Middle East cruise industry navigates shifting dynamics as regional tensions raise questions around 2025/26 deployments.
How Israel–Iran conflict escalation could impact Middle East cruise industry
Norwegian Cruise Line drops Saudi from 2023 Dubai cruise, Celestyal cancels Israel
The Israel-Hamas conflict continues to reverberate across the regional cruise sector impacting Norwegian Cruise Line’s Dubai departure and Celestyal Cruises port calls in Israel.
Royal Caribbean re-arranges itineraries after cancelling 2024 Israel season
Royal Caribbean International has adjusted different itineraries in the Caribbean and the U.S. Northeast following the cancellation of the 2024 Israeli cruise season aboard Jewel of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line cancel Israeli calls into 2024
Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, the second- and third-largest cruise companies in the world after Carnival Corporation, have cancelled all calls to Israel into 2024.
Oceania Cruises drops Middle East port calls on 2024 cruises from Dubai
Oceania Cruises has dropped all port calls in Israel, Egypt and Jordan aboard its cruises departing Dubai and ports in the Eastern Mediterranean during the first half of 2024. The 42 revised […]
MSC cancels Red Sea cruise season out of Saudi amid Israel-Hamas conflict
MSC Cruises has cancelled the entirety of its Red Sea cruise season out of Saudi Arabia on the back of increasing security concerns in the region due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Israel-Hamas war begins to impact wider Middle East cruise industry
The major disruption to cruise itineraries in the Eastern Mediterranean due to the Israel-Hamas conflict has had little impact on the 2023/24 Middle East cruise season in the Arabian Gulf, but that […]
MSC Cruises says no plans to pull out of Middle East as Windstar cancels season
Windstar Cruises has confirmed the cancellation of its upcoming debut Middle East cruise season on the back of deteriorating regional security, while MSC Cruises insists its Dubai cruises will go ahead as […]
Royal Caribbean switches to humanitarian work in Israel, AIDA cancels calls
Royal Caribbean has confirmed the cancellation of the remainder of its Israeli cruise season, with Rhapsody of the Seas switching from cruise operations to humanitarian work, while AIDA Cruises has confirmed the […]
TUI Cruises latest to pull out of Israel, while MSC Cruises confirms changes to itineraries
TUI Cruises has joined several other cruise lines in cancelling its port calls in Israel following the Hamas terrorist attacks on Saturday and the resulting escalation in military conflict during the week.
Cruise lines pull ships out of Israel amid terror attacks and Hamas conflict
Royal Caribbean and Celestial Cruises have announced the cancellation of multiple voyages from or to Israel following the outbreak of armed conflict in the country over the weekend.
New Costa Voyages focusing on longer cruises to feature Middle East itineraries
Costa Cruises’ new long-cruise concept Costa Voyages will feature itineraries taking in a variety of destinations across the Middle East and North Africa, from Israel and Morocco to Egypt and Turkey.
Royal Caribbean replaces Odyssey with Rhapsody of the Seas out of Israel for summer
Royal Caribbean International has commenced its first ever homeport cruises from Haifa in Israel aboard Rhapsody of the Seas, a year after it was forced to pull out of the region due […]
Seabourn expands Journeys collection for 2022/23 to Istanbul and Jerusalem
Seabourn has released a new selection of Seabourn Journeys in the Middle East, Europe and Asia, featuring pre- and post-voyage land-based packages in exotic destinations as an extension of the Seabourn voyage.
Royal Caribbean confirms Odyssey of the Seas Israel cruises cancelled
Royal Caribbean International has confirmed that they are in fact cancelling Odyssey of the Seas Israel cruises amid ongoing conflict between Israeli security forces and Palestinians.
Royal Caribbean monitoring situation, but Odyssey of the Seas Israel plans unchanged
Royal Caribbean is closely monitoring the escalating political tensions in Israel, but thus far does not have any plans to change Odyssey of the Seas Israel cruises out of Haifa.
What Royal Caribbean’s historic Israel deployment means for Dubai
Royal Caribbean’s decision to homeport Odyssey of the Seas in Israel for the upcoming summer cruise season underscores the growing importance of the Middle East cruise market.
Odyssey of the Seas leaves shipyard, first Royal Caribbean ship to homeport in Israel
Royal Caribbean International’s 25th cruise ship has left the Meyer-Werft shipyard in Germany to begin her sea trials ahead of her deployment to the Middle East. Odyssey of the Seas left the […]
Crystal Cruises announces Suez Canal voyage ending in Petra for 2021
Crystal Cruises will be sending its luxury yacht-like cruise ship Espirit back to the Middle East in 2021 on a series of voyages that take in the Holy Land, Petra and the […]
UAE-Israel normalization will support GCC cruise sector’s recovery
For the beleaguered UAE cruise sector attempting to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, the UAE-Israel ‘peace deal’ is a welcome boon.
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