Princess statement on Egypt

[paul929207]

Like Pia, we spent two weeks in Egypt in 2006. One week in Cairo to see the lower Nile and a week on the Upper Nile seeing Luxor, Aswan, Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel, etc.

[ssbeagle]

I'm not really disappointed that they are cancelling Egypt but I wish they would have chosen somewhere else other than Istanbul for our cruise. I've been there before and I found it to be very dirty and did not enjoy the tour we took there at all. They had substituted Istanbul for Israel on a cruise we took in the 90s. I would rather have gone to another Greek island like Mykonos or Rhodes. I am hoping this time since it is Egypt we are missing we'll still get to go to Israel. That would be a major disappointment if we couldn't go there. I am glad Princess looks out for safety first.

[cruisemom42]

I'm not really disappointed that they are cancelling Egypt but I wish they would have chosen somewhere else other than Istanbul for our cruise. I've been there before and I found it to be very dirty and did not enjoy the tour we took there at all. They had substituted Istanbul for Israel on a cruise we took in the 90s. I would rather have gone to another Greek island like Mykonos or Rhodes. I am hoping this time since it is Egypt we are missing we'll still get to go to Israel. That would be a major disappointment if we couldn't go there. I am glad Princess looks out for safety first.

 

If you think Istanbul is dirty and you did not enjoy it, I think you would have a difficult time indeed in Egypt!

 

Istanbul is one of my favorite cities (second to Rome). What I remember most from my visits there are all the flower beds in the public parks around the major sites (Haghia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi). There is very little litter or graffiti compared to Athens (or indeed, to Cairo). People are friendly and the food is delicious. In short, everything one could hope for -- plus several thousand years of history.

 

For those whose itineraries now include an overnight in Istanbul, there is a lot of info on the Ports of Call boards on what to do here. This city is very safe and extremely simple to do on your own due to the easy-to-navigate tram that runs from the cruise docks to the center of the old city (which is where all the major sights are grouped, within walking distance of each other).

[Embracedbylife]

I'm not really disappointed that they are cancelling Egypt but I wish they would have chosen somewhere else other than Istanbul for our cruise. I've been there before and I found it to be very dirty and did not enjoy the tour we took there at all. They had substituted Istanbul for Israel on a cruise we took in the 90s. I would rather have gone to another Greek island like Mykonos or Rhodes. I am hoping this time since it is Egypt we are missing we'll still get to go to Israel. That would be a major disappointment if we couldn't go there. I am glad Princess looks out for safety first.

 

I agree with you about wishing we had another stop in Greece, but from what a member of our roll call mentioned (which made sense) they have made the substitutions with the ability to more easily revert back to the old itinerary if necesarry. These new ports of call are within a day of Egypt just in case we end up getting to go there. So because of that I am dealing with this change a little easier. We are scheduled for the May 18 sailing on the Star.

[mytime53]

If you think Istanbul is dirty and you did not enjoy it, I think you would have a difficult time indeed in Egypt!

 

Istanbul is one of my favorite cities (second to Rome). What I remember most from my visits there are all the flower beds in the public parks around the major sites (Haghia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi). There is very little litter or graffiti compared to Athens (or indeed, to Cairo). People are friendly and the food is delicious. In short, everything one could hope for -- plus several thousand years of history.

 

We started a cruise in Istanbul and ended in Athens--we spent 2 or 3 days in both of those cities. When we got to Athens, we were so disappointed because compared to Istanbul, it was full of litter and graffiti. Don't even get me started on the taxi drivers in Athens--complete opposite of those in Istanbul. We ran out of time before we ran out of things to do, so we are hoping to someday return to Istanbul, and see more of Turkey than we did the first time.

[caribill]

I don't understand the people who are upset with Princess for not having a definite time to resume Egypt port stops. The elections are scheduled for approx 7 months away - a time in which who knows what can happen. And the fate of the scheduled Sept elections is far from safe and known. The US State Department has issued a travel advisory with no end in sight.

 

I find it refreshing though that Princess is willing to reinstate the Eqypt port calls if the situation improves and the official warnings are removed.

 

Last spring when there were riots in Bangkok, Princess changed all itineraries for a year that were to start or end in Bangkok to start or end in Singapore instead. Within a couple of months all was calm again in Bangkok, but the itineraries did not change back. On our December Diamond Princess cruise there were many passengers who were disappointed that they did not have the opportunity to see Bangkok at the start of the cruise.

[Zukini]

I don't understand the people who are upset with Princess for not having a definite time to resume Egypt port stops.

 

You may be misunderstanding what people are upset about. Princess's statement read, in part:

 

......we have decided to alter our itineraries for 18 cruises departing May through November 2011.

(snip)

 

We will continue to evaluate the situation, and if it improves and/or the US State Department lifts the travel warning, we will return to our original published itineraries.

By leaving the window open that they MIGHT reinstate the original itinerary, it leaves those involved with the dilemma of canceling Egyptian tour arrangements and then being stuck without a tour if the original itinerary is reinstated. We also run the risk of putting deposits on tours for the new ports, and then having to cancel them if the original itinerary is reinstated. Instead of closing the matter, they just added more uncertainty to the mix with that last paragraph.

 

 

Not a big deal for people who book with Princess excursions, but an issue for those of us who book independent excursions.

 

 

In contrast, RCCL and Azamara stated that their original itineraries would NOT be reinstated, even if stability returned to Egypt before the scheduled cruises.

 

 

Personally, I don't believe there's really any chance of my May itinerary being reinstated, but others on the same cruise are still holding out hope. How are you supposed to plan based on that?

[Jacqueline]

I think we all know that as much as we anticipate visiting certain ports of call on our cruises that there is never a guarantee... Weather, ship mechanical difficulties are but two frequent reasons..

I am considering a Nile cruise/tour as others have done on this thread. When, I am not sure. Tourism is very important to their economy (number two) so I sure do want to help them out as soon as they are ready for me!

[billie5]

I truly do not understand Zukini's post. Most private tours will give full refund if a ship does not port. In Egypt I think you would be hard put to find any agency at the moment which will not commit to return deposits for future cruises if the above situation eventualizes. So, to me at least, it just does not make sense not to hold out the possibility of the itinerary which was in place when passenger's booked, even if the possibility is not large.

 

On the other hand, I can not recall a cruise line policy which some CCers did not find fault with.:p

 

Bill

[Shoalwater]

... I am still planning my trip to Israel and Jordan in a couple of weeks. I'm not worried about Israel, we'll see if we make it to Jordan....

 

We were on a land trip to Egypt and in Cairo when the troubles erupted. After 2 days confinement to our hotel we "escaped' to Israel (Jerusalem) and then went to Jordan. Salvaged the trip, got to see Petra and also Jerash. I would have no hesitancy in going to these 2 countries now.

[sammiedawg]

We're impacted on one of the May trips, Egypt was our reason to book the tour. We've toured the Med several times before. We were also pleased about Istanbul being on the original itinerary, we have a private tour booked the classic city type tour with Ekol. But what do people suggest we do on the second full day in Istanbul? We don't care for ship tours, I'm not sure if DIY is safe in Istanbul. We don't want to see the same sites 2 days in a row yet we don't want to sit and do nothing.

We're also going to lose our traveling companions who are probably cancelling with the loss of Egypt. We have several private tours booked.

Trying to stay positive but disappointed they did not add Holy Land or Greek ports.

[Zukini]

I truly do not understand Zukini's post. Most private tours will give full refund if a ship does not port. In Egypt I think you would be hard put to find any agency at the moment which will not commit to return deposits for future cruises if the above situation eventualizes. So, to me at least, it just does not make sense not to hold out the possibility of the itinerary which was in place when passenger's booked, even if the possibility is not large.

 

On the other hand, I can not recall a cruise line policy which some CCers did not find fault with.:p

 

Bill

 

Bill, I was responding to Atrina's post, which said in full:

 

I don't understand the people who are upset with Princess for not having a definite time to resume Egypt port stops. The country basically has no clear ruler at this point. The elections are scheduled for approx 7 months away - a time in which who knows what can happen. And the fate of the scheduled Sept elections is far from safe and known. The US State Department has issued a travel advisory with no end in sight. If you travel to Egypt and get in trouble there is no easy help to get - and I doubt ANY insurance will cover any problems you have if you travel to a country with a travel advisory in effect. My guess is that P and O would have issues with their own insurance should anything happen to their guests, staff and ships. AND I doubt that the Egypt you would see now if you travel there is the same Egypt pictured on websites, books etc. I hope for the people of Egypt that peace returns soon; it's a beautiful culture and people.

 

That implies that she believes those who are upset with Princess are upset that we don't have a definite date for when Egypt will be reinstated. I was pointing out that the nuance is a little different. What bothers me personally is that not that we don't know when cruises to Egypt will resume, it's that itineraries that have already be altered may be changed BACK, perhaps on very short notice.

 

I was simply clarifying what people are upset ABOUT.

 

As to the rest of your post, while it's true that the guide I've booked with in Egypt did not even require a deposit, that's not true of guides I've looked at for Malta and Livorno. The itinerary change has also resulted in my scheduling a different day with the guide I'm using for Istanbul, and booking some additional excursion for the second day there.

 

I don't know about you, but I've missed ports on other itineraries, and have indeed had a bear of a time getting my deposit back for at least one of them.

 

I'm also the first to admit that I am an obsessive planner. I've accepted that we will miss Egypt, the main reason why we decided to spring for the money involved in this cruise. I'd hate to gear my mind up to touring Florence and Malta, and then have Princess pull the rug out a week before the cruise and rearrange all the ports again.

 

I hope that clarifies it for you.

[Bob++]

We're impacted on one of the May trips, Egypt was our reason to book the tour. We've toured the Med several times before. We were also pleased about Istanbul being on the original itinerary, we have a private tour booked the classic city type tour with Ekol. But what do people suggest we do on the second full day in Istanbul? We don't care for ship tours, I'm not sure if DIY is safe in Istanbul. We don't want to see the same sites 2 days in a row yet we don't want to sit and do nothing.

We're also going to lose our traveling companions who are probably cancelling with the loss of Egypt. We have several private tours booked.

Trying to stay positive but disappointed they did not add Holy Land or Greek ports.

 

Istanbul is as safe for DIY as any other major city in the world. I would advise the ladies not to wear revealing clothes though.

[Zukini]

We're impacted on one of the May trips, Egypt was our reason to book the tour. We've toured the Med several times before. We were also pleased about Istanbul being on the original itinerary, we have a private tour booked the classic city type tour with Ekol. But what do people suggest we do on the second full day in Istanbul? We don't care for ship tours, I'm not sure if DIY is safe in Istanbul. We don't want to see the same sites 2 days in a row yet we don't want to sit and do nothing.

We're also going to lose our traveling companions who are probably cancelling with the loss of Egypt. We have several private tours booked.

Trying to stay positive but disappointed they did not add Holy Land or Greek ports.

 

We've contacted our tour agent (EphesusDeluxe) and asked them to move our tour to the first Istanbul day. He's looking into some additional excursion ideas for the second day there, but I haven't yet committed.

 

One idea that we thought of was perhaps doing a Bosphorus cruise. I came across this website that has a lot of helpful info about that in particular, but also a lot of other info on Istanbul in general. It's worth a look.

 

http://www.wittistanbul.com/magazine/what-bosphorus-cruise-tour-to-take-in-istanbul/

[Mapu]

We've contacted our tour agent (EphesusDeluxe) and asked them to move our tour to the first Istanbul day. He's looking into some additional excursion ideas for the second day there, but I haven't yet committed.

 

One idea that we thought of was perhaps doing a Bosphorus cruise. I came across this website that has a lot of helpful info about that in particular, but also a lot of other info on Istanbul in general. It's worth a look.

 

http://www.wittistanbul.com/magazine/what-bosphorus-cruise-tour-to-take-in-istanbul/

 

We took the public ferry up and down the Bosphorus. It is very inexpensive and was great. No need for a private cruise.

[Pia1913]

We took the public ferry up and down the Bosphorus. It is very inexpensive and was great. No need for a private cruise.

 

Yes, you can do it yourself. They even serve you apple tea on the boat. However, if you do it through a tour, you will positively have as an included offering a visit to someone's "cousin's" carpet store/factory.;)

[billie5]

We took the public ferry up and down the Bosphorus. It is very inexpensive and was great. No need for a private cruise.

 

And if you hop off and back on the ferry at each stop, you can report that you have made at least a half dozen trips to Asia! :)

 

Bill

[mytime53]

I was going to suggest the Bosphorus, as that is what we did on one of our days. We did a tour which included a bus trip one way and a cruise back, a stop at a castle, and at a private museum. We had a great time. Although I'm all for DIY, in a country where I don't understand anything said or written, I prefer a tour so that I can find out what I'm looking at.

[cruisemom42]

Istanbul is very safe and very easy to do on your own. As I said in my earlier post, taking the tram is nearly idiot-proof and gets you to Sultanahmet (the old town, where Topkapi, Haghia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Cistern, etc are located) in about 10 minutes.

 

Most Turks in Istanbul speak English very well and the language is Westernized, with good signage in the tourist areas. Easy to find what you want!

 

I have been there 4 times and 3 times have done things completely on my own. As a woman traveler, mid-40s, have never had a moment's problem there.

[cruisemom42]

Sorry for the duplicate -- computer keeps hiccuping.

[caribill]

The itinerary change has also resulted in my scheduling a different day with the guide I'm using for Istanbul, and booking some additional excursion for the second day there.

 

 

We left our schedule with our Istanbul as it was for two reasons:

 

a) The Topkapi Palace is normally closed on Tuesdays

 

b) If the cruise itinerary does revert back to being able to see Egypt, we are still ok for our Wednesday tour in Istanbul.

[cruiserdru]

Are you in the UK? why would you want a refund, why not just cancel. They're all outside the cancellation time frame aren't they?

 

For many of the people on our roll call, the cruise was booked as a single, 27-day booking (15-day transatlantic with 12-day Med). The final payment for that booking was 2/17. The announcement was made after final payment :( That is a rather understandable basis for the refund wish. These folks are now in the "lose your deposit" penalty phase and may have paid a "real" deposit vice the $100/person deposit that you can some times score.

 

Also, holding out the possibility that we will go to Egypt leaves those who separately or only booked the 12-day Egypt cruise (with Egypt as their primary destination) in a holding pattern. Many may feel that Princess is simply holding out the possibility of still going to Egypt so they will not cancel while they have time without penalty (final payment for that leg is 3/4).

 

Those concerns are independent of the excursion issues that are plaguing so many.

[Minoushka]

With what seems to be happening on a daily basis in both North Africa and the Middle East I truly believe Now is Not the right time to plan a visit there or anywhere nearby

.Who knew All of it was going to blow up in a domino-like fashion and in such little time .Since 2011 has started that part of the world has gone berserk!!!!

Who is next????

Many other places like Greece or Turkey have loads of problems too and who knows what will spark those people into marching in the streets THat whole region is way OUT OF CONTROL and extremely dangerous

I believe we North Americans should stay put .Those people too often blame us or Europeans for their problems and sometimes tourists or as we have seen or journalists get caught in crossfire .In such countries we are a VISIBLE MINORITY and can become easy targets

I hope cruise companies realize it is not safe there and bring some ships back here True hurricanes in summer are no picnic but at least they do not have guns

 

Michele

[Mapu]

And if you hop off and back on the ferry at each stop, you can report that you have made at least a half dozen trips to Asia! :)

 

Bill

 

Plus you will have the best yogurt and wonderful lunch when the ferry takes a "lunch break". The ferry on the Bosphorus was a wonderful experience.

[Zukini]

We left our schedule with our Istanbul as it was for two reasons:

 

a) The Topkapi Palace is normally closed on Tuesdays

 

b) If the cruise itinerary does revert back to being able to see Egypt, we are still ok for our Wednesday tour in Istanbul.

 

Hmmmmm. Thanks for the info. EphesusDeluxe changed the Istanbul tour to Tuesday, but didn't mention anything about Topkapi being closed. Phooey! I would have thought they would be watching out for that kind of thing.