Will Celebrity cancel Turkey ports for 2024

[Charles4515]

5 hours ago, zitsky said:

Other than Turkey supporting Iran and Russia (and Hamas?), I don’t see a reason to avoid Turkey.  It’s not like Americans are being kidnapped there.

 

Did we all tell people to not come to the USA whenever a party is in power that we don’t like?  I hear from time to time travel alerts about the USA.

It may be a business decision based on people not wanting to book cruises to an area they think may be unsafe. Possibly people are not booking those sailings or canceling them. 

[hcat]

Maybe not only about safety. .People may prefer to spend time and money in places where those in power  have not chosen sides in an ongoing conflict.

 

We think Iceland, Greenland may book up fast!

Edited November 5, 2023 by hcat

[Markanddonna]

10 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I was just in Istanbul on October 21 and earlier (on BTB cruises) for an overnight just a couple of days after the initial Hamas attacks. Aside from being terribly crowded, I noted nothing negative about the visit. But of course as time goes by and attitudes coalesce and harden, things may become tricky there. 

 

 

I've been to both and I was not disappointed by the Hippodrome in Istanbul. I walk through it every time I am there and marvel at the remaining monuments from the spina. As well, I have walked all the way to the end where you can still see the substructures. It's quite impressive.

 

The first is the Hippodrome in Istanbul. The second is in Caesarea Maritima. My point is that if you are on a cruise, there may be more outstanding things to see, considering the limited time.

 

 

[NatieL]

I’m in Istanbul right now and loving it.  We went up the Galata Tower last night and had a fabulous dinner.  Today we did a walking tour and are just back from a scrubbing in a beautiful Turkish bath.  Tonight it’s the sunset cruise then we leave for Croatia.  Wish we here longer.

[Charles4515]

20 minutes ago, NatieL said:

I’m in Istanbul right now and loving it.  We went up the Galata Tower last night and had a fabulous dinner.  Today we did a walking tour and are just back from a scrubbing in a beautiful Turkish bath.  Tonight it’s the sunset cruise then we leave for Croatia.  Wish we here longer.

That is great. A lot of cruisers don’t go out at night in Istanbul and are missing out. 

[NMTraveller]

23 hours ago, zitsky said:

Other than Turkey supporting Iran and Russia (and Hamas), I don’t see a reason to avoid Turkey.  It’s not like Americans are being kidnapped there.

 

Did we all tell people to not come to the USA whenever a party is in power that we don’t like?  I hear from time to time travel alerts about the USA.

Pro-Palestinian crowds try to storm air base housing U.S. troops in Turkey | Watch (msn.com)

 

Still wanna go?

Edited November 6, 2023 by NMTraveller

[hcat]

10 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Pro-Palestinian crowds try to storm air base housing U.S. troops in Turkey | Watch (msn.com)

 

Still wanna go?

Wow. that's not good. And Turkey is in NATO...hope they can control this!

 

. Our neighbors are from Instanbul but are staying home in  NY for now!  "Grandma" may come here instead!  Glad we went there before the "big shift" ! 

 

Beautiful place but naybe  just not for now! Safety first!

[newtocruiseinblue]

11 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Pro-Palestinian crowds try to storm air base housing U.S. troops in Turkey | Watch (msn.com)

 

Still wanna go?

The US Department of State travel level for Turkey is level 2, exercise increased caution with the exception of the following regions, which is “Do Not Travel”: 

• Sirnak province, Hakkari province, and any area within six miles (10 kilometers) of the Syrian border due to terrorism.

I personally would not feel comfortable traveling in Instanbul at the moment but I traveled to Kusadasi a couple of months ago and traveling with a tour group to Ephesus is safe. 
 

 

[TLCOhio]

51 minutes ago, hcat said:

Wow. that's not good. And Turkey is in NATO...hope they can control this! Our neighbors are from Instanbul but are staying home in  NY for now!  "Grandma" may come here instead!  Glad we went there before the "big shift" ! Beautiful place but naybe  just not for now! Safety first!

 

Yes, sadly, lots of questions and uncertainty in the Middle East.  Not certain what happens next, how long things are bad and how widely, if and if, things spread.  

 

From the Reuters newswire this morning, they had this headline: “Travelers put off holiday trips to Middle East as Israel-Hamas war rages” with these highlights: “Travelers are canceling or postponing planned vacations to the Middle East and North Africa due to fears of the Israel-Hamas conflict worsening, and as touring companies have also altered itineraries and canceled flights.  Travel operators say the war is affecting demand for travel to nearby nations including Egypt, Jordan and Turkey.  'We are seeing clients cancel cruises like an Egypt Nile river cruise as far out as December 2024 due to concerns with the war,' said Todd Elliott, CEO of Orlando, Florida-based Cruise Vacation Outlet, a travel agency.”

 

From one booking platform cited in this news report, they have "seen a 70% decline in new bookings for countries in the region. Over 40% of trips to Egypt in November and December have already been canceled on the platform.  Cancellation rates in Turkey and Cyprus have doubled for November and December."

 

Also cited:  " 'While the conflict in Israel is very geographically limited so far, we suspect some cruise bookers are hesitant to book a European visit, even to the western Mediterranean,' said Truist analyst Patrick Scholes."

 

Full story at:

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/travelers-put-off-holiday-trips-middle-east-israel-hamas-war-rages-2023-11-06/

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 249,372 views.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/

[Charles4515]

17 minutes ago, newtocruiseinblue said:

I personally would not feel comfortable traveling in Instanbul at the moment but I traveled to Kusadasi a couple of months ago and traveling with a tour group to Ephesus is safe. 

Traveling to Istanbul and Kusadasi is safe until it isn’t. I think that cruise lines will have a problem booking passengers to the area until tensions lesson because many people have a problem making distinctions. I think cruise lines are canceling Turkey because their customers are canceling. 

Edited November 6, 2023 by Charles4515

[ECCruise]

20 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

I think cruise lines are canceling Turkey because their customers are canceling. 

I think that is the whole point.  We would go to Istanbul or Kusadasi tomorrow without fear (have been to both many times both in calm and volatile periods) but fully understand if the cruise line feels it is better to substitute alternative ports.  

[zitsky]

This is like canceling a trip to Chicago because of crime in Mexico.  
 

What do they think?  A year from now Turkey and Egypt will be in a war with Israel?

[newtocruiseinblue]

4 minutes ago, zitsky said:

This is like canceling a trip to Chicago because of crime in Mexico.  
 

What do they think?  A year from now Turkey and Egypt will be in a war with Israel?

Sadly, one can’t deny that tensions in Turkey are higher and anti-American sentiment is at an all-time high due to the Israeli war and the Ukraine war. No one knows what tomorrow may bring and there is a global warning for all Americans from the state department for travel. 
 

Also, there are many areas of Mexico that I would not dare travel. It isn’t safe in some rural areas due to the Cartels.

[newtocruiseinblue]

34 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

Traveling to Istanbul and Kusadasi is safe until it isn’t. I think that cruise lines will have a problem booking passengers to the area until tensions lesson because many people have a problem making distinctions. I think cruise lines are canceling Turkey because their customers are canceling. 

 

So true! I didn’t even feel completely comfortable in Kusadasi last summer. I wouldn’t go there now. 

[zitsky]

9 minutes ago, newtocruiseinblue said:

Sadly, one can’t deny that tensions in Turkey are higher and anti-American sentiment is at an all-time high due to the Israeli war and the Ukraine war. No one knows what tomorrow may bring and there is a global warning for all Americans from the state department for travel. 
 

Also, there are many areas of Mexico that I would not dare travel. It isn’t safe in some rural areas due to the Cartels.

During the Guatemalan civil war I traveled by bus from Chicago to Guatemala.  I didn’t have control over the route but I used common sense.  However I didn’t stop going to Mexico because of violence in Guatemala.

 

No one knows what tomorrow may bring.  Uh ok.

 

 

[NutsAboutGolf]

We do have some time, if I were in charge of X logistics I'd send all passengers an email that we are monitoring the situation before changing the itinerary but if conditions do not improve expect an itinerary change.

 

The Solstice did a multiple sailing TP, the first sailing was from Vancouver to Hawaii originally included Maui.  It was horrible what happened to West Maui and X was quick to cancel the West Maui port stop (scheduled 5 weeks after the fires) but other cruise ships continued to dock in North Maui which did help out the rest of Maui.  We checked and on the day we were supposed to stop in West Maui, no ships were docked in North Maui so it would appear X didn't attempt to see about switching ports.  Many Maui businesses were struggling because of a lack of tourists

[babydrum]

2 hours ago, ECCruise said:

I think that is the whole point.  We would go to Istanbul or Kusadasi tomorrow without fear (have been to both many times both in calm and volatile periods) but fully understand if the cruise line feels it is better to substitute alternative ports.  

I have flights on Turkish Airlines that stop in Istanbul.  I have a 9 hour 45 minute layover on the way out (April 28th) and I booked a private tour for that time.  I'm rethinking the tour but I'm wondering if anyone thinks it'll be safe to just hang out in the airport at the lounge.  I saw what happened at the airport in Russia and while those are different countries, I don't feel like airports are as safe as I thought they were.

[C4HCG]

2 hours ago, zitsky said:

This is like canceling a trip to Chicago because of crime in Mexico.  
 

What do they think?  A year from now Turkey and Egypt will be in a war with Israel?

I wouldn’t personally travel there due to the risk of inadvertently getting caught up in the protests which across Europe have turned quite violent. 

[hcat]

For   US citizens,   maybe even less safe. Pres of Turkey snubbed US secy of State this week..Sets a tone...

 

Cruising is not about politics but is  always about safety. ..Many other places to enjoy and spend money right now and be welcomed!

 

Cruise lines will not take chances!

[hcat]

25 minutes ago, hcat said:

For   US citizens,   maybe even less safe. Pres of Turkey snubbed US secy of State this week..Sets a tone...

 

Cruising is not about politics but is  always about safety. ..Many other places to enjoy and spend money right now and be welcomed!

 

Cruise lines will not take chances!

Achille Lauro hijacking, hijacking of the Italian cruise ship the MS Achille Lauro on Oct. 7, 1985, by four Palestinian militants associated with a faction of the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF).

 

you can google for more info..but Cruise Lines and their insurers are cautious!

[WestLakeGirl]

And what are the insurance implications? Both the cruise lines insurance and your personal travel policies?

[markeb]

9 minutes ago, WestLakeGirl said:

And what are the insurance implications? Both the cruise lines insurance and your personal travel policies?

 

As always, it depends. Most insurance has exclusions for force majeure in general, and acts of war or terrorism specifically. Declared states of war have been almost nonexistent in the late 20th and now 21st centuries. But sailing into (for the cruise lines) or traveling through (for your personal insurance) an area of known hostilities would jeopardize insurance coverage.

 

Ditto with warnings from the State Department (US) or Foreign Office (UK) or similar agencies for other countries for terrorist activity. Your insurance may have a lower risk tolerance than you do.

[MustBCruzn]

16 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Pro-Palestinian crowds try to storm air base housing U.S. troops in Turkey | Watch (msn.com)

 

Still wanna go?

 

Wow. Absolutely not. I was stationed on this base in the early '90s, and my heart goes out to those men and women stationed there now.

[zitsky]

If there is an open conflict or legitimate expectation of one, then sure, avoid it.  I think folks are exaggerating the risk of visiting a place like Turkey.  I went there despite it not being LGBT friendly.

Edited November 6, 2023 by zitsky

[Andrewgary]

On 11/4/2023 at 11:12 PM, zitsky said:

Other than Turkey supporting Iran and Russia (and Hamas?), I don’t see a reason to avoid Turkey.  It’s not like Americans are being kidnapped there.

 

 

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?