Tag Archives: Kusadasi

Crystal replaces Turkey port calls on two cruises

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Crystal Cruise
Crystal Cruises said it would substitute Greek ports for Turkish ones on two upcoming cruises “in response to ongoing security concerns for travel within Istanbul.”

Revised itineraries for the Crystal Symphony’s April 24 and May 1 voyages will drop calls at Istanbul and Kusadasi.

The April 24 voyage will substitute Souda Bay/Chania (Crete), Hydra, and overnights in Nafplio and Athens/Piraeus, while the May 1 cruise will include Patmos, Rhodes and an overnight in Athens/Piraeus.

Crystal also said that pre-reserved Crystal Adventures in Turkey will automatically be canceled, while the line is in the process of developing new shore excursions.

On Jan. 12, a suicide bomb killed 10 people in Istanbul, mostly German tourists. Before that incident occurred, Disney removed Greece and Turkey calls from a summer 2016 cruise. Last summer, after an attack on the U.S. consulate in Istanbul, Celebrity and Costa canceled calls in Turkey.

In Turkey, a world away from nearby unrest

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By Tom Stieghorst
*InsightWhile in port in Kusadasi, Turkey, on a recent cruise we heard the ezan, as the Islamic call to prayer is known in that country. The sound carried to the balcony of our cruise ship from whatever mosque it had issued from.

It was a reminder that we were in a country where the predominant faith is Islam. The rest of the trip was a reminder of how different each country in the Middle East is for cruise visitors.

Although Turkey shares a common border with both Syria and Iraq, the fighting in those countries was the furthest thing from our minds while in Turkey. We toured ancient ruins, had a delicious lunch out in the countryside and haggled at the shops in Kusadasi for scarves and pants.*TomStieghorst

It wasn’t very evident we were any place where religion plays a special role in daily affairs. More women had their heads covered than was true in our stops in Greece, but many wore colorful wraps, not the dour black garb that can be seen in Afghanistan, to pick another Muslim country often in the news.

Our guide for the day pointed out that Turkey is the only country that sits both in Asia and Europe. Kusadasi is far from the Syrian border and closer to Athens than to Damascus.

It was in touring the Greek and Roman ruins in Ephesus, about 10 miles inland from Kusadasi, where I was most grateful that the Turks have order and peace in the volatile Middle East.

The well-preserved ruins include temples and churches of the Greek, Roman and Christian areas, and are part of a Unesco World Heritage site. They’re the kind of thing endangered by looting and religious intolerance sadly plaguing nearby Syria and Iraq.

For cruise passengers, it is important to make distinctions between countries in the Middle East that are open for tourism and those that are a hazard. The magnificent ancient treasury at Petra, in Jordan, can be reached through a port call at Aqaba, on the Red Sea. It is also a Unesco World Heritage site, and unaffected by the fighting elsewhere in the area.

Turkey, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates — all have lots to offer to the cruise traveler with an interest in history or foreign cultures. Travel agents and their clients should not write off going to these countries because of the unrest in nearby lands.

Regal Princess to arrive two weeks early

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Regal Princess to arrive two weeks early

By Tom Stieghorst
Princess Cruises said the Regal Princess, a ship under construction, will arrive 13 days ahead of schedule, enabling the line to add two cruises.

Regal Princess’ first cruise had been scheduled for June 2, but Princess has bumped that up to May 20.

The new maiden voyage will be a seven-day cruise from Venice to Athens with stops in the Greek islands of Corfu and Mykonos and an overnight call in Istanbul.

A second cruise will depart May 27 from Athens and spend six days calling on Kusadasi, Turkey; Santorini and Katakolon, Greece; and Dubrovnik, Croatia, on its way to Venice.

Passengers previously booked on the June 2 maiden voyage have until Nov. 15 to decide whether they want to take the new cruise instead of, or in addition to, their existing reservation.

Regal Princess will carry 3,650 passengers and is a sister ship to Royal Princess, which debuted earlier this year.

Senior Officers Announced for Regal Princess

Princess Cruises has announced that Captain Ed Perrin will be at the helm of its next new ship, Regal Princess, leading a senior officer team with more than 100 years of seagoing experience among them. The senior four-stripe team will also include Relief Captain Dino Sagani, Relief Captain John Foster, Chief Engineer Rosario Segreto, Hotel General Manager Dirk Brand, and Staff Captain Aldo Traverso.

Following in the wake of sister ship Royal Princess, Regal Princess launches in June 2014 for a season of Mediterranean cruising. The ship will offer the same dramatic features that have already made headlines on Royal Princess, including a soaring atrium, the dramatic over-water SeaWalk, the new Princess Live! television studio, a special Chef’s Table Lumiere, and balconies on all outside staterooms.

“It takes a talented team to bring out a new vessel of this caliber,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. “These skilled officers bring considerable seagoing and management skills to the new ship’s maiden season.”

Captain Ed Perrin – Captain Edward Perrin has been in command of numerous Princess ships since 2006, beginning with the former Tahitian Princess sailing in French Polynesia. Captain Perrin attended the College of Maritime Studies in Southampton and worked aboard several types of cargo ships before setting off aboard cruise ships. He then joined Princess in 1996. A native of Dorset on the South West Coast of England, Captain Perrin grew up watching the cargo ships and ocean liners sail from local ports, which sparked his growing desire to work at sea.

Relief CaptCaptain Ed Perrin will lead the senior officer team aboard the new Regal Princessain Dino Sagani – Captain Dino Sagani commanded a variety of Princess vessels, including Sea Princess, Dawn Princess, Sapphire Princess, Diamond Princess, and most recently as relief captain on Royal Princess. Sagani was born in Trieste on the North East Adriatic coast of Italy. Following the family tradition, he studied at the Nautical College in Trieste, which is one of the oldest Nautical Schools in Europe. On completion of his studies, he joined the Italian Navy, serving on a minesweeper during the first Gulf War. After the Navy, he joined Princess Cruises in 1995, where he quickly climbed the ranks and was promoted to captain in 2007.

Relief Captain John Foster – Captain John Foster has most recently commanded Sea Princess and Grand Princess. Foster started his seagoing career as an officer cadet with Esso tankers at the age of 16. After completing his cadetship, he joined his first Princess ship – the original Royal Princess. He was also assigned to the new build projects of Dawn Princess, Grand Princess and Island Princess. Foster was born in the maritime city of Liverpool, on the banks of the river Mersey, on the North West coast of England, where he still resides.

Chief Engineer Rosario Segreto – Chief Engineer Rosario Segreto has held this position for Princess Cruises since 1999 and is now one of the most senior chief engineers in the Princess fleet. In 2010, he was asked to participate in the design and development of the new class of ships, Royal Princess and Regal Princess, and has spent the past several years working extensively with the shipbuilding team. Segreto is from the small town of Villamassargia on the island of Sardinia, Italy, and graduated from the Nautical School in Cagliari, Sardinia in 1980. He began his career at sea as a cadet engineer on tanker and cargo ships. He joined Princess Cruises in 1988.

Hotel General Manager Dirk Brand – Hotel General Manager Dirk Brand will oversee all hotel functions aboard Regal Princess, a position he has held aboard a variety of Princess ships, including most recently Royal Princess and Ruby Princess during the ships’ inaugurals. He has also worked aboard the ships of sister company Cunard. Brand was born in Berlin, Germany and grew up in Munich. After completing his education and apprenticeship in hotel management, he served with the Air Force in Sardinia, Italy. Fluent in three languages, Brand began his career at sea in 1998 as a senior assistant food and beverage director during the inaugural season of Grand Princess. He currently resides in Spain.

Staff Captain Aldo Traverso – Head of the deck department and second in command to the captain, Staff Captain Aldo Traverso joined Princess in 1998 aboard the original Regal Princess. A native of Genova, Italy, Traverso graduated from that city’s Nautical Institute, after which he served in the Navy – first at the Naval Academy in Livorno and then on board a Navy vessel. His Princess career began as an able seaman fireman, after which he rose swiftly through the ranks to his current position. Today, Traverso resides in the Piemonte region of Italy.

Regal Princess, will debut on June 2, 2014 with a seven-day inaugural voyage from Venice to Barcelona. The ship will then sail on a 10-day Mediterranean & Aegean cruise, followed by a season of Princess’ signature Grand Mediterranean cruises, with two itinerary choices.