Key Aspects:
- MSC Preziosa has cancelled its November 5, 2026, visit to Le Havre, France, because of an expected nationwide strike and protest action.
- The ship will instead remain overnight in Zeebrugge, Belgium, extending its stay until 6:00 p.m. on November 5.
- Guests with MSC-booked shore excursions in Le Havre will receive refunds to their onboard accounts.
Due to a planned nationwide strike and protest action, MSC Preziosa has cancelled an upcoming port call in Le Havre, France. Instead, the ship will extend its visit to Belgium.
The 4,345-guest vessel was originally planned to arrive in Le Havre on November 5, 2026, following a port call in Zeebrugge on November 4. With the strike expected to disrupt port operations and transport across France, however, the Le Havre call has been cancelled
The ship will instead stay overnight in Zeebrugge, departing at 6:00 p.m. on November 5 instead of 6:00 p.m. on November 4 as planned. Guests were alerted to the change in a notice signed by Captain Francesco Iacono on November 3, 2026.
“We would like to inform you of a change to our itinerary due to planned nationwide strike and protest action in France on Thursday, 5 November,” the notice reads. “…in the interest of providing a safe and comfortable guest experience, we have decided to cancel MSC Preziosa’s scheduled call to Le Havre on that day.”
Several overlapping itineraries are affected by the change, including embarkations from Le Havre, Southampton, Hamburg, and Amsterdam. Some guests were scheduled to embark on a seven-night sailing from Le Havre on November 5, though MSC has not publicly said how those guests will be accommodated.
Guests who booked excursions through MSC Cruises for Le Havre will be refunded to their onboard accounts. The cruise line encouraged guests to visit the Shore Excursions Desk onboard MSC Preziosa to book additional tours for Zeebrugge.
French Strike Threatens Cruise Operations
The national strike on November 5 was organized by a coalition of France’s major labor unions, known as an intersyndicale. It concerns wages, the cost of living, public services, and government budget proposals.
Multiple public services are expected to be impacted, including education, healthcare, and transportation. This could not only affect operations at the port of Le Havre, but also affect guests planning to travel inland.
An earlier strike on October 30 involved unions representing approximately 14,000 port workers, including 7,500 dockworkers, according to reports from French outlet Le Parisien. Those workers’ unions have also announced their intention to participate in the November 5 strike.
Recent strikes and protests in France have caused a number of other disruptions for cruise itineraries, as Cruise Hive previously reported. This cancellation follows another MSC Cruises itinerary disruption involving Le Havre.
MSC Virtuosa cancelled its October 30, 2026, visit to the French port due to another strike in which dockworkers participated. It also cancelled its call to La Rochelle due to poor weather.
Earlier that month, P&O Cruises cancelled a visit to Le Havre aboard Iona on October 18, 2026, redirecting to La Coruña. That cancellation concerned ongoing protests and civil unrest throughout France, separate from the planned November 5 strike.
