The future of cruising in the Middle East

[Cancun01]

I would guess that the entire Middle East region ( including the UAE) will be impacted in the next year or perhaps longer especially if the situation escalates.   Yes,  Dubai is some 1300 miles from Israel however it is still the same region and a next door neighbour to Saudi Arabia and across the Persian Gulf from Iran.  With all due respect,  I agree that it is who the country supports not the distance. The beautiful beaches of Dubai are on the Persian Gulf.  The US moved one of their ships to the Persian Gulf  this week.   Certainly the cruiselines have profit -loss in their planning agendas but they are also not going to risk multi-million dollar ships. Regardless,  who wants to spend thousands of dollars on a cruise if you have to be overly cautious and full of angst and be worried about personal safety.   Perception is reality.  In response to the OP, the cruiselines may adjust itinerary’s if bookings decrease and do not meet profit expectations.   The cruise ship insurance companies will no doubt play a big part in the decision-making. 

[LondonTowner]

On 10/25/2023 at 9:38 PM, Zach1213 said:

 

The distance between Morocco and North Africa is, indeed, quite short 😉

Morocco is in North Africa.

[newish2cruises]

Interesting point about Dubai.

 

After Celebrity canceled most port calls on the cruise Athens-Israel-Egypt-Turkey and allowed me to cancel the cruise for free I have been thinking about booking a cruise that starts in 15 days from Dubai (and goes to Singapore through India/Sri Lanka/Thailand). It seems that flying to Dubai airport and boarding the ship the same day is quite safe but who knows what happens if the events escalate. I guess in the worst case the cruise company will cancel it beforehand.

 

I wonder what do other people feel about the safety of a short trip through Dubai?

[9tee2Sea]

11 hours ago, newish2cruises said:

Interesting point about Dubai.

 

After Celebrity canceled most port calls on the cruise Athens-Israel-Egypt-Turkey and allowed me to cancel the cruise for free I have been thinking about booking a cruise that starts in 15 days from Dubai (and goes to Singapore through India/Sri Lanka/Thailand). It seems that flying to Dubai airport and boarding the ship the same day is quite safe but who knows what happens if the events escalate. I guess in the worst case the cruise company will cancel it beforehand.

 

I wonder what do other people feel about the safety of a short trip through Dubai?

just an observation. I did a cruise from Dubai-Athens in Feb of 2023.  As you cruise around the coast of Africa ( near Somalia i think),  there was an announcement over the PA system that the outdoor areas will be closed, and the ship will be dark at night.  The reason being...PIRATES!  We were told what to do and where to go in the event of Pirates boarding the ship.  Just saying, no matter where you cruise, there will always be unsettling times .  But, Dubai really is a very interesting area

[newish2cruises]

1 hour ago, 9tee2Sea said:

As you cruise around the coast of Africa ( near Somalia i think),  there was an announcement over the PA system that the outdoor areas will be closed, and the ship will be dark at night.  The reason being...PIRATES!

Good to know, thanks. In my case the ship goes from Dubai to India. It comes to Dubai from Rome so it goes through the pirate area before, from there it sails to India and I did not hear about danger of pirates in the gulf between Oman and Iran. Dubai is interesting but I've been there twice and don't look at anything but going between the airport and the cruise terminal (and maybe hotel if the flight arrives in the previous evening).

[jollyjones]

On 10/29/2023 at 12:32 PM, LondonTowner said:

Morocco is in North Africa.

 

You missed the joke, perchance?

[Airbear232]

On 10/19/2023 at 10:40 AM, Vineyard View said:

After reading updated news reports, I would venture to say that Turkey may become be a troublesome area again for those from the West for a while. We have a port in Turkey next Spring that I would anticipate a change…..the current situation is extremely volatile and worrisome. 

 

We visited Egypt, directly after the conflict in 2014. We were the second ship to visit Cairo. It was a big lesson to us after being surrounded by guns, even with an armed guard. We very much enjoyed all the ports we spent time in on that trip in Turkey.  Our guides were highly educated and gracious. I a, grateful we had that opportunity. In the current environment, visiting Turkey would not be one I would be comfortable with. 

Not comfortable in Turkey?  Current environment?  Istanbul is one of the safest cities in the world.  You’re far safer there than in most major US cities.  Great people, food and sites.

[Airbear232]

On 10/27/2023 at 2:04 PM, Cancun01 said:

I would guess that the entire Middle East region ( including the UAE) will be impacted in the next year or perhaps longer especially if the situation escalates.   Yes,  Dubai is some 1300 miles from Israel however it is still the same region and a next door neighbour to Saudi Arabia and across the Persian Gulf from Iran.  With all due respect,  I agree that it is who the country supports not the distance. The beautiful beaches of Dubai are on the Persian Gulf.  The US moved one of their ships to the Persian Gulf  this week.   Certainly the cruiselines have profit -loss in their planning agendas but they are also not going to risk multi-million dollar ships. Regardless,  who wants to spend thousands of dollars on a cruise if you have to be overly cautious and full of angst and be worried about personal safety.   Perception is reality.  In response to the OP, the cruiselines may adjust itinerary’s if bookings decrease and do not meet profit expectations.   The cruise ship insurance companies will no doubt play a big part in the decision-making. 

Why would the whole region be impacted?  Seriously!  The Arabian Gulf ports are all stable (safer than US cities), clean and beautiful.  

[Zach1213]

On 10/29/2023 at 10:32 AM, LondonTowner said:

Morocco is in North Africa.

I'm aware. My wife is Moroccan. I am in Morocco several times each year. My joke was that the thread I responded to make it sound like there was a distance between Morocco and North Africa...when in fact Morocco is North Africa. 

[Vallesan]

On 10/27/2023 at 7:04 PM, Cancun01 said:

I would guess that the entire Middle East region ( including the UAE) will be impacted in the next year or perhaps longer especially if the situation escalates.   Yes,  Dubai is some 1300 miles from Israel however it is still the same region and a next door neighbour to Saudi Arabia and across the Persian Gulf from Iran.  With all due respect,  I agree that it is who the country supports not the distance.

 
I couldn’t agree more.

Most people seem to be most concerned with the ‘physical’ distance from the Israel-Hamas war, rather than the far more important ‘ideological’ distance.

Just take a look at the number of demonstrations around the world.

Ideological sympathies  are way more important when considering the ‘safety’ of a country than just its physical distance from a war zone.