and the PKK in late July 2015, there is a high level of tension and security activity and a heightened threat from terrorism in south-east Turkey, where the PKK has focused its activity. There have been a high number of recent attacks targeting and killing security force personnel in this area and further attacks there are likely.

The Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP/C), an extreme leftist terrorist organisation, maintains an anti-Western ideology and remains active in Turkey. The DHKP/C has in the past conducted attacks on Turkish government and security institutionsand has stated its intention to undertake further attacks.

Kidnapping

The risk to foreign nationals of kidnapping extends from Syria to the regions of Turkey bordering Syria. Groups operating in northern Syria have the capacity to carry out kidnappings across the border. Reporting indicates that ISIL have in the past planned kidnapping operations specifically targeting Westerners inside Turkey.

We advise New Zealanders to avoid all tourist and non-essential travel to areas close to the border with Syria, Iraq, and Iran, in southeast Turkey.

Civil unrest

Protests and demonstrations take place regularly throughout Turkey and could occur at short notice, especially in major cities and in the south-east of the country.

New Zealanders in Turkey are advised to avoid all political gatherings, protests and demonstrations as even those intended to be peaceful have the potential to turn violent. Police may use tear gas and/or water cannons to disperse demonstrations.

New Zealanders throughout Turkey are also advised to adhere to any instructions and restrictions issued by the local authorities, including curfews issued in response to protest activity. There is a higher likelihood of protests and demonstrations occurring on days of national significance.

General travel advice

New Zealanders travelling or living in Turkey should have a comprehensive travel insurance policy in place that includes provision for medical evacuation by air.

New Zealanders in Turkey are strongly encouraged to register their details with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

here is extreme risk to your security within 10 kilometres of the border with Syria due to the threat of terrorism and kidnapping and the potential for violence associated with the ongoing conflict in Syria. We advise against all travel to this area.

There is extreme risk to your security in the city of Diyarbakir, in south-east Turkey, due to ongoing security force operations in the Sur district and we advise against all travel.

and now 2 bombings in Brussels. one attack at the Brussels Zaventem airport and the other in the train station killing at least 13

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35869254

Maybe we all need to stay at home !!!!!!

However, statistics show more accidents happen in the home, so let's just cruise & enjoy ourselves.

It is actually 2nd attack in the same week.

Intelligence departments know of 3 other Isis cells that are highly active & there are high alerts for safety issues.

I live in a volatile country but things have accelerated in Turkey.

Turkey has Terrorist Tourism & is a hub for Europeans to reach Syria to join Isis.

Our Homeland security have warned citizens NOT to travel to Turkey & those that are there to return ASAP.

Celebrity should immediately cancel all port of calls in Turkey. We have been to Turkey twice and really loved both Istanbul and Kusadasi. However, things have deteriorated as has the Turkish government. Safety of the passengers and crew must come first.

 

 

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I agree totally. I have also spent quite a bit of time in Turkey over the years. I definitely would not visit at the moment, it is very unstable at the moment.

Stock is generally a bit older models and very limited. Same prices as in USA retail stores so no reason to buy except for those outside USA or wanting to spend OBC.

Thanx. Iphones are much more expensive outside USA. We are booked on a Caribbean cruise sailing from Miami Feb 2017 - maybe will buy one duty free at the airport. Hopefully our OBC is the refundable one. Fingers crossed my Galaxy Android doesn't die on me beforehand !!!!!