Amidst rapidly deteriorating security conditions in Turkey, operator Crystal Cruises have pulled two Turkish ports from their upcoming travel itinerary.

Sultanahmet Bombing
The Sultanahmet bombing killed ten sightseers and sent shockwaves through Turkey’s embattled tourism sector

Cruise Critic reports that, starting with the April 24 sailing of liner Crystal Symphony, port calls at Istanbul and Kuşadası will be replaced with stops in the Greek ports of Souda Bay/Chaina, Navplion, Hydra and Athens.

The 922-passenger ship is one of a handful of cruise liners which provide a lifeline for Istanbul’s hip Karaköy district and other attractions popular with international visitors. The decision follows a deadly terror attack in Sultanahmet which killed ten foreign tourists, mostly of German origin, and simmering conflict in the country’s southeast.

 

 

The Crystal Symphony
Crystal Symphony.jpg

Crystal Symphony at Saxarfjärden in the Stockholm archipelago
History
Name: Crystal Symphony
Owner: Crystal Cruises
Operator: Crystal Cruises
Port of registry: Nassau,  Bahamas
Ordered: 1992
Builder: Kværner Masa-Yards Turku New Shipyard, Finland
Cost: US$250 million
Completed: 1995
In service: 3 May 1995
Identification:
Notes: [1][2]
General characteristics
Tonnage: 51,044 GT
Length: 238 m (781 ft)
Beam: 30.18 m (99.02 ft)
Draught: 7.59 m (24.90 ft)
Decks:
  • 12 decks
  • 8 decks passenger accessible
Installed power:
  • Six Wärtsilä-Sulzer diesel engines
  • 25,260 kW (33,880 hp) (combined)
Propulsion: Diesel-electric; two shafts
Speed:
  • 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) (service)
  • 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) (maximum)
Capacity: 922 passengers
Crew: 545
Notes: [1][2]