As the Iran-US conflict rages across the Middle East, several cruise ships remain stalled in port with guests onboard in Dubai and Qatar.
A total of six cruise ships carrying some 15,000 passengers and over 6000 crew are affected, including the MSC Euribia, Celestyal Discovery and Celestyal Journey, the Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5, as well as the Aroya Manara.
TUI Cruises' Mein Schiff 4 is docked in Abu Dhabi with its sister ship in Doha, while the other vessels are docked at Dubai.
Passengers on cancelled Celestyal Cruises will receive full refunds or future cruise credits.
MSC Cruises' remaining three cruises scheduled for this winter season from Dubai across 14-28 March are now cancelled, with refunds available for impacted guests.
Saudi-owned Aroya Manara had only recently made its maiden voyage to Doha, at the start of a Persian Gulf season that was meant to last until May.
Ways up and out
According to testimonies, some Mein Schiff 5 passengers had docked at Doha on 28 February – the start of the Iran-US conflict – and were already flying home, when their planes had to turn back. This was followed by over 10 hours of waiting at the airport, before finally returning back to ship without their luggages.
The next day, passengers onboard Mein Schiff 4 narrowly escaped a missile which had hit waters not far from the ship, which currently houses about 2,500 passengers and 1,000 crew.
In a 3 March update, MSC Cruises said that it continues to follow “regional military authorities” to dock the ship in Dubai and are working closely with airlines to “facilitate onward travel”.
However, due to “significant backlog and the scale of disruption” the cruise line has noted the process will take time.
Similarly, Celestyal Cruises issued a 2 March update that Celestyal Journey will house its passengers in Doha until 7 March after which guests may choose to disembark, while the Celestyal Discovery remains sealed off.
Meanwhile, TUI has shared that they are prepared to send its own aircraft to bring guests back, despite not usually operating in this region. However, the 3 March update noted that this is pending governmental approvals and will need time for confirmation.