Has Middle East Situation put you off

Travel to any Princess cruises near that area including Suez Canal.

I am asking on general cruise area and on this general Princess site ?

I have booked a fabulous cruise next year on Emerald Princess but some of my regular CC faces are not as brave as I..;)

I am glad we did that area a couple of years ago, but wouldn't book now. You are booked for next year, things might improve before then. If I was in your shoes I would "wait and see". I hope you get there it is an amazing experience.

We just booked a cruise in 2016 for the same area on a different cruise line.

We just booked a cruise in 2016 for the same area on a different cruise line.

Good for you:)

I am certain if there were going to be problems they would change the route.

Princess may have already made arrangements for The Emerald to be in the Australian area for their summer so will need the ship to go there anyway.

Hi Kruisey,

I am taking a cruise next year around that area (Dubai to Venice) and I am excited about it, not worried. If you let terrorists get to you then they won! I won't change my plans unless the cruise is cancelled. I love traveling too much to let fear dictate my choices...

I visited Dubai for the first time in December. I felt safer there than when we went to Miami (Ft Lauderdale) for our Caribbean cruises!

Hi Kruisey,

 

I am taking a cruise next year around that area (Dubai to Venice) and I am excited about it, not worried. If you let terrorists get to you then they won! I won't change my plans unless the cruise is cancelled. I love traveling too much to let fear dictate my choices...

Have already put down two payments that is how interested I am in taking this cruise.I get bored with the same old same old.My great Great Grandfather worked his way up from cabin boy to captain and sailed many times on USA and Canadian ships in 1800's from North America to Liverpool and beyond.One ship went down but he survived and joined other ships.He met my Great Great Grandmother in Liverpool.So there is a strong North American British connection there.I think thats why I love the sea and visiting many ports...Heather:D

We sailed from Athens to Mumbai this past October with stops in Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Oman. We didn't feel in jeopardy at any time. However, we had a lot of security with us at our stops in Egypt. We also had a large complement of armed security on the ship from before we entered the Suez Canal until we arrived in Oman. I'm not so sure that we would do the same trip now with the situation as it is in Yemen. The Bab-el-Mandeb strait where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden is less than 20 miles wide and we sailed for quite some time very close to the coast of Yemen, close enough that we could make out people on the shoreline. I'm very glad we made the trip when we did as the sights we saw were incredible.

On our way home we spent a couple of nights in Dubai. It is also an incredible place and well worth a visit. There we never felt uncomfortable at all.

Not on my to do list.

For U.S. Residents go sign up for the S.T.E.P. program. You will be kept up to date with areas considered hazardous to American Citizens. Google is your friend for this. I have been a member for 4 years. When things get hot somewhere you will get an email that says what the current status is and what you should do or should avoid.

Travel to any Princess cruises near that area including Suez Canal.

I am asking on general cruise area and on this general Princess site ?

I have booked a fabulous cruise next year on Emerald Princess but some of my regular CC faces are not as brave as I..;)

When you go through the Suez Canal, the Gulf of Suez and into the Red Sea the ship will be part of a convoy protected by the Egyptian navy.

There will be no passengers outside (including on balconies) from dusk to dawn. All windows will have curtains drawn. Places like the gym will be closed at dusk so their lights can be turned off. There will be spotters port and starboard in addition to the usual close watch of fore and aft. There will also be security precautions that will not be obvious to passengers.

There will likely be a meeting or a drill of what to do in the remote chance that a security problem would develop.

When you go through the Suez Canal, the Gulf of Suez and into the Red Sea the ship will be part of a convoy protected by the Egyptian navy.

 

There will be no passengers outside (including on balconies) from dusk to dawn. All windows will have curtains drawn. Places like the gym will be closed at dusk so their lights can be turned off. There will be spotters port and starboard in addition to the usual close watch of fore and aft. There will also be security precautions that will not be obvious to passengers.

 

There will likely be a meeting or a drill of what to do in the remote chance that a security problem would develop.

In the daylight can we still look through a window? Or do the curtains have to be drawn then also?

Please don't flame me but IMHO I think those poor people who were gunned down at the museum in Tunis didn't start out there day worried about their security. Unfortunately as Westerners we are targets for the terrorists. And no you don't want them to win but I also don't want to put myself in harms way.

My wife is also VERY WORRIED as we are booked on an Athens to Dubai cruise on Azamara this fall.

I'm wondering if war escalates with the Saudis bombing YEMEN if the cruise lines will cancel cruises passing Yemen. Although its the only way to get ships into the Indian Ocean from Europe.

I too am a bit concerned but like they say, when it's your time, it's your time and you can't let terrorism win by changing our lives.

Don't feel silly if you are nervous, as this is one of the world's hottest spots at the moment.

Sunviking, that sounds like quite a trip. I hope one day that things are better in Egypt to see the pyramids. I think about all the people who live in these areas. We are afraid to even sail by them.

We have booked a cruise for 2016 that stops in Israel. Hoping that the cruise line doesn't cancel the stops.

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Sunviking, that sounds like quite a trip. I hope one day that things are better in Egypt to see the pyramids. I think about all the people who live in these areas. We are afraid to even sail by them.

It was an incredible trip which afforded us the opportunity to see so many things on our list. We ended in Mumbai but flew from there to Delhi and spent 3 days visiting Agra and the Taj Mahal. It was a trip of a lifetime indeed!

We also think about the people who live in those areas and how terrible it is for them. In Luxor in Egypt there were hundreds of river cruise boats tied up along the shore of the Nile just rotting and rusting away because tourism has all but dried up. A ticket taker in the Valley of the Kings told us it was the first week he had worked in 4 years. Our guide for the two days we were there was a PhD from Cairo and he told us that the Arab Spring turned out to be more of a terrible winter for the country because of the awful effect it had on their principle industry, tourism. We only hope that things stabilize there so that the many hard-working people who just want to live their lives and take care of their families can do so.

I think it is a matter of your comfort level. People say they don't want terrorists to win by changing their itineraries yet very few are going to Yemen or Syria right niw no matter how interesting they think it may be or how beautiful.

We sailed from Athens to Mumbai this past October with stops in Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Oman. We didn't feel in jeopardy at any time. However, we had a lot of security with us at our stops in Egypt. We also had a large complement of armed security on the ship from before we entered the Suez Canal until we arrived in Oman. I'm not so sure that we would do the same trip now with the situation as it is in Yemen. The Bab-el-Mandeb strait where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden is less than 20 miles wide and we sailed for quite some time very close to the coast of Yemen, close enough that we could make out people on the shoreline. I'm very glad we made the trip when we did as the sights we saw were incredible. On our way home we spent a couple of nights in Dubai. It is also an incredible place and well worth a visit. There we never felt uncomfortable at all.

Appreciate the above and other interesting comments, details, etc. We would love to see so much about Egypt, Jordan, Israel, etc. BUT, now is not the right time. Sadly. We had planned on a Mombasa, Kenya to Cape Town cruise late last month, but we shifted to the Amazon River/Caribbean. Looking for early 2016 to do South Africa and Botswana. Our view is that Kenya has its serious "issues" right now, too. Did not realize that the Bab-el-Mandeb strait is only 20 miles wide. That is too, too close for comfort given what is happening. Not sure having an Egypt naval escort makes me feel that much safer.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 105,142 views for this posting.

For me the Middle East is not one big homogenous lump with the same risks throughout it anymore than Rurope is.

So to answer the original question, there are parts of the Middle East that I would not hesitate to visit and those I will not. I would not visit Yemen or Syria because of the issues there. I. Not keen on the idea of Saudi Arabaia or Iran or Iraq. I would not hesitate to return to Oman or UAE any time, both are safer than the UK or US. I'd consider Bahrain or Qatar.

Neither London, Madrid, New York are in the Middle East. They have all suffered from terrorist attacks. Who knows which place will be next. Only safe places are probably very isolated places with low populations but then there may be natural disasters.

I only avoid places where the situation is such that it is unwise to go and strongly recommended by FCO not to travel because of security, war or severe unrest. I don't just avoid an entire region just because there are issues in some parts of it.

I think it is a matter of your comfort level. People say they don't want terrorists to win by changing their itineraries yet very few are going to Yemen or Syria right niw no matter how interesting they think it may be or how beautiful.

I don't believe anyone is recommending travel to Yemen or Syria. But you do understand the difference between avoiding travel to a war zone and avoiding travel to somewhere such as Italy or Turkey (per your earlier posts)?

I know no one is recommending travel to a war zone. My point was that in certain things, terrorists do influence plans. There are some people who really wanted to go to Yemen but woukd not go now.

I know no one is recommending travel to a war zone. My point was that in certain things, terrorists do influence plans. There are some people who really wanted to go to Yemen but woukd not go now.

Agreed but this is because there is a full out battle raging and the Saudis bombing the rebels.

Terrorism can be anywhere in the World and I think it is difficult to predict where that might be next. It could even be at home.

I do get that for some people entire continents will come off their travel plans, rather than a specific country because of the fear of terrorism. I'm not one of them though. I'm not a risk taker though, I take only very calculated risks based on research. However who knows when my time will come. Gas boiler might blow up tomorrow. Pilot may deliberately crash the plane on my next commute to London.

I think each person is entitled to do whatever makes them most comfortable. It is true that things can happen anywhere and everyone knows that but this is a vacation and the object of a vacation is to enjoy so if a person feels uncomfortable, then they go to where they feel comfortable. It is not a statement against the citizens of a country. I don't feel comfortable in the Caribbean, most large cities, but I like natural as well as historical places. Others love the Caribbean and large cities. I would never feel safe on any zipline. Others love them. Neither one is right or wrong. It is personal preference. I do think different places have different risks of terrorism. It is more likely in the Middle East than Iceland.

In the daylight can we still look through a window? Or do the curtains have to be drawn then also?

It's actually not quite as dramatic as that post describes :) There are multiple posters who are on HAL's current world cruise, & they've posted photos on their Facebook accounts as they traveled past Yemen, yes, there's enhanced security (mainly because of concerns about pirates) but no one is hidden away in there cabin or forbidden to be on deck, exceptwhen they do the security drill....

If you read the blogs, they were out on the decks, & on their balconies during the transit.

Here are links to a couple of the threads, very enjoyable & educational reading!

posts where they are in the middle east are on the last few pages:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2140836

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2140993

This poster mainly does photos:

http://amazingvoyages2.blogspot.com