Turkish Ports

[jimmyw9]

We are on 27 August cruise too.

Just now trying to deal with flights, hotels etc.

Of course BRitish Airways are being their usual cooperative self!.........NOT!!

And yes I agree excellent service from Seabourn and well done on the speedy reaction.

Feel very sad for the events in Istanbul.

J

[markham]

What's wrong with easyjet?

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[rols]

we are booked on the july 30th out of istanbul and have decided we are not going

 

Hopefully now Istanbul has been removed from the equation you've reconsidered and will be on-board after all. If you make it to the observation bar, I'll buy you a drink!

[lydiamight]

Does anyone know if Seabourn will make a full refund if I cancel? We were booked on the Athens--Istanbul cruise for the 17th September and the main reason for the trip was so we could stay on for four days in Istanbul---a city we have always wanted to visit. As the cruise is no longer going to Istanbul I would rather cancel the whole trip and go somewhere else.

[rols]

Does anyone know if Seabourn will make a full refund if I cancel? We were booked on the Athens--Istanbul cruise for the 17th September and the main reason for the trip was so we could stay on for four days in Istanbul---a city we have always wanted to visit. As the cruise is no longer going to Istanbul I would rather cancel the whole trip and go somewhere else.

 

I wouldn't be hopeful but Seabourn has been more generous than I expected already with the changes so I would get right onto your Travel Agent and ask. And refund perhaps not but they might just let you transfer the booking to another cruise.

 

Only your TA and Seabourn can really answer this.

[stamfordian]

What's wrong with easyjet?

 

Luton Airport, Stansted Airport or Gatwick. Plus using Avios carefully you can often get Club on BA for less than standard on EZ - and free drinks!

[stamfordian]

...Now I need a hotel in Athens....

 

Please let us know what you come up with. We have also been re-routed on the 27 August departure so will need likewise.

[marama]

We have now heard from Seabourn that our October Itinerary will finish in Athens as well. Also, a Greek port has been substituted for Bozcaadia which is a shame as it looked very interesting. I'm impressed by how quickly Seabourn have sorted out such a complex situation, although I appreciate that quite a few individual headaches remain regarding hotels and flights. Sad that we won't be sailing up the Dardanelles this time round, Istanbul is so very spectacular viewed from the sea.

 

Poor Turkish people and poor Istanbul, so very sad for them all.

[jimmyw9]

What's wrong with easyjet?

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

 

Had original flights booked with BA to Istanbul, so naturally would revert back to them, wouldn't you?

 

Seabourn are not offering any rebooking or cancellation benefits for Istanbul cruises affected after 2 July. So you have no option but to take it and pay for the new travel costs and hope they repay something towards them.

 

jimmyw9

[Seas_The_Day]

kudos to seabourn/carnival mgmt for making this change. i'm sure they incurred some significant cost - but unfortunately it was the right thing to do. i also think the way they did it in terms of offering "reasonable" reimbursement is more than fair. we were able to switch our flights/hotels to athens at no additional cost so no reimbursement needed. we are pleased that we can go ahead and look forward to our trip now. only regret is i still want to visit istanbul - hopefully in the not too distant future.

[rols]

kudos to seabourn/carnival mgmt for making this change. i'm sure they incurred some significant cost - but unfortunately it was the right thing to do. i also think the way they did it in terms of offering "reasonable" reimbursement is more than fair. we were able to switch our flights/hotels to athens at no additional cost so no reimbursement needed. we are pleased that we can go ahead and look forward to our trip now. only regret is i still want to visit istanbul - hopefully in the not too distant future.

 

I felt a bit sorry for Seabourn actually. They kept Istanbul as a port so the struggled to fill the ships and were discounting all the way through to just a few weeks ago. Then they finally end up having to change the port anyway and will be picking up the tab for the a portion of the costs people are having to bear.

 

You have a much nicer airline than we do. Emirates had us over a barrel, fares were up significantly since we originally booked and with short-term availability pretty tight, nobody was offering a better fare so we just had to pay it and hope Seabourn thinks it's reasonable.

 

This better be a damned good cruise!

[Chairsin]

Stamfordian,

Already sent you DW hotel info yesterday -- in fact she just emailed me that you are booked.

 

To others looking for a very nice Athens hotel in a good location try the Athens Gate. Lovely rooftop terrace for drinks and breakfast with close views to the Acropolis

 

I am sorry you are all missing Istanbul but glad SB made a quick decision. At least you will have a wonderful SB holiday to look forward to.

[stamfordian]

Seabourn are not offering any rebooking or cancellation benefits for Istanbul cruises affected after 2 July. So you have no option but to take it and pay for the new travel costs and hope they repay something towards them.

 

jimmyw9

 

Sorry Jimmy. Not true. We are travelling on Odyssey now ex-Athens on 27 August and have recvd email both from Seabourn Reservations and our T/A confirming Seabourn will meet all reasonable extra costs resulting from the changes. They have also sent a reimbursement claim form to fill in with these details. Plus they are adding $300 per suite OBC as compensation for inconvenience. Suggest you contact you T/A or email seareservations@seabourn.com

[jimmyw9]

Sorry Jimmy. Not true. We are travelling on Odyssey now ex-Athens on 27 August and have recvd email both from Seabourn Reservations and our T/A confirming Seabourn will meet all reasonable extra costs resulting from the changes. They have also sent a reimbursement claim form to fill in with these details. Plus they are adding $300 per suite OBC as compensation for inconvenience. Suggest you contact you T/A or email seareservations@seabourn.com

 

Sorry I should have been more clear.

 

Yes all of the above is true.......

 

What Seabourn are not allowing is you the option to cancel and rebook onto another cruise.

 

This came directly from my TA this morning.

 

jimmyw9

[Techno123]

What's wrong with easyjet?

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

 

We are doing easyjet - only company that fly directly back to Manchester so booked this morning before all the flights go. Hoping my Turkish airline fare my be refunded or at least taxes but not holding my breath.

 

Is the Sofitel the only hotel on the airport? My thinking is the port has been on strike of late so just in case the port is changed again, if we go to an airport hotel then we can get the metro into Athens and spend the rest of the day there and be on site in the morning for our luxurious flight home (have booked the 'business class' seats at the very front :D )

 

Does anyone think Seabourn will consider a hotel an essential expense as we cant get a flight back from Athens on the Saturday?

 

And I agree with Chairsin - the Athens Gate is very nice and the view at night of the Acropolis is stunning.

Edited July 1, 2016 by Techno123

[jimmyw9]

Sorry Jimmy. Not true. We are travelling on Odyssey now ex-Athens on 27 August and have recvd email both from Seabourn Reservations and our T/A confirming Seabourn will meet all reasonable extra costs resulting from the changes. They have also sent a reimbursement claim form to fill in with these details. Plus they are adding $300 per suite OBC as compensation for inconvenience. Suggest you contact you T/A or email seareservations@seabourn.com

 

Have you or anyone submitted their Change Fee Reimbursement Form yet?

 

I did, but did not receive any kind of acknowledgment. I know it is going to take them many weeks to sort this, but thought even a bounce back email saying thank you for your email would have given some reassurance that it had been received.

[jozi]

We have now heard from Seabourn that our October Itinerary will finish in Athens as well. Also, a Greek port has been substituted for Bozcaadia which is a shame as it looked very interesting. I'm impressed by how quickly Seabourn have sorted out such a complex situation, although I appreciate that quite a few individual headaches remain regarding hotels and flights. Sad that we won't be sailing up the Dardanelles this time round, Istanbul is so very spectacular viewed from the sea.

 

Poor Turkish people and poor Istanbul, so very sad for them all.

 

What Greek port? We were just in Bozcaada (was it only yesterday?) and, unlike kusadasi and Marmaris, where we had wonderful excursions, found it unwelcoming. Mostly catering to domestic Turkish tourists. And maybe it was just a hot Friday in Ramadan and people still in shock.

 

We sadly had to leave the ship this morning and arrived at the Athens airport to find our flight, which Seabourn and our t/a had re-arranged, was cancelled. Fingers crossed that our rebook for 6 am works out.

[Heather White]

We liked Bozcaada a lot. The little streets were prettily decked with flowers and there wasn't all the forceful trading that can be a little annoying. Actually there weren't many shops at all! Formerly Greek Tenedos, it was taken over by the Turks. We visited an interesting little museum which told its history, although locating it wasn't easy! Still, I guess you won't have that pleasure, or the wonderful evening concert at Ephesus.

[marama]

What Greek port? We were just in Bozcaada (was it only yesterday?) and, unlike kusadasi and Marmaris, where we had wonderful excursions, found it unwelcoming. Mostly catering to domestic Turkish tourists. And maybe it was just a hot Friday in Ramadan and people still in shock.

 

We sadly had to leave the ship this morning and arrived at the Athens airport to find our flight, which Seabourn and our t/a had re-arranged, was cancelled. Fingers crossed that our rebook for 6 am works out.

 

 

Yes, the last morning is always a downer, isn't it. I wish we were doing more than 7 days but 14 is too long this time round and 10 days is not an option. I wish there were a few more 10/11 day cruises around. Bozcaadia is being replaced with Nafplion, which is in Greece but the rest of the itinerary remains the same. So relieved we will still get to Ephesus.

[rols]

Have you or anyone submitted their Change Fee Reimbursement Form yet?

 

I did, but did not receive any kind of acknowledgment. I know it is going to take them many weeks to sort this, but thought even a bounce back email saying thank you for your email would have given some reassurance that it had been received.

 

Just did mine - no bounceback - perhaps someone will reply after the long weekend and say they received it. I have a note on my calendar to check with them in 6 weeks.

[stamfordian]

I note that our itinerary for our forthcoming Odyssey cruise in late August has now been updated to show initial departure from Athens instead of Istanbul.

 

However, the whole cruise is still defined in the "My Reservations" section as Western Mediterranean - as it has been throughout the year.

 

I did write to Seattle and ask for confirmation that the Captain and Deck officers will have been issued with the correct charts for the Eastern Mediterranean. Nobody has replied.

 

If it is because they don't have a sense of humour I guess I can hack that. If it's because they don't understand the question...

Edited July 9, 2016 by stamfordian

[rwilmeth]

Am on Odyssey in two weeks with the change from Istanbul. Now a possibly military coup in Turkey, it will be interesting to see if they cancel the other Turkish ports and rerouted us to other Greek ports.

[rols]

Am on Odyssey in two weeks with the change from Istanbul. Now a possibly military coup in Turkey, it will be interesting to see if they cancel the other Turkish ports and rerouted us to other Greek ports.

 

Thank goodness all the cruises departures were moved to Athens. And also thank goodness we didn't keep our original Istanbul flights and then take a quick hop out again, but rebooked the whole thing direct to Athens, who knows what will be going on in less than two weeks.

 

Pretty sure the Turkish ports will be off the itinerary for the cruise starting today, by the time we're on in two weeks .. unless this coup fizzles out really quickly I think this is going to be a Greece-only cruise. Wonder what ports they'll pick, hopefully some we're not doing on the second week, and somewhere fun.

 

I hope the situation in Turkey gets resolved soon, I'd like to actually go back there one day.

[rwilmeth]

Agree completely. Agree -- will be interested to see what Greek ports they add as we lose Cesme and Bodrum. I just can't imagine they'll take folks into even the south with state dept warnings and what will surly be political crackdowns. Martial law is such a downer!

[jimmyw9]

Just got an email saying all Turkish ports cancelled on our cruise. Now off to Patmos and Cyprus!