Azamara's Assessment of Safety in Istanbul ?

We are on Journey out if Athens on Thursday , ending in Istanbul.

My wife is concerned about safety in Istanbul , especially as it is in the news today that Turkey is now directly involved in military action in Syria. The fear is of retaliation by ISIS etc

The BBC news tonight showed footage of fairly violent demonstrations in Istanbul.

Can Azamara give us some comfort regarding our concerns ? How closely are they monitoring the situation ?

I too am now concerned. I join Journey in Istanbul the following week

My thoughts exactly Scottie. Rather worrying, but I'm sure that it would be a logistical nightmare to change ports. Azamara would have to rearrange flights for 500+ people. 😟

My thoughts exactly Scottie. Rather worrying, but I'm sure that it would be a logistical nightmare to change ports. Azamara would have to rearrange flights for 500+ people. 😟

I accept that it would almost impossible to rearrange flights , but one simple solution would be to change penultimate day to a day at sea, rather than an overnight in Istanbul.

I have booked this cruise specifically for the overnight in Istanbul and would be very unhappy to see it replaced with a day at sea. I have seen people post that they plan to stay onboard and that is their perogative if they don't want to go into the city but some of us do wish to.

Demonstrations rarely take place in the Sultanhameth area, ie where you find the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia. Choose a hotel in this area and you will be fine. Avoid the area around Taxim Square. This is where demonstrators and police like to clash together. Sadly most of the Azamara hotels like Hilton are situated here. Avoid at all costs

I accept that it would almost impossible to rearrange flights , but one simple solution would be to change penultimate day to a day at sea, rather than an overnight in Istanbul.

A better alternative would be to keep it the same and for those that want to stay put they can treat the day we are docked in Istanbul as a sea day. This then leaves the option of the city for others.

Phil

We booked a cruise in 2017 that starts in Istanbul and focuses on the Greek islands and Amalfi Coast (and an overnight in Livorno). We are playing it by ear, knowing Azamara will make necessary adjustments as needed. However, all of does impact flight planning and I wouldn't mind having original embarkation in Athens.

The chances of anything untoward happening to tourists in Istanbul is no greater than in many supposedly "safe" places. Unless a very specific threat is uncovered there is no reason to change the itinerary.

We have just come back from 2 weeks in Turkey. Tourism is down by 35% we learned because of fears, but we felt, and were, perfectly safe at all times.

There is always a chance these days, wherever in the world, that something bad might happen to you - but the chance is very, very remote.

Furthermore, we must not let the loonies (however dangerous) dictate what we do and where we go.

Safety is always our number one priority. We continue to monitor the destinations we visit, including Turkey. While I have heard of no changes to any itineraries, if and when a change is needed, we would do so without delay.

That said, Istanbul is one of my favorite cities in the world. I wouldn't miss a chance to visit it.

We have been in Istanbul several time when "riots" were taking place in Taksim Square. Just avoid that specific area. Istanbul is no more dangerous than any other place at this time in history..... Sadly one needs to be very careful wherever they travel, but I would not miss out on the opportunity to see Istanbul It is a magical City.

I have full faith in Azamara and their making any right decisions if they feel it is too dangerous at the time of sailing.

I already have my olane ticket for late May... I will be in a hotel or out sightseeing .. Do not need anymore changes

Just had dinner with friends who spent three weeks in Turkey this past June. Felt safe everywhere. One of those weeks was in Istanbul. Treated well by Turks everywhere from Istanbul to Antalya to Cappadocia and in between.

We were in Istanbul four days last October after a cruise. I felt safe from crime but was uneasy about the political climate. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton and hired a private guide. We saw most of Istanbul and it is a wonderful city. I just wished we had visited there 20 years ago before the world turned upside down.

One thing to remember is that the media doesn't always report the whole truth. Were the demonstarations on Saturday? Our guide told us demonstrations occur Every Saturday morning. Anyone with a gripe is allowed to show his or her displeasure on Saturday mornings.

Perhaps the best thing to do is turn off the news and just plan to have a wonderful time. BTW I'm a news addict and have read nothing about problems in Istanbul...ie the reason for the question.

Got back two weeks ago from a cruise with an overnight in Istanbul and we also stayed there two nights pre cruise. No trouble anywhere at all. Great city but just pick your hotel location away from Taksim Sq area, as others have said.

I felt safer there than I did in Chicago recently.

Thanks everyone for their responses.

Like many of you, we have been in Istanbul before and felt completely safe.

However the climate there has changed only very recently.

My point was to seek reassurance from Azamara that they monitoring the situation. (Bonnie has done that)

Thanks everyone for their responses.

 

Like many of you, we have been in Istanbul before and felt completely safe.

 

However the climate there has changed only very recently.

 

My point was to seek reassurance from Azamara that they monitoring the situation. (Bonnie has done that)

You can be reassured that wherever you are in the world, Azamara is monitoring the situation, not only on this cruise. There are situations in most ports in the world they have to think about.

My wife probably would be anxious about visiting Istanbul simply because of the part of the world it is in.

But I would check on whether there are any U.S. State Department travel warnings or alerts (and I don't remember any regarding Istanbul). And I would think that all of the cruise companies (because of liability, public relations and resultant revenue loss concerns) are sharing information regarding security issues and would err on the side of caution on what ports of call they believe they can safely visit.

Use common sense during the visit, and you should be fine. And be reminded that acts of violence can happen anywhere at any time. I live six miles from the Grand theaters where last Thursday's shootings took place. And then we just had the recruiting station shootings in Chattanooga. There are no guarantees in this world.

My wife probably would be anxious about visiting Istanbul simply because of the part of the world it is in.

 

But I would check on whether there are any U.S. State Department travel warnings or alerts (and I don't remember any regarding Istanbul). And I would think that all of the cruise companies (because of liability, public relations and resultant revenue loss concerns) are sharing information regarding security issues and would err on the side of caution on what ports of call they believe they can safely visit.

 

Use common sense during the visit, and you should be fine. And be reminded that acts of violence can happen anywhere at any time. I live six miles from the Grand theaters where last Thursday's shootings took place. And then we just had the recruiting station shootings in Chattanooga. There are no guarantees in this world.

This is on Department of State's Website:

U.S. citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness. You should follow local news sources during your stay to remain abreast of any potential areas, dates, or times of concern, and enroll in the STEP program.

 

Wherever you are in Turkey, do not accept letters, parcels, or other items from strangers for delivery either inside or outside of Turkey. The PKK has attempted to use foreigners to deliver messages and packages. Individuals acting or seen to be acting as "couriers" could be arrested for aiding and abetting the terrorist organization.

 

In addition to terrorist activities, there have been instances of religious violence targeting individuals in Turkey working as religious missionaries or viewed as having proselytized for a non-Islamic religion. Threats and actual instances of crime have targeted Christian and Jewish individuals, groups, and places of worship in Turkey, including several high-profile murders of Christians over the last decade.

 

Turkish officials expressly said they excluded Jewish people, in Turkey and elsewhere, from their criticism of the Government of Israel in the wake of the intervention by Israeli Defense Forces on the Free Gaza Flotilla in May 2010. Despite this, the level of anti-Israeli/anti-Semitic sentiment remains significant following Israel's 2008 and 2014 Gaza offensive. Unidentified protestors in Diyarbakir in July 2014 ransacked the venue of a municipal Ramadan community meal (Iftar) sponsored in part by the U.S. Consulate in Adana. No U.S. officials were yet present, but seven municipal employees (Turkish citizens) were injured as they were setting up for the event. Protestors burned American flags, and chanted anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans.

I do not wish to upset or frighten anyone on this cruise but a UK national newspaper is publicising a warning from the UK foreign office advising British tourists to avoid travelling on public transport in Turkey.

I know little more than what I have read but believe the warning was issued yesterday.

Suggest travellers on this cruise do a little further research or perhaps check the Foreign Office's website.

Appreciate that this is not welcome news but just wanted everyone to be aware.

Stay safe and have a wonderful cruise.

This is the FCO advice as of yesterday

Latest update: Summary - on 27 July there were reports of possible threats to public transport in Istanbul, in particular the metro stations at Yenikapi, Taksim, Osmanbey and Haciosman and stops on the Metrobus line

I would suggest as it seems to change daily that travellers might want to keep an eye on this website, however one, two three days seems to bring a lot of changes positive or negative in this part of the world.

This is the FCO advice as of yesterday

 

Latest update: Summary - on 27 July there were reports of possible threats to public transport in Istanbul, in particular the metro stations at Yenikapi, Taksim, Osmanbey and Haciosman and stops on the Metrobus line

 

I would suggest as it seems to change daily that travellers might want to keep an eye on this website, however one, two three days seems to bring a lot of changes positive or negative in this part of the world.

Thanks for the update and you are right about keeping an eye on the website. Having looked on a map those named stations are some way off from the main tourist sites. However, I'm sure those of us who are planning to leave the ship and visit Istanbul, know to be vigilant.

Frankly I worry more about the fact that my son travels in to London to work every day.

Appreciate the advice from the UK govt. So far neither Canada nor USA are being that specific.

My understanding is that this latest warning from the Turkish Govt. and thus we may experience heightened security in Istanbul. And that's a good thing.

On the other hand, as UKtog points out, the situation may well change by tomorrow or the next day.

Frankly I worry more about the fact that my son travels in to London to work every day.

Agree

We are in Istanbul overnight before we join the Journey next week. We intend to look at the foreign office website before we travel but are looking forward to enjoying Istanbul. I do believe you have to be vigilant when you travel these days but as the alternative is to stay at home. ( in the rain ) we are looking forward to the whole experience.

Honestly this cruise is going to be brilliant as firstly the itinerary changed from the Black Sea due to conflict, then Greece tried to go bankrupt, now Turkey is experiencing unrest and yet still over 600 cruisers will be heading joyfully to the Journey.

This says a lot to us newbies about the type of cruiser who uses Azamara ( I hope :D)

Happy and safe travels to All.