Several cruise lines have cancelled cruises in the Middle East due to the current situation in the Arabian Gulf and six cruise ships from four companies have been left stranded in the region. Airspace closures and Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have resulted in thousands of passengers who are unable to return home.
Cruise ships would have to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which is closed to all shipping and civilian vessels until further notice. It is dangerously close to Iran at only 21 to 33 miles wide between Iran to the north and Oman/UAE to the south.
Cruise lines are working with authorities to ensure passenger safety and arrange alternative travel plans for passengers. The situation in the Middle East is still very tense and uncertain, and more changes and cancellations are likely to come for cruise ships deployed to this region.
MSC Cruises
MSC Euribia will remain in the port of Dubai until further notice after it arrived for an overnight call on 27 February. The cruise line cancelled the sailings on 28 February-1 March and 4 March, which consisted of a 3-night getaway cruise and a 7-night sailing respectively.
Now, the 7 March cruise, which was another 7-night sailing from Dubai, is also officially cancelled. The itineraries include visits to Doha, Sir Bani Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, and Khalifa Bin Salman, Bahrain.
In light of the cancellations, guests will automatically receive refunds of their full cruise fare within 30 days. Guests who have prebooked shore excursions will receive full refunds to their onboard accounts. No further action is required on the part of the guests.
MSC Euribia has more embarkations scheduled for 8 March, 11 March, 14 March, 15 March and 18 March are in jeopardy of being cancelled as well.
Guests have been given permission to go ashore to briefly stretch their legs during this waiting period but have been asked to go no further than the cruise terminal area. Wi-Fi has also been made available to all onboard at no charge.
TUI Cruises
TUI Cruises has cancelled cruises in the Arabian Gulf that were set to take place onboard the Mein Schiff 4 and the Mein Schiff 5 to depart from Dubai and Doha on 28 Feb, 1 Mar and 2 Mar. Mein Schiff 4 is currently docked in Abu Dhabi (UAE), the Mein Schiff 5 remains at the port of Doha in Qatar.
The Mein Schiff 5 was scheduled to offer a seven-night cruise to Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates on 28 Feb. Sailing roundtrip from Qatar, the itinerary included visits to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and the island of Sir Bani Yas.
The Mein Schiff 4 was set to offer a similar cruise that started with an overnight stay in Dubai. Guests were able to board the vessel on 1 Mar-2 Mar. The itinerary also included an overnight stay in Muscat, in addition to visits to Abu Dhabi and Khasab before returning to Dubai.
No additional sailings have been cancelled or changed just yet, but TUI cruises has warned that more changes could be coming, particularly for guests booked on 3 March flights from Singapore that were supposed to stop in Doha, Abu Dhabi, or Dubai.
Celestyal Cruises
Celestyal Discovery and the Celestyal Journey remain alongside in Dubai and Doha for the time being. Celestyal Journey’s cruise scheduled to depart from Dubai on 2 March and the Celestyal Discovery’s cruise scheduled to depart from Abu Dhabi on 2 March 2 have been cancelled.
Celestyal said that the Journey is expected to remain docked in Doha through 7 March, with guests onboard being offered the option to disembark at the Qatari port or remain on the ship. The Celestyal Discovery is currently alongside in Dubai, where it is expected to remain for the time being.
Guests have to remain onboard and disembarkation can begin as soon as permission is granted. All guests who were due to travel on the cancelled sailings will be offered the option of a full refund or a future cruise credit.
Aroya Cruises
Aroya Cruises, a subsidiary of Cruise Saudi, had only officially launched its inaugural season for its vessel Aroya Manara in the Arabian Gulf that runs from 21 February 21 to 8 May. For the summer season, it is supposed to reposition to the Mediterranean for a series of seven-night cruises departing from Istanbul to destinations in Turkey, Greece and Egypt.
The vessel offers a series of two- to seven-night cruises to destinations in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman and Qatar. For its first sailing, the Aroya sailed on a weeklong cruise that departed from Dubai on 21 February. The itinerary featured visits to Khasab, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Sir Bani Yas before returning to Dubai.
The cruise line has not made any official announcements on future sailings and ship is now berthed in Dubai.
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