Crystal Cruises cancels calls to Turkey

Luxury cruise line Crystal Cruises has cancelled planned calls to Turkish ports amid the latest security concerns in the region.

Crystal Symphony‘s 24 April and 1 May itineraries have both been amended to replace calls to Istanbul and Kuşadasi with calls to Greek ports.

The revised itineraries are shown below:

Cruise #6210 – 24 April – 7 Nights

Cruise #6211 – 1 May – 12 Nights

Passengers who have pre-booked Crystal Adventures shore excursions for either itinerary will see these automatically cancelled. The cruise line is putting together a new selection of excursions for the revised itineraries.

Crystal Chief Executive Officer and President, Edie Rodriguez, said: “The safety and peace of mind of our guests are our primary concerns and we do not take any risks with either. The itinerary changes will allow our guests to continue with their planned holidays in the same standard of excellence and luxury, without the added worry of security in a particular destination.”

The 24 April sailing is this year’s annual President’s Cruise and will now become one of Crystal’s few voyages to focus solely on Greece.

Turkish itineraries for Crystal’s new luxury yacht, Crystal Esprit, planned for April and November will also be affected although the cruise line has yet to finalise the new itineraries.

Last month Disney Cruise Line revised its only Greek cruise planned for 2016 to avoid the Eastern Mediterranean altogether. Last year Costa Cruises and Celebrity Cruises cancelled calls to Turkey amid security concerns.

In November Celebrity Cruises dropped Istanbul from its Celebrity Reflection and Celebrity Equinox 2016 itineraries. In a statement the cruise line blamed “port construction and berth availability” for this decision rather than security fears.

(Photo credit to Crystal Cruises)