Istanbul removed from Reflection in 2016

[bogofman]

The original itinaries are still on the UK Web site

[Texed]

Hi all, have just spoken to our TA, she says that all overnighters in Istanbul are being cancelled because of security concerns.

 

We are on Equinox, and we got an email saying our overnight in Istanbul is cancelled. We are still scheduled to embark in Istanbul however.

[Kugel]

Hi Livin Life, I did not get this email - can you share any more details?

 

Thanks!

 

This is the email I received yesterday. Again it was sent to agents and they are suppose to tell their clients.

 

Please be advised the Reflection 11 Night Greece, Turkey & Italy itinerary has been modified as detailed below.

 

11 Night Greece, Turkey & Italy Cruise:

April 25, 2016, May 16, 2016, June 6, 2016, June 27, 2016, July 18, 2016, August 8, 2016, August 29, 2016, September 19, 2016 and October 10, 2016

 

The overnight call to Istanbul, Turkey has been replaced with an overnight to the existing Athens, Greece single day call.

The new arrival time for Athens (Piraeus), Greece is 6:00 AM and the departure time on the following day is 5:00 PM.

The port order was revised due to this change.

The call time for Mykonos, Greece is 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM.

The call time for Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey is 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM.

The call port of Bodrum, Turkey has been added to the itinerary.

The call time for Bodrum, Turkey is 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM.

The call port of Chania (Souda), Crete, Greece had been added to the itinerary.

These changes were made at the request of brand leadership.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Celebrity Cruises

http://www.celebritycruises.com

[Mercruiser]

My takeaway is that if you want to visit Istanbul, better do on your own as part of a pre/post-cruise land tour. If you are counting on the cruise line to take you there, it might not happen. I have traveled to Istanbul recently on business. I am very comfortable touring Turkey on my own. We are presently planning a one week pre-cruise visit on our own. Of course, I'll cancel the Turkey visit if the US/Canadian/UK governments issue a warning to "avoid all non-essential travel" to Istanbul.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Beanb41]

I rang the Celebrity Call centre in "Guatemala" earlier today and was advised that the Constellation cruise commencing April 5 is as per programme and that includes the overnight in Istanbul. Its still a long way out but there is hope

[LA_Design]

This is the email I received yesterday. Again it was sent to agents and they are suppose to tell their clients.

 

 

 

Please be advised the Reflection 11 Night Greece, Turkey & Italy itinerary has been modified as detailed

 

....

 

..

 

 

 

These changes were made at the request of brand leadership.

 

 

 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Celebrity Cruises

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com[/color]

 

 

What / who is "brand leadership"[emoji32]

[searoses]

I am very disappointed,as well...have already booked another line for less days and an opportune senior,state discount that could not be ignored . ....hoping Ephesus will still be there next october....and our week in paris.....not going to give up planning....

[LA_Design]

I am very disappointed,as well...have already booked another line for less days and an opportune senior,state discount that could not be ignored . ....hoping Ephesus will still be there next october....and our week in paris.....not going to give up planning....

 

 

good to hear . Hope you have a great time. if you do visit us in UK I apologise in advance for our weather [emoji41][emoji299]️[emoji299]️[emoji299]️[emoji299]️[emoji299]️[emoji299]️

[sasset]

Our April 2, 2016 on Constellation still has Istanbul listed as an overnight. No email (yet).

[littlelulu01]

Does the offer to switch to another sailing at prevailing rates and retain your current perks mean that you can switch to a different sailing and keep your original price paid? If so that is a very generous offer!

 

On august 3, 2015 NCL canceled my 2016 Epic sailing the day after I purchased it. Their offer? The chance to rebook a replacement cruise similar dates and itinerary on a different ship for three times the price! If booked in a balcony they gave $50 obc. $100 obc if booked in a suite.

[Beanb41]

Our April 2, 2016 on Constellation still has Istanbul listed as an overnight. No email (yet).

 

Celebrity have posted on Facebook that both Constellation cruises in 2016 which were to have included Istanbul are undergoing an itinerary review as Istanbul is deleted from both cruise schedule. We just have to wait to see what they come up with.

[kayce1111]

We are sailing on the Equinox May 19th. I called Celebrity and they said no changes on that sailing. The Rep said that the June 2016 forward cruises are the ones that changed and got emails.

[Beanb41]

We are sailing on the Equinox May 19th. I called Celebrity and they said no changes on that sailing. The Rep said that the June 2016 forward cruises are the ones that changed and got emails.

 

I think you will find that in due course Istanbul will be removed from all cruises in 2016. The delay in getting an email is Celebrity finalising the alternate ports

[Miaminice]

Please.... in this discussion facts are really mixed with fiction :-)

 

In 2015 itinerary changes on some cruises including overnight stays in Istanbul were made due to security concerns and were sufficiently disputed and discussed all over the boards.

 

The changes announced by Celebrity now are for a defined period beginning in May 2016. They are a result of construction work on the docks in Istanbul limiting the capacity of the port. This enables (and forces) Celebrity to make changes that far out. It is nothing to be argued with points like the changes being appropriate or unreasonable - it´s a physical fact: a construction.

 

Nobody knows if until then other cruises will be affected due to continuing security concerns, none of us have a crystal ball - at least not the one that really works ;-)

 

That being said... Our cruise on Reflection in August was changed because of security concerns. And yes, we were not happy with it because Istanbul was the reason to book and Athens as a substitute for the overnight did not appeal to us at all.

 

However, we made the best of it, found alternatives to Athens off the beaten path and loved them. The added ports, in our case Rhodes and Chania, were beautiful and easy to explore. In a nutshell: We had a great cruise.

 

For those of you who care to read about it... The first part of the review is online: http://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/Reflection-Eastern-Med-01/reflection-eastern-med-01.html

[Pluto_fan]

Does the offer to switch to another sailing at prevailing rates and retain your current perks mean that you can switch to a different sailing and keep your original price paid? If so that is a very generous offer!

 

I believe the person who posted that offer from Celebrity was from the UK, where they have more restrictive cancellation terms. US-booked cruises might not offer the same conditions, since we can simply cancel with no penalty if we're not happy with the changes.

 

And I think "prevailing rates" probably means the current rate at which the cruise you're switching to is being sold.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Pluto_fan

[ZephyrFox]

Any updates on this? I'm waiting to hear back from my TA. Some are saying it's only Reflection that's been pulled beginning in April and that Equinox's stops in Istabul are still happening until June. Would be great to have the truth confirmed.

 

If construction is the culprit, are there going to be any lines stopping there? Only small ships?

[Beanb41]

I am getting mixed messages regarding Istanbul. We are scheduled to go there on the Constellation in April. On Facebook X have said that Istanbul is off for all ships in 2016 due to port reconstruction but their South Pacific Office says it is still on as does the website. Go figure. The lack of information makes it difficult to plan excursions if the ports are changed at the last minute,.

[lydnsyd]

We are gong to Istanbul on the Equinox in May 2016. Several people on our Roll Call have contacted Celebrity and they have confirmed that we will STILL be docking there. Due to construction work - from June Celebrity will NOT be docking there.

I guess circumstances can always change so we will wait & see.

Edited December 2, 2015 by lydnsyd

[Beanb41]

We are gong to Istanbul on the Equinox in May 2016. Several people on our Roll Call have contacted Celebrity and they have confirmed that we will STILL be docking there. Due to construction work - from June Celebrity will NOT be docking there.

I guess circumstances can always change so we will wait & see.

 

I hope you are right

[Wine-O]

They just had a pipe bomb explosion near one of the metro stations. Istanbul is off my "places to go list." The region is getting to be too volatile.

[Texed]

We are gong to Istanbul on the Equinox in May 2016. Several people on our Roll Call have contacted Celebrity and they have confirmed that we will STILL be docking there. Due to construction work - from June Celebrity will NOT be docking there.

 

We are on Equinox in July. We got an email a few days ago canceling our overnight in Istanbul. But, we are still embarking and departing from there. :)

[cynbaz2]

Hi, I too got an email from Celebrity advising change to itinerary but it offered no reasons so I called them up. They said it is due to the size of the ship and the works being carried out at Istanbul Port. I asked if there were any security concerns and they said no however they had been getting feedback from passengers indicating that they didn't feel comfortable visiting Istanbul.

 

I too am very disappointed as I picked our cruise to go to Istanbul as a taster for my husband who is resisting a trip there.

[ZephyrFox]

Hi, I too got an email from Celebrity advising change to itinerary but it offered no reasons so I called them up. They said it is due to the size of the ship and the works being carried out at Istanbul Port. I asked if there were any security concerns and they said no however they had been getting feedback from passengers indicating that they didn't feel comfortable visiting Istanbul.

 

I too am very disappointed as I picked our cruise to go to Istanbul as a taster for my husband who is resisting a trip there.

 

What ship and date are you on?

[cruisemom42]

We are on Equinox in July. We got an email a few days ago canceling our overnight in Istanbul. But, we are still embarking and departing from there. :)

 

So....if some ships are still embarking and departing from Istanbul in July, how can it be a port closure starting in June that is the reason for the cancellations? :confused:

Edited December 3, 2015 by cruisemom42

[Lam8]

I asked on celebrity Facebook last night as we are departing Istanbul on 7 September and the overnight has been cancelled but still departing from Istanbul