The cruise line is unable to reposition its vessels from the Gulf region, while MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys revise winter 2026-2027 schedules.
Celestyal Cruises has confirmed that all of its April departures have been cancelled after ongoing disruption in the Middle East and Gulf left its ships unable to return to the Mediterranean.
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In a statement, the Greece-based cruise line said its vessels, Celestyal Discovery and Celestyal Journey, have been unable to reposition from the Gulf region, where they remain stranded in ports. Celestyal Discovery is currently in Dubai, UAE, while Celestyal Journey is in Doha, Qatar.
Cruise lines continue to monitor conditions in the Strait of Hormuz, where the ongoing US-Iran conflict has severely disrupted maritime traffic. The key shipping route has seen a sharp decline in vessel movements since the start of the war.
“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 company said. “As a result, following careful consideration, all departures scheduled for April 2026 have been cancelled.
“Our priority remains the safety and confidence of our guests, crew and partners, while ensuring sufficient time and flexibility for any necessary changes to travel plans. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will resume movement of our vessels as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Celestyal’s next planned departures will be a three-night “Iconic Greek Islands” cruise on the Celestyal Discovery on 1 May, and a seven-night “Heavenly Greece, Italy and Croatia” sailing on Celestyal Journey on 2 May.
“Looking ahead, we remain optimistic and look forward to welcoming guests back on board in the Mediterranean,” the company added. “Preparations are already under way to ensure our return to service delivers the exceptional experience our guests expect.”
The disruption is not limited to Celestyal. Ships operated by other major cruise lines, including Aroya Cruises, TUI Cruises and MSC Cruises, also remain stuck in ports across the Gulf.
MSC revises 2026/2027 programme
MSC Cruises has revised its winter 2026/2027 programme, redeploying MSC World Europa to the Caribbean.
Originally scheduled to sail in the Middle East from November 2026 to April 2027, the ship will now operate seven- and 14-night itineraries across the French Antilles, with embarkation ports in Fort-de-France (Martinique), Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe) and Bridgetown (Barbados).
The new programme includes calls at destinations such as Castries in Saint Lucia, Saint George in Grenada, Philipsburg in St Maarten, St John in Antigua and Barbuda, Basseterre in Saint Kitts and Nevis, Roseau in Dominica and Kingstown in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Explora Journeys also recently announced that it will be cancelling its Middle Eastern cruises for the winter 2026/2027 season due to the ongoing conflict in the region.
