Overview
- Six cruise ships that were stuck in Gulf ports have now transited the Strait of Hormuz and are preparing to carry passengers within weeks.
- Celestyal Discovery established the safe passage in coordination with regional maritime authorities, and Celestyal Journey then led a wider convoy of cruise vessels through the same route.
- All ships hugged the Omani coastline through the strait to keep as much distance as possible from Iranian waters, reflecting a safety-first navigation plan.
- Most vessels are routing around the Cape of Good Hope to return to Europe for May sailings, while Saudi-owned Aroya Menara is heading to Jeddah along the Arabian peninsula.
- Operators confirmed earlier evacuations left only essential crew on board and said cancellations cost tens of millions of pounds, with CruiseMapper tracking data corroborating the departures and with MSC and TUI planning to run their Northern Europe seasons as scheduled.