Due to the ongoing conflict in the Red Sea, Princess Cruises has revised the itineraries of world cruises for the Island Princess and Crown Princess, which were scheduled to sail there in 2025.
The ship will no longer visit the Middle East or Asia on those cruises, but will instead call at new ports in Africa and Europe.
The change makes the Princess the latest route to change its itinerary since Yemen's Houthi rebels began attacking ships transiting the Red Sea last year. Cruise ships and many other ships are currently avoiding the area, but conflict has become active, with missile attacks reported as recently as Monday.
The Island Princess is scheduled to depart from Fort Lauderdale on January 5 and Los Angeles on January 20, making a round trip to North America for 116 days. Her alternate port calls are scheduled for the ship's departure from February 16 to April 9. Sydney. The ship will now make port calls in Melbourne and Perth (Fremantle), Australia. Port Louis, Mauritius; Overnight in Cape Town, South Africa; Call for two days in Walvis Bay, Namibia. Then call Mindelo in the Cape Verde Islands.
The ship arrives in Europe, stopping at Madeira (Funchal), Portugal. Gibraltar; Syracuse, Italy; Athens (Piraeus), Volos, Patmos and Crete (Chania), Greece; Kusadasi, Türkiye; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Bar, Montenegro; Visit Taranto, Italy before resuming your previously scheduled itinerary.
Customers scheduled to depart or join a sailing in Dubai on 14 March will now depart or disembark in Cape Town four days earlier, on 9 March. Customers with reservations disembarking in Cape Town will receive a refund for the four days removed from the cruise. Customers who join early will incur no additional costs. All passengers will receive a $300 onboard credit.
The Crown Princess, which avoids the Red Sea, is scheduled to depart Auckland on May 31 and Sydney on June 4 for a 113-day cruise. The ship will bypass the Red Sea and surrounding areas and sail to Africa instead of the Red Sea and Asia. A completely revised schedule is in the works and will be delivered soon, Princess said.