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Oceania Cruises confirmed that all guests and crew were accounted for and are safe and sound following the unscheduled departure. "We recommend Australians consult with their cruise line about planned itineraries, including on any arrangements for re-routing of cruises previously scheduled to transit through the Red Sea," A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson says. It is important to note cruise ships have a duty of care for the safety of their passengers.
Here’s how cruise lines are handling sailings in the Middle East region during the Israel-Hamas War.
These changes will affect the October 17 Israel Intensive Voyage and October 27 Ancient Trade Routes Voyage onboard Azamara Journey, and the October 23 Ancient Civilizations sailing on Azamara Pursuit, the cruise line said. Carnival, on the other hand, said while it was "committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our guests and crew ... for now, our itineraries remain unchanged and are scheduled to operate as planned". Windstar Cruises, a small ship cruise line, was set to begin its inaugural Middle East season in November, which has now been postponed until fall 2024, Sarah Scoltock, a company spokesperson, said in an email Tuesday. The Star Legend, which was set to sail in the Middle East, will instead sail in the Mediterranean this winter.
Royal Caribbean alters 2024 cruise itineraries to skip Israel - Reuters
Royal Caribbean alters 2024 cruise itineraries to skip Israel.
Posted: Fri, 03 Nov 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Royal Caribbean is not the first cruise line to cancel the 2024 season
The cruise line has also already cancelled calls to the country with Odyssey of the Seas. Instead, Odyssey of the Seas spent Monday, October 9 in Bodrum, Turkey; Tuesday, October 10, at sea; and Wednesday, October 11, at Limassol, Cyprus. "We urge travellers who are considering or have current plans to sail to the region to check directly with their cruise line or travel advisor for the current status of their sailings," a CLIA spokesperson says.
Those originally booked on Grandeur of the Seas out of Boston have a few options
"Obviously Royal Caribbean had no choice but to cancel given the situation here, and we as Israelis have much more important things to deal with at the moment," he wrote in an email to Royal Caribbean Blog. For any cruises listed, Cruise Critic does not guarantee any specific rates or prices. "It's fundamental as to what knowledge the cruise line had, and at what point they passed information on to their passengers," she said. Ms Roy cited the example of a European river cruise which replaced its ship with coaches a few years ago, sparking a class action against the company. Ms Roy said it really came down to when the cruise line had knowledge of the affecting issue and when they communicated that to passengers. "If itineraries are adjusted, we will directly notify affected guests and their travel advisors."
Cruise lines cancel Israel calls into November as fighting continues
Cruise lines that have cancelled their scheduled visits to Israel are mostly re-routing to Turkey or Greece. Rhapsody of the Seas was scheduled to operate a 5-Night Greek Isles and 6-Night Med Highlights before moving to Barcelona, Spain to conclude their fledgling cruise season from Israel. The escalating war between Israel and Hamas has resulted in Royal Caribbean pulling the plug on the rest of its planned cruise season in the region. Two MSC Cruises ships will no longer visit Israel for the rest of the year, but instead will call on other Eastern Mediterranean ports. Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam was one of the first ships affected when the situation in Israel started. Following the state of emergency declaration on October 7, guests were urgently called back to the ship, which set sail that evening from Haifa.
Three Australian activists are sailing into a war zone. They think having the world's eyes on them will keep them safe
Royal Caribbean has plans to return to Israel in 2024 with a new season of cruises on Jewel of the Seas. It's not just cruise ships bypassing Israel, as major U.S. airlines have temporarily suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv. The cruise lines that go to Israel include Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), Princess Cruises, Holland America Line (HAL), Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Oceania Cruises. Below, you'll find more information on cruises to Israel, including expert reviews, travel tips and more, all curated by Cruise Critic. The 92,409-gross-ton, Musica-class MSC Musica can welcome 2,550 guests aboard, and is also home to more than 950 international crew members. No other ports of call on these itineraries appear to be impacted, but it is possible that further adjustments must be made as schedules are refined and finalized.
Israel-Gaza conflict impacts tourism with cruise ships cancelled through the Red Sea
The three ships will transfer directly to Europe without any passengers on board and avoid transiting through the Red Sea. Customers affected by those changes can change the trip to one of a similar length on a different ship or request a full refund, the line’s news release said. “We were due to visit Israel, Egypt and Jordan next April but spoke to TA this afternoon about canceling." Some passengers booked on itineraries in the region, however, are making alternate plans. Viking notes its river cruise departures along the Nile in Egypt are still proceeding as planned, with the cancellation of select overland extensions to Jerusalem. With the conflict continuing to escalate – and the increased possibility it could spread beyond the borders of Israel and the Gaza Strip – cruisers are starting to wonder what may become of their cruises to the region in the coming months.
Luxury Cruises to Israel
The developments in the upcoming months will play a crucial role in determining the cruise industry’s confidence in resuming calls to Israel. Cruise lines will closely monitor the geopolitical situation and liaise with local authorities to evaluate the safety and feasibility of returning to Israeli ports. Oceania Marina’s November 1 sailing, with a two-day stay scheduled in Israel, is also under review. Oceania Cruises states that it is currently in the process of examining alternative itinerary options for this sailing. Also, MSC Cruises allows guests to cancel select sailings from October 8-15, 2023, due to security concerns, with a potential extension of this goodwill gesture.
A total of 8 sailings for MSC Sinfonia have been adjusted to remove visits to Israel. All the impacted voyages are 11-night Mediterranean sailings roundtrip from Genoa, Italy. Originally, the cruises were to have visited Rome, Messina, Rhodes, Limassol, Haifa, and Iraklion. The impacted voyages aboard MSC Musica are 7-night sailings roundtrip from Pireaus (Athens), Greece, with departure dates of October 15, 22, and 29. Each of these cruises was to have sailed to Santorini, Ephesus, Haifa, Limassol, and Mykonos before returning to Athens. The winter season traditionally sees a reduction in cruises to the region due to the seasonal itinerary shift towards warmer climates, which means fewer cruise lines will be affected by the current unrest in the near term.
The Germanu-based TUI Cruises joined the growing list of cruise lines staying away from the country to ensure guests remain safe. The cruise line has cancelled Mein Schiff 5’s scheduled visits to Israel on October 11 at Haifa and October 12 at Ashdod. Royal Caribbean is offering affected guests full refunds for the cruise fare, taxes, fees, pre-paid packages, gratuities, and shore excursions. Guests who booked flights through Air2Sea will also receive a full refund, while guests who booked independent flights will need to discuss their options with their providers. Cruise lines had initially canceled ports of call in Israel like Ashdod and Haifa following the attack on Israel by Hamas in early October.
Cruise lines cancel Israel calls into November as fighting continues - The Points Guy
Cruise lines cancel Israel calls into November as fighting continues.
Posted: Tue, 10 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Now, with the conflict showing no signs of resolving, some cruise lines have begun making sweeping changes to current and upcoming deployments in the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf. In a letter to passengers, Cunard said the changes were being made for the safety of passengers and crew aboard the company's flagship. The October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas led to a number of lines canceling port calls (see below), while the latest attacks on cargo vessels in the Red Sea in early 2024 has led to cruise lines canceling itineraries in that region. Regent Seven Seas has canceled four straight days of calls in Israel scheduled for the line's 706-passenger Seven Seas Voyager starting on Saturday.
With the recent escalation of tension, the ship has altered course and changed its current itinerary to include an overnight visit to Cyprus instead. Celebrity Cruises’ Edge-class Celebrity Apex will not be able to visit Israel as planned on the current sailing, due to safety concerns over ongoing violence in the region. Royal Caribbean was one of the first cruise lines to cancel cruises that visited Israel over the weekend when Hamas launched a surprise attack that targeted civilians and military personnel.
Norwegian Gem then proceeded to Limassol as originally scheduled on Monday, resuming its itinerary for the remainder of an 11-day cruise from Rome to Istanbul. State Department issued an advisory cautioning against travel to the region due to heightened risks of terrorism and civil unrest. Find out which cruise lines have suspended operations in Israel due to the growing tension and unrest, including Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises. "Generally passengers are able to cancel but cancellation fees apply depending on how close to the departure date they cancel," she said. "But whether a consumer can get compensation for those changes … depends on whether the change was in the cruise line's control, and what knowledge the cruise line had about the events, and what information they could have given to passengers about it."
The ship had been scheduled to "turn around" in Haifa on Oct. 15 — that is, its current cruise was scheduled to end in Haifa on that day with a new cruise starting out of the city the same day. The vessel will now end its current cruise and start its next cruise on Oct. 15 in Istanbul instead. Israel has a thriving cruise market, but is a particularly risky proposition for cruise lines due to its geopolitical situation. In July, 2014, the German cruise line AIDA pulled out of Israel for two months during a resurgence in the Israeli-Palestine conflict. One of its ships was in port when it was struck by missile debris, prompting the cancellation of Israeli itineraries.
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