Questions about dangerous ports

With the recent actions in the Gaza Strip and Israel, several questions have come up. We are booked on the October 12 cruise to the Holy Lands, and wonder what happens if there are rockets being fired into Israel? When will we know if the cruise will be cancelled or what ports will be substituted for the ports of Ashdod and Haifa?

We don't want to cancel our entire cruise due to two ports, but when will we know if there are changes to the scheduled itinerary?

Pat & Bernadette

Dallas

We were on Quest in 2011 and rockets were fired over the Gaza Strip the night we were to dock the next morning in Ashdod. We diverted to Haifa, as did Celebrity, HAL and other ships.

All of the ships tours were canceled that day but we had private plans and our tour guide emailed us at about 1:00am that she was coming to Haifa to pick us up. It was a long drive and day tour to Jerusalem.

So, we stayed multiple nights in Haifa instead of Ashdod.

We were on Quest in 2011 and rockets were fired over the Gaza Strip the night we were to dock the next morning in Ashdod. We diverted to Haifa, as did Celebrity, HAL and other ships.

 

All of the ships tours were canceled that day but we had private plans and our tour guide emailed us at about 1:00am that she was coming to Haifa to pick us up. It was a long drive and day tour to Jerusalem.

 

So, we stayed multiple nights in Haifa instead of Ashdod.

As rockets are now coming into Israel from Lebanon, I would think Haifa as dangerous as Ashdod, for travelers. Push on to Cyprus, perhaps?

October is 3 months off - hopefully peace comes in the very near future and your concerns will evaporate.

I am booked as well and trust the cruise line will not place passengers in jeopardy. That said, it would be nice to know whether to plan tours in alternate stops.

Israel was the main draw for this itinerary, but I look forward to cruising the Med again.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

With the recent actions in the Gaza Strip and Israel, several questions have come up. We are booked on the October 12 cruise to the Holy Lands, and wonder what happens if there are rockets being fired into Israel? When will we know if the cruise will be cancelled or what ports will be substituted for the ports of Ashdod and Haifa?

 

We don't want to cancel our entire cruise due to two ports, but when will we know if there are changes to the scheduled itinerary?

 

Pat & Bernadette

Dallas

Hi Pat & Bernadette,

I'm all but certain your sailing will not be cancelled. It's not in Azamara's best interests to have an empty ship sitting at a pier. If the unrest continues, Azamara will almost certainly substitute ports. As for the timing as to when changes will be announced ? That's anyone's guess.

Always keep in mind, that Azamara will do everything in their power to keep you out of harms way, so I hope this comforts you in making your decision. If you have further questions, feel free to ask, or email me. Enjoy your cruise !

As rockets are now coming into Israel from Lebanon, I would think Haifa as dangerous as Ashdod, for travelers. Push on to Cyprus, perhaps?

October is 3 months off - hopefully peace comes in the very near future and your concerns will evaporate.

I do not think the rockets have the range YET to hit Haifa.

I am booked on a trip to Israel in October. Tour company sent us email extending the usual 95 days cancellation policy to 45 days before departure. We were also told that if it not safe to travel to Israel, the tour will be cancelled and all money paid will be refunded. With a policy like that, we would not cancel. If the present situation in Israel continues into October, no cruise ship or tour company will be taking guests there. In past conflicts, they seldom last very long. If you are nervous about waiting, then cancel your cruise.

As rockets are now coming into Israel from Lebanon, I would think Haifa as dangerous as Ashdod, for travelers. Push on to Cyprus, perhaps?

October is 3 months off - hopefully peace comes in the very near future and your concerns will evaporate.

When this happened to us in 2011, Turkey was the substitute for Egypt and I believe an extra night in Israel was added. Our itinerary already included Cyprus which was beautiful.

All of us are extremely concerned about what's happening in the Middle East. We are closely monitoring the situation.

Our ships are not scheduled to visit any ports in Israel until the Quest’s October 14, 2014, Journey of St Paul.

While at this time we are not changing our ports of call to Israel, we will continue to monitor the situation and will contact guests or their travel agents a.s.a.p. should we need to make any modifications to upcoming itineraries.

The safety and security of our guests and crew members are always our highest priority.

All of us are extremely concerned about what's happening in the Middle East. We are closely monitoring the situation.

Our ships are not scheduled to visit any ports in Israel until the Quest’s October 14, 2014, Journey of St Paul.

While at this time we are not changing our ports of call to Israel, we will continue to monitor the situation and will contact guests or their travel agents a.s.a.p. should we need to make any modifications to upcoming itineraries.

The safety and security of our guests and crew members are always our highest priority.

Bonnie,

Thanks so very much with calming our concerns. I know that it seems silly to think that any cruise company would endanger their guests, but with 24/7 news, it is to be expected (especially when friends and family saying that we're crazy to go in the first place!!).

Also may I AGAIN say how much that I KEEP getting impressed with Azamara!!! I mean WHO has ANYONE who actually follows a blog?? Thank you so very very much for the reassuring words AND for following the CC boards!!

Pat and Bernadette

P.S. STILL can't wait for our first Azamara cruise.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

All of us are extremely concerned about what's happening in the Middle East. We are closely monitoring the situation.

Our ships are not scheduled to visit any ports in Israel until the Quest’s October 14, 2014, Journey of St Paul.

While at this time we are not changing our ports of call to Israel, we will continue to monitor the situation and will contact guests or their travel agents a.s.a.p. should we need to make any modifications to upcoming itineraries.

The safety and security of our guests and crew members are always our highest priority.

Dear Bonnie,

We, too, are booked on this cruise and appreciate Azamara's caution and your attention to our concerns. We will be following your blog for future updates.

Thank you,

Susan and Mark

As rockets are now coming into Israel from Lebanon, I would think Haifa as dangerous as Ashdod, for travelers. Push on to Cyprus, perhaps?

October is 3 months off - hopefully peace comes in the very near future and your concerns will evaporate.

Rockets are not coming in from Lebanon they are coming from Gaza where Hamas infiltrates the population.

Rockets are not coming in from Lebanon they are coming from Gaza where Hamas infiltrates the population.

Trend, I did check the facts.

This, from Al Arabiya News, 13 July 2014: "Initial reports indicate that at least two rockets fired from Lebanon hit open areas north of Nahariya."

The quote is from Israeli military. Nahariya is the most northern town on the coast of Israel, just up from Haifa.

I continue to fervently hope for peace in this region.

Teri