The military conflict that has grounded flights and emptied hotel lobbies across the Gulf now has cruise ships in its grip too.
At least six vessels from four cruise lines — TUI Cruises, MSC Cruises, Celestyal Cruises and Aroya Cruises — are stranded at ports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha with thousands of passengers aboard and no clear path home, People reports.
It all traces back to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that began Saturday, setting off retaliatory attacks on American military bases across Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain. The fallout has been staggering, with airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha damaged and largely shuttered, the Strait of Hormuz blockaded to most commercial shipping, and airspace across the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain, Iraq and parts of Jordan mostly closed to civilian traffic.
TUI’s Mein Schiff 4 has had the most harrowing experience. Docked in Abu Dhabi with roughly 2,500 passengers and 1,000 crew, the ship was rocked Sunday when a missile struck the water nearby. Passengers are confined below deck, away from windows, with their phones pinging missile threat alerts. Its sister ship, Mein Schiff 5, berthed in Doha, faced its own ordeal over the weekend — some passengers had already boarded flights home Saturday when the departures were cancelled, leaving them to wait ten hours at the airport before being bused back to the ship, often without their luggage.
MSC Cruises told People its ship in Dubai is being kept in port “following the guidance of regional U.S. military authorities,” and that the situation on board remains calm. Celestyal has cancelled sailings out of Dubai and Abu Dhabi and is offering full refunds or future cruise credits.
The cruise disruptions are one piece of a much larger crisis. More than 20,000 travelers have been affected by flight cancellations since UAE airports closed Saturday. Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways — three of the world’s busiest hub carriers — have suspended most operations, with ripple effects reaching as far as Bali, Manila and London. Turkish Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France, Air India and dozens of others have pulled or rerouted flights across the board.
Hotels haven’t been spared either. Dubai’s Fairmont The Palm and the Burj Al Arab both sustained shrapnel damage during missile interceptions. The UAE government has directed hotels to extend stranded guests’ stays at no additional cost, a sign of just how many people are stuck.
Clients with upcoming Gulf sailings should be prepared for cancellations. Those already in the region are being advised by the U.S. State Department to evacuate, despite airspace shutdowns making moves highly difficult. Airlines are offering flexible rebooking windows, and clients should work through their original point of purchase. For anyone with upcoming Middle East itineraries, whether a cruise, hotel stay or a flight transiting through Dubai or Doha, assume disruption is likely until further notice and make sure travel insurance conversations are happening now.
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