Cruise News: Terrorism has some travelers reconsidering European river cruises

Reporting from Nuremberg, Germany —  If you’re heading to Europe for a river cruise, you probably are wondering whether you’ll be safe. Should you worry about terrorism?

Even if you’re not jittery about the trip, your friends may be shaking their heads, crossing their fingers and hinting you should cancel. At least that was my experience as I prepared to leave for an August Danube River cruise through Central Europe.

Instead of the usual, “Oh, I wish I were you,” friends said, “Oh, I’m glad I’m not you.” That was a switch.

Fellow travelers on my cruise had similar experiences. “People said to me, ‘I’d think twice about going to Europe now,’” said Susan Tharp of Galena, Ohio.

Tharp was nonplussed: “We waited a year to do this cruise,” she said. “I wasn’t about to stay home.”

With terrorist incidents peppering the news, some travelers are anxious about traveling to Europe — and with some reason.

On May 31, the U.S. State Department issued a travel alert citing the risk of potential terrorist attacks throughout Europe.

Paris, Normandy and Nice, France; Istanbul, Turkey; Munich, Germany; and Brussels have been in the headlines after attacks.

What’s a nervous vacationer to do? Some end up canceling, according to insurer Allianz Global Assistance, which estimates that almost a quarter of Americans say they will cancel, delay or change vacation plans.

“Terrorism has become a double-edged sword for American travel to Europe,” said Daniel Durazo, spokesman for Allianz USA.

“American travel to destinations that have been impacted by terrorism like Brussels and Istanbul has come to a full and complete stop, while other destinations deemed safer, such as Dublin and Shannon, Ireland, have taken off.”

The downside, though, is that those who cancel a vacation may lose their money, so check with your cruise line.

You may lose your money even if you have insurance, because fear isn’t generally a “covered” reason for not going. (If the State Department or other government agency says “stay away,” you may be covered, but those pronouncements are rare.)

The light in this ongoing dilemma is the costlier cancel-for-any-reason insurance, which is exactly what it sounds like. You won’t get all of your money back, but it does give you flexibility if your anxieties rear their head.

Mary Ann and Harry Quinn of Havertown, Pa., are among those who canceled a European voyage because of terrorism fears. They had planned a December 2015 Rhine River cruise, but the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris — in cafes, a stadium and a concert hall — changed their minds.

At least 130 were killed and hundreds wounded in the bombings and shootings; it was called the deadliest attacks in France since World War II.

“We had booked with a group of 13 and most decided to cancel,” Mary Ann Quinn said. “But five did go and had a great time.

“So we rebooked for this August cruise and we’re glad we did. We love it,” she said of our Danube cruise.

That sentiment was universal among those I spoke with: Everyone seemed happy they had made the trip. Many said the U.S. attacks in Orlando, Fla., and San Bernardino helped them decide, despite recent terrorism in France, including the killing of an elderly priest in Normandy in July and the Bastille Day massacre in Nice.

“Things happen in your own neighborhood,” said Arnie Sisca of North Canton, Ohio. “Why would you worry about this?”

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