Table Of Content
- Why are Houthis attacking cargo ships in the Red Sea?
- Royal Caribbean is not the first cruise line to cancel the 2024 season
- How are cruises affected by the violence in Israel?
- Israel-Hamas war begins to impact wider Middle East cruise industry
- Royal Caribbean Blog is your ultimate source for Royal Caribbean coverage.
The ships were due to travel from Muscat to Dubai and from Dubai to Mumbai in January and February. The ships were due to travel from South Africa and the United Arab Emirates to Europe. Several companies offer cruises through the Red Sea and Suez Canal including the Royal Caribbean, MSC and P&O. Customers will be able to move their trips to 2024, and other trips are being offered on ships to the Caribbean, Tahiti, Costa Rica and Panama.
Why are Houthis attacking cargo ships in the Red Sea?
However, if the Israel-Hamas conflict continues to escalate, and if expectations continue to mount that it could spread beyond the borders of Israel and the Gaza Strip, cruise lines will find themselves in an increasingly difficult situation. Windstar Cruises was meant to sail its first-ever homeporting season in the Arabian Gulf this year between November, 2023 and March, 2024, but has cancelled the entirety of its season out of Dubai in the UAE. The line is also "in the process of reviewing itinerary options" for its Marina ship's Nov. 1 cruise, which is set to spend two days in Israel, the spokesperson said. Any pre-paid Royal Caribbean International shore excursions booked for Jerusalem (Ashdod), Limassol, Alexandria, and Haifa will automatically be refunded to the original form of payment.
Royal Caribbean is not the first cruise line to cancel the 2024 season
"Unfortunately, you could have a situation where the flights are going ahead, but the passenger can't get there because the cruise has been cancelled or amended," she said. She said for this reason (and obvious others) it was extremely important for passengers to take out travel insurance with cruise protection. MSC said it cancelled three repositioning "Grand Voyage" sailings in April to avoid the Red Sea. The small, luxury brand Oceania Cruises’s next available trips with stops in Israel are in 2025, according to their website.
How are cruises affected by the violence in Israel?
Royal Caribbean’s 1,998-passenger Rhapsody of the Seas was set to run a season of cruises out of Haifa, Israel, into November. That plan was promptly canceled on October 7, when Hamas militants from Gaza attacked villages in southern Israel. Rhapsody of the Seas was used for humanitarian aid, evacuating international travelers from Israel to Cyprus, after international airlines canceled flights from Tel Aviv. Following a transatlantic sailing from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale, embarking on November 12, the Rhapsody of the Seas will then sail the Caribbean and Central America, as planned, through 2024. “As our global security team continues to closely monitor the evolving situation in Israel and the surrounding regions, we have been alerted to further situations unfolding in Alexandria, Egypt.
Israel-Hamas war begins to impact wider Middle East cruise industry
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Carnival Corporation announced on January 30, 2024 that it would re-route 12 individual cruise ships across its family of brands in order to avoid the Red Sea and conflict in the Middle East. "Given recent developments and following extensive consultation with global security experts and government authorities, we have made the decision to reroute our itinerary to bypass the Red Sea and the surrounding area," the company wrote. The cruise line also shared that it is currently reassessing other geographically similar repositioning voyages and will provide an update in the coming weeks on further changes. The ship was originally scheduled to sail from Dubai to Athens on March 13, but will now circumnavigate Africa.
In light of the tense geopolitical situation in Israel, MSC Cruises has updated itineraries for two of its cruise ships to remove calls to the nation through early January 2024. With this many cruise lines and ships affected by the current unrest, the question is how the coming winter and further will look. Celestyal Cruises announced the cancellation of all stops in Israel through the end of November. The cruise line said it aims to keep all guests updated regarding any further changes to cruise itineraries. Amidst the ongoing geopolitical tensions, Norwegian Cruise Line diverted the Norwegian Gem from its scheduled call to Ashdod on Sunday, October 8.
Americans flee Israel on complicated charter flights and a cruise ship - The Washington Post
Americans flee Israel on complicated charter flights and a cruise ship.
Posted: Wed, 18 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
More about Cruise Arabia & Africa
At press time, a new winter program for the 2002-built vessel hasn’t been announced by MSC Cruises. Guests booked on any upcoming sailings with visits to ports of call in Israel should stay in close contact with their cruise line for updates and itinerary adjustments. Celebrity Apex is scheduled for another visit to the country on her next sailing, another 10-night Israel, Egypt, and Mediterranean itinerary identical to the one that has already been changed. If the tension has not cooled within a few days, it is unlikely the ship will be able to keep the original itinerary.
Royal Caribbean Blog is your ultimate source for Royal Caribbean coverage.
"The safety of our guests and crew is a top priority," the line said Tuesday in a statement sent to TPG. The statement also noted that the company's thoughts were with those impacted by the violence of recent days. The three- to seven-night cruises were limited to Israeli residents and featured calls on the Greek islands and Cyprus. The Sinfonia was poised to sail ten- and 11-night cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean that featured ports of call in Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, and Italy.
Originally scheduled to traverse the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, the ship will now sail around the coast of Africa on its way to the Mediterranean. A spokesperson for the parent company of Royal Caribbean was vague when asked by TPG about its plans for Israel calls this week and beyond. The ship’s 28-day cruise from Rome to Athens had featured the line’s last stop in Israel for the year. Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school.
Due to these developments, our experts have made the decision not to visit Alexandria, considering the safety and security of our guests and crew as our number one priority,” the letter explains. Our global security team continues to closely monitor the evolving situation in the region, and due to the continued uncertainty in the area, we’re adjusting several itineraries in 2024. In its statement, Virgin Voyages said that passengers on the former legs of the original repositioning voyage will have guaranteed spots on the new sailings at no additional cost and a price protection commitment in place. Cruisers also have the option to receive a future cruise credit based on their paid balance or a full refund. The outbreak of the violence immediately prompted cruise lines to cancel port calls in Israel and cruises from the country.
An email sent to those booked on the August 19th sailing revealed that the ship will now have an overnight stay in Istanbul, Turkey, with additional stops in Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey; Santorini, Greece; and Mykonos, Greece. A guest onboard a sailing in October received an email that said, "Due to the ongoing geopolitical situation in Israel, we've made the decision to redeploy Jewel of the Seas from Haifa, Israel to its new homeport in Boston, Massachusetts." As a result of the continued escalation of the war in Israel, Royal Caribbean has canceled their 2024 cruise season in Israel. A crewmember told CrewCenter that "Odyssey will go to Port Canaveral very soon..." Royal Caribbean has not yet released details on potential sailings from this Florida homeport. The ship’s new itineraries feature several ports of call in Spain, Italy, Monaco and France, including Barcelona, Livorno, Monte Carlo and Marseille. As the situation is still developing, stay tuned for updates from Cruise Hive as additional itinerary changes and cruise line plans are confirmed.
The 130,818-gross-ton Celebrity Apex joined the Celebrity Cruises fleet in late 2021, having been delayed by the industry-wide pandemic shutdown. The ship has been offering Mediterranean and Greek Island cruises for the 2023 summer season, and is scheduled to make a westbound transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale departing on November 5, 2023. Instead, the ship will spend Saturday at sea – the same as originally planned – and will offer an overnight call in Limassol, Cyprus on Sunday and Monday, October 8 and 9. Rising tensions in Israel have forced an itinerary change for Celebrity Apex, and other ships are likely to change port visit plans as well.
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