Teri West
Only a few cruise lines had plans to sail in the Middle East this upcoming winter, but those that did quickly pivoted.
Explora Journeys will now be sailing the Mediterranean instead. And MSC is headed to the Caribbean and South America.
Rescheduling an entire season of cruises is no small feat. The cruise lines had to quickly partner with ports to design new itineraries that will begin in just nine months.
They are also restarting the process of selling an entire cruise season just nine months out when cruises typically go on sale closer to two years out. And that’s in the midst of processing rebookings and cancellations for the original sailings.
Explora and MSC's decision to undertake this effort shows just how challenging they think the alternative -- planning to sail the Middle East later this year -- would be.
First, there’s the uncertainty of whether there will be warfare in the region. But it looks like cruise lines are confident that travelers would still want to stay away from the region even if the Iran war ended well before their trip.
What will Celestyal Journeys do? The cruise line had both of its ships scheduled to sail Arabia cruises come the fall.
Before the war, it proudly marketed its winter seasons there as something that distinguished it in the market. Now, it has had to cancel more than a month’s worth of Europe cruises this spring because its ships are still stuck in the Persian Gulf and have been unable to safely reposition.
The impact of the war on the cruise industry is, of course, not just limited to cruise lines that sail the Middle East. All cruise lines are contending with the surging price of oil. It's possible that we'll see fuel surcharges soon.