Royal in Istanbul

[eclue]

I totally agree - the pick up points in US airports have no security - they allow vehicles to sit and idle while waiting for their passengers.....

It is just a matter of time - these are dangerous times and we must be careful and vigilant but continue with our lives.

eclue:rolleyes:

[cherylakers]

My husband and daughter are due to board Royal on Saturday. As of right now we have received no message from Princess cancelling Istanbul. I am anxious to see what they tell passengers after boarding on Saturday. I too hope they cancel it.

 

Will keep everyone informed if I hear something.

 

Cheryl

[Colo Cruiser]

My husband and daughter are due to board Royal on Saturday. As of right now we have received no message from Princess cancelling Istanbul. I am anxious to see what they tell passengers after boarding on Saturday. I too hope they cancel it.

 

Will keep everyone informed if I hear something.

 

Cheryl

 

 

We ran into the same thing on the Island in November.

 

Princess already knows they are not stopping there.

99% of the time they will not notify passengers until the cruise is underway.

We found out about 5 days into the cruise and about 3 days before the stop in Istanbul.

I knew it was canceled right after we boarded when I got a copy of my folio to check my OBC's and saw port charges were already credited to our account for the cancellation of Istanbul.

[thunderbaycruiser]

Completely retrospective way of responding? Are you kidding me? Name another popular cruise port that has had 4 bombings in 2016. We are only half way through the year. Staying away from an increasingly unsafe city seems completely prudent. Yes, a terrorist attack could happen anywhere in the world. Repeated terrorist attacks in the same city in recent months targeting places where crowds and tourists congregate is not the same thing. Not even close.

 

Another attack is far more likely to be somewhere else? Not in Istanbul? This being the 4th attack in Istanbul this year alone says otherwise. Historically, attacks in Istanbul have been years apart. This is different. So different.

Edited June 30, 2016 by thunderbaycruiser

[IECalCruiser]

Due to family health issues we have had to cancel our September cruise with a stop in Istanbul and have decided against rescheduling the cruise in November. Turkey has been pretty much ignoring ISIS and has blamed some prior bombing on the PKK when they appeared to be ISIS inspired. With all of the pressure on ISIS in Syria and Iraq they appear to be doing what they can and Turkey appears to be a target of opportunity. Hopefully conditions will improve next year and we will try again. The PKK typically targets the Turkish military but ISIS targets high population and tourist areas. It's not worth the risk.

 

BTW, the "official" reason given by Celebrity last November was not terrorism but major construction at the Istanbul cruise port.

Edited June 30, 2016 by IECalCruiser

[caribill]

There was a Worldwide Caution issued on March 3 which is still in effect. The June 27 revised Travel Warning for Turkey specifically stated "to avoid travel to southeastern Turkey" which is something I would not have considered before.

 

 

 

And Istanbul is not in southeastern Turkey.

[PescadoAmarillo]

We ran into the same thing on the Island in November.

 

Princess already knows they are not stopping there.

99% of the time they will not notify passengers until the cruise is underway.

We found out about 5 days into the cruise and about 3 days before the stop in Istanbul.

I knew it was canceled right after we boarded when I got a copy of my folio to check my OBC's and saw port charges were already credited to our account for the cancellation of Istanbul.

 

This is my concern. We are scheduled to overnight plus spend several days in Istanbul this fall. I certainly understand if Princess chooses not to go there. But if they already know their ships will not be going (as other cruise lines have already announced), it would be nice to find out before final payment. Another port/ports would be a welcome thing. Several days at sea would not. And we will be there at a time of year when there are fewer ships and plenty of other options.

 

Celebrity did that to us in 1999. War broke out in Bosnia; we were supposed to go to several ports in Greece and ultimately disembark in Venice. Luckily our flights home were through Celebrity because it was not until one week before the cruise that half of our itinerary was changed with several port cancellations and only one addition. The war had been going on for months...the itinerary changes weren't announced until some people were already in Europe. We ended the cruise in Genoa and never got into the Adriatic on that trip.

 

It's not that the cruise lines cancel a port stop. I understand the concerns that might promot that decision. It's the timing and the possible alternatives that might have a significant impact on whether we choose to make final payment or cancel. And those alternatives become fewer and fewer as time goes on. And if the Royal Princess stops in Istanbul are cancelled but we are not notified until after final payment that our stops there in the fall are cancelled, I might be a smidge peeved.

 

I have put off getting our electronic visas for Turkey for just this reason.

[caber]

Last summer on a P& O cruise we were given a sheet of paper with the telephone numbers of all the British Consulates in the ports we were visiting in Greece and Turkey. It didn't instill confidence. We stayed onboard in Istanbul, which wasn't a problem as we had been there several times. I did get spooked a little in a leather shop in Kusadasi when I was surrounded by three of the young men working in the shop. They flicked there lighters on in front of me and asked who my God was. I have always enjoyed Turkish ports but that has put me off.

[Montrealais]

We ran into the same thing on the Island in November.

 

Princess already knows they are not stopping there.

99% of the time they will not notify passengers until the cruise is underway.

We found out about 5 days into the cruise and about 3 days before the stop in Istanbul.

I knew it was canceled right after we boarded when I got a copy of my folio to check my OBC's and saw port charges were already credited to our account for the cancellation of Istanbul.

 

Princess probably think that people who especially want to visit Istanbul would cancel their cruise if they removed it as a destination On the other hand, considering the present situation some people WILL cancel their cruise if they stilll show Istanbul as part of the cruise.

 

Some guy (or gal) is probably using a computer to see which decision is the more profitable ($$$$) for the company. :eek:

[cherylakers]

Found out yesterday they cancelled Istanbul for this cruise. Husband and daughter are boarding today. They replaced it with rhodes, greece. They are excited to see Rhodes.

 

Not sure what they are doing for future cruises, but i would think they would cancel all istanbul stops this season.

[RoadTripFanatic]

We are sailing on the Royal in three weeks time and I have to say I am not overjoyed at the thought of stopping in Turkey, the ship is only stopping in Kusadasi but I just don't feel as though I want to get off in that port and I will be quite happy when we leave.

 

Ideally I would like to see the port of call cancelled but I somehow can't see Princess doing that.

 

What is your cruise date? We are cruising on the 23rd and we are going to Istanbul.

[RoadTripFanatic]

Found out yesterday they cancelled Istanbul for this cruise. Husband and daughter are boarding today. They replaced it with rhodes, greece. They are excited to see Rhodes.

 

Not sure what they are doing for future cruises, but i would think they would cancel all istanbul stops this season.

 

Thank you so much for the update. I appreciate it! We are cruising in 3 weeks out of Rome with the stop in Istanbul. It's good to know what the back-up port is just in case. We've been there before but we loved it.

[spyro1952]

With the State Dept warning in effect and more bombings last night, Princess would not take a chance and go to Istanbul. When it comes to stuff like this they are extremely conservative and wouldn't want any type of bad publicity.

[caber]

Found out yesterday they cancelled Istanbul for this cruise. Husband and daughter are boarding today. They replaced it with rhodes, greece. They are excited to see Rhodes.

 

.

 

They will love Rhodes. It`s a do on your own port. There is just a short walk from the ship to the old walled town which is lovely to wander round.

[Colo Cruiser]

What is your cruise date? We are cruising on the 23rd and we are going to Istanbul.

 

 

As I said...your itinerary may show Istanbul but there is a good chance its already canceled and you won't find out until you board.

Some have said they have received the port changes before they left home.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Better they cancel in advance and substitute a nice port like Rhodes than cancel last minute and just add a sea day. We thoroughly enjoyed Rhodes, did an excursion to the ruins at Lindos then had plenty of time to walk around the town and back to the ship.

[Murphey]

Princess is pretty good at finding alternative ports. Especially in the Med. 3 weeks ago Malta was cancelled the day before due to the sirocco winds and we ended up in Naples the next morning.

[RoadTripFanatic]

As I said...your itinerary may show Istanbul but there is a good chance its already canceled and you won't find out until you board.

Some have said they have received the port changes before they left home.

 

Thank you. I have friends who are boarding the ship 7 days before us. (They are doing the entire 14 day cruise) I'm hoping they text us to let us know if the port has changed. :)

[laughing husky]

We ran into the same thing on the Island in November.

 

Princess already knows they are not stopping there.

99% of the time they will not notify passengers until the cruise is underway.

We found out about 5 days into the cruise and about 3 days before the stop in Istanbul.

I knew it was canceled right after we boarded when I got a copy of my folio to check my OBC's and saw port charges were already credited to our account for the cancellation of Istanbul.

 

Keith, you shouldn't knocked on the door next door and let us know...lol.....my brother was in th trade towers, I have a friend who flew out of the Federal Building in OK, the wife of a good friend was in the Madrid train bombing, and I was in Paris following that cruise when the bombing occurred, and a friend of my son was killed that night in the bombing. With a track recorded like that, I wish I had known...hahahaha...I love Turkey, lived there when I was a kid...and really hoped to spend the day there.....but the Greek islands were a good substitute......but we need to keep on traveling....just be careful out there....it is scary at times....

[PescadoAmarillo]

Keith, you shouldn't knocked on the door next door and let us know...lol.....my brother was in th trade towers, I have a friend who flew out of the Federal Building in OK, the wife of a good friend was in the Madrid train bombing, and I was in Paris following that cruise when the bombing occurred, and a friend of my son was killed that night in the bombing. With a track recorded like that, I wish I had known...hahahaha...I love Turkey, lived there when I was a kid...and really hoped to spend the day there.....but the Greek islands were a good substitute......but we need to keep on traveling....just be careful out there....it is scary at times....

 

Your personal experiences make a very good point. I often think about a high school in our area, where two teens were stopped from making their planned Columbine-like attack on the school the night before it happened because someone who knew about it anonymously contacted the authorities. It never even made the national news, which prompts me to wonder just how often this is happening these days. And still our kids get up five days a week and go to school.

 

Certainly the news of late shows us these things are not limited to "over there". We need to look to the kids for inspiration and keep traveling.

[Colo Cruiser]

Keith, you shouldn't knocked on the door next door and let us know...lol.....my brother was in th trade towers, I have a friend who flew out of the Federal Building in OK, the wife of a good friend was in the Madrid train bombing, and I was in Paris following that cruise when the bombing occurred, and a friend of my son was killed that night in the bombing. With a track recorded like that, I wish I had known...hahahaha...I love Turkey, lived there when I was a kid...and really hoped to spend the day there.....but the Greek islands were a good substitute......but we need to keep on traveling....just be careful out there....it is scary at times....

 

 

Ha, that's why I didn't knock on your door! :)

[IECalCruiser]

Deleted post.

Edited July 10, 2016 by IECalCruiser

[Melodey]

We had a wonderful stop on 6-9 with absolutely no issues. Was for me one of the highlights of a 21 day cruise. Hope she continues to go in for those who want to see this fascinating city. FYI we also stopped in Kusadasi.

 

Just wondering did you do tours in Kusadasi & Istanbul & if so could you please let me know who with and were they good we are hoping to be able to stop there in Sept this year Thanks

[houstonheels]

We were in Ephesus two years ago and used Ephesus Shuttle for a private tour and had a good experience. I believe that their website is http://www.ephesusshuttle.com. We are scheduled to be in Istanbul and Ephesus on Royal in August and waiting to see what Princess decides to do!

[eclue]

We also used Ephesus shuttle -from Kusadasi - the tour guide was fantastic.

IN Istanbul, it is so easy to just DIY - hop on the tram and get off at Sultanahmet for all the major sites.

We are on the Royal next month - we'll see what Princess decides to do about stopping in Istanbul.

eclue:rolleyes: