Because of growing unrest in the Mediterranean, some cruise companies have made the decision to reduce the number of Mediterranean cruise holidays that are offered in the region. News of the moves were reported recently in Travel Weekly. The account was reported on July 24, 2016.
For example, Celebrity Cruises will keep its cruise ship, the Celebrity Equinox, in Miami, Florida in Spring 2017 after the ship finishes its winter cruise itinerary. The ship will not return to the Mediterranean at that time, where it will schedule cruises out of Barcelona and Athens this summer.
The announced move will reduce the number of Celebrity vessels from five ships to four, and enable the cruise company to utilize a year-round ship in the Caribbean area for the first time in seven years. Other companies also are planning to move ships out of the Mediterranean region and into the Caribbean.
For instance, Carnival Corporation is reducing its capacity by 10% in the Mediterranean in 2017 and increasing it by 5% in the Caribbean. The decisions for the moves were made after a failed coup attempt in Turkey and a terrorist attack in Nice, France, which is the third major attack on French soil in the past nine months.
The Travel Weekly report added that Carnival Cruise Line has already replaced calls from the line’s Vista vessel in Kusadasi, Turkey with sea days on July 17 and July 20. However, the report also indicated that client cruise demand is still healthy in Europe, with Mediterranean cruise holidays still highlighted on cruise itineraries.
Most of the cruise lines, according to Travel Weekly, have reportedly suspended calls in Turkey. The moves were made after Istanbul experienced a number of terrorist attacks earlier in the year. Prices are also reportedly lower for travel in Europe, as the prices for cruises in the southern part of Europe dropped in June after an increase in May.
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