NCL Drops Turkey in 2016

We are on the 18 July 14-Grand Med sailing out of Barcelona. After reading these posts I had to formally request but did receive from my PCC the updated itinerary. Now instead of Istanbul and Kusadusi we have Athens on 7/25 a sea day on 7/26 and Corfu Greece on 7/27. Bummed about missing out on shopping in Istanbul.

For the two week Jade sailings they are showing Santorini twice. Seems a little odd they are giving us two repeat days there.

I just called NCL and requested the new itinerary. It was in my email inbox within 5 minutes.

I just got off the phone with NCL and got the company line "we will notify booked passengers blah blah blah". I pointed out that the press release indicated notification today and that it was already 4:38 and her response was "we're here until 12:00". And the website still shows the old ports for mock bookings. Very sketchy NCL, very sketchy. Deep cleansing breaths, it will be a good vacation (just not what I had hoped for :()

I just got off the phone with NCL and got the company line "we will notify booked passengers blah blah blah". I pointed out that the press release indicated notification today and that it was already 4:38 and her response was "we're here until 12:00". And the website still shows the old ports for mock bookings. Very sketchy NCL, very sketchy. Deep cleansing breaths, it will be a good vacation (just not what I had hoped for :()

I called NCL and they emailed me my new itinerary showing the port change. If you are on the two week Jade my itinerary is showing first week Santorini 8am- 5pm. Second week Santorini 2pm - 10pm.

We have a private excursion already booked hitting the highlights with Oia, winery, beach, dinner, Fira. Not up for hiking a volcano or the other excursions. Seems like such an odd port substitute for the two week cruise. I mean I can see Venice as a repeat port but Santorini twice in one cruise? Perhaps they'll let us jump off the ship for a swim the second time around vs tender and then make our way up to Fira all over again. I guess it's better than a sea day but I was really hoping for Kotor or really any non repeating port.

...or an old WKRP episode?

As God is my witness...

Anyone heard about the one week Jade cruises in June?

Interesting that it has taken this long to inform you. Those of us booked Istanbul to Dubai in October were told about a month ago that we would be leaving from Rome instead.

Mike

We had to cancel our Jade BtB 14 day out of Venice on 1 Oct because the second half one starting on 8 Oct was cancelled for the aborted drydock. That second week would have taken us to Kotor and was the main reason for our original reason for booking those dates. We moved forward a week to 24 Sep to keep our booking perks so it would be fantastic if they switched us to Kotor instead of Kusadasi. Kotor is a superb sail-in and out because it is at the far end of the most southerly fjord in Europe. At least that would go some way to compensate us for yet another change.

We had to cancel our Jade BtB 14 day out of Venice on 1 Oct because the second half one starting on 8 Oct was cancelled for the aborted drydock. That second week would have taken us to Kotor and was the main reason for our original reason for booking those dates. We moved forward a week to 24 Sep to keep our booking perks so it would be fantastic if they switched us to Kotor instead of Kusadasi. Kotor is a superb sail-in and out because it is at the far end of the most southerly fjord in Europe. At least that would go some way to compensate us for yet another change.

Isn't the new - old October sailing going to Kotor? Too late for me to change airfare but if I could I would. Much better than Santorini twice on one cruise.

I called NCL and they emailed me my new itinerary showing the port change. If you are on the two week Jade my itinerary is showing first week Santorini 8am- 5pm. Second week Santorini 2pm - 10pm.

I guess it's better than a sea day but I was really hoping for Kotor or really any non repeating port.

I hadn't called yet, but when I logged into MyNcl - Vacation Summary shows Kusadasi, but when I look at "Things to do on a Wednesday" to see excursions - it's changed to Santorini. I was hoping for a different port we weren't visiting the next week - I guess any day on a cruise is better than a day at work!!:)

I hadn't called yet, but when I logged into MyNcl - Vacation Summary shows Kusadasi, but when I look at "Things to do on a Wednesday" to see excursions - it's changed to Santorini. I was hoping for a different port we weren't visiting the next week - I guess any day on a cruise is better than a day at work!!:)

Yes. Will be interesting to see what this summers reviews have to say about Santorini twice. I don't know how many people book only one week of the sailing vs as a two week sailing. I'm guessing many more book only one half otherwise they wouldn't offer Santorini twice on one sailing.

If that's the case it will make for a nice day to relax onboard a relatively empty ship in a beautiful caldera. I was also thinking that there was a few things to do right when you get off the tenders without having to pay for the ride up to crowded Fira.

Since it will be running all summer with two port stops in Santorini prior to our September sailing I will have time to see how it plays out.

It sounds as if many of you will have a similar situation to us last year doing Quebec-Boston-Quebec; two 7 day cruises back to back. We had Halifax on both legs, the only port so to do. We used the first to explore the town having booked a shorex for the second. Then if the reports were bad we could cancel and choose another. Worked out well.

Mike

Yes. Will be interesting to see what this summers reviews have to say about Santorini twice. I don't know how many people book only one week of the sailing vs as a two week sailing. I'm guessing many more book only one half otherwise they wouldn't offer Santorini twice on one sailing.

 

If that's the case it will make for a nice day to relax onboard a relatively empty ship in a beautiful caldera. I was also thinking that there was a few things to do right when you get off the tenders without having to pay for the ride up to crowded Fira.

 

Since it will be running all summer with two port stops in Santorini prior to our September sailing I will have time to see how it plays out.

I am not sure it has anything to do with giving more people a chance to visit Santorini. The BtB cruise was advertised as a full 14-day cruise as well as both 7-day segments, so it would have been clear that duplicating the stop for the longer ones would have been obvious.

Once the top team of NCL decided to cancel all of the port visits to Turkey, the minions had to look for alternatives. Given that Santorini is a tender port for all ships, changing loads of cruises to going there would have been the simplest and least expensive alternative. It certainly looks to me that they have taken this as the easiest line of resistance without the slightest regard for their customers.

Having been briefed that a change to Santorini would take the least amount of thought at head office and was also the cheapest, there would not have been the slightest thought by the top team as to whether the 14-day punters would want to go to the same place twice in one cruise. Shareholders and the bottom line rule at NCL these days -we all know that only too well after all of the recent changes.

We will still enjoy the much modified cruise in September/October and Santorini is certainly a beautiful port stop, but I very much doubt if we will be looking very hard at continuing to contribute our hard-earned cash to the money grabbing bunch now very much running NCL for their benefit rather than ours.:(

Interesting that it has taken this long to inform you. Those of us booked Istanbul to Dubai in October were told about a month ago that we would be leaving from Rome instead.

 

 

 

Mike

This is a totally different issue.

We were informed of our changes last year because the changes were made last year.

Removing Turkey from the standard cruises was only done this week, which is why people are being informed now.

I just looked up our cruise on the NCL website - and the 14 day cruises are gone. It's just available to book as two 7-day cruises. Both listing Santorini.

If I booked through a TA - will they notify me directly or go through my TA? I know they won't talk to me if I call. I e-mailed my TA last night and she hadn't heard anything "official" about our cruise yet - other than the general announcement posted here. Figures - that was the one port I'd already picked an excursion for. :rolleyes: I know we'll have a great time either way.

I just looked up our cruise on the NCL website - and the 14 day cruises are gone. It's just available to book as two 7-day cruises. Both listing Santorini.

 

If I booked through a TA - will they notify me directly or go through my TA? I know they won't talk to me if I call. I e-mailed my TA last night and she hadn't heard anything "official" about our cruise yet - other than the general announcement posted here. Figures - that was the one port I'd already picked an excursion for. :rolleyes: I know we'll have a great time either way.

Your ncl booking number should allow you to login to your ncl account regardless of who you booked with. When I login to NCL account and look at my cruise summary it still lists kusadasi and is billed as 14 night Greece, Adriatic and Turkey. If I look at the day to day schedule it shows the updated itinerary omitting Turkey and replaced with Santorini 8am - 5pm. its still showing i have the 14 night cruise booked as one cruise. I assume they just aren't selling as a 14 night anymore because not too many would be interested in two stops in Santorini. Or ask your TA to call ncl and get an updated itinerary emailed to you.

Since they've discontinued future 14 night bookings I sure hope they don't end up canceling those of us who have already booked. Upsells are probably not going to be an option now. I was really hoping for a last min up sell but how does that work on a sailing that isn't for sale?

I,too,am booked on a 14 day Jade cruise out of Venice with our first week Greek Islands and second week Adriatic. When we went on POA, we had two days in Maui and found plenty of things to do each day so I'm sure we can find something different in Santorini the second week, although I also would prefer Kotor.

I've just checked myncl for our Easter 2017 cruise on the Spirit. This was originally supposed to be Venice to Istanbul and it was changed late last year to a Venice round trip. However, it still included a Turkish port (Alanya).

The itinerary for this cruise has been changed, as I suspected it would. Alanna has gone, Rhodes and the sea day have been pushed forward a day, and we are now visiting Kotor instead.

I'm pleased with this change. It's the third different itinerary we have had since the cruise was announced about six months ago, and other than losing Istanbul (which having already been there isn't too much of an issue for me) the itinerary is getting better each time for me.

New itinerary is:

Venice

Sea day

Iraklion (Crete)

Sea

Haifa, Israel

Haifa, Israel

Limassol, Cyprus

Rhodes, Greece

Sea

Kotor, Montenegro

Split, Croatia

Venice

I've just checked myncl for our Easter 2017 cruise on the Spirit. This was originally supposed to be Venice to Istanbul and it was changed late last year to a Venice round trip. However, it still included a Turkish port (Alanya).

 

The itinerary for this cruise has been changed, as I suspected it would. Alanna has gone, Rhodes and the sea day have been pushed forward a day, and we are now visiting Kotor instead.

 

I'm pleased with this change. It's the third different itinerary we have had since the cruise was announced about six months ago, and other than losing Istanbul (which having already been there isn't too much of an issue for me) the itinerary is getting better each time for me.

 

New itinerary is:

 

Venice

Sea day

Iraklion (Crete)

Sea

Haifa, Israel

Haifa, Israel

Limassol, Cyprus

Rhodes, Greece

Sea

Kotor, Montenegro

Split, Croatia

Venice

You have made out quite well with the changes. If I remember correctly you were one who got price protection, your pcc made changes for you in the big redeployment and you even got a little token obc. Congrats. That's a nice looking itinerary.

You have made out quite well with the changes. If I remember correctly you were one who got price protection, your pcc made changes for you in the big redeployment and you even got a little token obc. Congrats. That's a nice looking itinerary.

Yes, we were actually originally on the Epic to the Canary Islands, which we would have enjoyed but this is a really nice itinerary with only a one stop (Split) which we have done before.

We have done well out of it all (the price is incredible considering it includes the UBP). Hopefully that will be it for the changes now though. :)

Any ideas where they will change kusadasi too?

:o

I just looked at our booking and turkey has been changed to Santorini ....we respect NCL for protecting their customers safety but only found out about the change when we logged into our account to check something .

:o

Thanks, I noticed mine had changed too. I didn't have an email either. Had it not been for reading about the changes on here I would of been none the wiser.

 

Since they've discontinued future 14 night bookings I sure hope they don't end up canceling those of us who have already booked. Upsells are probably not going to be an option now. I was really hoping for a last min up sell but how does that work on a sailing that isn't for sale?

The 14-day cruises are back on the site. Guess they were just updating them. Hope you get an upsell!

I'm on 13 August and am hoping for Dubrovnik and praying for a miracle of santorini!!

Think we have Santorini instead of kusadasi for the 27/8/16 departure from Venice. Just noticed on account when been in to put passport details in :)

I just checked today and the 14 day B2B are NOT there.