Cruise Booking

[mjz]

I plan on taking my partner on Windstar's Greek Isle and Turkey cruise in May of 2018 for his birthday. I'm hoping that Istanbul will be back on the itinerary by this time. Questions: When does Windstar typically release sailing dates for sale? Does Windstar offer discounts if you book a cruise while sailing with them? If so, we'll be cruising French Polynesia in three weeks and I could potentially book at that time if the price makes sense.

[ridethetide]

Alumni get a 5% discount. If you book another cruise within 60 days of disembarking from the previous cruise, you get another 5% off as a "Welcome Back" discount. I don't think that would work, however, if they haven't released the 2018 itineraries yet.

[ducklite]

I also would not count on sailings to Turkey. As of right now, they have suspended port calls in that country, and it doesn't look like the situation will improve anytime soon.

[lovecruisingtoo]

Agree that WS will be very wary of going back to Istanbul. Most people do not see the political situation in Turkey improving anytime soon.

[danapoint1]

Having done this itinerary on WS would not book it unless it included Istanbul and Ephesus. They are two of our favorite ports of all time.

 

We were booked to go back on Seabourn in October, and cancelled right at the 90 day mark to avoid penalties, and 5 days later they cancelled all Turkey ports due to the unrest so we dodged a bullet.

 

Would wait until things developed further at this time, its not worth a 5% to me.

[mjz]

Having done this itinerary on WS would not book it unless it included Istanbul and Ephesus. They are two of our favorite ports of all time.

 

We were booked to go back on Seabourn in October, and cancelled right at the 90 day mark to avoid penalties, and 5 days later they cancelled all Turkey ports due to the unrest so we dodged a bullet.

 

Would wait until things developed further at this time, its not worth a 5% to me.

 

Agreed and I'm definitely holding off as we have time on our side. Istanbul is one of my favorite cities and I'd like my partner to experience it at some point. We'll see how things play out and I wish only the best for those in this region.