The Middle East conflict and your cruise holiday:

Unless your cruising directly to, or out of, the Middle East, all cruise lines are still operating normally up until this point.

Even cruises is nearby destinations such as parts of Europe are still operating normally until now, refer to your cruise line to make sure you stay updated on any changes.

So far, the only cruises that have been cancelled have been those that operate directly out of the Middle East, no cruise line has cancelled operations out of Europe or other destinations until now. 

As mentioned, cruise lines that operate in the Middle East, such as MSC Cruises and Celestyal Cruises have cancelled cruises over the short term, and will continue updating guests.

If you have a cruise planned over the next few weeks or months, particularly if you need to fly through the Middle East, you have a couple of options. 

The first is to sit tight for a short period and see how events play out. If your travel is still more than a month away, you have a bit of time to see if things could have returned to normal by then.

If your travel is more imminent, refer to the latest correspondence from your cruise line and airline; if they haven’t got in touch, contact them. 

If your cruise is in Europe and you have a flight booked through the Middle East, you can look at organising an alternative flight route to arrive, and up until this moment, European cruises are still operating as scheduled.

You should try to get in touch with your cruise line, for example, Princess has communicated that it will get in direct touch with those affected by air travel disruptions.

“Air travel disruptions in the region are affecting a very limited number of guests on specific itineraries. For those few cases, Princess is speaking directly with guests and travel advisors to arrange alternate travel options.”

If you do have a cruise that gets cancelled due to the conflict, your cruise line should be entitled to offer you a refund. Cruise lines will often offer a future cruise credit, generally worth more than 100% of your current cruise fare, which you can also opt to take.

At this point, too little is known about how long the conflict will last and what states could get involved to make an informed assessment. A possible short-term consequence could be heightened prices due to rising fuel prices.

River cruise lines are still operating as normal in Egypt.

For example, Viking said: “We are aware of the current developments involving Iran and are monitoring the situation closely. At this time, there is no significant impact to Viking’s operations, itineraries or guest travel plans.

“The safety and security of our guests and crew is always our highest priority. If conditions change, we are fully prepared to respond swiftly and appropriately. Should any travel modifications become necessary, impacted guests and their Travel Advisors will be contacted directly by Viking Customer Relations.“

Uniworld has also released an advisory for travel to Jordan and Egypt.

“Due to recent military activity in Iran, air space over Jordan is temporarily closed, potentially impacting flights for guests booked on the 2nd March Jordan pre-cruise extension. To check the status of your flight, please contact the airline.

“For guests who are currently in Amman, or have not experienced flight cancellations, we will operate the Jordan extension as usual. Tours in Jordan are operating as normal.

“Guests who rebook their flights to arrive in Cairo for the start of our 7th March Egypt program should advise us as soon as possible so that we can assist with an arrival transfer from the Cairo airport to the hotel.

“Please note that our Splendors of Egypt & the Nile program will operate as usual. Our team in Egypt is standing by to welcome our guests to Cairo on 7th March. No changes to the program are expected for the group that is currently there, nor for our upcoming departures.”

Yes. There are six cruise ships currently in the Middle East, staying put and awaiting further instruction.

These include ships from Celestyal Cruises, MSC Cruises and TUI Cruises. 

Smart Traveller recommends that Australians do not visit Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, the UAE and Yemen for the time being.

It also recommends reconsidering the need to travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

An Aviation expert told the ABC that it would likely be at least a few weeks until normal flights in and out of the region.

Trump has said he believes the war could take at least a month. At this point, no one can really be sure, but most affected airlines will post daily updates on whether flights may resume.

Get in contact with your insurer as soon as possible. Many are offering free extensions to those affected by the disruptions. Or others may cover for travel disruptions. The best thing you can do in this instance is contact your insurer, and if they won’t cover you, look into other insurers that will cover even though you’re already overseas.

The vast majority of travel insurance policies have an exclusion for acts of war, meaning that you are unlikely to be covered if your travel has been disrupted due to the conflict.

However, the Insurance Council of Australia encourages Australians to submit their claims even if they are unsure of their coverage. Other claims that don’t relate directly to disruptions, such as medical claims, can still be covered. 

If, regardless of how the situation advances, you don’t feel comfortable travelling in the short term, make sure not to cancel your flight. If you cancel your flight, you generally won’t receive a refund, but if the airline has to cancel, you might.

You are unlikely to receive a refund for your cruise, but you can stop your payments or contact your cruise line and see if they would offer a future cruise credit.

To make sure that you can make an informed choice about your travel, check the Smart Traveller page for each country that you are planning on visiting, check for any updates from the cruise line and airline and read the latest news on the situation. 

If you want advice particular to your travel situation, you could also speak with a cruise agent and get advice.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has already opened a 24/7 Crisis Centre which provides consular support to Australians in the Middle East. If you are in Israel, Iran, Qatar or the USA, you can register with DFAT now.

Other ways to get to Europe that don’t involve a Middle East stop include
– Flying through Shanghai (with China Eastern)
– Flying through Singapore (with Qantas, Scoot or Singapore Airlines)
– Flying through Vietnam (with Vietnam Airlines)
– Flying through South Korea (with Korean Air)
– Flying direct from Perth to London or Paris (Qantas)

While the majority of flights are running, in general, if you’re travelling, don’t be surprised by disruptions over the coming weeks.

Delays and cancellations have spread across other parts of Asia, across Europe and more. Even flights that don’t involve any stops in the Middle East can be delayed due to the knock-on effect of other cancellations and delays.