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Explosion in Istanbul

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Chairsin

Chairsin

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How very sad for the Turks and the tourists. Killed and wounded.Istanbul is such a lovely, vibrant city and the terrorists have taken advantage of how many tourists are attracted to the Sultanahmet each year. Our June Seabourn cruise starts there -- I will be waiting to hear from Seabourn over the week or so to hear if they are making any changes.

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cantwaitt

cantwaitt

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We were in that spot two years ago on our Med cruise. We are considering another Med cruise this year but I told my wife I would NOT go to Turkey because, unlike the rest of Europe, they not only are potential targets of ISIS, but the Kurds (who they have been bombing) and the Russians (whose plane they shot down).

 

Like Egypt, I'm glad I was already there. Would not go now.

 

Not even sure about the rest of Europe but I live in New York which is on the top of the potential target list.

 

At the end of the day it is being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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eclue

eclue

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We are going to be in Istanbul in May unless Princess changes the itinerary - will be disappointed if they do. We love Istanbul - it is one of our favorite places. One must believe it is all about what is meant to be - prayers to the families of those affected by this attack.

eclue:rolleyes:

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lanceholt

lanceholt

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We have been in Istanbul twice in the last two years. It is such a wonderful city, the Turkish people so welcoming, and the sights so unique, that I hope they can come to peace and safety. Unfortunately, this bomb was set off in the middle of Sultanhamet which was considered a very safe place. I know there are people who want their ships to still stop there, but I also know that safety has to be uppermost. I am so glad we saw it when we did, one of the world's most special places.

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flapbreaker

flapbreaker

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Have a cruise planned next August on Norwegian with a stop in Istanbul. Will be interesting to see if they change ports. Not sure what to make of this. Guess it will depend on if this is an isolated incident or if more attacks occur. Sad situation.

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LocoLoco1

LocoLoco1

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I will merely make a World Travel observation for this Forum. We 'Westerners' are a beacon of light and vanguards of Freedom for those less fortunate. Let's not let them down and let the voices of Idiocy and Ignorance prevail. Get out there....carry on. Otherwise, history tells us 'they' will win. I won't be bullied. Locomotiveman Tom

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CruisinLow

CruisinLow

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We are going to be in Istanbul in May unless Princess changes the itinerary - will be disappointed if they do. We love Istanbul - it is one of our favorite places. One must believe it is all about what is meant to be - prayers to the families of those affected by this attack.

eclue:rolleyes:

 

I am also scheduled on a Princess cruise in September, 2016 with a a stop in Istanbul. And too am wondering if indeed we will be stopping there or is Princess going to cancel the port. Since you have been there in the past, I would like to get some information from you as to private tours in the City and what we should see. If you would rather, you can contact me via email cruzqueen@verizon.net

 

Thanks

Edited by cruisin'low
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Chairsin

Chairsin

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We have been to Istanbul three times. Usually we wander around on our own, which is very easy to do, especially if you stay in the Sultanahmet. But on our last trip there in September we took walking tour with Culinary Backstreets as I love Turkish cuisine and wanted to learn more. They do very small groups to make it easy to get in and out of tiny cafes -- our group was 6. We darted in and out of many wonderful places sampling the best of what each had to offer. It was truly one of the best tours I have ever been on and will likely go in another one of their tours when we return this June-- both fun, educational and tasty.

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tring

tring

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We were at a holiday show in Manchester yesterday and spoke to someone on the Regent stand. They cancelled all ports in Turkey for this year yesterday. It is reported on the Regent Thread as well.

 

I was told they are substituting ports in Greece (I think he said Islands but not sure) and Malta. A couple of cruises have been reduced a lot, presumably because of that. We have too many hols booked for the next year so could not be persuaded.

 

Such a shame, I feel so sorry for people in countries that have been affected. I think land holidays are where we will be looking in future.

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tring

tring

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Check out this link on Cruise Critic yesterday

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6769

 

Yes' date=' very much a shame for the local people who will not reap the benefits of the tourists from cruise ships being there.

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Interesting that Fred Olsen, Saga and Thomson, which are the British run cruise companies that cc spoke to, all said they would follow the FOC advice, so they are not acting at this stage. British cruise lines not spoken to by cc are Swan Hellenic and Voyages of Discovery, whose websites still have Turkey on their itineraries for this autumn. P&O is the other big British brand, but it is part of the Carnival Corporation, and their brands are saying they are just keeping an eye on things at present. We went to Egypt on a P&O ship about 2-3 years ago when the American lines had pulled the ports. This leaves a little bit of hope for us.

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cruisemom42 Great Review Rare

cruisemom42

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Interesting that Fred Olsen, Saga and Thomson, which are the British run cruise companies that cc spoke to, all said they would follow the FOC advice, so they are not acting at this stage. British cruise lines not spoken to by cc are Swan Hellenic and Voyages of Discovery, whose websites still have Turkey on their itineraries for this autumn. P&O is the other big British brand, but it is part of the Carnival Corporation, and their brands are saying they are just keeping an eye on things at present. We went to Egypt on a P&O ship about 2-3 years ago when the American lines had pulled the ports. This leaves a little bit of hope for us.

 

Yes, I've also found the British lines do not seem to cancel out of an "abundance of caution" (as one mass market line put it) but rather wait and take a measured approach based on what their FOC advise. I mostly sail with Voyages to Antiquity and have also been on Swan Hellenic. A few years ago I was on a VTA cruise at the same time that my parents were on a HAL cruise, both with similar itineraries. HAL pulled the two Tunisian ports due to nothing more than some very isolated activity at the south end of the country, nowhere near the port cities. The VTA cruise did not cancel.... :rolleyes:

 

I suspect the mass market lines with mostly US customers have to make the changes though, as US passengers are extraordinarily risk averse and often seem not to have a great grasp of the geographies involved.

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