More Cruise Lines Cancel Turkey Calls Following Istanbul Attack

queen victoria
The Queen Victoria is among those ships that have cancelled calls. 

Cruise lines have cancels calls in Istanbul in the wake of Tuesday’s terrorist attack on Ataturk International Airport, USA Today reports. Celebrity Cruises has said that two vessels that were scheduled to use Istanbul as a base will instead be based out of Piraeus, Greece (Athens). Windstar Cruises will sail the Wind Star out of Piraeus instead of Istanbul, as well as cancel calls at Kusadasi (Ephesus), while Cunard Line has cancelled all calls in Istanbul for the rest of the year. Seabourn has moved Seabourn Odyssey’s Saturday sailing, which was set to depart from Istanbul, to depart from Piraeus instead. The line has not changed for other Istanbul departures over the rest of the summer and fall, and the line will still continue other Turkey calls. 

Cruise Critic notes that neither the UK’s Foreign Office nor the U.S. State Department have changed their travel device for the country. This is important because new travel alerts or warnings generally trigger companies to change their travel plans. 

According to Cruise Critic, Celestyal Cruises, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises have still have calls in Turkey that are going ahead as scheduled as of press time. 

“Holland America Line is closely monitoring the situation in Turkey,” the cruise line said in a written statement. “The company analyzes information regarding safety and security from many sources, which includes liaising with government intelligence agencies and on-the-ground port security assessments. We are assessing our upcoming scheduled visits to Istanbul. The next scheduled call is July 23, 2016, with ms Eurodam. Should any decisions be made regarding itinerary changes, it will be closer to the scheduled call date and communicated with booked guests and their travel agents. The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority.”

Other cruise lines have already cancelled or altered Turkey calls over the past year. Crystal Cruises has cancelled calls in Turkey. In January, MSC Cruises suspended all calls in the country, and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) has suspended Turkey calls for all three of its brands: Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Terrorists opened fire on Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport late Tuesday, exchanging fire with police and then detonating a suicide bomb. The attack is the second in an Istanbul tourist area this summer, following a car bomb in the historic Beyazit Square neighborhood earlier this month. The attacks have made an impact on land travel as well; according to a May study by Allianz Global Assistance, travel to Istanbul is down 43.7 percent this summer versus summer 2015. 

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