Heavy flooding in Venice, Italy is forcing cruise ships to find alternative ports of call. An emergency has also been declared for the historic city.
Cruise Ships Stay Away from Flooded Venice
With the Italian city of Venice suffering from heavy flooding, cruise ships are being forced to find an alternative port of call. Cruise ships operated by Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises have already informed guests of changes.
According to Cruise Critic, the Norwegian Spirit a call at Argostoli and an overnight in Venice are being replaced. The NCL ship will instead sail day at sea and an overnight call in Ravenna.
The scheduled call at the popular Dubrovnik was set back to later in the itinerary during the 14-day Mediterranean voyage which departed Civitavecchia in Italy on November 7.
For two MSC cruise ships, it is slightly more complex as Venice is the disembarkation port. MSC Magnifica which was scheduled to call in Venice today (Nov 17) is being rerouted to Trieste. Guests for the next scheduled 7-day sailing are being provided transportation from Venice airport and the cruise port if needed.
The same goes for MSC Sinfonia which is also shifting to Trieste instead of the call in flooded Venice on November 16. The ship has already disembarked passengers and transportation has been provided just like MSC Magnifica.
Also Read: Large Cruise Ship Almost Strikes Venice Dock in Bad Weather
The cruise terminal is also out of action for cruise ships as it’s currently being used as a shelter for those residents forced out by the record flooding. It should be re-opening on November 21 but if conditions don’t improve this could change.
These are the worst floods in more than 50 years for the famous Italian city and authorities have declared a state of emergency. St. Marks square is now closed and tourists are staying away as Venice deals with the flooding.
