(Revised at 4:41 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time) — As a result of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, an increasing number of cruise companies have decided to cancel itineraries that contain stops in or near Russian ports of call.
Several major cruise lines, including the Royal Caribbean Group, Carnival Corporation, and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings — which together constitute the vast majority of the world’s global cruise brands — have canceled planned itineraries that included stops in Russian ports.
On March 23, many cruise companies joined forces to aid Ukrainian refugees who had fled their homeland. Costa Cruises has made use of the out-of-service Costa Magica (which will shortly be transferred to Carnival Cruise Line) to house passengers escaping the crisis, while AmaWaterways has made use of an out-of-service river cruise ship anchored in Amsterdam to accommodate those coming from Ukraine.
Many cruisers are also reasonably concerned about the well-being of their crew mates.
According to Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley on his Facebook page, “we are getting responses from visitors who are curious about our crew members who are from Ukraine.” “As of today, we have over 500 Ukrainian crew members aboard our ships, and it’s understandable that they are highly frightened and nervous about their families back home.”
The statement acknowledged that the company had made “all communication channels” available to crew members so that they could contact their families and that they were permitted to leave the ships if they needed to travel back home.
A variety of counseling services have been made available to them, and ship captains and management are evidently in constant contact with them to provide support as required.”
The following itineraries have been canceled or amended:
The Royal Caribbean Group has decided to cancel all port calls in Russia for the summer of 2022.
Celebrity Cruises has stated that it would eliminate St Petersburg from all of its Summer 2022 itineraries and will look for alternate ports in Sweden as a result.
With the safety of our passengers and crew being our first consideration, we have decided to exclude St. Petersburg, Russia from future itineraries due to the present situation in Ukraine, according to a statement released by the cruise line.
Our passengers and travel partners have been informed of this decision and our updated intentions to visit more Scandinavian ports as a result of it. “Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been affected by this crisis.”
On May 20, the Celebrity Silhouette is scheduled to arrive in St. Petersburg.
Carnival Corporation has canceled all of its port stops in Russia.
Carnival Corporation is comprised of the cruise lines Carnival, Seabourn, Holland America Line, Princess, P&O Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises Australia, AIDA, and Costa. Carnival Corporation is headquartered in Miami, Florida.
Over the weekend, Chairman Micky Arison issued the following statement through Twitter: “We are now in the process of arranging other routes for our cruise ships before making any more announcements about our future plans.” As arrangements are confirmed, we will notify our guests and travel partners as soon as possible.”
On April 29, the Enchanted Princess, a Princess Cruises ship, will arrive in St Petersburg for the first time. The line has stated that all 24 calls to St. Petersburg will be replaced by calls to other ports, which will vary according on the schedule. These include an overnight in Stockholm, calls to Visby, Sweden, and calls to Gdansk, Poland, among other ports.
Itineraries for six Holland America Line cruises that were slated to visit Russian ports this year have been changed, the company said.
Five sailings that would have otherwise visited St. Petersburg will now call in Baltic ports such as Riga, Latvia; Klaipeda, Lithuania; and Visby, Sweden, according to the company’s announcement. In addition, an overnight stay in Stockholm will be included.
Its trip, which was originally slated to stop in Vladivostok, Russia, will now make a stop in Busan, Korea.
A press statement from the corporation said, “We stand for peace, and our thoughts are with those who are in harm’s path.”
Calls to St. Petersburg are canceled by MSC.
There were four ships from MSC Cruises scheduled to dock in St. Petersburg this year, with the first two — the MSC Preziosa (on May 7) and the MSC Grandiosa (on May 7) — docking as early as May 7.
On February 28, the company declared that it will no longer be include the city in any of its planned itineraries, effective immediately. MSC said that it has been in contact with alternative ports such as Stockholm, Helsinki, and Tallinn, and that it would notify any modifications to schedule alterations to travel advisers and clients as soon as is reasonably practicable.
All port calls to Russia have been canceled by NCLH Brands.
Norwegian Cruise Line said on March 15 that the bulk of its Baltic trips booked onboard Norwegian Getaway will be canceled. The cancellations will effect sailings from June 14 to October 9, 2022.
The Solovetsky Islands, Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, and St. Petersburg, as well as Odessa, Ukraine, will be eliminated from the itinerary of sister-brand Regent Seven Seas Cruises, which will be replaced by other destinations.
It has already been announced that Oceania Cruises would exclude Russian and Ukrainian ports from their 2022 itinerary, as well.
Viking River Cruises has confirmed that itineraries would be changed.
Viking River Cruises has canceled all trips from Kyiv, Ukraine, and Bucharest, Romania, until the year 2022.
Currently, Viking is examining routes that will call at the Russian border in 2022, which would need changes, according to a company statement. Guests and travel advisors will be notified when appropriate modifications are made, according to Viking Customer Relations.
This summer, Atlas Ocean Voyages will skip the port of St Petersburg.
The Atlas Ocean Voyages company will bypass St. Petersburg this summer in favor of other ports in Finland and Estonia.
Because of the upheaval in Eastern Europe, President Alberto Aliberti stated in a statement that the company has altered their itineraries. Customers will appreciate these unusual and seldom visited sites, as well as intensive shore excursions that let them to immerse themselves in the rich cultures and stunning landscapes of the Baltic,” says the company.
For the following itineraries, which leave on August 26, 2022, and for the Kiel-roundtrip itineraries, which depart on September 7, 2022, World Navigator will eliminate stops at St. Petersburg, Russia, and instead call in Kotka and Mariehamn on the Finnish island of Lapland.
Windstar Cruises has canceled all of its port calls in the Black Sea.
Windstar Cruises has canceled two summer itineraries that included port visits in Russia in the Black Sea, and the company will substitute St. Petersburg on its five Baltic cruises with a destination in a different country.
On the trip “Black Sea Sights & Turkish Delights,” the ship stops at the Ukrainian port of Odessa and the Russian port of Sochi. In May and September, these port calls will be replaced with port visits in Greece and Turkey.
Changes in port for Azamara Journey, as well as the deployment of Azamara Onward to the Caribbean
Beginning in June 2022, Azamara will no longer call at any of the ports in Ukraine and Russia on its forthcoming Azamara Journey sailings.
Azamara has canceled voyages on its newest ship, the Azamara Onward, to Turkey, Israel, Egypt, and the Mediterranean from November 2022 to March 2023. The cruise line previously announced the cancellations. Instead, the ship will go on a series of voyages across the Caribbean.
Other cruise lines that call at Russian ports continue to keep an eye on the situation.
After contacting other cruise lines with ships slated to stop into Russian ports this summer, Cruise Critic got the following responses:…
“We are currently considering the implications of the new events on our Baltic voyages later this year,” a representative for Saga Cruises said in a statement. Saga Cruises had already postponed a planned visit to the Black Sea port of Odessa on a trip aboard Spirit of Adventure.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and, if required, make any changes to our itineraries to ensure that our visitors have the best possible experience.”
Hurtigruten Expeditions: The line has one itinerary scheduled on the MS Spitsbergen, which is scheduled to call at Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, and the archipelago of Solovki in the White Sea. Hurtigruten Expeditions: The line has one itinerary scheduled on the MS Spitsbergen, which is scheduled to call at Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, and the archipelago of Solovki in the White Sea.
“We are attentively monitoring the tragic events and will examine alternate options,” a spokeswoman said.
Message Boards on Cruise Critic are full with discussion on the conflict.
Numerous posts have been started on the Cruise Critic Message Boards regarding the current issue, which has affected Celebrity Cruises, HAL and NCL among other cruise lines and lines.
Besides that, there is a broader concern over the well-being of the crewmembers, many of whom are from Ukraine and Russia.
As more information becomes available, we will update this article accordingly.
