Voyages to Antiquity removes all Turkey cruise calls

Voyages to Antiquity has removed all calls to Turkey from its schedule for summer 2016, following the country’s recent security threats.

The company is the latest to remove calls to Turkey from its planned calls, with MSC and Crystal also pulling their calls to the Mediterranean country.

In a statement, Voyages to Antiquity said: “The recent terrorist attacks in Istanbul has had a large impact on the cruise industry with many cruise lines withdrawing Turkish ports from their programmes.

“After careful consideration, the decision has been taken to remove all Turkish ports from our own, summer 2016 Voyages to Antiquity programme.

“I am sure that you will understand the reasons for our decision, as we take the safety and wellbeing of our guests, the ship and its crew very seriously.”

The company’s March 19 cruise from Jordan to Greece now includes more calls at Greek ports including Rhodes, Heraklion, Delos, Mykonos, Santorini, Gythion, Nauplik, Piraeus and Athens.

Departures on April 16, April 27, July 17, September 2 and September 13 have also been changed.