Table Of Content
- The Ultimate World Cruise – Less Than Ultimate?
- What are your rights for overbooked cruises?
- MSC Cruises Became First Cruise Line to Cancel Cruises Due to Red Sea Attacks
- No, the Ultimate World Cruise won't be ending early because of Red Sea chaos
- Royal Caribbean Confirms 9-Month Cruise Will Not Go Through Red Sea and Suez Canal Due to Middle East Unrest
Guests can also opt to cancel and would receive a full segment refund and assistance with onward travel plans if they prefer not to continue the cruise. In a town-hall-style meeting held in the ship’s Tropical Theater, the situation was explained to guests and two alternative sailing routes were presented. Due to the tensions in the Middle East, including ports of call near the Red Sea as well as through the Suez Canal, Serenade of the Seas will not be able to preserve three segments of her original 274-night route.
The Ultimate World Cruise – Less Than Ultimate?
The sailing has already had an itinerary change due to weather conditions near Antarctica, and undoubtedly there will be further itinerary adjustments in the months to come. Hopefully, tensions will ease and no such dramatic change as skipping an entire portion of the cruise route will be necessary. Several cruise lines have already adjusted or cancelled cruises in the Red Sea region due to escalating geopolitical tensions. Drones and mines have been used to disrupt marine traffic, and while no cruise ships have yet been attacked, all cruise lines are closely monitoring the situation as necessary to protect their respective fleets. Select Complimentary Shore Excursions – One guest in the booking must be a Platinum, or higher, Crown and Anchor member by 180 days prior to sailing for all guests in booking and stateroom to qualify for the Ultimate Shore Excursion amenity at no cost to the guest. Complimentary Shore Excursions at the ports and on the tours shall be designated by RCI in its sole discretion, are subject to availability and change at any time.
What are your rights for overbooked cruises?
Viking notes its river cruise departures along the Nile in Egypt are still proceeding as planned, with the cancellation of select overland extensions to Jerusalem. “Instead, they will sail around the west coast of Africa with no ports of call on their journeys to their respective European homeports for the summer 2024 season. “The safety of passengers and crew is the number one priority and as there was no viable alternative itinerary, the Company has regrettably had to cancel the voyages. In a letter to passengers, Cunard said the changes were being made for the safety of passengers and crew aboard the company's flagship. Cunard Line informed guests it will re-route its World Cruise aboard Queen Mary 2, changing a full month of the planned voyage itinerary in order to bypass the Red Sea and Suez Canal in favor of transiting around the horn of Africa. The “Africa and Greece” itinerary has 26 days at sea in the same time period, all of which are between May 10 and June 11 – a full month at sea with just 7 port days, two of which are overnight calls (Cape Town and Alexandria).
MSC Cruises Became First Cruise Line to Cancel Cruises Due to Red Sea Attacks
Passengers aboard Norwegian Epic were notified that their November itinerary would drop ports in Israel – but also the Greek ports of Rhodes and Patmos. On October 24, Windstar announced Star Legend would instead be deployed to the Mediterranean, offering cruises from Rome (Civitavecchia) to Barcelona or reverse between December 2023 and April 2024. Each brand is offering affected cruisers a variety of compensation options, depending on the circumstances and whether their voyages are already underway. First was the “Immersive Africa” route that would visit ports in 11 different nations and territories in Africa, compared to an “Africa and Greece” itinerary that had far fewer port visits in Africa but included more extensive exploration of the Greek Islands. The vessel completing the tall task is the Serenade of the Seas, which has a guest capacity of 2,146 in 1,073 rooms, according to the cruise line's website.
Fortunately, the change has been made far enough in advance that there is ample time for the cruise line to help guests smoothly adjust their travel plans. Life at Sea Cruises initially announced the three-year voyage in March and took on additional passengers in June. But after twice delaying the initial Nov. 1 departure date, it cancelled it altogether on Nov. 17, reports CNN. That’s leaving many passengers without a place to call home and some stuck in Istanbul, from where the cruise was set to depart. "The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority, and we are monitoring what is taking place in and around the Red Sea," a spokesperson for the company said in a statement on Feb. 9.
Royal Caribbean Confirms 9-Month Cruise Will Not Go Through Red Sea and Suez Canal Due to Middle East Unrest - PEOPLE
Royal Caribbean Confirms 9-Month Cruise Will Not Go Through Red Sea and Suez Canal Due to Middle East Unrest.
Posted: Fri, 16 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
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But according to Joe Martucci, the nine months afforded by The Ultimate World Cruise means he and his wife can take things at their own pace. Passenger Anthony Antoine told ABC News he was forced to stay behind in Brazil for a few days after a complication with Brazilian law, which he said did not allow him to onboard in the country. The company, he said, had "presented the project to investors, and had official approval from some of them to buy the vessel,” but after making the down payment those investors "declined to support us further due to unrest in the Middle East."
Royal Caribbean Confirms 9-Month Cruise Will Not Go Through Red Sea and Suez Canal Due to Middle East Unrest
Another company bought the ship that was to be rechristened the MV Lara, and Miray Cruises, the parent firm of Life at Sea, couldn’t afford to buy another ship. Organizers have scuttled a heavily promoted three-year cruise, which promised to let remote workers (and more) travel the world for $30,000 per year, saying the company has no ship on which to ferry those adventurers. Both itineraries have a stop in the Seychelles, an overnight call in Cape Town, and a visit to the Canary Islands. In comparison, the “Immersive Africa” itinerary features 21 days at sea during the 6-week period from when the ship will leave Dubai on May 9 until she arrives in Ravenna on June 20. Both will go around the southern and western coasts of Africa to enter the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar, but each one has vastly different ports of call and experiences for travelers. “In keeping with the adventurous spirit of our guests, we are engaging them for their thoughts and preference between two alternative itineraries that will take them on an epic adventure to Africa,” the cruise line confirmed.
Royal Caribbean cancels cruise because of Houthi Attacks in Red Sea
Since embarking on the high seas three weeks ago, the hashtag #ultimateworldcruise has garnered over 150 million views on TikTok, with videos from passengers giving followers a behind-the-scenes look at the 274-day circumnavigational adventure. The company says it will refund passengers, who put down tens of thousands of dollars on the cruise as deposits. But that money won’t come quickly, as repayments will be made in monthly installments and won’t begin until next month. All travelers will be receiving either a 25% or 50% pro-rated refund for the altered segment of the cruise based on their cruise fare and which option is ultimately selected.
Royal Caribbean Scrubs Middle East Cruises on Rhapsody of the Seas
Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to cruising, the goal of Royal Caribbean Blog is for it to be a useful resource for keeping up to date with what's new and exciting with Royal Caribbean. Matt started Royal Caribbean Blog in 2010 as a place to share his passion for all things Royal Caribbean with readers. He oversees all the writers at Royal Caribbean Blog, and writes a great deal of content on a daily basis. This isn't the first Royal Caribbean cruise to have changes made to avoid the Middle East. There have been more than 60 recorded attacks so far, and the incidents have drawn a military response from a number of countries, including the United States.
The three-year cruise is canceled - CNN
The three-year cruise is canceled.
Posted: Fri, 24 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
When reached, a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean International told BI that it currently has no plans to end the journey early. Life at Sea did not immediately respond to additional questions about the guest’s experience. According to the Royal Caribbean website, the cheapest booking option for the Ultimate World Cruise is the Interior Stateroom, which is priced at $59,999 per person. The most expensive option listed is the Junior Stateroom, which is priced at $117,599 per person, with customers encouraged to call Royal Caribbean for pricing on "other suite categories."
"On a seven-day cruise, you're so afraid you're gonna miss something -- but on this one, we just feel like we have all the time in the world," he said. As vacation-goers around the world settle back into daily life after exciting holiday excursions, one group of ambitious adventure seekers is just getting started. That’s little comfort to some passengers who did not renew leases, or sold their homes or rented them out to travel the world for three years. Life at Sea is also promising to pay for the hotel rooms and return-trip airfares for passengers in Turkey.
The TikToker said it's "worrying" if these rumors are true and passengers are not yet informed. The Life at Sea guest said he and his wife planned to stay in Istanbul until they get a full refund. “We’re at a complete loss as to what to do or where to go without having our money,” he said. Vedat Ugurlu, CEO of Life at Sea’s parent company Miray Cruises, said the cruise was facing “challenges due to investor withdrawal” in a statement shared with USA TODAY.
The TikToker @aditaml2759, who has been documenting her time on the cruise since late December, posted a video on Tuesday saying she was hearing rumors about the cruise potentially ending in Los Angeles due to the conflict at the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. He said all passengers would be given full refunds in installments between December and February. Hotel accommodations in Istanbul will also be covered until Dec. 1, and “subsequent travel expenses to your chosen destination will be reimbursed,” Ugurlu said in his statement. Life At Sea Cruises had a three year cruise planned, but postponed the trip in November, weeks before the ship was set to depart on its maiden voyage, after delays and logistical challenges involving the ship itself. The nine-month cruise is surprisingly not the longest voyage planned in the world of cruising. A 3.5-year trip is in the works from Villa Vie Residences, which plans to depart England in May of 2024 and complete its trip in West Palm Beach, Florida, in December 2027.
“Sad, angry and lost” is how one would-be passenger described their current situation to CNN. See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. Although Labadee is a private destination for Royal Caribbean ships, Haiti has sovereignty over the resort. Guests may be taken to an alternative destination such as Royal Caribbean’s private resort, Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas or may get another sea day. The cruise line had halted trips to its private island in mid-March and has now extended the ban until at least the end of May. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
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