Many cruise lines are postponing upcoming visits in Israel as the crisis between Israel and Hamas continues.
The Israeli ports of Ashdod and Haifa have been removed from the itineraries of Holland America, Celebrity, MSC, Norwegian, Regent Seven Seas, Oceania, and Celestyal Cruises; some of these lines have also canceled calls for the week after next.
On Saturday, shortly after fighting started, Celebrity was one of the first lines to block calls to Israel and reroute Celebrity Apex to another nation. The ship was due to stop at Haifa and Ashdod on Sunday and Monday, but it bypassed both.
Celebrity also canceled the planned call in Israel on the 20 October journey in addition to the 22 October sailing to Alexandria, Egypt.
Celestyal Cruises announced that from now until the end of the month, company will not make any more stops in Israel.
Given that stops in Alexandria, Egypt, are frequently paired with stops in Israel on Eastern Mediterranean sailings, more Egypt calls are projected to be canceled as part of a pullback from Israel calls.
Holland America moved promptly to enact the weekend call cancellations to Israel. The business had a ship moored in Haifa when the crisis started on Saturday. The Nieuw Statendam had to halt disembarkations, call back passengers who had already left on tours, and depart the harbour that evening. It skipped Ashdod, which was to be its next destination.
Similarly, calls to Israel have been halted by MSC Cruises for at least the next two weeks. This Thursday, the MSC Musica was scheduled to arrive in Haifa. The same ship will also omit the Haifa stops planned for October 18 and 25. On October 16, a second ship, the MSC Sinfonia, was also scheduled to arrive in Haifa.
The Norwegian Gem’s call to Ashdod on Sunday and the Norwegian Jade’s calls to Ashdod and Haifa later this week have both been canceled by Norwegian.
The Seven Seas Voyager’s four straight days of stops in Israel have been canceled by Regent Seven Seas starting on Saturday. On October 15, the ship was scheduled to do a U-turn at Haifa; its current journey was to come to an end that day, with a new cruise beginning the next day. On October 15 in Istanbul, the ship will arrive from its present cruise and set out on its subsequent one.
On Saturday, the Oceania Cruises Nautica departed Israel one day early than expected. On the Sirena ship of the line’s 14 October voyage from Piraeus to Istanbul, the scheduled calls at Haifa and Ashdod will be replaced by Santorini, Heraklion, and Mykonos in Greece. The three-day excursion to Israel that was scheduled to start on the line’s ship Sirena on October 17 has also been postponed by Oceania.
The 15 October 3 itinerary for the Seven Seas Voyager has been changed, and the previously planned stops in Israel have been replaced. The ship is going to sail to Istanbul without making a stop in Haifa. Instead of leaving from Haifa, the cruise leaving on October 15 will sail straight to Cairo.
The Rhapsody of the Seas’ scheduled trips on October 9 and October 15 from the Israeli port of Haifa have been canceled, according to Royal Caribbean, which is currently operating the ship out of Haifa. Royal Caribbean is offering a complete refund to all impacted passengers.
Celebrity Apex changed its course to dock in Limassol, Cyprus while en route to Haifa. The schedule for the cruise departing on October 16 has changed, replacing visits to Ashdod and Haifa with stops in the Greek ports of Santorini, Mykonos, and Rhodes before continuing to Port Said, Egypt. Passengers have been informed of these changes.
Among the other cruise lines with ships scheduled to visit Israel in the upcoming weeks are Azamara, Silversea Cruises, Viking, Windstar Cruises, and Costa Cruises.
Most lines that quit making calls to Israel replace them with extra ship days or extra port stops in Turkey or Greece.
Source- Travel daily