Nautica cancelled Israel ports

[uschisiggi]

good to know:

we just got a message from friends of us, being aboard Nautica from Istanbul to Dubai. Nautica has cancelled Israel ports of Haifa and Ashdod, and now will visit Athens, Mykonos, Rhodos and Cyprus.

 

uschisiggi

[aohkay]

I should hope so!

[findacruise]

Thankful we did that area last November/December. Our port in Ashdod was canceled and we spent 3 days in Haifa. I just saw on the news that a rocket was fired at Tel Aviv. Very unsettled, for sure. Thinking about everyone aboard Nautica.

[KirkNC]

good to know:

we just got a message from friends of us, being aboard Nautica from Istanbul to Dubai. Nautica has cancelled Israel ports of Haifa and Ashdod, and now will visit Athens, Mykonos, Rhodos and Cyprus.

 

uschisiggi

 

Not surprising, hope you enjoy your new ports.

[spindrift]

Been in all the ports (on Silver Seas). GREAT change. You will love the ports O has given you--much much better than the original ones. Be happy. Sorry for the war there, but the ports are much better. Have a great trip.

[JimandStan]

Been in all the ports (on Silver Seas). GREAT change. You will love the ports O has given you--much much better than the original ones. Be happy. Sorry for the war there, but the ports are much better. Have a great trip.

 

This has been going on forever.

If you want to tp know how common these changes are (and have ALWAYS BEEN) simply Google "Caronia Timeine".

R.M.S. Caronia was the World's first full time luxury cruise ship, launched by Princess Elizabeth in 1949, before she was the Queen. Caronia cruised full time out of NY (in order to garner Yankee dollars to wartorn Britain's coffers) and you'll be stunned to read how often Caronia's cruises to the Middle East were altered throughout her (nearly) thirty years of service-

[Paulchili]

Been in all the ports (on Silver Seas). GREAT change. You will love the ports O has given you--much much better than the original ones. Be happy. Sorry for the war there, but the ports are much better. Have a great trip.

 

It's a rather personal point of view, wouldn't you agree? :confused:

Many people on this cruise chose it b/o Israel and not Athens, Mykonos, etc.

While I agree that this is the safe thing to do, I wouldn't think most people on this cruise, myself included, would agree with you that these are better ports than the original ones :)

[potterhill]

We spent three days in Israel in Sept '11 on Marina. I was hesitant to travel there in the past but wouldn't hesitate to go independently in the future. We loved Israel. Assuming, of course, that the rockets are grounded.

 

I feel badly for those whose stops have been cancelled. I hope they get to return in better times as it was wonderful. Rhodes is interesting, but can't hold a candle to Israel.

 

It would be so wonderful to have lasting peace in the Middle East.

 

Mo

[wripro]

Paul,

 

I completely agree. I bet many people chose this itinerary because of the Israeli ports. Mykonos is hardly a substitute for Jerusalem. Not that they had a choice. Still, it must be very disappointing and come under the heading of bad timing.

[globevest]

We have a Rivieria cruise booked for next Aug with Israel our main focus of the itinerary. We will be watching the situation as the final payment date gets close.

[pacheco18]

Paul,

 

I completely agree. I bet many people chose this itinerary because of the Israeli ports. Mykonos is hardly a substitute for Jerusalem. Not that they had a choice. Still, it must be very disappointing and come under the heading of bad timing.

 

Agree as well. Greece -- been there done that too many times. We are on the Nautica in May (Dubai to Rome) and one of the reasons we booked the itinerary was the chance to visit Israel. I am hoping that things settle down by then. If they have to change ports, I hope they don't take me to Mykonos and Athens!!!

[aqua]

I realized something when we visited Israel on a cruise last year; I should not take a cruise if visiting a specific port is critical to enjoying the vacation. Rocket fire forced our ship to change course at 11:00 PM the night before we were to dock in Ashdod. We were lucky because we were able to divert to Haifa. As we disembarked, I met a fellow passenger who had been on 3 cruises with scheduled stops in Israel. Our visit was the first time she had actually stepped foot on Israeli soil. My family and I would have been devastated had we missed going there. I know in my head that political, weather and sea conditions can force port cancellations and I need to enjoy where ever the ship sails. But it is hard to tell my heart that!

[Going Coastal]

When we were on Riviera in July we were part of a small group that made a tour of Jaffa and Tel Aviv. While it was very hot, we are now glad we didn't wait. Egypt and Israel were important stops on this itinerary, but we would have understood if they had ben cancelled for safety reasons, as Tunis was before we sailed.

Travel safe,

GC

[Printer1]

We just got back on Thursday from cruising on the Nautica and were able to visit Israel for the two expected days. One port of call was cancelled in Egypt due to the organizing of a protest the second day, but the Destinations people on the ship did a great job of switching port excursions so all who wished could get to Cairo and see the pyramids on the first day in port, and spent the second "at sea".

 

We knew in advance that there would be a potential for changes to the itinerary due to the volatility of the region, and we were very pleased to be able to visit the destinations we had longed to see.

[ksps cruise fan]

We spent three days in Israel in Sept '11 on Marina. I was hesitant to travel there in the past but wouldn't hesitate to go independently in the future. We loved Israel. Assuming, of course, that the rockets are grounded.

 

Over a fifteen-year period, my husband and/or I have planned five land trips to Israel, only three of which we've actually taken. We have cancelled two trips when armed hostilities seemed imminent. On our last trip, started when no hostilities seemed imminent, we were visiting Masada when we learned that rockets being fired on southern Israeli communities. We were always scheduled to head north at the end of the day, and we did so. In Tel Aviv we took our cue from the residents. Everyone went about his/her business very purposefully since the expectation that rockets could reach Jerusalem and Tel Aviv was very, very low. Although the rockets were flying the last four days of our trip, we were never frightened and our daily plans were not affected in any way. Now, the situation seems demonstrably different. People in those two cities are hearing warning sirens and heading for shelters.

 

If someone truly wants to visit Israel, I'd recommend a land vacation over a cruise since that puts you more in control of your movements. Assuming you have flexibility over your travel dates, you can more quickly work up a land trip if the politics in the region seem to be in a safe period.