Royal in Istanbul

[Editor Gina]

Hi all,

Please refer to this news story (vs. the one that was previously shared on this thread) for the latest Turkey itinerary changes. We will continue to update it as more information becomes available from the cruise lines.

Thanks,

Gina

[macandlucy]

Hi all,

Please refer to this news story (vs. the one that was previously shared on this thread) for the latest Turkey itinerary changes. We will continue to update it as more information becomes available from the cruise lines.

Thanks,

Gina

 

Our cruise (Greece and Turkey, August 20-27) is still showing stops in Kusadasi (24th August) and Istanbul (25th Augsust).

 

Out of habit I monitor cruise prices daily, and this cruise has pretty much doubled in price in the past couple of days, and I really wonder why.

 

ETA: I have not received any notification from Princess about port stops being cancelled or changed, even though my government (Canada) has issued a travel advisory to avoid Turkey.

Edited July 17, 2016 by macandlucy

[oskidunker]

Balconies have dropped to $1500 per person while the cruise I have booked for Nov 2017 still shows launch fares of $3450.00.

 

Probably the cruise you have referenced is close to a sell out so supply and demand working here. Many won't cancel if they have already made the final payment, but will just stay on the ship.

 

On the other hand, the Nov 2016 Pacific cruise may have people bailing out and is nearing final payment date. Its a great deal with a fabulous itinerary, though if I was going I would not get off in Istanbul.

[anthonyy7]

Only applies to USA airlines. Airlines of other countries (including Turkey) can still fly there to/from USA if they already do.

 

“All airline carriers, regardless of country of registry, are prohibited from flying into the United States from Turkey either directly or via third country,” the U.S. Embassy in Ankara said

[macandlucy]

I'm sorry if this is an unpopular opinion, but I must say I am extremely disappointed in Princess's lack of action on Turkey stops. I just got off the phone with them and was given the "Passenger and crew safety...utmost importance ... experts monitoring situation closely etc and SHOULD the need arise they'll change the itin.

 

From my POV, the NEED has now arisen -- when the government of Canada advises citizens to avoid all travel to Turkey, when the US gov't won't allow planes from Turkey to land...that tells me they are quite concerned about some bad things happening.

 

Personally, I do not feel safe going there. They did say that despite the travel advisory from my government, they would not waive any cancellation fees. Yes, I have insurance, but I think when governments place advisories on a destination after the trip is booked they should waive those fees. Just my opinion.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Your cruise goes to other ports besides Istanbul and Kusadisi so I'm not sure why you think "fees should be waived." Princess will substitute other ports as the time gets closer, have seen others say Rhodes was substituted. Rhodes is a lovely port.

Edited July 17, 2016 by sunsetbeachgal

[PescadoAmarillo]

Personally, I do not feel safe going there. They did say that despite the travel advisory from my government, they would not waive any cancellation fees. Yes, I have insurance, but I think when governments place advisories on a destination after the trip is booked they should waive those fees. Just my opinion.

I feel strongly confident that your ship will not be stopping in Istanbul and at least 50% confident there will be no Princess stops in Kusadasi either. And I'm 100% certain you'll get the port charges back from any ports that are missed. Of course, you'll have to pay port charges for added ports, whether you would have chosen to go there or not.

 

As much as I believe Princess should release changes in plans earlier rather than later when the situation is obviously not going to greatly improve this summer/fall, they are not contractually obligated to do so, nor are they required to refund any cruise fare as a result of itinerary changes. We have to validate that we've read the cruise contract before boarding passes can be printed for a reason.

 

In the pages of Princess history, this is not their most egregious behavior. I would include beginning a cruise from a port where a devasting earthquake had just closed the airport and not offering any refunds to be toward the top of that list. The reality is that Princess protects itself left, right and sideways from liability in the event of all sorts of natural and man made disasters. The best we can do is buy insurance with Cancel for Any Reason coverage and book cruises with them with our eyes wide open.

[kruisey]

Book with eyes wide open.:cool:

I cancelled a repositioning cruise which under normal circumstances I would have enjoyed very much due to the fact it went through Middle East towards final destination.

Have re booked another repositioning cruise far removed from that area.It will not be as exciting to me as the former, but at least I will be able to relax and have peace of mind :)

[NorbertsNiece]

Rescheduling ports of call is not a matter of just picking up a phone and making that call. There are many logistical factors to be considered, especially where the safety of passengers and crew are concerned. Fuel, supplies and the embarking and disembarking of crew have to be factored in amongst many other issues. I appreciate that it's frustrating to be waiting for information but Princess will let those passengers implicated know as soon as possible..... it is in their interest to do so. Please cut them some slack, this is not a matter of choice but necessity.

[macandlucy]

Your cruise goes to other ports besides Istanbul and Kusadisi so I'm not sure why you think "fees should be waived." Princess will substitute other ports as the time gets closer, have seen others say Rhodes was substituted. Rhodes is a lovely port.

 

Port changes occur all the time, and you'll never see me disappointed in a cruise line that cancels a stop for weather, ship mechanical issues, safety concerns. I would not expect any kind of fee waiving in any of those circumstances. What is different in this situation is the travel advisory -- when a government says it's not safe to visit a country, I think, the cruise line should allow passengers to cancel without penalty. That's the only time. That's kind of moot right now, because as of today Princess has not cancelled those stops -- they are still showing them as available to purchase.

 

I am pretty sure that by now every other cruise line has cancelled their stops and have said so publicly. No doubt they have the same logistical issues as Princess.

 

When I called Princess today, the rep told me that for the upcoming cruise on the 23rd (same itin as mine), Istanbul has been replaced by Rhodes (good news), but Kusadasi has been extended to a full day. My government says to avoid all travel in Turkey (not just Istanbul and Ankara), so Princess is still going against the travel advisory in that regard.

 

For the record, I feel it's likely that they will cancel Istanbul for my cruise, and maybe Kusadasi, but likely, in the face of "DO NOT TRAVEL TO TURKEY" does not bring me the kind of assurance I need.

 

This is my first experience with Princess, and I was looking forward to trying it, but sadly I will have to cancel if I do not receive assurance that we will not be stopping there. Even the choice to simply stay on the ship is not a good one for me, as we would be the only cruise ship in port -- given the current world situation that would make me uneasy.

 

I'd also like to know in advance which ports would be substituted so I can plan and make arrangements for those. To my mind, that is a reasonable request.

[macandlucy]

I feel strongly confident that your ship will not be stopping in Istanbul and at least 50% confident there will be no Princess stops in Kusadasi either. And I'm 100% certain you'll get the port charges back from any ports that are missed. Of course, you'll have to pay port charges for added ports, whether you would have chosen to go there or not.

 

As much as I believe Princess should release changes in plans earlier rather than later when the situation is obviously not going to greatly improve this summer/fall, they are not contractually obligated to do so, nor are they required to refund any cruise fare as a result of itinerary changes. We have to validate that we've read the cruise contract before boarding passes can be printed for a reason.

 

In the pages of Princess history, this is not their most egregious behavior. I would include beginning a cruise from a port where a devasting earthquake had just closed the airport and not offering any refunds to be toward the top of that list. The reality is that Princess protects itself left, right and sideways from liability in the event of all sorts of natural and man made disasters. The best we can do is buy insurance with Cancel for Any Reason coverage and book cruises with them with our eyes wide open.

 

Highlighting this because I want to point out that this is different from the typical, fairly common, simple itinerary change --which has happened to me more than once on a cruise, and is par for the course and luck of the draw of cruising. This is a government issued travel advisory to avoid a country. A travel advisory is the point at which (most, if not all) cancellation insurance kicks in (unlike common port changes). It's a distinct difference and meets a higher standard, in my view (and I would guess legally as well).

Edited July 17, 2016 by macandlucy

[oskidunker]

This should not be an agonizing decision

[PescadoAmarillo]

Port changes occur all the time, and you'll never see me disappointed in a cruise line that cancels a stop for weather, ship mechanical issues, safety concerns. I would not expect any kind of fee waiving in any of those circumstances.

I would most certainly expect some sort of compensation if Princess cancelled a stop due to mechanical issues and I believe Princess generally does offer something, even if it's as simple as a free drink or small OBC. And if Princess cancels the Turkey ports, I think it would be due to safety concerns, so I'm not certain I follow your reasoning that you would find that acceptable but take issue with Princess not notifying you now that they might be cancelling a stop due to...safety concerns.

 

This is my first experience with Princess, and I was looking forward to trying it, but sadly I will have to cancel if I do not receive assurance that we will not be stopping there. Even the choice to simply stay on the ship is not a good one for me, as we would be the only cruise ship in port -- given the current world situation that would make me uneasy.

Given your feelings, that you must know NOW what Princess has planned for your cruise, I think cancelling is in your best interest. I don't disagree with you that Princess should be able to make decisions and notify people about their stops in Turkey for the rest of the season, but they haven't and they contractually don't have to. I don't like it either but it's the reality of this situation. As a passenger, your choices are to accept it or move on. FTR, Princess has conducted cruises in the past that required passengers to travel to a country against government advisement. This is not new territory for them. People were free to cancel but Princess did not offer compensation to cover cancellation fees.

 

BTW, DH and I make the first final payment this week for a series of cruises that were supposed to have us in Istanbul for 5 days (including two overnights) and Kusadasi for 2 days. Oh, and Nice, too. And we're already going to Rhodes, so substituting that is not particularly special. AND we are very often the only cruise ship in port. We have had many discussions about this very topic this weekend. In the end, we have same two choices you do: to accept that the itinerary we get is not going to look very much like the itinerary we booked (possibly with 7 additional sea days) and we might not always feel totally comfortable with our surroundings, or cancel the whole thing and move on. I doubt a phone call to a Princess CSR tomorrow morning is going to reveal any information beyond what we already know.

[caribill]

When I called Princess today, the rep told me that for the upcoming cruise on the 23rd (same itin as mine), Istanbul has been replaced by Rhodes (good news), but Kusadasi has been extended to a full day. My government says to avoid all travel in Turkey (not just Istanbul and Ankara), so Princess is still going against the travel advisory in that regard.

 

For the record, I feel it's likely that they will cancel Istanbul for my cruise, and maybe Kusadasi, but likely, in the face of "DO NOT TRAVEL TO TURKEY" does not bring me the kind of assurance I need.

 

 

Neither Princess nor you know if that Canadian travel warning will be lifted by the time of your cruise.

 

Princess wants to keep the itinerary people booked if conditions allow, and it is to soon to know what conditions will be like by the time you sail.

[kruisey]

Neither Princess nor you know if that Canadian travel warning will be lifted by the time of your cruise.

 

Princess wants to keep the itinerary people booked if conditions allow, and it is to soon to know what conditions will be like by the time you sail.

 

Come on things will not change that quickly be realistic .

[yamanid]

Neither Princess nor you know if that Canadian travel warning will be lifted by the time of your cruise.

 

Princess wants to keep the itinerary people booked if conditions allow, and it is to soon to know what conditions will be like by the time you sail.

 

You are exactly right about Princess wanting to wait as long as possible before altering the Itinerary (although they will be working on this behind the scenes)

When we were on Royal Princess in June and there were bombings in Istanbul (when the Police van was blown up) we were scheduled to go there the next day - we were kept up to date with what was happening and what they were trying to do and also that we might not go there - However we did go and it was Brilliant

So yes, things can change and no point cancelling too soon, when there may be no need to Good Luck to all of you - you will enjoy your Cruise regardless :)

[caribill]

Come on things will not change that quickly be realistic .

 

macandlucy is not sailing in five days.

 

macandlucy is on a later cruise that has the same itinerary as the one that leaves in five days.

 

Things can change by the time macandlucycruise is scheduled.

[macandlucy]

Update: Yesterday the Canadian government modified its travel advisory from "avoid all travel" in Turkey to "avoid all unnecessary travel" in Turkey, so that's a plus. Hopefully, the situation will continue to improve.

 

We discussed it some more last night and decided that given the uncertainty of the situation, both politically and with respect to the destination and the cruise line, that cancelling was in our best interest, so we did. We did not buy "cancel for any reason" insurance, but we didn't need to in this case, as the government travel advisory to avoid all unnecessary travel was sufficient and we are covered.

 

Overall, I think the chances of anything bad happening are remote; but this situation was just outside of our personal comfort zone. I wish safe and happy cruising for those who do go on the cruise.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I think you made a very wise decision. Personal comfort zones are not lightly ignored. Thanks for letting us know.

[HEINER]

Update: Yesterday the Canadian government modified its travel advisory from "avoid all travel" in Turkey to "avoid all unnecessary travel" in Turkey, so that's a plus. Hopefully, the situation will continue to improve.

 

We discussed it some more last night and decided that given the uncertainty of the situation, both politically and with respect to the destination and the cruise line, that cancelling was in our best interest, so we did. We did not buy "cancel for any reason" insurance, but we didn't need to in this case, as the government travel advisory to avoid all unnecessary travel was sufficient and we are covered.

 

Overall, I think the chances of anything bad happening are remote; but this situation was just outside of our personal comfort zone. I wish safe and happy cruising for those who do go on the cruise.

 

Can I ask what Insurance you used? We also don't have cancel for any reason.

I did call our insurance yesterday they said we would not be covered. We have three stops in Turkey. The cruise is payed in full. Not sure what to do at this point.

 

Thanks, for any information you can give us.

[Colo Cruiser]

We did not buy "cancel for any reason" insurance, but we didn't need to in this case, as the government travel advisory to avoid all unnecessary travel was sufficient and we are covered.

 

 

How so?

[Astro Flyer]

Can I ask what Insurance you used? We also don't have cancel for any reason.

 

I did call our insurance yesterday they said we would not be covered. We have three stops in Turkey. The cruise is payed in full. Not sure what to do at this point.

 

Thanks, for any information you can give us.

 

How so?

 

Since the OP hasn't replied & even though I don't have a current independent travel insurance policy, I wonder if it's because of terrorism coverage which some policies offer. I don't recall when they're traveling but here's one definition of terrorism coverage in a policy. Also maybe some policies include coverage when a government prevents or recommends not traveling to someplace.

 

A Terrorist Act which occurs in your departure city or in a city to which you are scheduled to travel while on your Trip, and which occurs within 30 days of your Scheduled Departure Date, provided the city has not experienced a Terrorist Act in the 30 days prior to the effective date of your coverage;

TERRORIST ACT means an act of violence, other than civil disorder or riot, (that is not an act of war, declared or undeclared) that results in loss of life or major damage to property, by any person acting on behalf of or in connection with any organization which is generally recognized as having the intent to overthrow or influence the control of any government"

Edited July 20, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[PescadoAmarillo]

Since the OP hasn't replied & even though I don't have a current independent travel insurance policy, I wonder if it's because of terrorism coverage which some policies offer. I don't recall when they're traveling but here's one definition of terrorism coverage in a policy. Also maybe some policies include coverage when a government prevents or recommends not traveling to someplace.

 

A Terrorist Act which occurs in your departure city or in a city to which you are scheduled to travel while on your Trip, and which occurs within 30 days of your Scheduled Departure Date, provided the city has not experienced a Terrorist Act in the 30 days prior to the effective date of your coverage;

TERRORIST ACT means an act of violence, other than civil disorder or riot, (that is not an act of war, declared or undeclared) that results in loss of life or major damage to property, by any person acting on behalf of or in connection with any organization which is generally recognized as having the intent to overthrow or influence the control of any government"

 

With six (I read here on CC) terrorist attacks this year in Istanbul, the timing of the insurance purchase would be very critical for coverage to apply.

[Steelers0854]

Since the OP hasn't replied & even though I don't have a current independent travel insurance policy, I wonder if it's because of terrorism coverage which some policies offer. I don't recall when they're traveling but here's one definition of terrorism coverage in a policy. Also maybe some policies include coverage when a government prevents or recommends not traveling to someplace.

 

A Terrorist Act which occurs in your departure city or in a city to which you are scheduled to travel while on your Trip, and which occurs within 30 days of your Scheduled Departure Date, provided the city has not experienced a Terrorist Act in the 30 days prior to the effective date of your coverage;

TERRORIST ACT means an act of violence, other than civil disorder or riot, (that is not an act of war, declared or undeclared) that results in loss of life or major damage to property, by any person acting on behalf of or in connection with any organization which is generally recognized as having the intent to overthrow or influence the control of any government"

 

 

 

I just checked our private policy and it has similar language but a 90 day look back period. The OP's cruise is at the end on the August, not sure what policy they have but it seems this would fall outside the 30 day coverage window.

 

Our policy has no mention other than a CDC provision that includes travel warnings etc.

 

Will be interested to hear back from them.

[Astro Flyer]

With six (I read here on CC) terrorist attacks this year in Istanbul, the timing of the insurance purchase would be very critical for coverage to apply.

 

I just checked our private policy and it has similar language but a 90 day look back period. The OP's cruise is at the end on the August, not sure what policy they have but it seems this would fall outside the 30 day coverage window.

 

Our policy has no mention other than a CDC provision that includes travel warnings etc.

 

Will be interested to hear back from them.

 

Each policy can vary with their coverages & maybe be suspended or removed from a new policy.

 

In earthquake areas, after a significant earthquake selling new policies with earthquake coverage will be suspended for a period of time. It may be the same for travel coverage when there is a terrorist attack or a natural disaster which I seem to recall may be covered in some travel policies.

 

I am definitely not giving any advice other than to read travel insurance policies thoroughly to learn what is covered.

Edited July 20, 2016 by Astro Flyer