Cruise lines are cancelling Suez Canal transits due to Red Sea security concerns.
TUI Cruises new cruise ship Mein Schiff 6 will cruise from Dubai for the second time in 2020, bound for Europe, while fellow German cruise line Phoenix Reisen are sending their vintage cruise ship Albatros to Dubai for a similar cruise itinerary, but one with an entirely different on-board experience.
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Phoenix Reisen and TUI are both German, but that’s where the similarities end. While TUI is a modern brand with a chic feel and a lazer focus on the millennial family market and new empty-nesters, Phoenix Reisen is for experienced cruisers who are long-since retired and intent on exploring the world in comfort.
This difference between the two is most evident in the nature of the two cruise itineraries. Both cruise from Dubai to the Mediterranean, but while TUI’s Mein Schiff 6 makes a 15-night dash from Dubai to Iraklion in Greece, Phoenix Reisen’s Albatros takes a longer 23-night voyage from Dubai to Trieste in Italy.
Mein Schiff 6 will visit Muscat after departing Dubai, before spending a full week at sea cruising the Red Sea for Aqaba in Jordan. She’ll also visit Safaga in Egypt and will then cross the Suez Canal ahead of her port call in Alexandria, Egypt. It’s then two more days at sea before she arrives in Iraklion to end the cruise.
Phoenix Reisen on the other hand will sail a longer 23-night voyage aboard Albatros that calls in all the major cruise ports of the Arabian Gulf, including Salalah in Oman to break-up the days at sea between Muscat and the Suez Canal.
Phoenix Reisen’s classic cruise ship Albatros.
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She’ll depart Dubai and will visit Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas Island, Mina Sulman in Bahrain, Muscat and Salalah in Oman and Safaga in Egypt, before making a port call in Eilat, Israel and Aqaba, Jordan before transiting the Suez Canal.
Once through the canal Albatros will call in Santorini, Greece and Kotor, Montenegro as well as Zadar, Croatia before arriving in Trieste, Italy. Kotor and Zadar are popular cruise ports in the Med, but not on the Dubai to Europe cruise run, emphasizing the destination-intensive nature of Phoenix Reisen.
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