A total of six cruise ships remain stuck in the Middle East, which has turned into a war zone following the joint US and Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, 2026. The situation has only escalated, with Iran retaliating violently.
Vessels cannot sail to safer waters without entering the Strait of Hormuz, which is dangerously close to Iran and is currently closed to shipping.
Current guests also remain stuck onboard as attacks on airports and airspace closures make flying home impossible, through the impacted cruise lines are working to secure safe transport to get them home.
These are the latest updates for the impacted cruise ships as of March 3, 2026, and Cruise Hive will continue to share more information as it becomes available.
MSC Cruises
MSC Euribia remains hunkered down in Dubai, where it was originally only scheduled to visit from February 27 to 28.
While the cruise line initially took a wait-and-see approach to the conflict, it has now cancelled all remaining sailings from Dubai.
This includes the 7-night sailings scheduled to embark on March 7, March 14, March 21, and March 28, as well as shorter segments from Doha and Abu Dhabi that would have been operated within those voyages.
The cancelled itineraries would have visited Kalifa Bin Salman, Bahrain; Sir Bani Yas Island, a private island destination in the UAE; as well as Doha and Abu Dhabi.
“Following the sudden security events that began this Saturday in the Middle East, we must cancel your upcoming cruise,” the cruise line said in a letter to booked guests, which was obtained by Cruise Hive. “Your safety and wellbeing are always our highest priority.”
At this time, it’s unclear when the 6,327-guest ship will be able to safely leave Dubai or when and how the passengers that remain onboard will be helped home.
The 183,500-gross ton ship is expected to resume normal operations with her upcoming Europe season, which begins on May 2 in Kiel, Germany.
TUI Cruises
This cruise line has not one, but two ships that have been impacted by the attacks on Iran.
When the conflict escalated, Mein Schiff 4 was in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and Mein Schiff 5 was in Doha, Qatar, which is where they remain. Both ships should have been operating multiple Middle Eastern itineraries simultaneously.
As of March 3, 2026, the cruise line has issued more cancellations and an update on how passengers will go home.
Given the escalating situation, TUI has now cancelled the March 3, March 8, and March 9 sailings for Mein Schiff 4, which had preciously scrapped its March 1 and March 2 departures.
Similarly, Mein Schiff 5 has now cancelled its March 5 sailing, which is in addition to the cancellation of its February 28 departure.
It also doesn’t help that current guests still need a way to be safely disembarked before crew members can even think about welcoming new passengers onboard.
The need to disembark current guests is being felt with increased urgency following a scare in Abu Dhabi on March 1, when a missile crashed in Port Zayed near the 2,506-guest ship.
To the relief of all involved, TUI has begun arranging flights home for the thousands of impacted passengers, which will be a slow process given very limited flight availability.
As a first step, some passengers from Mein Schiff 4 are being transferred from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, where the Dubai International Airport has resumed operations at an extremely limited capacity.
A family hotline has also been established for loved ones on land to inquire about their relatives and to receive real-time updates.
Celestyal Cruises
Similar to MSC Cruises, Celestyal Cruises is taking a wait-and-see approach for its ships based in the Persian Gulf.
The cruise line has decided that Celestyal Journey will stay put in Doha and Celestyal Discovery will hunker down in Dubai for at least 24 hours while the powers that be figure out the safest next steps.
“We are closely monitoring the evolving situation in the Middle East in coordination with the relevant authorities…Both ships will remain in port for 24 hours while the situation is assessed,” Celestyal Cruises stated.
Guests with upcoming embarkations have also been told to look out for communication regarding potential delays and cancellations.
The 1,260-guest Celestyal Journey had embarkations for 7-night sailings scheduled for February 28 and March 2, which are not possible.
Celestyal Discovery, which has a capacity of 1,360 passengers, was supposed to begin a 7-night sailing in Dubai on February 28 and a 4-night sailing from Abu Dhabi on March 2. These sailings have, understandably, been cancelled.
As of March 1, the initial 24 hours in port has expanded to a full week, at least for Celestyal Journey. However, guests may choose to disembark sooner if they feel they can do so safely.
“Celestyal Journey will remain alongside in Doha until March 7. Subject to operating conditions, we then plan to resume our scheduled Desert Days itinerary,” Celestyal Cruises shared on social media.
“Guests currently onboard may choose to remain on Journey until March 7 or disembark in Doha in the interim.”
A timeline has not yet been determined for Celestyal Discovery, and guests are still not permitted to disembark.
“Celestyal Discovery is currently alongside in Dubai. At present, in line with instructions from local authorities, we are unable to disembark guests,” the cruise line added.
Assistance will be provided to all impacted guests, and cruisers on cancelled sailings will receive full refunds or a future cruise credit to reschedule.
Aroya Cruises
Aroya Cruises is a smaller, Arabian cruise brand that currently operates one vessel, Aroya Manara, out of Abu Dhabi, Doha Qatar, and Dubai.
While the cruise line has not issued any official itinerary changes or cancellations just yet, guests have been warned that updates may be coming very soon.
“The safety of our guests is our absolute priority…We will keep you informed of any further updates or changes,” the cruise line said in a social media post.
As of the time of publication, cruise tracking data shows the 3,362-guest ship hunkered down in Dubai with MSC Euribia and Celestyal Discovery.
Saga Cruises
The small-ship cruise line does not currently have any vessels stuck in the Middle East, but still issued its own pledge to safety to reassure guests.
The boutique brand does occasionally operate cruises and tours that include Jordan, which is still too close to the conflict for comfort and will be skipped.
“Further to the disruption in the Middle East, we would like to reassure you that the safety and wellbeing of our customers if of paramount importance,” Saga Cruises said in a March 3 update.
“All our holidays are operating as normal with the exception of Jordan, which has been changed to all but essential travel as per revised FCDO Foreign Office advice,” the update noted.
Guests who were supposed to visit Jordan will be contacted to discuss their travel arrangements, starting with the soonest departure date and working down the list.
More Updates to Come
The situation in the Middle East is still very tense and uncertain, and more changes and cancellations are likely to come for cruise ships deployed to this region.
Guests who are currently onboard impacted ships or are planning to embark soon should follow the instructions of the relevant authorities and look out for updates from their cruise line.
Cruise Hive will continue to keep our readers informed as more information becomes known, and we are wishing everyone who has been impacted by safety in their travels.
