Conflict in the Middle East is beginning to affect cruise travel logistics rather than cruise operations themselves, with agents reporting flight disruptions, softer demand and slower booking momentum, despite most sailings continuing as scheduled.
“Recent developments in the Middle East have resulted in significant changes. These challenges have led cruise operators to suspend itineraries in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia,” said Sharika Maniram-Daintree, Sales and Marketing Manager of XL Sandown Travel. However, cruise itineraries in other destinations are operating as normal.
Managing cancellations
While cruises continue to operate normal schedules outside the Middle East, some travellers have missed departures due to flight delays and cancellations.
“Cruises are operating as normal with the exception of the affected geographical areas. In fact, since instability in that region in recent years, the cruise lines we represent re-worked all their itineraries and generally avoid that area,” said Gaynor Neill, CEO of Cruise Vacations.
Neill said they were receiving requests to waive cruise cancellation penalties for passengers whose flights had been affected. “I think that flight re-routings are proving to be costly and long. Unfortunately, while we are hugely empathetic, we are unable to affect cancellation penalties, especially if the cruises are operating,” said Neill.
Charmaine Lawrenson of Dream Destination said compensation typically applied only when cruise lines cancelled sailings.
“If clients want to cancel, then it's not the cruise line's problem. So far in Europe nothing has been cancelled or changed so if a client really wants to go, there are other airlines or they take the risk and lose their deposit because the cruise line is not cancelling,” said Lawrenson.
Maniram-Daintree added that passengers affected by flight disruptions must provide same-day proof of cancellation.
“Passengers affected by flight cancellations preventing them from reaching the port are required to provide same-day proof of cancellation. Requests for free cancellations after the ship has departed were declined.”
She said if guests cancelled before departure the booking was cancelled and refunded with no penalty charges, but in the event of a no-show then 100% penalty charges applied and the guest received no refund.
Dip in bookings
Due to overall concern, Neill said they had noticed that future bookings had slowed down considerably in the past few weeks, while Lawrenson reported no new bookings recently. “With open quotes, nobody is actually booking or committing right now. I have not had new cruise bookings in the last three weeks and quotes prior to the war are also waiting,” said Lawrenson.
She said clients were showing concern for the upcoming European cruising season. “The longer the war is going on the more uncertain clients are becoming. This is a big worry as the European cruising season is getting closer. I've had people cancel Istanbul departures because they feel that Istanbul is near the region, even though there have been no issues,” said Lawrenson.
However, Maniram-Daintree said overall demand had remained stable. “Many of our regular clients continue to show interest in short Indian Ocean cruises while others are considering European sailings later in the year.”
