Cruise lines cancel sailings, reroute ships as Middle East conflict disrupts voyages

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Severalcruise lineshave canceled their voyages or changed their itineraries in the Middle East due to ongoing safety issues amid the Iran conflict.

Celestyal Cruises — an Athens-based companyoffering itinerariesthrough the Greek Islands, as well as the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea — canceled all its April sailings, as two of its ships remain out of service.All departures scheduled for April 2026 have been canceled.

“Due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East, we have been unable to reposition our ships, Celestyal Discovery and Celestyal Journey, back to the Mediterranean,” the cruise line said in a March 30 statement.

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“As a result, following careful consideration, all departures scheduled for April 2026 have been canceled.”

Celestyal Discovery remains in Dubai and Celestyal Journey in Doha, both unable to depart the region due to restrictions around the Strait of Hormuz.The cruise line is targeting an early May return to service.

Celestyal Journey, shown here at the Doha port, canceled all its April sailings as two of its ships remain out of service.(Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto )

Those plans remain uncertain amidescalating geopolitical tensions.

Passengers can choose a full refund or a future cruise credit.

Lee Haslett, chief commercial officer at Celestyal, said, “Our priority remains thesafety and confidenceof our guests, crew and partners.While we know this will be disappointing, making this decision now provides greater clarity and flexibility for those affected.”

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Haslett went on, “Our teams are working closely with guests and travel partners to support rebooking options and ensure a smooth transition, and we remain focused on returning to service in the Mediterranean as soon as it is safe to do so.”

Passengers can choose a full refund or a future cruise credit.(David Davies/PA Images )

Celestyal Discovery is next scheduled to sail on May 1, 2026, followed by Celestyal Journey on May 2 for a seven-night Greece, Italy and Croatia trip.

At least six ships from four different companies were affected bythe conflict in the regionin early March, according to Cruise Hive.

Several cruise operators have been affected by the Middle East conflict.(Giuseppe Cacace/AFP)

“We regret to inform our guests and travel partners that, in view of the current circumstances in the Middle East, the Celestyal Journey cruise scheduled to depart from Dubai on March 2, and the Celestyal Discovery cruise scheduled to depart from Abu Dhabi on March 2, have been [canceled],” Celestyal said in a previous statement shared with Cruise Critic.

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Astravel chaos gripped the Middle East, MSC Cruises worked to bring passengers home.

The Swiss cruise line chartered seven flights and bought large groups of seats on commercial planes to repatriate over 1,500 guests stuck on the MSC Euribia in Dubai, according to the cruise line.

Seascape and islands panoramic view from cruising ship deck. Instagram retro effect added.

Passengers who are impacted by the cancellations can choose a full refund or a future cruise credit, the companies said.(iStock)

“These flights include dedicated charter services operated at MSC Cruises’ expense, seats secured in partnership with Emirates and Fly Dubai onscheduled commercial services, as well as some government‑organized flights,�