AIDA Cruises has cancelled its planned Middle East deployment for the winter season 2027-28.
The decision comes more than a year before the season was due to begin, with the cruise line citing uncertainty over the Arabian Gulf region when planning its future itineraries. Cruise itineraries are usually planned two to three years or even longer in advance.
AIDA Cruises said it had taken the decision early to provide planning certainty for both guests and travel partners, adding that it is currently unable to reliably assess conditions in the region for the 2027/28 winter season.
Passengers booked on the affected sailings will have their cruises cancelled and will receive a voucher equivalent to 10 per cent of the original cabin fare. The voucher can be used towards a new booking made by December 31st, 2026. The cruise line is encouraging affected passengers to consider alternative winter itineraries in the Caribbean, the Canary Islands or Northern Europe.
From Hamburg, AIDA will offer cruises to Norway, the Benelux countries and along Europe’s Atlantic coast to the Canary Islands. AIDAperla is scheduled to operate Northern Europe itineraries from Kiel, while shorter Scandinavian cruises will also be available from Warnemünde.
The company said further details of its revised deployment will be released at the end of July, when the new itineraries open for bookings.
The latest announcement follows a similar decision earlier this year, when AIDA cancelled its 2026-27 winter programme in the Middle East.
That 2026-27 deployment was due to feature AIDAprima sailing roundtrip in the Arabian Gulf before the vessel was reassigned to European itineraries from Kiel. The decision means AIDA will now be absent from the Middle East for a second consecutive winter season.
Other cruise lines
The Middle East has traditionally been an important winter deployment region for several European cruise lines, with itineraries centred on ports in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman.
Six ships – Celestyal Discovery, Celestyal Journey, MSC Euribia, Aroya Manara TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5 – were stranded in the Arabian Gulf at the start of the Iran War but all six ships have successfully exited the danger zone thanks to a window in which the passage was opened.
Several operators have revised their plans in response to regional security concerns following the Iran war.
TUI Cruises confirmed that its newbuild Mein Schiff Flow will be redeployed to Northern Europe for the winter 2026/27 season. The ship had originally been expected to operate a series of winter cruises from the Arabian Gulf, with seven-night sailings planned between November 2026 and March 2027 from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha.
MSC Cruises cancelled its Middle East itineraries aboard the MSC World Europa (originally slated to run from November 2026 through April 2027. The ship has been redeployed to the Caribbean season in the French Antilles. The line said it intends to resume Gulf operations in winter 2027-28, with itineraries expected to include key regional ports such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas, Bahrain, and Doha.
Explora Journeys cancelled the Explora III Middle East deployment and instead shifted its operations exclusively to the Mediterranean between November 2026 and March 2027.
Costa Cruises also scrapped its entire 2026–2027 winter season in the region. Costa Smeralda was shifted to the Canary Islands and Madeira, while Costa Pacifica was redeployed to the Mediterranean.
Celestyal Cruises cancelled its Arabian Gulf voyages for winter 2026-27. Instead, the cruise will focus on its Eastern Mediterranean programme, expanding the season from November 2026 to March 2027. It will more sailings across its two-ship fleet during this extended window with more departures across Greece, Italy and Croatia.
