2014 Black Sea/Crimean Coast Cruises

[msmoger]

I know it's way to early to predict, but I'm curious if there are any folks out there that might have an educated opinion on what might happen to Black Sea cruises this year that call on Yalta and Sevastopol in light of the unrest in Ukraine.

 

I guess my question is have past periods of unrest in Ukraine spread to these cities?

 

Also where does Odessa stand during this time? Is it considered part of the Russian leaning eastern part of the country or do it's citizens tend to align themselves with the western leaning factions?

 

Our October itinerary includes Yalta, Odessa, Costanta and Nessebar on the Black Sea (as well as Athens, Volos, Istanbul, Koper and Venice). If Yalta and/or Odessa were to be scrapped from the itinerary and there was enough time to replace them, what are potential ports? I would think possibly Sochi, however that wouldn't thrill me.

 

I hope this post doesn't offend anyone. That is not my intent. I'm simply trying to get an idea what might happen to our cruise should events warrant a change.

 

Thanks,

[scampi]

I know it's way to early to predict, but I'm curious if there are any folks out there that might have an educated opinion on what might happen to Black Sea cruises this year that call on Yalta and Sevastopol in light of the unrest in Ukraine.

 

I guess my question is have past periods of unrest in Ukraine spread to these cities?

 

Also where does Odessa stand during this time? Is it considered part of the Russian leaning eastern part of the country or do it's citizens tend to align themselves with the western leaning factions?

 

Our October itinerary includes Yalta, Odessa, Costanta and Nessebar on the Black Sea (as well as Athens, Volos, Istanbul, Koper and Venice). If Yalta and/or Odessa were to be scrapped from the itinerary and there was enough time to replace them, what are potential ports? I would think possibly Sochi, however that wouldn't thrill me.

 

I hope this post doesn't offend anyone. That is not my intent. I'm simply trying to get an idea what might happen to our cruise should events warrant a change.

 

Thanks,

 

We have the same concerns as you as we are booked on an October 3rd Black Sea sailing & Odessa & Yalta are two of our Ukranian ports. We're especially concerned since there are today Russian troops in the Crimean peninsula where Yalta, one of our Black Sea scheduled ports lies. I guess we have to just wait & see...

[noraloui]

I was booked on a Black Sea cruise which starts in late May. The cruise company said only that they would divert the cruise if they couldn't stop. I guess it is too premature for them to know where they would divert to. My cruise had 3 stops in Crimea and I didn't want to take the chance they would stop where I wasn't interested in so I cancelled my cruise yesterday as the penalty was somewhat minimal then. So sad....

[GradUT]

Noraloui, I'm sorry that you had to cancel your Black Sea cruise. We did this cruise last year and we thought Odessa and Yalta were two of the best ports. If I were cruising this year, I would have done the same as you. To us, there would have been no point in going to the Black Sea and missing Ukraine.

[theborders]

Hi I have been wondering which ports they might substitute as well, I would think that Socchi would be one they could also add Constantsa , then maybe change the dates for Burgas and do some greek islands, only guessing though. The British foreign office issued a warning yesterday for all Brits not to travel to the Crimea at the moment.

 

I believe Odessa is in the Crimea but has not had protests yet.

 

Well as they say things can only get better, fingers crossed they will work it out. Did they not get the memo that this is my big 5-0 birthday cruise :D

[scampi]

I have been twice on a Black sea cruise with differnet cruiselines. There are always new places to see. I don’t think they know from now what the situation will be in 7 month. Maybe they will know at the start of your cruise in Istanbul. Anyway, port substitutes will be made, I know from my personal experience so far, why not in Constantsa for 2 days (and then the capital Bucharest can be visited if you stay longer there), or maybe calling for 2 days in Bulgaria (and then Varna can also be visited and it worth it believe me with its museum with the gold treasure, I mean not only Nessebar or Burgas will be seen) or any other port substitutes they decide eventually. Do not take it too deeply… Just leave it and it will go the way it should do…..

 

Hi I have been wondering which ports they might substitute as well,.... Did they not get the memo that this is my big 5-0 birthday cruise :D

 

"theborders," your last comment had me laughing non stop... :)

 

 

"Elaine667", thank you for all that information and positive thinking...

Hopefully, you'll continue to pop in to this thread to give us some of your backround information regarding whatever ports we end up in... For now we know we definitely still have Istanbul, Katakolon & Gythion in Greece; & Constanta in Romania. That leaves Odessa & Yalta in the Ukraine that are now iffy!!

 

"Scampi"

[alexandra cruiser]

that its wise for any ports in Ukraine,or Russia a good idea for quite awhile till all this settles down.

I would also cancel any upcoming cruise,prior to final payment.

Just not worth the risk.

Sad,but true.How much can you enjoy yourself when worried about personal safetly,right?:confused:

[scampi]

that its wise for any ports in Ukraine,or Russia a good idea for quite awhile till all this settles down.

I would also cancel any upcoming cruise,prior to final payment.

Just not worth the risk.

Sad,but true.How much can you enjoy yourself when worried about personal safetly,right?:confused:

 

 

We have no plans to cancel our Black Sea cruise since all the other ports on our sailing in Turkey, Romania and Greece are just fine and we have never been to Istanbul and we are looking forward to it. I'm sure other ports or overnights (maybe even in Istanbul or Greece :)) will be substituted for the Ukranian ports. But I can understand why others might cancel such as "noraloui".

Edited March 1, 2014 by scampi

[scampi]

Hi everyone,

 

Hope this will help. Have a look at this web site (click on the web link). It is the latest information about all Black sea ports, all about their history, their places of interest etc. It is so interesting and you will possibly know where the cruiseline may stop. Read about the places at: On this map the dots of the places are all clickable - http://www.olkas.net/map/

 

 

Thank you for this link!

[msmoger]

We have no plans to cancel our Black Sea cruise since all the other ports on our sailing in Turkey, Romania and Greece are just fine and we have never been to Istanbul and we are looking forward to it. I'm sure other ports or overnights (maybe even in Istanbul or Greece :)) will be substituted for the Ukranian ports. But I can understand why others might cancel such as "noraloui".

 

I'm with you!! ;)

 

I'm kind of hoping for an overnight in Istanbul. Also, our last port call (before we disembark in Venice) is Koper, Slovenia, so there are a number of Adriatic ports that might be substituted.

[Despegue]

There has NOT been issued a travel warning for Russia, only for the Ukraine.

Please get your facts straight and stop the hysteria.

[4774Papa]

We did the Black Sea on Celebrity Constellation last Sept/Oct. Great trip. Odessa was good, but Sevastopol was very interesting. We missed Yalta due to bad weather not allowing tendering.

 

We had been to Kiev a couple of years ago and loved the people in Ukraine. There is definately more pro-Russian sentiment in Crimea and to some degree in Odessa.

 

It appears that Crimea may be absorbed by Russia. Frankly, I would not plan a trip to that area for a while, but in six months or a year, things may have settled down.

 

I doubt if a war is in the cards, unless Russia tries to take the whole country of Ukraine. That would set off quite a resistance by the pro-independent Ukrainian people.

[4774Papa]

Great tours

 

Olga

 

 

Odessa Walks

http://www.odessawalks.com

 

Anna Ermakova

Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine

cell phone +38 0506632258

land line +38 0692448726

sarvanidi@mail.ru ; sarvanidi2003@yahoo.com

[Hlitner]

We think it is impossible to predict future events in the Ukraine (unless you last name is Putin). There is no previous history of anything quite like what is happening now so everyone is going to just have to wait and see. Odessa is a long way from Crimea and has a better chance of being unaffected then other popular ports such as Yalta. Odessa is more pro Ukraine then pro Russia, but when we have visited that city you still can meet folks that miss the days of the USSR. In fact, we once saw a pensioner picketing Odessa's City Hall with a large sandwich board sign asking for the return of the USSR and communism. This man told our group that when they were in the USSR the government took care of "everything" and now he had become a beggar.

 

Hank

[JoPublic]

We are going to be sailing in three weeks and were really looking forward to Yalta, however wish the cruise lines would be decisive for us to know what our plans are for the holiday.

[amazonlady]

I find it very hard to believe what the cruise lines are doing, with three weeks to go you should be knowing what is happening with your itinerary, our cruise is in October and i am also wondering what will happen, it is doubtful whether we will be going to Crimea ports. Will you post and let us know when you find out?

[John Bull]

It's too early yet to predict how things will be in three weeks let alone for those with cruises planned later and I can understand cruise lines' current indecision, exasperating though that may be. The number of ships scheduled for the Crimea is relatively low & the alternate ports relatively numerous that a late change of plan shouldn't be too much of a problem.

 

Itineraries frequently have to be changed last-minute due to weather etc, (experienced that last month - four successive abandoned calls :( ) and the cruise lines do at least know of the uncertainty & without a doubt have their Plan B lined-up.

 

Personal safety doesn't really come into the equation - cruise lines are safety-conscious (some too safety conscious, IMHO) and will not put ships, crew or passengers in harm's way, even if there are no govt. travel warnings.

 

Highest risk (of cancellation) have to be the Crimean ports, which is a shame because Sevastopol in particular is a great port-of-call.

Odessa is much less of a risk because it's in a Ukraine-orientated region.

 

I don't believe Putin has his eyes on the rest of Ukraine. He wants his Black Sea fleet to have a secure base in Russia, and the loyalty to Russia of the majority in the Crimea gives him the opportunity to secure his existing base there.

 

I can't imagine cruises being cancelled, there's too much commitment & money tied up. But there are plenty of alternate ports - especially for cruises which include the eastern Med. Overniting in other ports is another possibility, and some are well worth the extra day.

I'd be surprised if Sochi were one of the alternates - apart from Russia being the cause of the grief, cruise line bean-counters won't be keen on the extra distance.

And I'd be very surprised if cruise lines offered penalty-free cancellation or compensation for a couple of ports missed through force-majeure.

 

If things settle down with Crimea back in the arms of Mother Russia, there'll be visa complications for those ports. Will they forgo the requirement for those on cruise ships? Will they offer the same visa-free terms as other Russian ports like St Petersburg & Sochi? Will there be time for that bureaucracy & that "govt-approved" tour infrastructure to be in place? Or will circumstances mean they're still cancelled?

 

If I had already committed time & money to a cruise I'd not cancel. Excellent though they are, I don't see those ports as the "jewels" of the Black Sea.

More difficult to decide if money weren't yet committed, that's a much more subjective decision. Plenty of cancellations are likely.

I think if I were simply considering the Black Sea amongst a bunch of other options I'd put it on the back-burner for another time.

Those are my thoughts. Yours may be different.

 

JB :)

[dmacp]

I agree with you John Bull, I suspect our cruise (Oceania Isignia which departs May 29th) will go on as scheduled. They won't likely leave a ship at anchor for 12 days.

 

I am mostly concerned what the Visa situation will be for Sevastapol and Yalta. We already booked a escorted excursion in Sochi to avoid dealing with a Russian visa, but now I have to wonder if we shouldn't just go ahead and get a Russia visa, so we can do the private tours we booked in the Crimea just in case.

[tring]

True that no one can predict the future but as the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office advise against all travel to Crimea at present, (i.e. not just holiday travel), it is highly unlikely any cruise line would call there unless there is a very significant change of circumstances.

 

We are booked on a Black Sea cruise from 8th Oct and which should visit two Russian ports (Sochi and Novorossiysk) and four Ukrainian ports (Feodosiya, Yalta, Sevastopol as well as Odessa overnight) - the first three of those are in Crimea). Hence we are miffed to say the least as you do not often see itineraries like that.

 

Our cruise company say the right to a refund of the cost of a cruise can only be claimed if most of the ports are cancelled, which would be the case if all those ports are cancelled as there are 11 ports on the cruise. We do not have to pay the remaining balance until July so we will just have to wait and see what transpires. We do not need to pay the balance until early July, but companies do not tend to release their change of plans before that.

 

When Gorbachov (?spelling) was thrown out (1991) things moved at an incredibly quick rate. Our son was booked on a school exchange visit to Odessa the Saturday after the tanks went into Moscow. The teacher in charge called a meeting for the Thursday night, but the tanks had gone out of Moscow on the previous day and Gorbachov was gone. At the meeting she asked if anyone was concerned - no one was - the group travelled two days later and even saw a statue of Lennin bieng toppled in Kiev when they went for a day trip. An amazing experience.

 

I get the impression that there is more caution nowadays and if there is any foreign office advice that is not followed travel insurance is invalidated of course. I also aggree with John Bull that cruise lines are far too quick to pull ports - but then again most are under an American umberella so they are probably more likely to be targeted as well as have concerns about claims being made against them.

 

I am not sure about how 'Ukrainian' or 'Russian' Odessa is, but as our son went on the exchange as a GCSE Russian language student, the exchange children spoke Russian, not Ukrainian. We were given an Ukrainian flag as a present though.

[Hlitner]

........

 

I don't believe Putin has his eyes on the rest of Ukraine. He wants his Black Sea fleet to have a secure base in Russia, and the loyalty to Russia of the majority in the Crimea gives him the opportunity to secure his existing base there.

 

Those are my thoughts. Yours may be different.

 

JB :)

 

JB, We hope you are correct. On the other hand, didn't you once tell me your middle name was "Chamberlain.?" :) Guess we will all have to hold our collective breaths for the next few months. Some intellectuals have already pointed out the similarities to the 30s and the occupation of Austria, but we pray they are wrong. We have previously enjoyed visiting the Ukraine (been there twice) and hope we can return in the future.

 

Hank

Edited March 19, 2014 by Hlitner

[mbeginner]

MSC Cruises

Following the recent developments in Ukraine, MSC Cruises decided to amend MSC Sinfonia’s itinerary and change the calls in the Black Sea scheduled in April and May 2014. The calls at the ports of Odessa and Yalta will be cancelled and replaced with calls in Volos, Greece and Varna, Bulgaria.

[msmoger]

MSC Cruises

Following the recent developments in Ukraine, MSC Cruises decided to amend MSC Sinfonia’s itinerary and change the calls in the Black Sea scheduled in April and May 2014. The calls at the ports of Odessa and Yalta will be cancelled and replaced with calls in Volos, Greece and Varna, Bulgaria.

 

Our cruise isn't until October so who knows what will transpire between now and then. It's hard for me to envision a scenario where conditions will be settled enough to resume calling on Ukrainian ports in 2014, but you never know.

 

As far as our itinerary is concerned (it includes Yalta and Odessa also), we are already calling on Volos and Constanta in Bulgaria, so it looks like if Princess is going to change ports there will have to be other options. Personally, I wouldn't mind an overnight in Istanbul.

[dmacp]

Well as we are in the 50% cancellation penalty period already for our May 29th departure on Oceania, and with in 10 days of the 75% period, I guess we are stuck. :( Bummer!

[msmoger]

Well as we are in the 50% cancellation penalty period already for our May 29th departure on Oceania, and with in 10 days of the 75% period, I guess we are stuck. :( Bummer!

 

WOW...I just looked at your itinerary, 3 Ukrainian and one Russian port. It looks like Oceania needs to do some scrambling. May 29th is not that far off. I wouldn't assume they'll need to replace Sochi but it's certainly a possibility.

 

Good luck. Let us know what Oceania does.

[scampi]

I just e-mailed MSC Cruises US office stating that we cancelled our pre booked ship excursion for Yalta, that we had no intention of getting off the ship for any of the scheduled Ukraine or Russian controlled ports & we were requesting their proposed itinerary changes as soon as possible due to how uncomfortable we felt regarding our October 3rd sailing and the recent events that were escalating. Also, we wished to preplan for the new scheduled ports.

 

Just want to mention something not being discussed... but on the recent cruise we took a week ago, there were several crew/staff members from the Ukraine on our sailing. They expressed how difficult/stressful all of this has been for them. They are far away; they have family in the affected areas and there's the uncertainty of the outcome of all these events.

 

scampi