Costa NeoRiviera from Istanbul moved to Venice

[MT Biker]

Costa has moved NeoRiviera sailing from Istanbul to Venice. Is the safety in Istanbul declining?

[John Bull]

Costa announced their switching away from Istanbul some weeks ago, at about the same time as NCL.

Certainly the situation is no worse now than it was then - if you're posting because of much more recent information about a switch to Venice, it was probably down to a delay in fixing up Venice as the alternative.

 

As a general rule American cruise lines & American passengers tend to be much more risk-averse than Europeans, and I'm quite used to seeing US ships switch ports anywhere in the world due to local problems - anything from petty crime & civil demonstrations to riots & terrorism.

So I was surprised that Costa has cancelled Istanbul, whereas many US cruise lines haven't.

Go figure :confused:

 

JB :)

[Keith1010]

I think not only concerns with safety but also that demand was down in terms of bookings.

Keith

[MT Biker]

I must have missed their announcement two weeks ago. I am booked on the NeoRiviera 25th April sailing. The only information that I have received from Costa, was an email with the new itinerary. There was no heading on the e-mail, or explanation. I have not seen any news on Cruise Critic, or the intranet.

 

 

 

I am trying to decide whether to still fly into Istanbul, do a day tour, and then fly to Athens to board the ship. Or, is Istanbul just too unsafe. :confused:

[John Bull]

I am trying to decide whether to still fly into Istanbul, do a day tour, and then fly to Athens to board the ship. Or, is Istanbul just too unsafe. :confused:

 

That makes it a convoluted route, but if your Istanbul flight can't be cancelled I guess it's cheaper than starting over.

And no, Istanbul isn't too dangerous - so if your stop-over is long enough to be worthwhile do take the opportunity to see this amazing city. :cool:

You'll have to allow at least an hour of airport formalities on arrival, 35-45 mins each way (but potentially longer at the wrong time of day) for the drive between city and airport, and check-in an hour or more before your onward flight. So if you have less than about 7 or 8 hours between flight arrival & departure it wouldn't be worthwhile

Also check that your flights use the same Istanbul airport - they're on opposite sides of the city, which could give you a problem with luggage storage.

 

JB :)

[letsgo39]

That makes it a convoluted route, but if your Istanbul flight can't be cancelled I guess it's cheaper than starting over.

And no, Istanbul isn't too dangerous - so if your stop-over is long enough to be worthwhile do take the opportunity to see this amazing city. :cool:

You'll have to allow at least an hour of airport formalities on arrival, 35-45 mins each way (but potentially longer at the wrong time of day) for the drive between city and airport, and check-in an hour or more before your onward flight. So if you have less than about 7 or 8 hours between flight arrival & departure it wouldn't be worthwhile

Also check that your flights use the same Istanbul airport - they're on opposite sides of the city, which could give you a problem with luggage storage.

 

JB :)

 

If you've already booked your flights Costa should be willing to pay your change fee.