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Cruise lines cancel Israel calls into November as fighting continues

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A growing number of cruise lines are canceling calls in Israel scheduled to take place in the coming weeks as fighting between Israeli and Hamas forces continues.

Over the past two days, Holland America, Celebrity Cruises, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Oceania Cruises and Celestyal Cruises have all canceled calls at the Israeli ports of Ashdod and Haifa scheduled for this week, with several of the brands canceling calls into next week, too.

One of the brands, Celestyal Cruises, announced late Monday that it has canceled all stops in Israel through the end of November.

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“We are in close coordination with the authorities, and the safety, security, and comfort of our guests remains our utmost priority,” Celestyal CEO Chris Theophilides said in a statement sent to TPG.

Theophilides said the company, which specializes in Eastern Mediterranean cruises and traditionally has a ship sailing weekly to Israel at this time of year, made the decision “on the advice of our internal teams and the relevant authorities.”

In the statement, Theophilides said the company’s thoughts were with those impacted by the events in Israel, and it was wishing “for the safety of all the souls affected and a rapid return of peace to the country.”

Celebrity was among the first lines to cancel calls in Israel, rerouting its 2,910-passenger Celebrity Apex away from the country within hours of fighting erupting on Saturday. The ship skipped calls scheduled for Sunday and Monday at Haifa and Ashdod, respectively.

Celebrity also canceled an Israel visit planned for Celebrity Apex on Oct. 20, and it canceled a two-day visit to Alexandria, Egypt, scheduled for the same sailing that was to take place on Oct. 22 and 23.

Given that stops in Alexandria, Egypt, are often paired with stops in Israel on Eastern Mediterranean sailings — the two countries share a border — it’s likely we’ll see more Egypt calls canceled as part of retrenchment from Israel calls.

Holland America also moved quickly to cancel Israel calls over the weekend. The line had a ship docked in Haifa on Saturday when the fighting broke out. The vessel, the 2,666-passenger Nieuw Statendam, halted disembarkation, recalled passengers who had already left on tours and headed out to sea by the evening. It skipped a subsequent call at Ashdod.

“The safety of our guests and crew is a top priority,” the line said Tuesday in a statement sent to TPG. The statement also noted that the company’s thoughts were with those impacted by the violence of recent days.

The canceled Israel calls were the last scheduled for any Holland America ship this year.

Additional Israel cruise cancellations

MSC Cruises also canceled Israel calls for at least the next two weeks. MSC is Europe’s biggest cruise line and a major player in Eastern Mediterranean sailings. The Switzerland-based brand canceled a Thursday call at Haifa scheduled for its 2,550-passenger MSC Musica. That same ship will also skip calls at Haifa scheduled for Oct. 18 and Oct. 25. An Oct. 16 call at Haifa scheduled for a second ship, the 2,087-passenger MSC Sinfonia, was also canceled.

At Norwegian, the cancellations so far have included a call at Ashdod on Sunday that had been scheduled for the 2,394-passenger Norwegian Gem and calls later this week in both Ashdod and Haifa scheduled for the 2,402-passenger Norwegian Jade.

Regent Seven Seas has canceled four straight days of calls in Israel scheduled for the line’s 706-passenger Seven Seas Voyager starting on Saturday. The ship had been scheduled to “turn around” in Haifa on Oct. 15 — that is, its current cruise was scheduled to end in Haifa on that day with a new cruise starting out of the city the same day. The vessel will now end its current cruise and start its next cruise on Oct. 15 in Istanbul instead.

Related: US airlines halt flights to Israel as war erupts  

Oceania canceled a three-day visit to Israel scheduled for the line’s 684-passenger Sirena starting Oct. 17.

A spokesperson for the parent company of Royal Caribbean was vague when asked by TPG about its plans for Israel calls this week and beyond.

“Our global security team is closely watching the evolving situation in Israel,” read a short statement sent by the spokesperson, Jonathon Fishman. “For the safety and security of our guests, we’re adjusting several itineraries in the area. Impacted guests are being notified directly.”

Other lines with ships scheduled to visit Israel in the coming weeks include Azamara, Silversea Cruises, Viking, Windstar Cruises and Costa Cruises.

For the most part, the lines canceling calls in Israel are substituting extra sea days or stops in additional ports in Greece or Turkey.

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