Due to the war in Israel, cruise cancellations have expanded beyond those at home.
Windstar Cruises will postpone its first Middle East cruise season for a year due to unrest, including its Persian Gulf itineraries.
The small ship line was scheduled to begin its first cruises in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf from November 23 to April. Instead, it is scheduled to begin sailing in the region in November 2024.
“Given the current environment and the uncertainty of the situation in the region, we have made the difficult decision to postpone our inaugural season until the fall of 2024,” said Christopher Prelog, President of Windstar Cruises. “We understand the impact this change will have on our customers’ holiday plans, especially during the holidays, so we are making this decision now to allow people time to change their plans.”
Passengers can move their reservations to a date in 2024 or change to a ship in a different location. The 312-guest Star Legend, which had been scheduled to operate Middle East cruises, will instead offer itineraries in the Western Med from December.
MSC Cruises has also canceled the MSC Orchestra's entire winter Red Sea sailing schedule from November 8 to April 17. This is because “the proximity of some ports of call to Israel and restrictions in border countries may have a negative impact.” It has impacted the passenger travel experience.” Instead, the orchestra will sail the Mediterranean from December 16 to April 19.
MSC also canceled the winter schedule of MSC Sinfonia, which was held in Haifa, Israel, from November 12 to April 15. The line has not announced a new schedule for Sinfonia.
Several cruise lines have already redeployed ships that have stopped in Israel or been homeported to the country due to the ongoing conflict.
