Dear Celebrity Cruises - What´s you position on ports in Israel?

[Dusty74]

Hi All

 

Newbie here - Just trying to ascertain if Thomson Celebrations (my trip is the 15th September) will port in Ashdod during the conflict in the Gazza Strip, or will they divert to Haifa (North Israel) or just go to another port in the Greek Islands (Cypress?) - Will they provide me with a Plan B or an alternative cruise - just asking all you intrepid travellers who appear to be in the know.....

 

I look forward to any replies or comments.

 

Dusty

[suekay]

Dusty - you might be better posting this question on the Thomson board where there'll be cruisers who've previously been in this position on Thomson ships. Different cruiselines "pull the plug" on risky ports sooner rather than later

[cle-guy]

Hi All

 

Newbie here - Just trying to ascertain if Thomson Celebrations (my trip is the 15th September) will port in Ashdod during the conflict in the Gazza Strip, or will they divert to Haifa (North Israel) or just go to another port in the Greek Islands (Cypress?) - Will they provide me with a Plan B or an alternative cruise - just asking all you intrepid travellers who appear to be in the know.....

 

I look forward to any replies or comments.

 

Dusty

 

I previously posted a list of several cruise ships that are still scheduled to port there. If you have time, review all their forums for what each line/ship may be entertaining.

 

This list is ships scheduled to port in Ashdod for the month of October, some multiple visits:

1. Costa Pacifica
   
2. Thomson Celebration
   
3. Thomson Spirit
   
4. Ocean Princess
   
5. Seabourn Odyssey
   
6. HAL ms Rotterdam
   
7. HAL ms Prinsendam
   
8. TUI Mein Schiff2
   
9. Azamara Quest
   
10. Celebrity Sillouhette
    
11. Celebrity Constellation
    
12. Silversea Silver Spirit
    
13. Silversea Silver Wind
    
14. Hapag Lloyd ms Europa 2
    

[antsnanny]

Personally, from what I saw on the news lately, I would be scared to death to call on Israel at this time. We all trust the cruise lines to keep us out of harms way so I find it hard to understand why the heck all of the ships mention will be going there? Shakes my faith in the cruise industry…

[Honeybearhollow]

The difference is this, This isn't just a " Mediterranean " cruise which may have ports altered. It's billed as a " Holy Land " cruise. Ie Jerusalem . It's the point of the cruise. If ones on a Caribbean cruise that changes ports or islands to avoid weather, no big deal.

Celebrity has an obligation IMO to offer a plan B before final payment.

 

 

Agree!! For many of the people booking a Holy Land cruise, this is a religious pilgrimage, as well as a cruise. They may not want to go to any other port. For those people, it might be better to cancel and rebook for next year and hope for a better situation.

[dani negreanu]

Just 2 days before my scheduled cruise on Equinox we suddenly found ourselves in war.... We are used to this situation, and I totally undestand others who are worried.

All I can tell u is that here, in the Holy Land, 2 months is like 2 million years in other "civilized" parts of the world.

This "war" cannot last longer than a few days, and in my experience, we'll have at least 6 months of quiet time. This small country of mine simply cannot afford long periods of hostilities - all our lives are at stand still and the economy is going down the drain - and most of all - the casualties....

Hope to see u all "descending" in Ashdod and enjoying Jerusalem, Nazareth, Beth Lehem and the Sea of Galilee.

[ptrpanpens]

Just 2 days before my scheduled cruise on Equinox we suddenly found ourselves in war.... We are used to this situation, and I totally undestand others who are worried.

All I can tell u is that here, in the Holy Land, 2 months is like 2 million years in other "civilized" parts of the world.

This "war" cannot last longer than a few days, and in my experience, we'll have at least 6 months of quiet time. This small country of mine simply cannot afford long periods of hostilities - all our lives are at stand still and the economy is going down the drain - and most of all - the casualties....

Hope to see u all "descending" in Ashdod and enjoying Jerusalem, Nazareth, Beth Lehem and the Sea of Galilee.

 

From your mouth to God's ear, as we say here in the US. I hope to be able to spend alot of money in your country in October to help the economy.:D

[chamima]

Just 2 days before my scheduled cruise on Equinox we suddenly found ourselves in war.... We are used to this situation, and I totally undestand others who are worried.

All I can tell u is that here, in the Holy Land, 2 months is like 2 million years in other "civilized" parts of the world.

This "war" cannot last longer than a few days, and in my experience, we'll have at least 6 months of quiet time. This small country of mine simply cannot afford long periods of hostilities - all our lives are at stand still and the economy is going down the drain - and most of all - the casualties....

Hope to see u all "descending" in Ashdod and enjoying Jerusalem, Nazareth, Beth Lehem and the Sea of Galilee.

 

Stay safe!

[dkjretired]

Stay safe!

 

Yes, please stay safe.

 

Just as a point of information, I just saw that the State Department issued a travel alert for the area including Israel....

[pris993]

Just 2 days before my scheduled cruise on Equinox we suddenly found ourselves in war.... We are used to this situation, and I totally undestand others who are worried.

All I can tell u is that here, in the Holy Land, 2 months is like 2 million years in other "civilized" parts of the world.

This "war" cannot last longer than a few days, and in my experience, we'll have at least 6 months of quiet time. This small country of mine simply cannot afford long periods of hostilities - all our lives are at stand still and the economy is going down the drain - and most of all - the casualties....

Hope to see u all "descending" in Ashdod and enjoying Jerusalem, Nazareth, Beth Lehem and the Sea of Galilee.

 

Nice to hear from you and from someone in Israel. We have family and friends there, do believe your perception is useful. We too believe this cruise will make it to Israel. We follow the news daily and hope the current situaition will calm done soon for all affected. Stay safe.

[Miaminice]

The US Department of State has finally issued an official travel warning for Israel, West Bank and Gaza.

 

http://travel.state.gov/content/pass...l-warning.html

 

I wonder if Celebrity is going to react now. I would really be confused if a US based cruise line ignored an official travel warning and still planed to take thousands of passengers to Israel.

 

Quote from the warning:

In light of the ongoing rocket attacks, ... visitors to ... Israel ... should familiarize themselves with the location of the nearest bomb shelter or other hardened site, if available. ... Visitors should follow the instructions of the Home Front Command on proper procedures in the event of rocket attacks...

 

Just what I always had in mind for my vacation....

 

I would really have enjoyed going to Israel. It was the #1 reason for choosing this cruise. We booked a car in Ashdod and a hotel in Jerusalem.. but let´s face it, what is happening now is nothing that can be ignored just because our hope to have unchanged travel plans is greater than reality. The death toll is > 600 now - and we are worried about our holiday :confused:

 

I hope that all the innocent people on both sides will stay safe and we will once have the chance to visit this fascinating country - in better times!

Edited July 22, 2014 by Miaminice

[pris993]

The State Department alert is useful for those traveling right now, we still have 2.5 months til ship leaves Rome, a lot can happen in that time. It is way too soon for Celebrity to make a final decision. Cruising to the middle east one needs to accept changes can happen right up to the last minute. We know this very well after many cruises to that area... we have not made any specific plans for our port calls. We will simply go and enjoy the trip, we are happy with Celebrity's direction on this. Obviously cruise lines are well experienced in dealing with such situations, they will make a decision when the time is right. We have had similar experiences on Princess, HAL, Cunard, Crystal and NCL on cruises in the past.

[cle-guy]

The US Department of State has finally issued an official travel warning for Israel, West Bank and Gaza.

 

http://travel.state.gov/content/pass...l-warning.html

 

I wonder if Celebrity is going to react now. I would really be confused if a US based cruise line ignored an official travel warning and still planed to take thousands of passengers to Israel.

 

Quote from the warning:

In light of the ongoing rocket attacks, ... visitors to ... Israel ... should familiarize themselves with the location of the nearest bomb shelter or other hardened site, if available. ... Visitors should follow the instructions of the Home Front Command on proper procedures in the event of rocket attacks...

 

Just what I always had in mind for my vacation....

 

I would really have enjoyed going to Israel. It was the #1 reason for choosing this cruise. We booked a car in Ashdod and a hotel in Jerusalem.. but let´s face it, what is happening now is nothing that can be ignored just because our hope to have unchanged travel plans is greater than reality. The death toll is > 600 now - and we are worried about our holiday :confused:

 

I hope that all the innocent people on both sides will stay safe and we will once have the chance to visit this fascinating country - in better times!

 

 

 

As of now, the warning does not say travel is prohibited, in fact further down it says:

 

Major Metropolitan Areas in Israel

Personal safety conditions in major metropolitan areas, including Tel Aviv and Haifa and their surrounding regions, are comparable to or better than those in other major global cities. Please see below for specific information regarding Jerusalem. Visitors should observe appropriate personal security practices to reduce their vulnerability to crime, particularly late at night or in isolated or economically depressed areas, including in the countryside. Visitors are advised to avoid large gatherings or demonstrations and keep current with local news, which is available through numerous English language sources.

 

The warning does go on to recommend avoidance of particular neighborhoods and the like.

 

As with any international travel, be aware of surrounding, be familiar with the local custom and culture, and avoid areas prone to issues.

[jcpc]

Delta has just announced that they have cancelled all flights from JFK to Israel.

Edited July 22, 2014 by jcpc

[LF2C]

Just 2 days before my scheduled cruise on Equinox we suddenly found ourselves in war.... We are used to this situation, and I totally undestand others who are worried.

All I can tell u is that here, in the Holy Land, 2 months is like 2 million years in other "civilized" parts of the world.

This "war" cannot last longer than a few days, and in my experience, we'll have at least 6 months of quiet time. This small country of mine simply cannot afford long periods of hostilities - all our lives are at stand still and the economy is going down the drain - and most of all - the casualties....

Hope to see u all "descending" in Ashdod and enjoying Jerusalem, Nazareth, Beth Lehem and the Sea of Galilee.

HERE HERE !

I live in England where we are subjected to the "ever so slight bias" of the BBC, or as we say "don't let the truth get in the way of a good story"

[Merriem]

Delta has just announced that they have cancelled all flights from JFK to Israel.

 

US AIR also

[sginva]

US AIR also

Rocket Attack

Near Airport in Tel Aviv

Delta flight diverted to Paris

Edited July 22, 2014 by sginva
Rocket Attack

[sginva]

US AIR also

 

Near Airport in Tel Aviv

Delta flight diverted to Paris

[dkjretired]

Delta has just announced that they have cancelled all flights from JFK to Israel.

 

FAA has just announced no flights can leave the US for Israel in the next 24hrs.

[cle-guy]

Cruise Critic's very own report on the situation:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5923

[TLCOhio]

Delta has just announced that they have cancelled all flights from JFK to Israel.

 

Sadly when the State Department does this official warning and U.S. airlines are scrubbing their flights, it means that things are, sadly, very serious and bad there. We'll watch with interest and hope for the best. Want to visit and see this are, BUT, does not look like it will happen soon.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and 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 much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 67,746 views for this fun posting.

[Quasar]

UK FCO issued an advisory on July 21st which included "The FCO advise against all travel to areas of Israel within 40km of the border with Gaza (including Sderot, Netivot, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Be’er Sheva, and Kiryat HaMalachi) due to the escalation in conflict in the area."

 

Am booked for 4th October and it's getting close to final payment, still undecided.

[chamima]

Sadly when the State Department does this official warning and U.S. airlines are scrubbing their flights, it means that things are, sadly, very serious and bad there. We'll watch with interest and hope for the best. Want to visit and see this are, BUT, does not look like it will happen soon.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

 

This has as much to do with the plane downed in the Ukraine as it does the fighting in Israel.

It is now at the forefront of a lot of people's mind that commercial planes can be shot down.

 

As for the people not scheduled to go until October - I'm sure this will all be over by then but everyone will have to decide what to do for himself.

As for me, if a lot of you cancel and that causes prices to come down, I'll be very happy to book in your place.

[TLCOhio]

This has as much to do with the plane downed in the Ukraine as it does the fighting in Israel. It is now at the forefront of a lot of people's mind that commercial planes can be shot down.

 

Appreciate these above and excellent points by our "neighbor" to the north in Michigan. Had not considered fully the impact of the Ukraine incident for how it is causing people to have added reasons to be extra careful during these troubling times.

 

THANKS! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 149,961 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[pris993]

This has as much to do with the plane downed in the Ukraine as it does the fighting in Israel.

It is now at the forefront of a lot of people's mind that commercial planes can be shot down.

 

As for the people not scheduled to go until October - I'm sure this will all be over by then but everyone will have to decide what to do for himself.

As for me, if a lot of you cancel and that causes prices to come down, I'll be very happy to book in your place.

 

 

I agree 100%. The airplines are over reacting. El AL is still flying... they are far more serious about security and safety then any of the other airlines.