Nicko Cruises revises World Cruise to feature South Africa instead of Middle East

Nicko Cruises has adjusted portions of the itinerary for the ongoing world voyage aboard Vasco da Gama, with changes affecting several segments of the 175-night journey as the cruise line reviews operational conditions in parts of the Middle East.

The vessel departed Hamburg on November 7th, 2025, for the extended global itinerary and is currently operating a segment that began in Indonesia in late February. That portion of the voyage had originally been scheduled to conclude in Dubai on March 20th.

According to reports from German cruise publication Schiff und Kreuzfahrten, the itinerary has been revised and the segment will now end in Port Louis, Mauritius, instead of the United Arab Emirates.

The adjustment means Vasco da Gama will not proceed into the Arabian Gulf for the originally planned turnaround. Instead, the ship is expected to remain in the Indian Ocean region before continuing its journey toward Europe by sailing around the southern coast of Africa.

The following segment of the world cruise has also been affected. That voyage had been scheduled to begin in Dubai and sail through the Suez Canal before continuing to Greece.

Under the revised plan, the ship will now depart from Port Louis and travel west across the Indian Ocean and around Africa to reach Europe.

Further details of the updated routing are still being finalised and will be communicated directly to passengers currently travelling onboard the vessel.

A subsequent segment scheduled to sail between Greece and Spain is also expected to see modifications once the revised routing is confirmed.

Prior to the latest itinerary changes, the Dubai-to-Greece portion of the voyage had been designed to include a land-based programme in Saudi Arabia as part of the cruise experience.

Under that arrangement, passengers were scheduled to leave the ship in Salalah, Oman, before travelling overland for several days through Saudi Arabia. The programme was set to include hotel accommodation and a charter flight to Jeddah, allowing guests to rejoin the voyage after the ship transited the region with crew only onboard.

The planned land programme was intended to provide an alternative travel experience while the vessel crossed the Red Sea area.

While details of the revised routing are still being confirmed, the ship is expected to reconnect with its broader world cruise schedule later in the spring.

Current planning indicates that Vasco da Gama will resume its original itinerary in Málaga, Spain, on April 17th, 2026, where the next scheduled segment of the voyage is due to begin.