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Kusadasi, Turkey


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NCL has Kusadasi on the schedule for Dec. 2019. I was surprised as I thought most of the mainstream cruiselines were not going to Turkey. I realize it could be canceled at any time, but was wondering what your thoughts were if you have been there?

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I leapt on your post, since it is so rare to see Kusadasi mentioned these days.

 

I have been there numerous times on cruises and two land trips. It is a lovely place and one that is completely based on tourism -- mostly to nearby Ephesus which is, hands down, one of the more impressive ruins in the Mediterranean. But there are a number of other sites as well nearby worth visiting.

 

There's no way of knowing whether Kusadasi will stay on your itinerary. But personally, I wouldn't feel any qualms about going back there on a cruise, not in the least.

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I used to live near there (years ago) and visited Ephesus regularly. Our last visit was in 2015. If you love ancient history, the area is amazing: Greek, Roman, Byzantine and more. Great local foods and very friendly people.

 

I really hope you get a chance to visit there. We would return in a heart-beat!

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We love Ephesus. Been theee twice and would go back in a flash. Turkey is one of our favourite destinations. Fortunately we travel on a passport that allows us to visit.....as long as we pay the $60 visa cost.

 

If you do stop, our advice would be twofold. Forget the ships tour and arrange your own. Do not miss out on Ephesus. On one trip with my MIL she wanted to go to the supposed house of Mary. If you ask me that part was was nothing more than a clever thought out tourist trap. Not worth the 30 minutes or so of road time to get there.

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The current situation in Turkey breaks my heart. DW and I are really fond of Turkey and the Turks and have enjoyed many cruises and some land trips to that country. But it is very difficult to view Erdogen as a real ally and we would no longer travel to Turkey because of security concerns. These days one cannot even depend on the authorities to protect tourists. This sounds harsh, but we are realists. What is really sad is that the Turks have brought this upon themselves and have undone much of the freedoms given to the country by Ataturk.

 

Perhaps its best summed-up by the most recent State Department Travel advisory which in its very first sentence says, " reconsider travel to Turkey due to terrorism and arbitrary detentions." DW and I are very adventurous independent travelers and we really hope there will be a time that we can return to Turkey. But for now, it is a place we shall avoid.

As to Kusadasi, what a tragedy for their people, economy, and businesses. This port used to receive around 1000 cruise ship calls a year plus many land tours. Now, we would assume much of the city is dealing with a virtual depression as much of its tourist revenue is just history. We used to rent cars in Kusadasi and explore the region out to nearly 100 miles. The Turks are now learning a very hard lesson that elections have consequences. A country that voluntarily votes to give up much of their freedom is something difficult to understand.

Hank

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The current situation in Turkey breaks my heart. DW and I are really fond of Turkey and the Turks and have enjoyed many cruises and some land trips to that country. But it is very difficult to view Erdogen as a real ally and we would no longer travel to Turkey because of security concerns. These days one cannot even depend on the authorities to protect tourists. This sounds harsh, but we are realists. What is really sad is that the Turks have brought this upon themselves and have undone much of the freedoms given to the country by Ataturk.

 

Perhaps its best summed-up by the most recent State Department Travel advisory which in its very first sentence says, " reconsider travel to Turkey due to terrorism and arbitrary detentions." DW and I are very adventurous independent travelers and we really hope there will be a time that we can return to Turkey. But for now, it is a place we shall avoid.

As to Kusadasi, what a tragedy for their people, economy, and businesses. This port used to receive around 1000 cruise ship calls a year plus many land tours. Now, we would assume much of the city is dealing with a virtual depression as much of its tourist revenue is just history. We used to rent cars in Kusadasi and explore the region out to nearly 100 miles. The Turks are now learning a very hard lesson that elections have consequences. A country that voluntarily votes to give up much of their freedom is something difficult to understand. Hank

 

I agree, it is so sad. I lived in Turkey years ago, and traveled extensively throughout the western half of the country: Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and many places in between. The people are wonderful and many of my friends there no longer correspond. Our last return trip was in 2015 and I hope to return again some time in the future.

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Literally within the last hour I was listening to a report on the BBC about tourism and where travellers are visiting this summer. They said that confidence in travel to Turkey is growing and there is a resurgence in holidays to Turkey, which has always been a very popular holiday destination from the UK

 

I hope they continue to add Kusadasi to cruise itineraries. We've visited several times and always liked it as a port of call and Ephesus is one of the very best places we have visited. We were also fortunate enough to have an overnight cruise stop in Istanbul shortly before that city was pulled from cruise itineraries. I would have no hesitation visiting Kusadasi on a cruise.

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I am very excited to see the Turkish ports being added back into some of the cruise lines' itineraries. Kusadasi and Istanbul are some of my favorite places to visit. I felt very safe in Kusadasi each time I was there. The ruins at Ephesus are wonderful. There had been a bombing in Istanbul about 10 days before we were there, so we were on high alert as we wandered around, but it is never a bad idea to be aware of your surroundings and it turned out to be my husband's favorite port. Hoping to get a cruise booked soon with a return to Turkey.

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We have had several vacations along the Turkish Med coast, including a driving holiday. So many beautiful, secluded spots. Inland, Cappadocia is fascinating. We would rank it as one of the friendliest places we have traveled. I have no doubt that we will go back in the next year or two-combined with island hopping in Greece.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We adored Kusadasi which we visited while on a cruise last Oct. Our private tour of Ephesus was such a highlight! As we left the port a lady on the pilot boat kept shouting out thank you for coming! Thank you! and kissing her hands to us. It made me realise how much they are suffering from the lack of cruises there. Enjoy going, you will have a wonderful time!

 

Sent from my SM-J200Y using Forums mobile app

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  • 2 weeks later...

Our ship stops in Kusadasi next month. We have tours booked but are getting more and more nervous about this stop. No US Visas to Turkey (although we don’t need them), and now a drive by shooting at the embassy being reported today.

Should we cancel tours and have a “sea day”? We will probably wait and see what happens in the next few weeks, but wanted your thoughts.

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Our ship stops in Kusadasi next month. We have tours booked but are getting more and more nervous about this stop. No US Visas to Turkey (although we don’t need them), and now a drive by shooting at the embassy being reported today.

Should we cancel tours and have a “sea day”? We will probably wait and see what happens in the next few weeks, but wanted your thoughts.

 

Tough call! Kusadasi is a very tourist-oriented city where we have always felt safe and welcomed. In the past, when there were "issues" in major cities like Istanbul.....Kusadasi was life as usual. In your position we would probably continue with our usual shore plans but monitor the situation closely between now and the visit.

 

Hank

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Our ship stops in Kusadasi next month. We have tours booked but are getting more and more nervous about this stop. No US Visas to Turkey (although we don’t need them), and now a drive by shooting at the embassy being reported today.

Should we cancel tours and have a “sea day”? We will probably wait and see what happens in the next few weeks, but wanted your thoughts.

 

Ankara, where the shots were fired at the Embassy, is very far from Kusadasi, both in terms of actual distance and in terms of culture. It is in central Turkey, where the culture is much more conservative and also politicized.

 

Kusadasi is a town that only exists because of tourism. My opinion would be that they are most happy to welcome back tourists there. If it were me, I'd certainly get off the ship and continue with my planned visit, but you have to do what makes you comfortable.

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So I am going to toss out my major concern with returning to Turkey. As much as we love the country and its people we simply do not trust the current government. Perhaps if Erdogan is having a bad day he might decide to lock-up a few tourists and charge them as spies. This national leader is somewhat desperate with his economy and currency hurting in a bad way and he has a history of looking for others to blame for his own policy failures. We really hope that Erdogan will solve the problems plaguing his country and get things back on track. But now, when we look at Turkey all we see is uncertainty. Consider that the Turkish Lira has lost about 40% of its value (against the dollar) in the current year. And when you couple this with the approximate 16% inflation rate (in Turkey) this creates huge pressure on the government to find scapegoats. Perhaps it is just me....but when I look at Turkey today all I feel is unease.

 

Hank

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  • 3 weeks later...

We survived Turkey. For a full report, check out my “Live from the Whisper” thread on the Silversea boards.

We had 2 lovely tours, but honesty, I never felt completely safe, even with armed guards visible everywhere.

Having Ephesus on my bucket list, and now having the experience as well as the evening concert there, I’m not sure I would want to come back. Our first tour guide was obviously trying to give a positive PR speech for the country. It fell flat when we got off the bus and were immediately rushed by very pushy men trying to forcefully sell their goods. I found that they were more likely to leave me alone and take “no” for an answer when my husband was by my side.

The 2nd Guide was more honest about the “terrible messy situation”—her own words. I was afraid for her, as she might get arrested, or worse, if she keeps openly speaking like that and talking about the “horrible” mistakes the government has made and how it is “ruining” tourism, and “that’s all we have left besides rugs!” (She was delightful and funny as well.)

So, while we had a good time, I think only time will tell as to what will happen with the situation in Turkey.

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We survived Turkey. For a full report, check out my “Live from the Whisper” thread on the Silversea boards.

We had 2 lovely tours, but honesty, I never felt completely safe, even with armed guards visible everywhere.

Having Ephesus on my bucket list, and now having the experience as well as the evening concert there, I’m not sure I would want to come back. Our first tour guide was obviously trying to give a positive PR speech for the country. It fell flat when we got off the bus and were immediately rushed by very pushy men trying to forcefully sell their goods. I found that they were more likely to leave me alone and take “no” for an answer when my husband was by my side.

The 2nd Guide was more honest about the “terrible messy situation”—her own words. I was afraid for her, as she might get arrested, or worse, if she keeps openly speaking like that and talking about the “horrible” mistakes the government has made and how it is “ruining” tourism, and “that’s all we have left besides rugs!” (She was delightful and funny as well.)

So, while we had a good time, I think only time will tell as to what will happen with the situation in Turkey.

 

The hawkers in Kusadasi have always been aggressive, but it's a cultural thing really. Having survived and even enjoyed visits to the Khan-al-Khalili bazaar in Cairo and the sadly now-destroyed Aleppo bazaar, as well as the famous Grand bazaar in Istanbul, I can assure you that it's the norm, and not meant to be intimidating or dangerous.

 

One can get jingoistic guides in many countries, unfortunately. (Russia is a good example -- have experienced really great and really terrible guides there...) It's always nice when you get a guide who is able to transcend that and give you an honest perspective, but one also has to understand that it's not always possible -- and sometimes beyond the skill level of the guide to do it in a seamless way.

 

In Syria right before the civil war started, we had a guide who seemed afraid of his own shadow -- somewhat understandably. Even though that was without doubt the most oppressive-feeling situation I've been in while traveling, I still enjoyed the trip and am very glad that I went, as many of the sites we visited are now destroyed...

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  • 3 weeks later...

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