Are Celebrity still going to Istanbul?

[suekay]

People tend to get very hot under the collar very quickly on this topic (e.g. gun control).

 

I think it is worth remembering in our responses to others that just as we in the U.S. may not understand the political atmosphere and situation in another country but may have fears about our safety there, it is fair enough that people from other countries hear stories of gun violence in the U.S. and have concerns about THEIR safety here.

 

For them it is not necessarily a political question, unless someone feels the need to make it into one. :rolleyes:

 

For what it is worth, as a woman traveling alone I will readily admit that I feel safer walking about in the evening alone in many cities abroad than I do in the US.

 

Well said cruisemom☺ A balanced view.

 

Terrorism can happen anywhere. ...think Paris, New York, London, Boston, Norway, Denmark, Egypt, Tunisia,Bangkok..... but we can't live our lives in fear of what might happen.

 

What I don't like is that so many Cruisecritic threads about the threat of terrorism turn into "let's knock America's record on shootings". Irrelevant and unnecessary comments IMHO (and I'm not American nor do I have any US connections)

[EJNutz]

Sue i agree very much with what you said.

I think if we had problems in this country with gun crime etc and people were scared to come to this country from the USA then we have every right to compare with the USA.

 

The story here is that there have been some terrorist attacks in Istanbul. Everyone has the right to be fearful and decide not to travel. And the same will apply to any country in the world be it the UK, USA etc.

 

I for one will not let the terrorist win, I will will continue to go anywhere I want to go unless my government warns me against it. But that is me. We are all different.

 

I hope that all that goes to Istanbul have a great time and for those who cancel I hope you find something else that you feel comfortable with and thoroughly enjoy.

[Texed]

They may possibly bring forward our sailaway though' date=' and not stop for the overnight - who knows?[/quote']

 

Hope all goes well, and y'all have a great cruise. :)

Edited August 21, 2015 by Texed

[Redtravel]

The nice part of cruising is that if a port becomes unsafe ( weather, terrorism, etc. ), you can be sure that the cruise line will skip that port. I have experienced times when ship did not visit a port. It happens. I would rather skip a port if conditions are unsafe. I am cautious of visiting places that are experiencing problems. In large cities, there is always the chance of unrest. Understanding the reason for the unrest and knowing what part of a city to avoid is essential. If you are uncomfortable visiting some places, avoid them by staying on the ship or staying home. Nobody wants to experience political unrest. Hope your trip is safe.

[villauk]

Hope all goes well, and y'all have a great cruise. :)

 

Ed,

 

We've just had notification that, as I predicted above, X have brought forward our sailing time from Istanbul - no overnight, sailing Monday night instead ;).

[hillslife]

Ed,

 

We've just had notification that, as I predicted above, X have brought forward our sailing time from Istanbul - no overnight, sailing Monday night instead ;).

 

What?? I booked directly with Celebrity and have not heard this. Where did the info come from?? Phone call, email or??

 

Thank you....

Edited August 21, 2015 by hillslife

[singlegrandma2]

I love visiting Istanbul... love the people and will be stopping there for an overnight on the Reflection next month. I am more worried about being a sitting duck on the cruise ship overnight than I am visiting the tourist spots. Anyone else feel that way? I hope they cancel our overnight.

[Canadianguy]

Ed,

 

 

 

We've just had notification that, as I predicted above, X have brought forward our sailing time from Istanbul - no overnight, sailing Monday night instead ;).

 

 

What ship and sailing are you referring to?

[villauk]

What?? I booked durectly with Celebrity and have not heard this. Where did the info come from?? Phone call, email or??

 

Thank you....

 

This is for Monday 24th August sailing on Equinox only. You will not have been notified as you are not on our sailing ;). We have received an email from X notifying us of the change - no overnight and sailing Monday at 9pm instead.

[avalong]

I suggest you take such cities as Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Athens, and Buenos Aires off your travel list as you really should be "vigilant" (against pickpockets) and "aware of your surroundings" in those cities too. Or pretty much anywhere. ;)

 

FYI: Changed my late-September Istanbul to Athens cruise to one in mid-October going from Rome to Venice. It's one day longer, AND I was given a

$4000 REFUND because this particular cruise is having a flash sale and therefore much less expensive than my original cruise. Only had to pay $80 to change my flights. Unbelievable. I am one happy camper. (this was not Celebrity, by the way) I shall now be vigilant against the pickpockets. ;)

[Pushka]

When all is said and done, it isnt really what we as individuals can tolerate as per the risk factor, but what the cruise line can see as risk for their ships, crew and passengers.

[Suite Susie]

We have received the email too. Fortunately we arrive tomorrow night but this may cause some people problems if there flights were due in late Monday. Now do I tell MIL - will this news freak her out even more!! Shame we won't cruise down through the Dardanelles in daylight and wander whether they will cancel Kusadasi as well.

[Pushka]

Kusadasi is a "world" away from Istanbul.

 

As I have an elderly mother who panics at shadows so I use the "need to know" method which saves everyone a lot of angst. Im thinking that Celebrity just dont want the ship in port overnight in darkness.

[Missus Makkem]

We have received the email too. Fortunately we arrive tomorrow night but this may cause some people problems if there flights were due in late Monday. Now do I tell MIL - will this news freak her out even more!! Shame we won't cruise down through the Dardanelles in daylight and wander whether they will cancel Kusadasi as well.

 

And we are one of those with a late flight into Isanbul to go on this cruise.

If we do not make the ship in time we will no doubt be sent to Kusadasi, we await developments with interest.

[cruisestitch]

Also someone on board just posted that the arrival of Equinox will be delayed and the overnight cancelled, I can imagine that many many passengers had counted on getting off early and now will be unable to. That's almost worse than canceling the overnight for the subsequent cruise, as far as scrambling to make arrangements goes.

[cle-guy]

DO take note the current Equinox sailing that has had an arrival delay and cancelled overnight is a Charter with Atlantis, all gay.

 

Possibly they may be concerned about the overnight due to potential threats against the gay group's arrival moreso than the political unrest issues.

 

Atlantis may have decided to avoid any potential issues with an overnight to avoid any bad press or liability that may arise from issues out of their control.

[Missus Makkem]

DO take note the current Equinox sailing that has had an arrival delay and cancelled overnight is a Charter with Atlantis, all gay.

 

Possibly they may be concerned about the overnight due to potential threats against the gay group's arrival moreso than the political unrest issues.

 

Atlantis may have decided to avoid any potential issues with an overnight to avoid any bad press or liability that may arise from issues out of their control.

 

Really and people in Istanbul know all this?

[tring]

Really and people in Istanbul know all this?

 

Presumably they do now. I would have thought anyone looking to commit terrorist acts against tourists will have access to this site easily enough, considering the number of cruises to/from Istanbul.

Edited August 22, 2015 by tring

[Pushka]

DO take note the current Equinox sailing that has had an arrival delay and cancelled overnight is a Charter with Atlantis, all gay.

 

 

 

Possibly they may be concerned about the overnight due to potential threats against the gay group's arrival moreso than the political unrest issues.

 

 

 

Atlantis may have decided to avoid any potential issues with an overnight to avoid any bad press or liability that may arise from issues out of their control.

 

 

The Atlantis charter isnt the cruise being impacted on, its the one after. Or were 2 overnights in Istanbul planned?

Edited August 22, 2015 by Pushka

[Baynanno1]

The Atlantis charter isnt the cruise being impacted on, its the one after. Or were 2 overnights in Istanbul planned?

 

We are booked back to back on the Constellation in late September & early October, Istanbul to Istanbul. One of the reasons we booked these cruises was because of the overnights and full days in Istanbul prior to departure.

 

If anyone has any concrete knowledge about changes to these cruises (30 September & 12 October) we would love to know what impact any change may have on our plans.:confused:

[Pushka]

We are booked back to back on the Constellation in late September & early October, Istanbul to Istanbul. One of the reasons we booked these cruises was because of the overnights and full days in Istanbul prior to departure.

 

If anyone has any concrete knowledge about changes to these cruises (30 September & 12 October) we would love to know what impact any change may have on our plans.:confused:

 

 

I dont think even X knows yet. I would keep a watch on the roll call on the cruise before yours as they may find out first. Europe is definitely changing moods now. Sadly.

[gdpups]

I am on the September Equinox sailing out of Istanbul and talked with a Captains Club rep yesterday about the future sailings because of the current cancellation of overnight stays these next few days. I was told at this point these are the only ones affected, but they are watching the situation in Istanbul closely and will make changes to the future sailings if they feel it is necessary for the safety of their passengers, etc.

[WestLakeGirl]

The Atlantis Charter IS being impacted. They are losing their overnight in Istanbul.

[Pushka]

The Atlantis Charter IS being impacted. They are losing their overnight in Istanbul.

 

 

Yes. I know that now. Never heard of a 2 night port stop before.

[Bobal]

Yes. I know that now. Never heard of a 2 night port stop before.

 

It was an overnight at the end of the Atlantis charter then an overnight at the start of the following cruise.