Istanbul options if cancelled due to unrest ?

[umpy10]

Can't remember if NCL had cancelled any stops in Istanbul a few years back when the protests were occurring. If so, does anyone recall what port was added or was it just another sea day?

After seeing the news about the suicide bomber, and no I'm not a worry wort, if this continued at what point would NCL pull the plug ?

We'll be there next November and I'm sure things will have settled down before then, but this occurred near the Blue Mosque.

Any thoughts ?

 

cheers...the Ump...:D

[ColinIllinois]

I can't answer your question about alternatives but I wouldn't be so sure that "things will settle down by then". The terrorist ISIL scum are all over that region and aren't going away anytime soon.

[Bocadude85]

Our stop in Istanbul was cancelled a few years back when we were on the Spirit. The replacement for Istanbul was Dubrovnik, Croatia. We are hoping that our cruise in May will make it to Istanbul this time around.

[hawkeyetlse]

After seeing the news about the suicide bomber, and no I'm not a worry wort, if this continued at what point would NCL pull the plug ?

They will pull the plug if people stop booking and start cancelling. They have to make the decision for cruises several months away, so that will not be based on real knowledge about terrorist attacks months from now, but based on customer behavior.

[casofilia]

They have already pulled Istanbul as an embarkation/debarkation port. We were due to embark there Oct 31 2016 and have been moved to embark in Rome Oct 30 2016.

 

Mike

[Ilikebigboats]

Our stop in Istanbul was cancelled a few years back when we were on the Spirit. The replacement for Istanbul was Dubrovnik, Croatia. We are hoping that our cruise in May will make it to Istanbul this time around.

 

I find it interesting that you seem to have no fear of Istanbul after a suicide bomber killed several German tourists. I'm an experienced traveler and normally I don't get shaken very easily. But with Isis anger over Turkey siding with United States and NATO, our Istanbul port stop has made me nervous from the day I booked our NCL Mediterranean cruise. I have several first time cruisers/travelers with me on this trip and they are very scared right now.

As much as I wanted to see Istanbul I am hoping that NCL will substitute this port. Sigh...

I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm attacking you, I'm not but I would like to know what your thoughts are on the Istanbul situation.

[All-ready2cruise]

Can't remember if NCL had cancelled any stops in Istanbul a few years back when the protests were occurring. If so, does anyone recall what port was added or was it just another sea day?

After seeing the news about the suicide bomber, and no I'm not a worry wort, if this continued at what point would NCL pull the plug ?

We'll be there next November and I'm sure things will have settled down before then, but this occurred near the Blue Mosque.

Any thoughts ?

 

cheers...the Ump...:D

 

If you're booked on a cruise which stops in Istanbul, do you see any excursions listed for that port? I'm not seeing Istanbul listed as a port of call or embark/debark?

 

Just wondering because I haven't seen it listed for quite a while.

[Jldevlin]

We were just looking at what tours to take in Instanbul on our Spirit cruise in September ..I would love to see the town and all it offers but not when it is a proven risk ... We were supposed to go to Tunis 2 weeks after the slaughter of the tourists there and of course that stop was cancelled. I am a brave traveler but I wont ever risk my own safety just to see a port stop.

[hamrag]

.....We'll be there next November and I'm sure things will have settled down before then, but this occurred near the Blue Mosque.

Any thoughts ?

 

cheers...the Ump...:D

 

I hope you are correct. My strong fear is that, rather than settle down, such attacks will extend to other areas frequented by "East Med" itineries. We have been in Istanbul, a beautiful city, but would not return in the current terror climate.

 

Turkey is much too close to Syria and all the other trouble spots for IS radicalisation "camps" and that whole region is gonna become increasingly problematic. Look at Tunisia, Sharm el Sheik, and Egypt in general, also Israel is not safe in my view.

 

I write this as one who would have traversed these areas without batting an eyelid until about a year ago, but the various terrorist attacks throughout 2015 have changed my outlook. One thing that has never concerned me to any degree is the cruise ship itself, but really it is a sitting target in the middle of a sea close to those areas....and think of the media coverage that would get them.....doesn't bear thinking about!

[Seanote]

I can't answer your question about alternatives but I wouldn't be so sure that "things will settle down by then". The terrorist ISIL scum are all over that region and aren't going away anytime soon.

 

Probably should stay away from Paris, Brussels, Bonn and Munich too. Oh, and what ever you do, stay far away from San Bernardino.

[hamrag]

We were just looking at what tours to take in Instanbul on our Spirit cruise in September ..I would love to see the town and all it offers but not when it is a proven risk ... We were supposed to go to Tunis 2 weeks after the slaughter of the tourists there and of course that stop was cancelled. I am a brave traveler but I wont ever risk my own safety just to see a port stop.

 

I would describe myself too as a "brave traveller", and agree entirely with you.

[cardbucfan]

Our May 7 Spirit cruise still shows Istanbul as a port stop but several folks on our roll call have talked to people at NCL and somebody got a "higher up" who said that we would not be going to Istanbul but a Croatian port.

 

I consider myself a brave traveler but not a stupid one. I chose this itinerary because of all the ports, specifically Istanbul so will be very disappointed if it's cancelled. However, I understand why NCL and the other lines would prefer to not risk their ships and passengers. What I do wish is that NCL would communicate to us what they plan to do so we can make plans. (Cue the hysterical laughter now!).

 

I've got non refundable plane tickets and the rest of the itinerary is amazing so I really don't wish to cancel even with all the changes that are going on.

[ColinIllinois]

Probably should stay away from Paris, Brussels, Bonn and Munich too. Oh, and what ever you do, stay far away from San Bernardino.

 

 

You know exactly what I mean by what I said. Use common sense. :rolleyes:

[Tudorcruisers]

We were only in Istanbul once as a port call and also stayed overnight before flying home the next day at end of cruise. I absolutely hated it as everyone from taxi drivers to ice-cream vendors were trying to charge us higher prices as we were tourists. Thank goodness we knew what prices should be and didn't get caught out but it really annoyed me. We had to get a taxi to the airport from the hotel and it was a white knuckle ride. It's one place I never wish to return to.

 

It's a big worry these days with these lunatics around and I'm sure many cruisers are concerned if Istanbul is a port of call.

[Minoushka]

I think itsbest to avoid Europe ....notpleasant at thispoint

Terrorista are winning if tourists stop going

[lanceholt]

We were in Istanbul on the Spirit in late October and were well aware then that things could change and the port canceled. We made up our minds that we were going regardless and enjoy whatever port was substituted. We always have cancel for any reason travel insurance and recommend that to everyone these days. Dubrovnik is a beautiful city and if you end up there you will love it.

 

If we were going now, I wouldn't get off the ship in Istanbul even if it docked there. Turkey is just at the juncture of a lot of problem areas. I am very glad we have been there twice and hope that things change at some point, but don't think that will happen anytime soon.

[Jldevlin]

Also one point that matters to this board is that tourists were targeted ..not just a random spot but one that was very specific ... I am a tourist in these countries ...

[Cuizer2]

I find it interesting that you seem to have no fear of Istanbul after a suicide bomber killed several German tourists. I'm an experienced traveler and normally I don't get shaken very easily. But with Isis anger over Turkey siding with United States and NATO, our Istanbul port stop has made me nervous from the day I booked our NCL Mediterranean cruise. I have several first time cruisers/travelers with me on this trip and they are very scared right now.

As much as I wanted to see Istanbul I am hoping that NCL will substitute this port. Sigh...

I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm attacking you, I'm not but I would like to know what your thoughts are on the Istanbul situation.

 

If you are that concerned, then I would recommend that you cancel the cruise. How are you going to enjoy your cruise if you are worried you'll be killed?

[umpy10]

I find it interesting that you seem to have no fear of Istanbul after a suicide bomber killed several German tourists. I'm an experienced traveler and normally I don't get shaken very easily. But with Isis anger over Turkey siding with United States and NATO, our Istanbul port stop has made me nervous from the day I booked our NCL Mediterranean cruise. I have several first time cruisers/travelers with me on this trip and they are very scared right now.

As much as I wanted to see Istanbul I am hoping that NCL will substitute this port. Sigh...

I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm attacking you, I'm not but I would like to know what your thoughts are on the Istanbul situation.

 

We were in Istanbul in 2013 and Izmir as well during the 12 day Grand Med. which we happen to be taking again but in reverse order this time.

We loved Istanbul & were treated very well in Izmir ( I organized a tour to Ephesus for 42 of us via our Roll Call).

I for one will not be held "captive" by these thugs by diverting where & when I choose to travel in this world we live in. Having said that I'm not that stupid to realize that a "hot spot" for trouble wouldn't be wise to visit.

 

What happened in Istanbul was an isolated incident for that part of Turkey, most of the problem area's are much closer to the Syrian border. There is still a long time to go before we actually cruise and if we don't get to go we of course understand why.

 

I certainly didn't intend for this post to go "Political" as some felt the need to express their opinion, have been on CC long enough to expect that to happen. So I won't express my feelings on these issues as it's not the proper place or forum to broach the subject.

 

Thank you very much to those that have answered my question, I appreciate the answers.

 

cheers...the Ump...:D

[Cloudyrain]

It is incredibly sad that people have lost their lives in Istanbul due to terrorism. Over 10 million people visit Istanbul every year, and it's very sad that this will probably massively decrease as a result of the actions of a very very small minority. I can imagine that most big cruise lines will stop going to Turkey at all in response to customers fears.

 

Although it's a good job that people didn't respond this way following 9/11, or 7/7, or Boston, or the various places in Spain that were bombed by Basque Separatists, or various cinemas throughout America etc etc

[Bocadude85]

I find it interesting that you seem to have no fear of Istanbul after a suicide bomber killed several German tourists. I'm an experienced traveler and normally I don't get shaken very easily. But with Isis anger over Turkey siding with United States and NATO, our Istanbul port stop has made me nervous from the day I booked our NCL Mediterranean cruise. I have several first time cruisers/travelers with me on this trip and they are very scared right now.

As much as I wanted to see Istanbul I am hoping that NCL will substitute this port. Sigh...

I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm attacking you, I'm not but I would like to know what your thoughts are on the Istanbul situation.

 

We are seasoned travelers and have been all over the world including Turkey multiple times(just not Istanbul). The chances of being killed in a terrorist attack are very remote compared to other travel related accidents. If we sat and worried about all the risks involved with traveling then we would probably never leave our house. We were on one of the last sailings to Egypt before NCL cancelled all stops there due to the unrest. A lot of the people on our cruise stayed on the ship for fear of being targeted or kidnapped, we decided to go into Cairo and see the pyramids anyways and it was the highlight of the trip. We made sure to be extra cautious and always be aware of our surroundings and this is the same way we will approach our stop in Istanbul. If NCL decides to cancel our stop in Istanbul this coming May then of course we will understand the reasons why and be perfectly happy with whatever port they decide to replace it with.

[aussie cruzer]

Ncl have cancelled Istanbul....they actually did it a couple of weeks ago.

 

They were organizing alternate ports.

 

They first Cancelled the Istanbul to Dubai Repo a couple of weeks ago and added Rome to Dubai instead...they were in the process of rescheduling Spirit itineraries anyway before last nights attack.

 

Well done Ncl.

 

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

[barnacle_boy]

Istanbul is already out.

 

Greece might be next as other cruise lines are pulling out there as well.

[ColinIllinois]

We are seasoned travelers and have been all over the world including Turkey multiple times(just not Istanbul). The chances of being killed in a terrorist attack are very remote compared to other travel related accidents. If we sat and worried about all the risks involved with traveling then we would probably never leave our house. We were on one of the last sailings to Egypt before NCL cancelled all stops there due to the unrest. A lot of the people on our cruise stayed on the ship for fear of being targeted or kidnapped, we decided to go into Cairo and see the pyramids anyways and it was the highlight of the trip. We made sure to be extra cautious and always be aware of our surroundings and this is the same way we will approach our stop in Istanbul. If NCL decides to cancel our stop in Istanbul this coming May then of course we will understand the reasons why and be perfectly happy with whatever port they decide to replace it with.

 

Respectffully, I think that's very naive. You can "be aware" of your surroundings as much as you want to be and you still aren't going to stop a suicide bomber in a tourist area. I spent twenty one years in the military and visited some very dangerous places. That's fine for me and my risk level but I sure am not going to expose my family to that.

 

Is there a chance of terrorism everywhere these days? Sure, of course there is but why go to a location where your odds are exponentially higher? Even the cruise lines don't want to go there and expose their employees or passengers to that environment.

Edited January 12, 2016 by ColinIllinois

[Granny DI]

We visited Turkey and Istanbul in 2014 via cruise ship. We had 3 guides...a Turkish female, an Egytian female who was working in Turkey because of the mess in Egypt, and a Kurdish male. I knew by the end of our cruise/ land tours things were not going to improve in this part of the world. We had tried to visit Istanbul several times in the last 15 years but the cruise lines kept yanking it off the itinerary due to terrorism.....this is not a new problem.