Egypt...Should we?

[SailingSparty]

We decided to overlook the largely negative reviews from Americans and book an 11 night Eastern Mediterranean aboard the Costa Pacifica embarking Rome on November 11, 2013.

This decision was made solely because we really liked the itinerary, which is scheduled to include stops in Ashdod, Port Said, and Alexandria. Given the recent unrest in Egypt and the Middle East (combined with the fact we chose this ship only because of these ports) should we cancel? That is, what do you feel are the chances the Costa will actually dock in Israel and Egypt?

Thanks in advance for the feedback.

[AnonymousCruiser69]

i would have cancelled already. egypt has some wonderful sites. unfortunately, the situation is so unstable now, and for the foreseeable future, it is too much of a gamble. if there is ANY unrest, the ship will not stop.

are you still able to cancel without penalty? if so, cancel NOW. the pyramids have been there for a VERY long time. hopefully the country will settle down at some point in the future.

[LouisRoederer]

I have been to Egypt twice but would not be going now thats for sure ! Too risky and the situation can change in a matter of hours.

[AmoMondo]

If it's considered safe for Costa to call at those ports they will and if it's not won't. It's to predict what will happen next month, never mind later in the year.

If you're happy to take the risk of ports being switched then fine but sounds like you aren't. You could wait up until the period just before you can cancel without penalty and monitor the situation. However even if it were to remain stable for the next 8 months, that's still no guarantee that trouble won't flare up in November. Nothing is ever certain when it comes to ports of call, but perhaps if you wait until there has been a prolonged period, without any incidents that would minimmise the risk of a late port cancellation. Nothing you can do to avoid the risk of adverse weather, natural disasters or ship engine troubles impacting an itinerary. As Oscar Wilde says then only things in life that are certain are death and taxes!

[Capricruiser]

Totally agree with AmoMondo. Passenger security is paramount. If the day before your scheduled arrival a riot at or near the port or a missle fired will automatically cause the captain to cancel the port call. There will be a lot of disappointed passengers but the Middle East is always somewhat risky.

[chrispb]

Too soon to cancel. Egypt needs tourists so hopefully things will calm down by then. As others have said, Costa won't dock if it looks risky.

You could be kicking yourself if you cancel now.

[Jack McHammocklashing]

It depends how critical the Itinerary is to you cruisingi
Ships will divert to a safer area/port
When we did the Suez cruise last year, the troubles had started, we were not given the opportunity to cancel, it was a changed itenary They switched us to Jordan and Israel with a trip to the Dead sea
It was fine by me/us as we had done the trip the previous year

It was disaster for those who had saved up a long time, to take a CRUISE of a lifetime on their retirement and see the PYRAMIDS
They got a nice cruise, but will NEVER see the Pyramids unless they win the lottery

If the Itinerary is important CANCEL NOW

Jack McH

[Dancer Bob]

I was on a "Holy Land" itinerary last fall. Both Israel AND Egypt got cancelled. I was a bit disappointed, some people were outraged.
Cruise line management will always opt to cover their ass (especially if the insurers start talking about raising premiums) rather than satisfy passengers. Don't cruise if a visit is really important to you.