Will Cruise Lines Cancel Turkey?

[Cruise Junky]

You can only get the VAT back on things that you bought, not services. So drinkS, spa, specialty restaurants, shore excursions are all subject to VAT for everyone with no refund.

 

I wasn't on the ship but people onboard did say they visited Kusadasi as normal. Interesting that they said they did this for tax reasons as there was no need as they had already been to Istanbul.

[John Bull]

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.

 

FLG8ter

 

I don't know where you got that info from, but it's woefully wrong ;)

 

You can reclaim VAT paid only on goods that you take out of the EU. You can reclaim at your final EU departure point (eg your end-of-cruise airport), or at accredited Global Blue shops where you bought the goods. That includes any VAT paid on the ship for souvenirs & gifts. There is a minimum total value of purchases from any single source.

You cannot reclaim the tax on consumables - drinks, meals, & other services - used within the EU, regardless of whether you bought on the ship or in a port. To repeat, you can only reclaim tax on things you take out of the EU.

These rules apply whether or not your cruise includes a non-EU port. So VAT refunds are irrelevant to this thread about a non-EU port being cancelled.

 

If your cruise includes a non-EU port there's no VAT on ship's sales - so no VAT on consumables such as drinks purchased on the ship, other than some countries which charge VAT on purchases while the ship is within their waters.

But if there's no non-EU port, the cruise is wholly within the EU so VAT is charged. So if the cruise line follows the rules, the cancellation of an itinerary's only non-EU port will add to the cost of drinks etc bought on the ship.

These rules apply equally to EU & non-EU citizens/residents.

 

Rick Steves isn't a leading authority on the subject, but his page gives you the broad picture without the legalese that you'd have to trawl through on government websites.

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/vat-refunds

 

JB :)

 

Edited after the Junky's post. A small & pedantic point, but VAT is always charged on ship's shore excursions since this is a service provided ashore, not on the ship. But like other purchases in EU ports, the VAT is always included in the quoted price. So missing a non-EU port won't affect the price of excursions.

Edited April 8, 2016 by John Bull

[happy trailer]

I've been sitting on this for a couple of hours, debating whether or not to post it.

In the end, I felt it would be irresponsible of me to withhold this information. I know I'll be criticized, scolded, and I'm weary of all that, which is why I was hesitating to post, but our news is highlighting the story, and calling it an unusual occurrence. I'll post this on a few relevant threads, and you might want to post it on others. Hopefully, hopefully all will stay quiet, but I think it is important to be informed.

 

Please note: I am not scaremongering. I am not telling you not to go to Turkey. I am not telling you not to complain if your port stops in Turkey are cancelled. If you read the entire article (I've only copied part of it below), you will see that even with all the alerts after the most recent terror attack, and Israel telling its citizens to get out of the country, over 100,000 Israelis were still planning to visit Turkey at the end of this month.

 

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-tells-its-nationals-in-turkey-get-out-now/

 

Israel tells its nationals in Turkey: Get out now

 

Counter-Terrorism Bureau cites ‘real and immediate’ threat of terror attacks, following Istanbul bombing, Turkish intel on IS plots targeting Jews.

 

April 8, 2016

 

Israel’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau issued in a rare statement Friday night repeating a recent travel warning calling on Israelis to avoid visiting Turkey, and urging those currently there to leave as soon as possible.

 

“Following a situational assessment, we are reiterating and sharpening the high level of threat in Turkey,” a statement from the bureau said.

 

"Real and immediate terror threats remain throughout the country,” the statement continued, urging Israelis in Turkey to “avoid crowded tourist areas, follow instructions of local authorities and get out as soon as possible.”

 

"There are immediate risks of attacks being carried out in the country, and we stress the threat applies to all tourism sites in Turkey,” Israel‘s counter terrorism bureau said in a statement.

[luckytravels]

I believe the new Viking Ocean Cruise ships are still calling the Turkish ports.

 

In the news a few days ago

"The Viking Star was sailing from Istanbul to Venice as the Sea headed in the other direction towards Turkey to begin the same route.'

 

I guess the Vikings are more brave than others. I wish I had signed up with them.

[Cruise Junky]

Thanks JB. Didn't realize that.

[littlelulu01]

I believe the new Viking Ocean Cruise ships are still calling the Turkish ports.

 

In the news a few days ago

"The Viking Star was sailing from Istanbul to Venice as the Sea headed in the other direction towards Turkey to begin the same route.'

 

I guess the Vikings are more brave than others. I wish I had signed up with them.

 

There's an article on cruise critic news dated 3/22 about how Viking has become the latest to replace Turkish calls. Not sure to what extent but they have altered and replaced due to the safety issues/warnings and events.

[FLG8ter]

You can only get the VAT back on things that you bought, not services. So drinkS, spa, specialty restaurants, shore excursions are all subject to VAT for everyone with no refund.

 

I wasn't on the ship but people onboard did say they visited Kusadasi as normal. Interesting that they said they did this for tax reasons as there was no need as they had already been to Istanbul.

 

Cruise Junky.....

 

I got the information on VAT refunds from a document I recently received from a travel agent..... however, after your post, I did go to the official EU websites to confirm the information in the document, and found that you are correct!......(sorry about that).... the document I received was definitely erroneous, even though it came from a travel agency..... (serves me right for not verifying.:confused:) You are are absolutely correct on the VAT refund not covering services, consumable items (food/drink), or disposable items.

--------

I had seen conflicting reports online about whether the Prinsendam passengers were allowed to visit Kusadasi....... there were some posts that said they had a normal port call at Kusadasi, while others said they didn't (and some posts were fairly emphatic). So I called HAL directly this afternoon, for clarification.

 

An HAL representative initially indicated that he had no information, but then put me on hold for about 5 minutes to verify. He eventually came back, and said the Prinsendam did indeed dock at both ports, ........but he also reported that HAL did not allow passengers to disembark at either Istanbul or Kusadasi. He indicated that the ship stayed at Istanbul about 5 hours, and at Kusadasi about 4 hours. So, "technically" they did visit both ports...... but, according to HAL today, no passengers were allowed to go ashore at either port. If those visits managed to satisfy the VAT issue, I guess it was worth the stop,....... but it's a shame to be so close, and still miss the sights at Istanbul and Kusadasi.

 

Is the HAL representative's report true? I have no reason to doubt it, however, I would feel much better once I can communicate directly with one of the Prinsendam passengers for confirmation. But in lieu of a passenger verification, I think about the best data we can get, is the information we get directly from HAL.

 

(sorry again about the misleading VAT refund info)

 

FLG8ter

[Cruise Junky]

Cruise Junky.....

 

I got the information on VAT refunds from a document I recently received from a travel agent..... however, after your post, I did go to the official EU websites to confirm the information in the document, and found that you are correct!......(sorry about that).... the document I received was definitely erroneous, even though it came from a travel agency..... (serves me right for not verifying.:confused:) You are are absolutely correct on the VAT refund not covering services, consumable items (food/drink), or disposable items.

--------

I had seen conflicting reports online about whether the Prinsendam passengers were allowed to visit Kusadasi....... there were some posts that said they had a normal port call at Kusadasi, while others said they didn't (and some posts were fairly emphatic). So I called HAL directly this afternoon, for clarification.

 

An HAL representative initially indicated that he had no information, but then put me on hold for about 5 minutes to verify. He eventually came back, and said the Prinsendam did indeed dock at both ports, ........but he also reported that HAL did not allow passengers to disembark at either Istanbul or Kusadasi. He indicated that the ship stayed at Istanbul about 5 hours, and at Kusadasi about 4 hours. So, "technically" they did visit both ports...... but, according to HAL today, no passengers were allowed to go ashore at either port. If those visits managed to satisfy the VAT issue, I guess it was worth the stop,....... but it's a shame to be so close, and still miss the sights at Istanbul and Kusadasi.

 

Is the HAL representative's report true? I have no reason to doubt it, however, I would feel much better once I can communicate directly with one of the Prinsendam passengers for confirmation. But in lieu of a passenger verification, I think about the best data we can get, is the information we get directly from HAL.

 

(sorry again about the misleading VAT refund info)

 

FLG8ter

 

No worries. I'm really curious about what happened in Kusadasi with HAL. We are there in a couple of weeks but there is a sailing before ours with Kusadasi. I guess that will tell us whether we are stopping or not.

[spiceyxi]

Safety should always be a cruise ships #1 priority. Even if this means I lose a day in port at Ephesus. It would be great to see, but if numerous governments feel the need to warn and pull people out I believe a cruise ship should do the same. When I was reviewing Med cruises to take earlier this year I specifically avoided any cruise that started or ended in Instanbul. I simply did not feel comfortable for me and my wife to visit Istanbul based on the climate back then.

[luckytravels]

The Viking Sea DID begin its inaugural cruise from the port of ISTANBUL with much fanfare and hoopla and without any security incidents according to press release dated April 4th with its sister ship going into ISTANBUL while she was leaving.' The second cruise ship of Viking Ocean Cruises, Viking Sea, has embarked on her maiden voyage from Istanbul to Venice, officially doubling the size of the company's fleet and continuing its vision for destination-focused cruises.'

There was another press release from a UK weabsite titled 'First pictures of Viking Star’s maiden voyage from Istanbul to Venice' with lots of phtographs of the ship in the port of ISTANBUL

 

The alleged itinerary changes were nothing more than rumors. At least one cruise company felt safe enough to place its ships and crews and passengers in the port of ISTANBUL. It says something..

[littlelulu01]

The Viking Sea DID begin its inaugural cruise from the port of ISTANBUL with much fanfare and hoopla and without any security incidents according to press release dated April 4th with its sister ship going into ISTANBUL while she was leaving.' The second cruise ship of Viking Ocean Cruises, Viking Sea, has embarked on her maiden voyage from Istanbul to Venice, officially doubling the size of the company's fleet and continuing its vision for destination-focused cruises.'

There was another press release from a UK weabsite titled 'First pictures of Viking Star’s maiden voyage from Istanbul to Venice' with lots of phtographs of the ship in the port of ISTANBUL

 

The alleged itinerary changes were nothing more than rumors. At least one cruise company felt safe enough to place its ships and crews and passengers in the port of ISTANBUL. It says something..

 

It also says something that cruise critic cruise news article dated 3/22/16 reported, I assume not a rumor, "Viking cruises has become the latest line to alter its itineraries in light of terrorist attacks in Turkey...."

 

If they chose to skip their overnight in Turkey that says something as well. According to the article, the day befor a bomb went off killing 4 tourists on 3/19, Viking star set sail in the evening rather than stay the night.

 

Just bc a line is still embarking/debarking there does not invalidate govt warnings and make the city safe for tourists.

 

I take it as a sign these companies are not able or willing to change ports of call due to lack of alternative ports and loss of money.

 

I just don't think there is a set of subscribed intelligence that is informing these companies of no problems in Turkey. I think it's more about management decisions to still dock, pick up and drop of passengers and hope for the best in order to save $.

[lynncarol]

The Viking Sea DID begin its inaugural cruise from the port of ISTANBUL with much fanfare and hoopla and without any security incidents according to press release dated April 4th with its sister ship going into ISTANBUL while she was leaving.' The second cruise ship of Viking Ocean Cruises, Viking Sea, has embarked on her maiden voyage from Istanbul to Venice, officially doubling the size of the company's fleet and continuing its vision for destination-focused cruises.'

There was another press release from a UK weabsite titled 'First pictures of Viking Star’s maiden voyage from Istanbul to Venice' with lots of phtographs of the ship in the port of ISTANBUL

 

The alleged itinerary changes were nothing more than rumors. At least one cruise company felt safe enough to place its ships and crews and passengers in the port of ISTANBUL. It says something..

 

In the summer of 2014 (just months after Russia annexed the Crimea) Vantage was the only cruiseline visiting the Black Sea countries. Although our stop at Yalta (in the Crimea) was cancelled, no other port was. Out of the 11 nights voyage, our ship spent 3 nights docked at Odessa, Ukraine and another night in Sochi, Russia. Nobody on our cruise ever felt the least bit threatened and the Ukrainians were absolutely thrilled to see us.

I guess my message is, sometimes 'danger' depends on where the actual unrest is happening. In my opinion, cruise lines should continue to stop at Ephesus (a truly magical place) without worrying about what is going on in Istanbul.

[goldesq]

In the summer of 2014 (just months after Russia annexed the Crimea) Vantage was the only cruiseline visiting the Black Sea countries. Although our stop at Yalta (in the Crimea) was cancelled, no other port was. Out of the 11 nights voyage, our ship spent 3 nights docked at Odessa, Ukraine and another night in Sochi, Russia. Nobody on our cruise ever felt the least bit threatened and the Ukrainians were absolutely thrilled to see us.

I guess my message is, sometimes 'danger' depends on where the actual unrest is happening. In my opinion, cruise lines should continue to stop at Ephesus (a truly magical place) without worrying about what is going on in Istanbul.

 

I dont think the cruise lines are just worried about Istanbul. I think they are also worried about Izmir and that's why the stop there for many lines has been cancelled.