Celestyal Cruises has cancelled several of its upcoming itineraries, citing continued geopolitical tensions in the Red Sea.
The cancellations include two 14-night repositioning cruises aboard the 55,877-gross-ton Celestyal Journey that were scheduled to depart on October 26, 2024, and March 8, 2025.
The cruises were set to sail on an “Ancient Athens to Dazzling Doha” and its counterpart, “Dazzling Doha to Ancient Athens.” The voyages would take guests to Ephesus, Turkey; Port Said, Sharm Ek Sheikh, and the Suez Canal in Egypt; Muscat, Oman; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Instead, the cruise line will undertake a 34-night non-commercial repositioning cruise to and from Doha, Qatar. This decision has also led to the cancellation of the first three scheduled “Desert Days” itineraries, which were set to depart from Doha on November 9, 16, and 23, 2024.
Those itineraries included calls in Khalifa Bin Salman, Bahrain; Dubai; Khasab, Oman; Sir Bani Yas and Abu Dhabi, and United Arab Emirates.
To accommodate the extended repositioning, Celestyal Cruises has also cancelled the first three “Heavenly Adriatic” itineraries planned for 2025, originally set to depart on March 22, 29, and April 5.
These voyages, departing from Athens, Greece, included stops in Kefallinia, Corfu, and Olympia, Greece; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; and Bari, Italy.
“We recently announced our full cruise program through to March 2027 to build simplicity and assurance into our offerings.
In light of the current geopolitical climate in our original path of passage to this year’s winter season, we have decided to operate longer non-commercial repositioning sailings to and from Qatar,” the cruise line said in a statement.
It also went on to say it “will continue to proudly homeport in Doha from November 2024 for the next three winter seasons.”
Celestyal Journey’s maiden voyage in the Arabian Gulf, a 7-night “Desert Days & Qatar Grand Prix” cruise, will now depart from Doha on November 30, 2024. Its inaugural season includes nine of these itineraries, with passengers given the option to embark in Doha, Abu Dhabi, or Dubai.
Affected passengers have been offered the opportunity to transfer their booking to another Celestyal cruise, either within the same region or to a different destination. Passengers can also elect to rebook on one of the alternative itineraries still available.
Additionally, impacted guests can opt for a future credit that can be applied to any Celestyal voyage through March 2027. For those who do not wish to rebook, full reimbursement of the original booking cost is being offered.
Guests will receive the refund to their original booking method. They will also directly receive refunds for cancelled excursions, although passengers who booked their own activities will be required to work with providers for cancellations and refunds.
Cruise Lines Avoid Red Sea in 2024
The Red Sea region has been experiencing heightened geopolitical tensions since the start of 2024, particularly due to ongoing conflicts and territorial disputes in surround areas.
Read Also: The Impact of Red Sea Tensions on Cruising
The strategic significance of the Red Sea as a major maritime corridor connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal has led to increased military presence and occasional clashes with rebels mainly targeting cargo ships.
Cruise lines like Celestyal operating in or near the Red Sea have opted to reroute or cancel itineraries to avoid potential dangers, such as MSC Cruises’ MSC Virtuosa, which was the first to avoid the area in January 2024.
Its Grand Voyage segment from Dubai to Southampton, England, was rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope.
Other ships, such as Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Dawn and Costa Cruises’ Costa Toscana, chose to avoid the Suez Canal passage, opting instead for extended stays in the Arabian Guld and the Mediterranean.
