MSC and TUI set to interport in Dubai and Doha during coming 2021/22 cruise season

There are 32 cruise itineraries set to sail from Doha for the 2021/22 cruise season, with MSC Cruises and TUI Cruises both interporting between Dubai and Doha for the season.

TUI’s Mein Schiff 6 cruise ship, and MSC Cruises’ vessel MSC Virtuosa will both offer Doha as well as Dubai as a homeport for the 2021/22 Middle East cruise season between November and March.

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Mein Schiff 6 will kick off the season from Doha, with the first sailing on November 13th, 2021, (her Dubai cruise season will start off on October 24th). Whether sailing from Doha or Dubai, she’ll sail the same itinerary, but will visit the ports in a different order.

From Doha, Mein Schiff 6 will cruise to Dubai (staying overnight), Abu Dhabi, Khasab, and Muscat, before arriving back in Doha.

MSC Virtuosa will begin her season on December 2nd, 2021. Like Mein Schiff 6, she’ll be primarily homeporting in Dubai, but will also offer Doha as a homeport for the season between December, 2021 and March, 2022.

MSC Virtuosa’s Doha itineraries will be a bit different as she’ll be cruising to Saudi Arabia, the first cruise line ever to do so. The cruises will depart Doha and stay overnight in Duba, before visiting Abu Dhabi and Sir Bani Yas Island.

She’ll then cross over to Dammam, Saudi Arabia, home to UNESCO World Heritage Sites, before cruising back to Doha, where the cruise will end.

Both ships will homeport primarily in Dubai (pictured), but will offer Doha as an embarkation port as well.

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Mein Schiff 6 will remain in the Arabian Gulf until the end of February, 2022, while MSC Virtuosa will depart the region at the end of March.

While Mein Schiff 6 has been confirmed to return for the 2022/23 cruise season, MSC Cruises will be replacing MSC Virtuosa with MSC World Europa, its newest and largest ever cruise ship.

MSC Virtuosa will be one of the largest cruise ships ever to homeport in the Middle East during the coming 2021/22 cruise season, while MSC World Europa will be the largest ever, representing the resilience of the Arabian Gulf cruise sector as the wider industry recovers from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shaun Ebelthite

Founder and editor of Cruise Arabia & Africa. I try to create the best news and information specifically for cruise passengers taking cruises to and from Dubai (where I live) and South Africa (where I was born). You can contact me at shaun(at)cruisearabiaonline.com.

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