Cruise lines are closely monitoring the conflict in Ukraine

St Petersburg in Russia is a common river cruise halt

Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday after weeks of tension in the region as Russian forces massed on the Ukrainian border. Its actions have been widely condemned, with Boris Johnson promising harsh sanctions. Ukrainian airspace has been shut, and carriers warned to avoid the area.

Several operators are assessing their programmes, most notably Regent Holidays, which is contacting clients due to travel to Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus in the coming months.

 

A Saga spokesperson confirmed the over-50s specialist last week rerouted a Black Sea cruise which had been due to call in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa following a change in Foreign Office advice for the country.

"Guests are in the process of being contacted about the change, and the rest of the cruise remains unaffected," said the spokesperson. "We are now looking at the impact of today’s [Thursday] developments on our Baltic cruises later this year, which was due to call in at St Petersburg.

"We will continue to monitor the situation and if necessary make further alterations to our itineraries whilst still ensuring the best experience for our guests."

Carnival Corporation-owned P&O Cruises and Cunard both tweeted: "In light of the current situation evolving in Ukraine, we will continue to monitor very closely and will amend itineraries as necessary following guidance. The safety and wellbeing of guests and crew are of the highest priority and we will advise guests of any changes."

 

A Riviera Travel spokesperson said the operator was monitoring the situation and would provide updates in due course, if necessary. Riviera is among a number of firms that offer cruises on Russia’s rivers and waterways.

Istanbul: Cruise Calls Scheduled Again

In 2015 Istanbul saw some 300 calls and 600,000 cruise guests. Most Black Sea itineraries used the port for turnaround operations with a well-linked international airport nearby.

Geopolitical issues sent traffic into a nosedive, with cruise calls falling off dramatically, with just 42 calls in 2016.

“It killed the port,” said Figen Ayan, vice president of cruise operations. “The traffic dropped to zero calls for 2017 and this year.”

But things are slowly coming back for 2019, she said.

The cruise port in Istanbul was privatized in 2014 and now falls under the Global Ports Holding banner.

Among scheduled calls for 2019 are the Seven Seas Voyager, and the Celestial Crystal, which has October and November berth bookings.

Coming by cruise ship to Istanbul is a journey in itself, as passengers enjoy an amazing view sailing into the harbour with world-famous monuments such as the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace.

“In Istanbul, there’s so much to offer already in the city – even if guests don’t go out beyond the old city. Most of the shore excursions stay downtown for city tours and highlights visits,” said Ayan.

At the port, a massive investment program is underway to upgrade the waterfront area, including a new cruise terminal set to be ready by 2020.

Delightful detours on the Black Sea

The Sept. 29-to-Oct. 8 sailing aboard the Silver Spirit, the largest ship in the Silversea fleet, was originally going to be a total Black Sea cruise. But the unrest in the region caused Silversea, like other cruise lines, to eliminate calls in Ukraine (i.e., Yalta, Sevastopol and Odessa) and Sochi, Russia.

Silversea still started and ended the cruise in Istanbul, one of the great cities to explore; kept their calls on the west side of the Black Sea (as did most cruise lines); and then added in some lesser-known ports in Greece and Turkey. For me, one of the appeals was that beyond Piraeus/Athens, all of the other ports were new places to see.

The onboard experience was outstanding in every way: food, service, entertainment and the ship itself. And it turned out to be an excellent series of stops. 

Here is a recap of some of the ports of call:

Athens/Piraeus: There's no way to see all that Athens had to offer in one day. 

The absolute highlight has to be the Acropolis, sitting high on the hill where the Parthenon, its most famous structure, is in full view. The massive renovation project is nearly done, making a visit ideal for everyone; there's a bit of a climb to reach the site, but it's not too rigorous. 

Museums abound in Athens; the best one for Acropolis buffs is the Acropolis Museum, featuring a great collection, videos and outstanding views. 

Organized tours included a variety of stops: Constitution Square and the Royal Palace (with the very proper changing-of-the guard ceremony), Olympic Stadium, Temple of Zeus and more. Everywhere one looks, there's history. 

And then there's the shopping and eating mecca, the Plaka district and adjacent Ermou Street. 

Experienced travelers can just jump in a taxi at the port of Piraeus and go into Athens; for two or more people, it's cost- and time-efficient compared to cruise line transfers.

Izmir, Turkey: Izmir is Turkey's third- largest city and its biggest seaport on the Aegean Sea. The primary shore excursions are trips to Ephesus, which has to be one of the most breathtaking ancient treasures ever to be uncovered. New areas, such as the Terrace Houses, continue to be discovered. 

Having already been to Ephesus a few times, I chose to take the Izmir city orientation tour that included the Agora ruins, which are constantly undergoing discovery and rebuilding. It also went to the Archaeology Museum; the mosaic exhibit may be the best I've ever seen. Izmir's waterfront goes on for miles with one restaurant after another (grilled calamari time!) on the inland side and walking paths and statuary on the water side.

Constanta/Bucharest, Romania: Constanta is the largest Romanian city on the Black Sea, but the highlight was the ship's full-day, complimentary tour to Bucharest. 

I've never really enjoyed three-hour bus rides (in both directions) but this was really worth it. The ride was pleasant enough with some nice scenery, and the two skilled tour guides did a terrific job. 

Bucharest itself was fascinating, with stops made at key highlights: Palace of Parliament; Patriarchal Hill and Church; the open-air Village Museum; lunch featuring local cuisine and folk dancing; and photo stops or drive-bys at some of the well-preserved Eastern European-style buildings and churches. 

Nesebur, Bulgaria: The last scheduled port of call was to be Nesebur, a rocky peninsula sitting on the coast. Unfortunately the waters were rough and the tendering operation had to be scrapped. Thus I did not get to see the city considered to be one of the great Unesco World Heritage Sites with its Greek and Roman ruins. 

While I had planned on touring Nesebur, fellow guests had planned on seeing Pomorie, rumored to be a lovely resort city on the Black Sea. I guess I'll have to go back.

2015 itineraries

Lines are still adjusting itineraries for 2015 due to the situation in Ukraine. Silversea, for example, will not be calling at any Black Sea ports, while Seabourn will still be calling at Constanta, Izmir and Nesebur. 

Both lines will be calling at some smaller spots in Greece and Turkey, including Limnos, Thessaloniki, Volos and Santorini in Greece and Marmaris and Kusadasi (also a port call for Ephesus) in Turkey. This creates a terrific mix of port calls for experienced as well as first-time visitors to the region. 

As long as the cruise begins or ends in Istanbul, a pre- or post-hotel stay is an absolute must. For those concerned about safety in the area, Istanbul is at least 500 miles away from the Syrian border; it's not a city to be avoided because of regional issues.

Royal Caribbean to sail first Black Sea cruises

By Tom Stieghorst

Royal Caribbean International said it will transfer the Rhapsody of the Seas in the summer of 2015 from Alaska to Europe to offer its first Black Sea itineraries.

Rhapsody will offer three roundtrip sailings, 10 and 11 days in duration, from Istanbul. It will make maiden port calls at Burgas, Bulgaria; Odessa, Yalta and Sevastapol, Ukraine; and Sochi, Russia, with overnight stays in Odessa, Sochi and Istanbul.

From July to mid-November Rhapsody will sail seven- to 11-day Greece and Turkey itineraries from Rome.

Replacing Rhapsody in Alaska for the 2015 season will be the slightly larger Jewel of the Seas, which will join Radiance of the Seas in that market.

In total, eight Royal Caribbean ships will sail in Europe for the summer of 2015.

Insurance questions in wake of passenger's emergency

By Tom Stieghorst

Can you insure something that’s worth nothing?

That’s one of the questions raised by the unfortunate case of Dodge Melkonian, the passenger who broke his hip in the middle of the night on an Azamara Club cruise and was disembarked to the nearest hospital in a small town along the Black Sea coast of Turkey.

Physicians at the hospital didn’t speak English and weren’t equipped to perform the surgery Melkonian needed.

Fortunately, he had an active and concerned travel agent, Tammy Levent, CEO of Elite Travel Management Group, at his service.

One of her first tasks was to get Melkonian transferred to a better-equipped hospital in Ankara, six hours away. But the travel insurer balked at some of the transportation arrangements, leading to a delay before it finally provided an ambulance.

Levent said the insurer also required Melkonian to pay his expenses upfront and then get reimbursed. “Who does that?” Levent said.

The travel insurer, On Call International, was supplied by Azamara. Levent said she would have preferred to have Melkonian insured by a third party, but there was a special circumstance.

The cruise he was on was a makeup cruise for an Azamara Quest sailing in March that was disabled by a fire near the Philippines. Melkonian technically didn’t pay anything for the complimentary cruise, raising the question of whether something of no value can be insured.

“We always seek third-party insurance,” Levent said. “We didn’t have a choice here.” In the future,  “we have to find a way of getting supplemental insurance,” she said.

Other travel agents said companies such as Travel Guard International will write policies on complimentary cruises, even though there is no ticket price to establish a value.

Lori Whitt, a spokeswoman for Travel Guard, confirmed that it sells policies on “the entire range of trip costs, down to zero.” That accommodates not only complimentary cruises, but incentive awards or cruises acquired with reward points.

Clients usually aren’t interested in cancellation coverage but in the other hazards such as interruptions, delays or medical emergencies. She said that even free cruises sometimes have costs associated with air transport or other incidentals. Anything that is prepaid or nonrefundable can potentially be insured, she said.