Is Istanbul Safe?

[bitob]

The coffee shop was not bombed. Hostages were taken by a person who was mentally unstable and there was a bad outcome.

 

I seem to recall hostages being taken many times in the US with bad outcomes.

 

The scariest place I have ever been in my life was the Bronyx in 1977.

 

The safest place for me has been London but they have had their problems too.

 

 

I love the Bronx. Born there. Lol

 

Some people think ny is scary

 

 

I prefer to go where I want to go. I am not afraid.

[BillPizzaiolo]

I love the Bronx. Born there. Lol

 

Some people think ny is scary

 

 

I prefer to go where I want to go. I am not afraid.

 

NYC is one of the SAFEST Cities in the world. It has had its moments but there is no other place I would rather be. We grew up in the BRONX ! BTW it is having a housing resurgence and perhaps is one of the most affordable places to live in NYC. It is the only Boro that is connected to the Continental US and is not an Island.It has the BX Zoo, Botanical Gardens, Yankee Stadium, Arthur Ave Little Italy, City Island, Van Cortland Park and Hunts Point Markets among other things We may live in NJ now but NYC has always been my hometown. The only downside is the traffic. But traffic is bad in every big city. Most hostage events in USA are homegrown gun toting crazies in soft targeted places.

Edited January 15, 2016 by BillPizzaiolo

[bitob]

NYC is one of the SAFEST Cities in the world. It has had its moments but there is no other place I would rather be. We grew up in the BRONX ! BTW it is having a housing resurgence and perhaps is one of the most affordable places to live in NYC. It is the only Boro that is connected to the Continental US and is not an Island.It has the BX Zoo, Botanical Gardens, Yankee Stadium, Arthur Ave Little Italy, City Island, Van Cortland Park and Hunts Point Markets among other things We may live in NJ now but NYC has always been my hometown. The only downside is the traffic. But traffic is bad in every big city. Most hostage events in USA are homegrown gun toting crazies in soft targeted places.

 

 

I'm with u 100%

[PaulMCO]

I'm with u 100%

 

 

200% from all of us ex-New Yuckers... :D

Edited January 15, 2016 by PaulMCO

[bitob]

With wonderful New York values. Lol

[ano]

Ted Cruz would not agree. :D

[BillPizzaiolo]

With wonderful New York values. Lol

 

New Yorkers values are mostly respect and tolerance for most anything except greedy landlords

[robbie21]

This morning Crystal announced deletion of Istanbul from their itineraries. I am anxiously awaiting some action, either way, from Oceania. We are booked on a June 3 sailing on Sirena. The final date for a full refund is Feb 4. Some Oceania cruise calling at Istanbul are already past that date.

 

At this point I do not want to go to Istanbul or any Turkish port. It is not a relaxing vacation for me to be on full alert looking for suspicious characters and devices and I would be. I spent 2 years in combat and those reflexes never go away. And as Hawaiidan said earlier on this thread I don't care to roll the dice again. I've already used up a lot of luck.

 

Robbie

[Travelcat2]

Getting back to Istanbul, there have been multiple bombings - not all related to ISIS. My concern is not about what may or may not happen in different cities of the world but the ISIS and other terrorist targets. Many feel that the top four "must see" things in Istanbul are the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar. Three of the four are in the area that was bombed. The Grand Bazaar is close by. IMO, this was intentionally targeting tourists/visitors and is concerning.

 

I would still go to Turkey as it does not make sense to me to avoid an entire country because of what is going on in one or two areas. Cappadocia, Turkey is thought of (by some - myself included) as one of the most beautiful places in the world and is no where near the areas that have had difficulties.

[no fuss travel]

There is lots more to see in Istanbul than what has been mentioned. We found several mosques that were more beautiful than the Blue Mosque. We found the shopping area above the Spice Market to be more interesting than the Grand Bazaar. The owner of the boutique hotel we were staying in told us not to buy anything at the Grand Bazaar because it was overpriced and not made in Turkey. We went and looked but were not that impressed with what we saw. I felt the merchandise was definitely tourist oriented. Spice Bazaar the same. The shops outside were more interesting and less pressured. The Arasta Bazaar which is just behind the Blue Mosque had a lot of the same things as the Grand Bazaar, but the prices were more reasonable. We found several stores there that had items "Made in Turkey", so came home with something that we can treasure for a long time.

[Karennella]

Getting back to Istanbul, there have been multiple bombings - not all related to ISIS. My concern is not about what may or may not happen in different cities of the world but the ISIS and other terrorist targets. Many feel that the top four "must see" things in Istanbul are the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar. Three of the four are in the area that was bombed. The Grand Bazaar is close by. IMO, this was intentionally targeting tourists/visitors and is concerning.

 

I would still go to Turkey as it does not make sense to me to avoid an entire country because of what is going on in one or two areas. Cappadocia, Turkey is thought of (by some - myself included) as one of the most beautiful places in the world and is no where near the areas that have had difficulties.

Cappadocia is amazingly beautiful and it is a shame that ships need to cancel Turkish ports. But they do have a huge duty of care for so many people.

I hope for everyone's sake that they do not keep changing itineraries over and over. We were caught in that situation in 2011 when our cruise went to Egypt and Israel as well as a Turkish port right by the Syrian border. It was changed and changed and in the end we made it to all ports but it got tricky for the planning.

By the way, although we were scared on our first venture into the Bronyx we have returned several times to NYC and are well aware that it is now a very safe city.

Everyone has a different comfort zone. My husband says that the place he feels safest of all is Dubai and I would expect other people might not feel the same.

[PaulMCO]

This morning Crystal announced deletion of Istanbul from their itineraries. I am anxiously awaiting some action, either way, from Oceania. We are booked on a June 3 sailing on Sirena. The final date for a full refund is Feb 4. Some Oceania cruise calling at Istanbul are already past that date.

 

At this point I do not want to go to Istanbul or any Turkish port. It is not a relaxing vacation for me to be on full alert looking for suspicious characters and devices and I would be. I spent 2 years in combat and those reflexes never go away. And as Hawaiidan said earlier on this thread I don't care to roll the dice again. I've already used up a lot of luck.

 

Robbie

 

Crystal only has the one ship doing the Med. Oceania has multiples beginning and ending in Istanbul. Not so easy to change and just think of the massive number of flight changes that would entail.

 

For me going to Istanbul is a "no-brainer" (you may say I have no brain) -- but yes we are going. However I am a bit disappointed with under 90 days until our cruise that there is no word on the other ports like Lesbos - which is full of Syrian refugees, or Luxor. A last minute cancellation of Luxor will really PO me.

[Jancruz]

Just reading the terrible news from Istanbul. Should we still be going there? This is the major tourist area in the whole city. Mostly tourists who were killed and hurt. Just don't know anymore where to go or not. :confused:

 

All I can say are New York and Chicago safe??

Jancruz1

[Mura]

And now we have an attack on a hotel in Burkina Faso.

 

I wish I had hope that this would end soon ... but I'm not that naive.

 

Mura

[robbie21]

Crystal only has the one ship doing the Med. Oceania has multiples beginning and ending in Istanbul. Not so easy to change and just think of the massive number of flight changes that would entail.

 

For me going to Istanbul is a "no-brainer" (you may say I have no brain) -- but yes we are going. However I am a bit disappointed with under 90 days until our cruise that there is no word on the other ports like Lesbos - which is full of Syrian refugees, or Luxor. A last minute cancellation of Luxor will really PO me.

 

Not a reflection on your brain or even your judgment;) just a different tolerance for risk. As I said in my post the recent history and my perception of the risk would ruin my enjoyment of the sights. I survived a couple of years in a war zone and I know from experience that the reflexes would kick in. Not necessarily rational but I know from experience that they would.

 

I, too, wish Oceania would get on with whatever changes they will make so we'll know. I understand the size of their problem but I need to know so I can make a decision.

 

Robbie

[Travelcat2]

All I can say are New York and Chicago safe??

Jancruz1

 

While I generally agree with your posts, this one, IMO, does not address terrorism in Istanbul. Yes - there was someone in Texas (a Syrian immigrant) that was planning a bombing but I do not feel that New York or Chicago are less safe than any other large city in the U.S.

 

I believe that ano's link http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/tr...the-world.html shows the probable targets of ISIS.

[Dwtlion]

All I can say are New York and Chicago safe??

Jancruz1

 

Jan,

I respect you and have booked several cruises O cruises with your firm. But, I have to say your above comment does not reflect reality. Have there been any attacks in public squares in NYC or ORD? No!

The bottom line is O has to make a decision now, not after final payments. They need to allow passengers to make intelligent decisions, not force them into a corner after final payment. There have been enough port time changes to last several years. Now is the time to recognize passenger safety- and not only focus on the bottom line.

Itineraries CAN be changed. It just takes a proactive passenger attitude.

The travel world is changing rapidly, the cruise lines need to be more nimble.

[Hunding]

Crystal only has the one ship doing the Med. Oceania has multiples beginning and ending in Istanbul. Not so easy to change and just think of the massive number of flight changes that would entail.

 

For me going to Istanbul is a "no-brainer" (you may say I have no brain) -- but yes we are going. However I am a bit disappointed with under 90 days until our cruise that there is no word on the other ports like Lesbos - which is full of Syrian refugees, or Luxor. A last minute cancellation of Luxor will really PO me.

 

Oh, yeah, me, too! Same with Aqaba. And Israel.

[iMarco46]

All I can say are New York and Chicago safe??

Jancruz1

 

And now we have an attack on a hotel in Burkina Faso.

 

I wish I had hope that this would end soon ... but I'm not that naive.

 

Mura

 

And Burkina Faso was designated as Threat Level Two on the Telegraph's map provided by the Foreign Office..

[HilsTas]

What I am saying is that it was not a bombing, as stated. I am not in any way defending the idiot who took the hostages but there was no bombing. I was actually in the city that day when it happened.

 

Agreed, Karennella, the Lindt Cafe siege was not a terrorism attack and I believe is not really relevant to this thread.

 

Back to Istanbul - we are booked on a Sirena cruise leaving June 25th and the final payment time is coming around all too quickly. Lesbos is also the first port of call - so that will probably be cancelled. The cost for this particular cruise in Australia has dropped dramatically in the last week and has vacancies in all cabin types, so Oceania is having difficulty filling it. (And the more the price drops the more concerned I feel)

 

I too would appreciate a decision by Oceania before the final payment because reading my travel insurance policy we are not covered if we cancel in circumstances such as this - once we have paid, we would not be able to claim insurance.

[RJB]

What is a bit different with the Istanbul bombings - particularly the one this month, is that it was in the one area where tourists almost always go and is fairly close to the port. This is very specific. While we would go to Turkey, we would probably avoid this area - at least for now. Istanbul already has very high security but it isn't easy to protect people from suicide bombers. JMHO.

This area is the main reason that we go to Istanbul in the first place. Why go if we are going to avoid it. What else would we do? Sit in our hotel room?

[RJB]

All I can say are New York and Chicago safe??

Jancruz1

Are you kidding? Safer that Istanbul, Egypt and a lot of other places. Local crime but no mass murders by radical terrorists.

[Mura]

Are you kidding? Safer that Istanbul, Egypt and a lot of other places. Local crime but no mass murders by radical terrorists.

 

As far as New York City is concerned, that isn't because they haven't tried. We've just been lucky that so far all of them have been caught before they could do any damage. Thing of the Times Square incident a year or two ago (maybe more).

 

I'd say it's much easier for a terrorist (especially if home grown) to wire up and go to a crowded area than it is for a cop to realize his intentions and stop him.

 

This CAN happen anywhere. That doesn't mean I'm advocating staying home.

 

Mura

[tommiroke]

 

I too would appreciate a decision by Oceania before the final payment because reading my travel insurance policy we are not covered if we cancel in circumstances such as this - once we have paid, we would not be able to claim insurance.

 

Based on past history and reports, it is extremely likely that if a decision to change ports is made, it will not be made until after final payment.

 

For reference, look at all the port time changes made recently and all reports of those reductions in port times were not made until after final payment. Would expect port changes to follow the identical pattern.

[Travelcat2]

This area is the main reason that we go to Istanbul in the first place. Why go if we are going to avoid it. What else would we do? Sit in our hotel room?

 

Agree that going to Istanbul and not visiting the area that was bombed does not make a lot of sense. IMO, it is better to avoid the port for a while. On the other hand, things change quickly and it is possible that even higher security will be put into place and that Istanbul will not have another incident.

 

IMO, Oceania is not waiting until final payment is make port changes. Some ports that seem safe one day are not the next. As has been mentioned, many places have had issues - whether it be terrorism, protests that could put tourists in danger or, in the case of Lesbos, refugees. Many things happen last minute. If Oceania had to make changes to itineraries before final payment, they might as well cancel ports in the Middle East, parts of Europe, Indonesia, parts of Africa, etc.

 

Most cruisers realize that things may change - most of the time due to weather and seas that make it impossible to tender or dock. Other times because a passenger is very ill and the ship changes direction and takes them to the closest port which may cause them to miss the next port.

 

As has been said by others over the years, if going to a particular port is really important to you, do a land trip (many times less expensive than a cruise).