Cruise_Context

Israeli citizens get full refunds ... (this banner only shows on the NCL Israel site. Link in header shown below)

(Piraeus/Athens Port Authority Cruise Terminal) https://www.olp.gr/en/services/cruise-terminal The calendar updated October 10 is a PDF here: https://www.olp.gr/en/services/cruise-terminal/item/download/13194_45bd47ed1d67095acdc1738108c42c3d Note that Piraeus/Athens now shows the Epic arriving there Monday November 20. This is about as strong a hint as we can discover at the moment. Whether it's NCL's actual plan or backup plan to disembark there instead of Haifa, I can't say for certain, but I'm starting to check flights home from Athens just in case.

Travel.state.gov is the US Government site that guides some of the decisions and timing of cruise line itinerary changes, hence the lack of announcement regarding changes to most itineraries for November. The levels are: 1. Exercise normal precautions 2. Exercise increased caution 3. Reconsider travel 4. Do not travel For your situational awareness, while many on here are mentally and emotionally at level 4+, in actuality the US has Israel listed currently at level 2 (same as it was before the current conflict), except for Gaza, which is clearly a 4, pasted here:

I don't disagree with the desire to know what's what. To actually know what the cruise line is thinking and the process they are going through would help a lot towards calming nerves, but as you have stated, that's not what typically happens. *sigh* My point is single in that until NCL officially announces what they're doing about our disembarkation port (currently Haifa), there's nothing we can do about planning our trip home unless you want to purchase a refundable ticket from all possible destinations - Rome, Athens, Istanbul, Cyprus, etc, to cover all bases. They may cancel the entire trip or change the itinerary, but until they do (which may be unfortunately a wait and see on their part too), we are all pretty much stuck. Reading posts about what someone who heard from someone else who posted on another thread (etc) said is raising anxiety of those who just want to hear real honest to goodness actual facts so that they can respond appropriately... and those actual facts will only come from an official cruise line announcement whenever they choose to do so. The best planning we can do right now is to keep calm, consider scenarios (and mine or yours may respectfully differ from anyone else's) and carry on knowing that no amount of angst will change the outcome. Once the official announcement is made, we absolutely do want to have any tips, advice, and assistance that the well seasoned travelers in this forum can offer. Cheers and be safe.

... well, while it may seem like several years, that's a false statement (please see attached official letter). RCCL and Celebrity (for example) cruised to Russia until spring 2022 (which was last year). Notifications for the summer sailings were sent out on Feb 24, 2022

Until NCL stops selling the cruises from Haifa (which they are still selling - check for yourself), everything else is either opinion, gossip, or misinformation from someone who is making an assumption. NCL has not yet issued any official statement on itinerary changes for November cruises to/from Israel on the Epic, Gem, or Dawn.