Seabourn’s response to booked guests on Israel/Haifa and surrounding areas

[Vineyard View]

Let me begin by saying  that I realize it is impossible to understand  the magnitude of what is occurring in Israel, Gaza, and surrounding areas. It goes without saying that the worries about what cruise lines are doing in response, is a blip on the radar of what is truly important. 
That said, how is Seabourn responding to cruises scheduled in the near future to Israel and surrounding areas?  Clearly itineraries need to be adjusted, and some drastically. Some are re-routing via the Red Sea, some the Greek Islands, some mostly sea days, etc. This must be extremely challenging with the need to pivot quickly. 
There seems to be a range of how different lines are taking care of their booked passengers….or not…with respect to these changes. Some lines are offering FCC, some not. Some are changing initial offerings….there seems to be a variety of responses.  But for those passengers who are not feeling safe or comfortable with the changes, is SB offering FCC or anything else along those lines? 

[babydrum]

I'm very interested in hearing the answer to this as my May 2nd cruise that I just signed up for has two days in Israel.  I knew when I signed up that Israel was not a likely stop but now I'm worried about Egypt and Jordan as well.  The cruise has plenty of sea days already so I'm hoping they do at least go to some other ports.  

[cruiseej]

3 hours ago, babydrum said:

I'm very interested in hearing the answer to this as my May 2nd cruise that I just signed up for has two days in Israel. I knew when I signed up that Israel was not a likely stop but now I'm worried about Egypt and Jordan as well.

 

I doubt anyone, here or at the cruise line, has any answers about itineraries for six months from now. The current situation is just too fluid. 

[babydrum]

16 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

 

I doubt anyone, here or at the cruise line, has any answers about itineraries for six months from now. The current situation is just too fluid. 

I understand that but I figured I can look at what they do today as a potential indication of what they might do in May.  The one thing I'm fairly sure of is that they won't be stopping in Israel in May.  I'm just curious what (if any) alternate itineraries they are choosing now.

[Vineyard View]

To clarify my original post, I was asking what and how SB is responding to booked passengers in these itineraries through the end of this year. Most, if not all Cruise lines have pulled these ports until then. Some lines are being much more gracious in how they are responding to this situation than others, I am seeing that they range from best case and classy, to incredibly poor and unprofessional  ….which triggered my question. In troubled times, how a company responds speaks volumes, and drives future decisions. 

 

[marazul]

I think Seabourn was already done with the Israel stops for this season.  There may be a Suez canal transit left next month.  It is probably too early to know about next year.

[Michael219]

Additionally, the 14-Day Allure Of The Adriatic & Aegean is scheduled to dock in Haifa on May 12, 2024.  Our 14-day segment is sold out and of course, with current world events, we have concerns.

[cruiseej]

2 hours ago, Mahogany said:

I am on Encore Dubai to Athens in April, and although I expect itinerary changes, I have not been advised yet by Seabourn. I would hope to know before cancellation penalties kick in Dec. 5.

 

Unless developments in that area turn worse, and make it plainly obvious that they will skip Israel (and possibly adjoining countries) throughout 2024, you may not get the answers you're looking for by December 5. So much can change in a few months. If peace breaks out and it is considered safe to seal to the area, customers will be unhappy if the cruise line reroutes all their cruises 100+ days in advance. You may want to explore with your travel agent what options you have to roll your deposit to a different cruise if you don't want to be disappointed with an itinerary change announced early next year.

[frantic36]

7 hours ago, marazul said:

I think Seabourn was already done with the Israel stops for this season.  There may be a Suez canal transit left next month.  It is probably too early to know about next year.

 

I was speaking to Seabourn about week ago and they informed me that Encore had been due to stop in Israel in November but they have rerouted her but I can't remember to what port. I asked because we were also scheduled to be in the area next year.

[geoffieg]

None of us can predict where the Middle East goes from here.  But the level of hate has been clearly exposed.  Even if there is a "cease fire", the hate will still be there.

I don't know that the Middle East will be a "safe" cruise destination for many years. And the cruise lines will, necessarily, delay facing reality for as long as they can.

[marazul]

2 hours ago, frantic36 said:

 

I was speaking to Seabourn about week ago and they informed me that Encore had been due to stop in Israel in November but they have rerouted her but I can't remember to what port. I asked because we were also scheduled to be in the area next year.

I checked and the November transit through the Suez canal included a stop in Ashdod. It should be easy to skip or reschedule one port.

This is a terrible situation and cruises are the least of the problems they face.  Let's hope for a quick and fair resolution. 

[cruiseej]

5 minutes ago, marazul said:

Let's hope for a quick and fair resolution

 

Since people can't agree on what a fair resolution would be, there is unfortunately zero chance of a quick resolution.  

[marazul]

Just now, cruiseej said:

 

Since people can't agree on what a fair resolution would be, there is unfortunately zero chance of a quick resolution.  

You are right, but "hope springs eternal."

[tv24]

We have booked the Grand Voyage on the Quest for 2024 and the first segment goes to Israel, specifically May 7 & 8.  Before that, the ports include Tunisia and Egypt.

 

It's way too soon to predict what will be possible 6 months from now, but we would not be surprised by an itinerary change.  There have already been 2 minor adjustments.  I am sure that Seabourn will want to ensure our safety.

[Tallante]

16 hours ago, frantic36 said:

 

I was speaking to Seabourn about week ago and they informed me that Encore had been due to stop in Israel in November but they have rerouted her but I can't remember to what port. I asked because we were also scheduled to be in the area next year.

I’ve heard from a friend on that cruise that it’s been rescheduled for Rhodes,

[Mahogany]

10 hours ago, notjaded said:

Yes.

 

We just cancelled this cruise (Dubai-Venice). Been there, done that. Don't need to the stress and uncertainty. Suspect that this area of the world will be very unstable for quite a while.

 

Good luck to all who still plan on going....

Were you able to turn deposit into FCC?

[TootyJane]

You all remember the Arab Spring began in January 2011. My Mom and I were booked on the Spirit March 21 to April 8 (Dubai to Athens). Of course, we were talking about canceling and rebooking a different cruise. Seabourn would only say “they were monitoring the situation” as many wanted to know of any itinerary changes and whether or not to cancel. Not one word from Seabourn until we all boarded in Dubai and checked in. That is when we were informed of the itinerary change. Instead of Alexandria (where all of us wanted to go) we went to Ashdod. It’s one thing to be aware of any itinerary change but to not advise anyone until we were all onboard was a BIG fail on Seabourn’s part. May 2024 is seven months away but sadly, I think the conflict is going to get worse before it gets better. 

[notjaded]

6 hours ago, Mahogany said:

Were you able to turn deposit into FCC?

It was returned to our credit card since we were still in the 100% refund period

[notjaded]

4 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

...the Seabourn website doesn’t work for $h1t. Is it always this bad (searching on the Seabourn website?) Thx!

It has been for awhile. Even trying different browsers.

 

I mentioned the problems with the website to an agent and asked her if they are having problems with it. She immediately laughed, which is very telling.

[Vineyard View]

I was reading on another thread that if you book airfare through a cruise line, and then that itinerary is changed and a FCC is available, it may not cover the cost of the airfare that you paid. This is occurring on another line. We were about to book flights, and while we are RT out of Athens, (ATH-VCE-ATH), I   wonder if waiting a bit might be more prudent. We’ve never booked airfare through a cruise line. 
I also am concerned that in the Spring, even sailings  initiating from Athens might be impacted as well. I realize that there is no answer this far out, but I do believe it’s not far fetched to think that this war may continue into the Spring sailing season .  Greek Islands and Adriatic itineraries will likely be impacted from a ship pressure standpoint with all the re-routed itineraries, making already crowded ports so busy as to be unenjoyable. The positive is that SB sails to many smaller ports that larger ships cannot be re-routed to on many other itineraries, including ours. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Cruise Critic guidelines against discussing TAs by name (or hint) apply and have been enforced

[Zouave]

Booked for Dubai-Athens in April.  My TA advised us that Cruise Lines have stated they have cancelled all ports in Israel for the next 2 years so far.

 

 

[babydrum]

17 hours ago, Zouave said:

Booked for Dubai-Athens in April.  My TA advised us that Cruise Lines have stated they have cancelled all ports in Israel for the next 2 years so far.

 

 

Wow, that's telling.  I think I've gone from the frying pan to the fire or perhaps just fire to fire.  I cancelled my Oceania 27 day cruise that started in Dubai and ended in Barcelona with have 5 days in Israel, 2 in Egypt and 1 in Jordan.    Now, I am booked on a 34 day Seabourn cruise that starts in Singapore and ends in Athens.  2 days Israel, 3 days Egypt 1 day Jordan.  I believe all of those ports will be cancelled but the more I research SB, the more excited I am to try out their product.  The problem is I chose Turkish Airlines which stops in Istanbul.  It wouldn't be much of a problem because I had short layovers but they changed my outgoing flight so I now have a 9 hour 45 minute layover.  I booked a tour that covers the layover but Turkey appears to be getting involved in the conflict.  That was an unnecessary fail on our part, could have used a different airline but I've heard good things about TK business class product and wanted to give it a try.  I'm in the 25% cancellation penalty phase, I'll ride this out until the cruise line decides to do something.  I might have to cancel my Istanbul tour and just stay in the airport.

[markandjie]

1 hour ago, babydrum said:

I booked a tour that covers the layover but Turkey appears to be getting involved in the conflict.  That was an unnecessary fail on our part, could have used a different airline but I've heard good things about TK business class product and wanted to give it a try.

 

A few thoughts on this as I know Turkey pretty well as I previously led a company with a sizable office in Istanbul:

 - Erdogan is an opportunist and I seriously doubt he'll do more than posture in this conflict. He has enough economic and other issues at home that over-extending into this conflict makes no sense...but he also wants to whip up his base so he'll make a lot of noise. More bark than bite, I suspect. If I were in your shoes I wouldn't be worried either about the flights or the tour.

 - Turkish biz class is quite nice, with really outstanding service. I've flown it a few times and it's definitely a big step up from any Western flag carrier.

 - There are fantastic sights in Istanbul that make a day tour a great proposition. Be warned that traffic in the city is about the worst I've experienced anywhere, so even with a layover of that duration you're going to spend quite a bit of time getting into and out of the city. The good thing is that most of the prime sites are clustered together so you won't spend much time getting from place to place (and in fact you could just walk between them all). I'm speaking here of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Grand Bazaar, Topkepi Palace, and the Cistern who's name I don't recall off hand.

[babydrum]

3 hours ago, markandjie said:

 

A few thoughts on this as I know Turkey pretty well as I previously led a company with a sizable office in Istanbul:

 - Erdogan is an opportunist and I seriously doubt he'll do more than posture in this conflict. He has enough economic and other issues at home that over-extending into this conflict makes no sense...but he also wants to whip up his base so he'll make a lot of noise. More bark than bite, I suspect. If I were in your shoes I wouldn't be worried either about the flights or the tour.

 - Turkish biz class is quite nice, with really outstanding service. I've flown it a few times and it's definitely a big step up from any Western flag carrier.

 - There are fantastic sights in Istanbul that make a day tour a great proposition. Be warned that traffic in the city is about the worst I've experienced anywhere, so even with a layover of that duration you're going to spend quite a bit of time getting into and out of the city. The good thing is that most of the prime sites are clustered together so you won't spend much time getting from place to place (and in fact you could just walk between them all). I'm speaking here of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Grand Bazaar, Topkepi Palace, and the Cistern who's name I don't recall off hand.

Thank you, the Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque are my points of interest.  I hope you are right for so many reasons.