Will Cruise Lines Cancel Turkey?

[dronnygirl]

Hi FLG8ter -does this mean you will consider changing/cancelling your cruise for the 1 day in Ephesus? The cruise looks wonderful and all the other places are lovely and safe. If necessary, I would just spend the day on the ship. It's beautiful scenery around there.

[Chairsin]

Two months out and Seabourn has not changed our cruise where we embark in Istanbul and visit the port of Cesme.. From what I can tell a few other cruise lines have not changed their Turkish itineraries either.

[cruisemom42]

Holland America's Prinsendam was to have had an overnight in Istanbul earlier this week. Instead they changed it to a 4-5 hour operational stop only (apparently they had some departing/arriving passengers and crew, so they wanted to make the stop). Anyone not departing was not allowed off the ship.

As far as I know, HAL have not yet announced any other itinerary changes regarding Turkey.

 

Celebrity earlier in the season changed their planned overnights in Istanbul to shorter calls -- these are for cruises scheduled to begin or end there, so presumably they don't want to have to rearrange airfare for thousands of pax. I don't believe they have cancelled other calls to Turkey.

[maryallen99]

We are booked on Norwegian Spirit leaving Venice on Nov. 28. We got notice sometime in February that Turkey was out, Cyprus was substituted.

[FLG8ter]

Hi FLG8ter -does this mean you will consider changing/cancelling your cruise for the 1 day in Ephesus? The cruise looks wonderful and all the other places are lovely and safe. If necessary, I would just spend the day on the ship. It's beautiful scenery around there.

 

Dronnygirl.........

 

I've been to Ephesus many times (but my group hasn't), and it is one of our favorite ports in the eastern Med......(we also like Istanbul).

 

So the answer to your question is "No", we probably won't cancel the whole cruise, but currently, Kusadasi is the only 'non-EU' port on our itinerary. If Kusadasi is canceled, Celebrity will have to pickup another 'non-EU' port, so that the European passengers won't be subject to about a 20% VAT tax on all goods & services purchased onboard...... (U.S. citizens may have to pay the tax, but can get a refund).

 

If you look at a map of the area, the likely candidates are mostly in Croatia. If (a big 'if') Celebrity can work out a port-of-call in Croatia, they may have to change the order of our existing itinerary when the new port is calculated in to the route....... this could mean changes for our group's shore excursions for several ports, (not to mention canceling our Ephesus tour). This means a lot of work, and possibly fewer (or different) options available. The sooner we find out about any changes the more time we will have to find & book something new, and accommodate any itinerary changes.

 

Besides, there's the 'trust factor'..... we have to 'trust' Celebrity for making decisions to keep us safe on this trip........ and when so many governments & cruise lines have responded quickly & decisively to changing conditions, ......and Celebrity continues to be deathly silent, ......you start to wonder about their ability or willingness to make critical decisions. Ask any soldier.... they NEVER want people who 'lack resolve' making decisions about their safety & future.

 

FLG8ter

[cruisemom42]

 

If you look at a map of the area, the likely candidates are mostly in Croatia. If (a big 'if') Celebrity can work out a port-of-call in Croatia, they may have to change the order of our existing itinerary when the new port is calculated in to the route....... this could mean changes for our group's shore excursions for several ports, (not to mention canceling our Ephesus tour). This means a lot of work, and possibly fewer (or different) options available. The sooner we find out about any changes the more time we will have to find & book something new, and accommodate any itinerary changes.

 

Besides, there's the 'trust factor'..... we have to 'trust' Celebrity for making decisions to keep us safe on this trip........ and when so many governments & cruise lines have responded quickly & decisively to changing conditions, ......and Celebrity continues to be deathly silent, ......you start to wonder about their ability or willingness to make critical decisions. Ask any soldier.... they NEVER want people who 'lack resolve' making decisions about their safety & future.

 

FLG8ter

 

In a sense, cruise lines are in a "no win" situation with cancellations like these. If they cancel too early and then the situation is resolved, they face a lot of angry cruisers who booked for that particular port or area -- and often they see that other lines are still calling there.

 

Or, if they do not cancel and the situation doesn't resolve, they get a lot of cancellations from cruisers who don't want to take a chance on either their own safety or on the itinerary being massively rearranged at the last moment.

 

I personally prefer when the cruise lines take a more flexible approach, waiting until a reasonable amount of time in advance before making a decision. But I recognize that not everyone has the opportunity to travel as much as I do (7 Med cruises already and another scheduled in the Fall), plus I tend to plan land trips for destinations that are extremely important to me -- like Turkey and Israel.

 

There are other options in the Eastern Med, closer to Kusadasi, that wouldn't necessarily mean rearranging your whole trip. I'd guess cruiselines would prefer these options -- changing all of their scheduled tours and other logistics for multiple ports would be a massive headache.

 

Whether or not those ports have space is another story...!

[Ine]

Ms Prinsendam of Holland America had a brief stop in Istanbul this week as some passengers and crew had to disembark/embark. Passengers were not allowed to go ashore. This stay was to be 2 days, changed into this brief stop and the other day was spent on the greek Island of Lemnos.

Yesterday however Prinsendam was docked as planned in Kusadasi.

[FLG8ter]

There are other options in the Eastern Med, closer to Kusadasi, that wouldn't necessarily mean rearranging your whole trip. I'd guess cruiselines would prefer these options -- changing all of their scheduled tours and other logistics for multiple ports would be a massive headache.

 

Whether or not those ports have space is another story...!

 

Cruisemom42.......Like you, we've been very fortunate in having already visited many of the countries which currently have political/safety 'issues'. We loved many of these locations, and it was very disappointing when travel to some of these places became problematic. We've been taking church groups to these places for over 25 years (so this isn't our first rodeo). My personal 'threshold for concern', is fairly low (you pickup a lot of 'street smarts' when you travel), but when I am responsible for a group, the bar immediately gets set much higher.

 

I agree that Celebrity is currently in a tough situation...... they waited too long to even consider making a change, and now their options are very limited. The other cruise lines, who make their changes much earlier in the game, have now acquired all the better alternatives. Celebrity still isn't talking (everyone is still singing the original company line), however, everyone I've spoken with 'off the record' (with both Celebrity and with the U.S. government) is almost certain we will not go to Kusadasi. If that's the situation, they just need to tell us, so we can get on with it.

 

If you look at the 'non-EU' countries with ports in the Med, there are actually very few choices left. If you omit Turkey, Syria, Egypt, and the northern African countries,...... you're basically left with Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, and Israel (Celebrity still has ports-of-call in Israel, so there is still some possibility there.) I think the probable choices are between Croatia (closer to Venice) or maybe Israel (closer to Rhodes, but will burn more fuel). Either way, there is the possibility of a routing/schedule change to accommodate port schedules.

 

FLG8ter

[chefestelle]

HAL stopped in Kusadasi yesterday after its truncated stop in Istanbul a couple days prior. So maybe not all Turkish ports will be cancelled (yet)

 

 

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[Omega1]

If you look at the 'non-EU' countries with ports in the Med, there are actually very few choices left. If you omit Turkey, Syria, Egypt, and the northern African countries,...... you're basically left with Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, and Israel

 

FLG8ter

 

.......and Montenegro (Kotor).

[Chairsin]

FWIIW -- our June Seabourn cruise is sold out. So at least in this case there is no pressure to change our embarkation in Istanbul and Turkish ports of call because of mass cancellations.

[luckytravels]

Well, we have signed on to the Celebrity cruise to Istanbul with a stop at Kusadasi in June. I haven't heard any itinerary changes from Celebrity yet. Hope not.

[NCTribeFan]

People on our 5/1 Carnival Vista (inaugural sailing) are posting that our stop has been cancelled but I'm not finding anything definitive.

 

Since I mostly booked the cruise because I wanted to see Ephesus, I'm crushed. Yes, it's still going to be fabulous, but I'm a little peeved at the people who wanted it canceled (most had been there before) and are happy about this. Rather selfish, if you ask me.

 

And now they can't understand why we're only getting a sea day and not a different port. As though it's that simple to do this close to the date. And don't get me started on the lack of any knowledge of geography.

[emarismom]

Carnival will not port in Izmir for its first 4 cruises (May & June). Those are going to be Sea Days. Carnival is going to assess the situation and determine what to do with its later sailings. This is official. I am on the June 11th sailing and everyone on our roll call got the notification today.

Edited April 6, 2016 by emarismom

[happy trailer]

People on our 5/1 Carnival Vista (inaugural sailing) are posting that our stop has been cancelled but I'm not finding anything definitive.

 

Since I mostly booked the cruise because I wanted to see Ephesus, I'm crushed. Yes, it's still going to be fabulous, but I'm a little peeved at the people who wanted it canceled (most had been there before) and are happy about this. Rather selfish, if you ask me.

 

Hmmmm.....who is more selfish? Your wanting the port not to be cancelled, so you could see Euphesus....or the people who wanted it cancelled because they were concerned for their safety?...

 

With your long cruising and posting history, surely you know that ports can be cancelled at any time, and certainly have read many many posts over the years cautioning not to book a cruise for one particular port; that the only way to ensure you can visit a site is to plan a land trip.

[trvlgirlmq]

Hmmmm.....who is more selfish? Your wanting the port not to be cancelled, so you could see Euphesus....or the people who wanted it cancelled because they were concerned for their safety?...

 

With your long cruising and posting history, surely you know that ports can be cancelled at any time, and certainly have read many many posts over the years cautioning not to book a cruise for one particular port; that the only way to ensure you can visit a site is to plan a land trip.

 

Not selfish to want to see one of the treasures of the ancient world. We also booked our sailing because of Ephesus. This a dream trip and now the dream has been diminished. Not all of us are wealthy and can just swing back to Europe for another trip.

[hawkeyetlse]

First of all, it's your vacation, you have the right to be selfish about it, but so does everyone else. So accusations of selfishness are pretty meaningless, asking who is being "more selfish" even more so in this case. You can be as selfish as you want, but you don't get to decide for anyone else.

 

The cruise line's dilemma is that they do have to decide for everybody, and somebody is always going to be unhappy with the decision. But even then, you have options, up to and including cancelling the cruise.

[nybumpkin]

We're on the July 19 Vista cruise. Izmir is still on our itinerary, but I fully expect it to be canceled and replaced with a sea day. Yes, I'm disappointed - going to Ephesus would have been a highlight for us, and if it somehow stays on the itinerary I'll go to Ephesus without hesitation. But I understand - we have a son in the military serving in the Middle East (yes, I realize Turkey technically is the Near East) and know the area is volatile. When they start evacuating military families from the Izmir region, I couldn't fault a cruise line for rescheduling.

 

I just wish we wouldn't have two sea days at the start of the cruise. With this port-intensive itinerary, we'd really appreciate them at the end of the cruise.:)

[NCTribeFan]

Of course I'm being selfish for wanting the stop to not be cancelled. The ones I feel bad for are the people who were worried enough that they actually cancelled the cruise before final payment. If they'd hung in there, they would still be on what's going to be a wonderful itinerary and not have to stop at that "scary" port in Turkey.

 

This is a bucket list cruise for me and the main reason I booked was to see Ephesus. So, yeah, I'm disappointed.

 

And, yes, of course I understand the cruiseline's dilemma over whether to keep the stop or cancel.

 

And, yes, of course I'm aware that ports can be cancelled or changed.

 

It was just frustrating to read posts for weeks with people saying they wished Carnival would just cancel the stop when I personally was wishing very strongly that they would not.

 

Why is it that I never seem to get my wishes? :(

 

I'm much more likely to die driving the 6 miles to work on I-40 than I am in a terrorist attack in Europe! Doesn't mean I'm going to stop driving!

 

I hate that fear/concern/whatever-you-want-to-call-it is impacting what I can and cannot do. Especially since it's not even me who's afraid!

[littlelulu01]

Of course I'm being selfish for wanting the stop to not be cancelled. The ones I feel bad for are the people who were worried enough that they actually cancelled the cruise before final payment. If they'd hung in there, they would still be on what's going to be a wonderful itinerary and not have to stop at that "scary" port in Turkey.

 

This is a bucket list cruise for me and the main reason I booked was to see Ephesus. So, yeah, I'm disappointed.

 

And, yes, of course I understand the cruiseline's dilemma over whether to keep the stop or cancel.

 

And, yes, of course I'm aware that ports can be cancelled or changed.

 

It was just frustrating to read posts for weeks with people saying they wished Carnival would just cancel the stop when I personally was wishing very strongly that they would not.

 

Why is it that I never seem to get my wishes? :(

 

I'm much more likely to die driving the 6 miles to work on I-40 than I am in a terrorist attack in Europe! Doesn't mean I'm going to stop driving!

 

I hate that fear/concern/whatever-you-want-to-call-it is impacting what I can and cannot do. Especially since it's not even me who's afraid!

 

I'm sorry your port day in Izmir may be replaced with an extra sea day. When NCL canceled Turkey a few months ago to some it seemed premature but they made decision based on the Intel they subscribed to.

 

They also got a jump on replacement ports. I was bummed about an extra day in Santorini to replace Kusadasi but thankful they extended port time in Split and didn't give extra sea days. Also very thankful they made a decision early on.

 

For me what is so frustrating is the wait and see approach because those lines who wait too long don't seem to get an alternative port. With Izmir I don't think it's been even a remote option since the travel warning update with order of all non mission critical to leave. The frustration is that people aren't told what the cruise lines have decided to do and that their decision is too late.

 

I would not be happy with extra sea days and want to know about changes so I can make an informed decision. The lines who haven't announced port changes probably don't have a replacement port option because they plain and simple waited too long. Many of these summer cruises are falling into past final pmt now so those waiting for a favorable replacement are out of luck when they find out they got extra sea days.

 

I've got two deposits down. This year I picked one with celebrity and one with NCL. With all the potential changes I figured it best to go this route this year. Still waiting to see if celebrity will make changes.

 

Perhaps you'll get longer hours in the ports you are visiting and can plan extra to do on the remaining port days.

[trvlgirlmq]

Of course I'm being selfish for wanting the stop to not be cancelled. The ones I feel bad for are the people who were worried enough that they actually cancelled the cruise before final payment. If they'd hung in there, they would still be on what's going to be a wonderful itinerary and not have to stop at that "scary" port in Turkey.

 

This is a bucket list cruise for me and the main reason I booked was to see Ephesus. So, yeah, I'm disappointed.

 

And, yes, of course I understand the cruiseline's dilemma over whether to keep the stop or cancel.

 

And, yes, of course I'm aware that ports can be cancelled or changed.

 

It was just frustrating to read posts for weeks with people saying they wished Carnival would just cancel the stop when I personally was wishing very strongly that they would not.

 

Why is it that I never seem to get my wishes? :(

 

I'm much more likely to die driving the 6 miles to work on I-40 than I am in a terrorist attack in Europe! Doesn't mean I'm going to stop driving!

 

I hate that fear/concern/whatever-you-want-to-call-it is impacting what I can and cannot do. Especially since it's not even me who's afraid!

 

1000% agree! I picked our sailing over the cheaper 8 day just to see Ephesus in my lifetime. It took 3 years to save enough money for this trip. I don't know if I have it in me to sacrifice at home again for that long. I want to go to a movie and eat movie popcorn again!

[FLG8ter]

I'm sorry your port day in Izmir may be replaced with an extra sea day. When NCL canceled Turkey a few months ago to some it seemed premature but they made decision based on the Intel they subscribed to.

 

They also got a jump on replacement ports. I was bummed about an extra day in Santorini to replace Kusadasi but thankful they extended port time in Split and didn't give extra sea days. Also very thankful they made a decision early on.

 

For me what is so frustrating is the wait and see approach because those lines who wait too long don't seem to get an alternative port. With Izmir I don't think it's been even a remote option since the travel warning update with order of all non mission critical to leave. The frustration is that people aren't told what the cruise lines have decided to do and that their decision is too late.

 

I would not be happy with extra sea days and want to know about changes so I can make an informed decision. The lines who haven't announced port changes probably don't have a replacement port option because they plain and simple waited too long. Many of these summer cruises are falling into past final pmt now so those waiting for a favorable replacement are out of luck when they find out they got extra sea days.

 

littlelulu01.....

 

You nailed it...... that's exactly what I've been saying for many weeks. We've got tours, transfers, and other logistics for our group, that will likely need to be changed........ and the longer they wait to make a decision, the more difficult, more costly, and the fewer options there will be for both our little group, and the cruise line...... (and the more unhappy their passengers will be.)

 

If Celebrity has stalled on making a decision, to the point that the only option left is a 'sea day', that means someone in senior management was 'asleep at the switch'. Throw in the additional problem of the 20% VAT tax for the Europeans, and Celebrity will have quite a bit to answer for, to both their passengers, and their stock holders.

 

Carnival owns 7 cruise lines, and two of them have already told their passengers that Turkey is canceled. I think its only a matter of time until the rest of the Carnival companies make the same announcement on their Turkish ports, as well. If you eliminate the Carnival owned companies, the only two 'large' cruise lines left who still have Kusadasi on their schedules will be RCCL & Celebrity (both owned by the same company. Its interesting to note that passengers of Azamara (also owned by RCCL) already reported (quietly) that Azamara canceled theirTurkish ports.

 

FLG8ter

 

 

[Cruise Junky]

Couple of points to clarify the post above. VAT is for everyone, not just Europeans and HAL has not cancelled Kusadasi. They stopped there last week. I haven't read that Princess has pulled out of there either but I may have missed that

 

Edit. Princess are still showing Istanbul and Kusadasi on their schedules so

It looks like Carnivals main lines have not pulled out of Turkey

Edited April 8, 2016 by Cruise Junky

[littlelulu01]

Couple of points to clarify the post above. VAT is for everyone, not just Europeans and HAL has not cancelled Kusadasi. They stopped there last week. I haven't read that Princess has pulled out of there either but I may have missed that

 

Edit. Princess are still showing Istanbul and Kusadasi on their schedules so

It looks like Carnivals main lines have not pulled out of Turkey

 

I don't necessarily think vat is that much of a deal breaker. The other lines replacement ports subject them to vat. And many sailings in Europe never called on non eu country so were/are subject to vat.

 

HAL also called on Istanbul last week and didn't let anyone off the ship except those crew and passengers who were either embarking or debarking. Passengers report understanding due to circumstances but idk how understanding I'd be. Obviously don't want to get off ship if cruise lines is making the call for passenger safety but I think I'd be looking at allthe other lines who proactively changed embarkation/debarkation and ports of call and think... Wait a min. How is it that everyone else got really valid alternative ports replaced and I have these extra sea days and have to embark on this ship from a city where even my own cruise line isn't letting passengers off due to safety. That's kinda messed up.

[FLG8ter]

Couple of points to clarify the post above. VAT is for everyone, not just Europeans and HAL has not cancelled Kusadasi. They stopped there last week. I haven't read that Princess has pulled out of there either but I may have missed that

 

Edit. Princess are still showing Istanbul and Kusadasi on their schedules so

It looks like Carnivals main lines have not pulled out of Turkey

EU VAT applies only to EU citizens, although it may be initially collected from everyone. Under normal circumstances, non-EU citizens can apply for a complete refund of the EU VAT for purchases in EU countries, but you have to prove your residency/nationality to apply for the refund. Some EU department stores (with computer systems) will not charge non-EU citizens the VAT if they produce a passport at the time of purchase. In the case of cruise lines, they already have the nationality and residence of each passenger on file, so they have the ability to simply not charge the VAT, except for EU passengers.

 

Costa canceled all Turkish ports of call a couple of months ago. The Carnival notice just emailed to their booked passengers indicated that all Turkish ports were canceled for the months of May & June, and they would re-evaluate the situation for later cruises.

 

My travel agent indicated that all companies owned by Carnival, would probably have the same rules..... it was highly unlikely that HAL & Princess wouldn't follow Carnival's suit, although they may wait and issue a cruise-by-cruise cancellation at the time of sailing, rather than issuing a blanket announcement ahead of time...... (they are all afraid of booking cancellations until they are within the 100% penalty period).

 

I just went straight to the horse's mouth, and spoke to HAL a few minutes ago. The Prinsendam was scheduled to go into both Istanbul and Turkey on its current cruise. An HAL representative reported that in Istanbul the ship stayed for 5 hours, and passengers were not allowed to disembark..... (only crew members who were leaving or transferring from the ship were allowed to get off.) The Prinsendam then sailed to Kusadasi, where the same thing happened, they stayed only 4 hours, and passengers were not allowed to disembark.

 

The HAL representative couldn't tell me if those brief stops (without general disembarkation) would satisfy the EU VAT rules...... (although I suspect it wouldn't). Several bulletin boards are posting that HAL Prinsendam visited Kusadasi (well..... it did, but it might as well have been a sea day, since passengers couldn't disembark.)

 

Sorry, I have no current information on Princess.

 

FLG8ter