Israel Next week Voyager

[lux4me]

My parents are scheduled to be on the Voyager next week sailing from Jerusalem.  Mr hey have 1 pre night and then 2 nights on the ship in Israel.  
They are besides themselves nervous seeing what is going on on TV.  Called Regent and no word yet on what they are doing. 

 

Does anyone know what they are doing on the current cruise that is supposed to be ending in Jerusalem?  
 

I don’t think there is any way they can debark people and fly them home in this situation…

[gammagampa]

We are in the same situation, no word yet.  If anyone has an update please post 

Thanks

[mrlevin]

29 minutes ago, lux4me said:

 

I don’t think there is any way they can debark people and fly them home in this situation…

Why not?  The war is in the south.

 

Marc

[PaulMCO]

No cruises stop in Jerusalem...  Either Haifa or Ashdod.  Ashdod is in the south where the terrorism is currently focused.  It really depends on the Israeli's as to whether they will lock down the port of Haifa as they did last year in May (many cruise lines including NCL cancelled port stops).  In those cases they ended cruises in Cyprus.

Edited October 7, 2023 by PaulMCO

[1982CruzStart]

During our first cruise that included Israel, there was bombing going on in the south. Regent cancelled our move from Haifa to Ashdod and we did our 3 days, 2 nights in Israel from Haifa. Made for very long days but Regent made sure we were safe.  They will assess the situation and either stay in Haifa and put on the tours they think are safe or if they deem it unsafe they will cancel all ports in Israel. Regent will make sure their passengers are safe. 

[Sunprince]

Rest assured that Regent will not bring its ships or passengers/crew into an active war, which is what this has been described as.  As mentioned above, Ashdod, where the ship is scheduled to spend overnight, is only approx 40km from Gaza. I’m sure Regent is actively looking at alternate plans and will reach out to passengers as soon as possible,  Perhaps someone on the Voyager now can ask the captain whether they plan on disembarking in Haifa on Oct 15

Edited October 7, 2023 by Sunprince

[Lonedaddy]

We have a friend that lives there and she said they are used to this.  Israel isn't going to shut the country down.  There will probably be extra security measure on the pre cruise tour and some places may be short staffed due to the reserve call-up.  This just happened this morning and I'm sure regent is aware but the ship won't arrive until the 14th.  Regent will asses and address if it escalates and find an alternate port if Haifa is unavailable.    We are scheduled to fly to Tel Aviv Wednesday this week.  

 

 

[edgee]

1 hour ago, Lonedaddy said:

We have a friend that lives there and she said they are used to this.  Israel isn't going to shut the country down.  There will probably be extra security measure on the pre cruise tour and some places may be short staffed due to the reserve call-up.  This just happened this morning and I'm sure regent is aware but the ship won't arrive until the 14th.  Regent will asses and address if it escalates and find an alternate port if Haifa is unavailable.    We are scheduled to fly to Tel Aviv Wednesday this week.  

 

 

This is a situation which is unprecedented for at least 50 years U. S. carriers have stopped flights to Israel. Saying Israelis are "used to this" does not reflect gravity of the situation. This is indeed Israel's equivalent to U.S.'s Sept 11.

[ariannasstuff]

Just spoke to Regent. They are working on it. Word perhaps tonight or tomorrow . What complicates this is the Haifa is the embarkation port, so it’s not as simple as changing ports. They have to consider all those flying into Tel Aviv. Give them some time. This is not an easy job.

[Lonedaddy]

18 minutes ago, edgee said:

This is a situation which is unprecedented for at least 50 years U. S. carriers have stopped flights to Israel. Saying Israelis are "used to this" does not reflect gravity of the situation. This is indeed Israel's equivalent to U.S.'s Sept 11.

I'm quoting what our Israeli friend said.

[lux4me]

The Times of Israel has reports rockets shot into Tel Aviv. Airport closed.  
this is different than normal terrorism.  
this was an invasion 

[edgee]

10 minutes ago, Lonedaddy said:

I'm quoting what our Israeli friend said.

Understand. And sadly things are getting worse by the hour.

[mrlevin]

Recent update on El Al website:

 

Updates following the current events

 

Last update: October 7, 2023, 6:40 P.M (Israel time)

EL AL Airlines operates in accordance with the instructions of the Israeli security forces, and is in ongoing, direct contact with them.

Flight Schedule

EL AL is adding flights according to the following (all times are in local time):

• Flight LY575 from Tel Aviv to Bucharest will depart tonight (Saturday) at 10:15 P.M (local time).
• Flight LY2525 from Tel Aviv to Prague will depart tonight (Saturday) at 11:55 P.M (local time).
• Flight LY2526 from Prague to Tel Aviv will depart tomorrow (Sunday) at 4:10 A.M (local time).
• Flight LY541 from Tel Aviv to Athens has been extended and will depart tomorrow (Sunday) at 5:25 A.M (local time) with 100 additional seats available.
• Flight LY542 from Athens to Tel Aviv has been increased and will depart tomorrow (Sunday) at 9:10 A.M (local time) with 100 additional seats available.

Our regular flights are operating as scheduled.

In addition, starting tomorrow (Sunday, October 7, 2023), all EL AL flights scheduled to depart from Terminal 1 will be moved to Terminal 3.

We remind you that there is a dedicated emergency line for those who wish to change their flight ticket or purchase  flight tickets, you can find the details at the bottom of the page.

Changing and canceling flight tickets

In light of the situation, we are enabling the following concessions for our customers:

• Passengers who already initiated their travel wishing to advance their return until Friday, October 13, 2023 (inclusive), may do so without being charged with the "Change of Reservation" fee and/or difference in fare, if applicable, for the same cabin.
• Passengers who already initiated their travel, where their return flight is on/before October 13, 2023, may postpone their flight to Israel, without being charged with the "Change of reservation" fee. Difference in fare is due, unless they wish to travel on/after Friday, October 13, 2023.
• Passengers who have not yet started their journey, and where their departure date is on/before October 13, 2023, may change or freeze their tickets. No "Change of reservation" is due, Difference in fare, if applicable, is due, unless they wish to travel on/before Friday, 13.10.2023. Alternatively, the ticket may be substituted for a voucher, at no additional cost. Request for a voucher online 24/7 >>

At 4 P.M today (Israel time), a dedicated emergency line will be opened for the benefit of those who wish to change the date of their flights due to the situation:

• Phone: +972-3-9404040
• You can also contact us via Facebook, Messenger and WhatsApp at: +972-3-9771111

Other issues are handled on EL AL's usual service channels.

[Gpilon]

This could very well morph into a much broader conflict. I would avoid that whole region…even if it cost me my cruise money. Hopefully, though, Regent will find a solution for their booked guests and make things right. 

Edited October 7, 2023 by Gpilon

[NYC-London]

We have family that lives in Israel, including Haifa. Right now the north is worried about an attack from Hezbollah which is located in Lebanon. The IAA (Israel Airports Authority) has warned commercial airlines and as a result, all American airlines have ceased flights to Israel. In fact, a United flight was from SFO was on its way to Israel when the attack happened and turned around and went back to California. This is a very fluid situation and  will be changing often.

 

We are watching Israeli media - they are not taking this casually and most citizens believe they are at war. Like the Yom Kippur War, this invasion was done on a major religious holiday (Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah) All reserve troops have been called into service.

 

It is quite interesting to watch the differences between US media reporting and the Israeli media reporting.

 

Israel is a very small country, only the size of New Jersey which means during normal times one can drive from the north to the south in about three hours. Hamas terrorists have are in the country and have taken Israeli citizens and military personal as hostages.

 

My bet is that no cruise ships will be sailing in the region for at least the  next week.

[mrlevin]

12 minutes ago, Gpilon said:

This could very well morph into a much broader conflict. I would avoid that whole region

I would imagine Israel will mop up Hamas pretty quickly and the Palestinians in West Bank will cower.  After that, it will be time for Israel to finally attack Iran.  I can't imagine that Jordan and Saudi Arabia will stand in Israel's way (overflights are important to cut down the distance).

[cruiseluv]

1 hour ago, edgee said:

This is a situation which is unprecedented for at least 50 years U. S. carriers have stopped flights to Israel. Saying Israelis are "used to this" does not reflect gravity of the situation. This is indeed Israel's equivalent to U.S.'s Sept 11.

Someone would have to be crazy to even contemplate going there

[Lonedaddy]

2 hours ago, NYC-London said:

We have family that lives in Israel, including Haifa. Right now the north is worried about an attack from Hezbollah which is located in Lebanon. The IAA (Israel Airports Authority) has warned commercial airlines and as a result, all American airlines have ceased flights to Israel. In fact, a United flight was from SFO was on its way to Israel when the attack happened and turned around and went back to California. This is a very fluid situation and  will be changing often.

 

We are watching Israeli media - they are not taking this casually and most citizens believe they are at war. Like the Yom Kippur War, this invasion was done on a major religious holiday (Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah) All reserve troops have been called into service.

 

It is quite interesting to watch the differences between US media reporting and the Israeli media reporting.

 

Israel is a very small country, only the size of New Jersey which means during normal times one can drive from the north to the south in about three hours. Hamas terrorists have are in the country and have taken Israeli citizens and military personal as hostages.

 

My bet is that no cruise ships will be sailing in the region for at least the  next week.

Friend who works with NSA said you don’t go to Israel. Under any circumstances.  Sounds like this may escalate with hezbollah or Israel will retaliate against Iran.  

[mrstanley]

What a mess.

 

1. You have passenger’s booked to fly into Israel to board the ship on October 15.

2. You have passengers currently onboard departing the ship on October 15. 
 

3. You have passengers currently touring in Israel before boarding on October 15.

I have friends stuck in Haifa.

 

What a logistical nightmare for Regent!

 

 

 

[Jim Avery]

Just hope all get home safely.  This is a serious mess and missing a cruise or a few ports seems trivial compared to what is going on.

[Lonedaddy]

1 hour ago, mrstanley said:

What a mess.

 

1. You have passenger’s booked to fly into Israel to board the ship on October 15.

2. You have passengers currently onboard departing the ship on October 15. 
 

3. You have passengers currently touring in Israel before boarding on October 15.

I have friends stuck in Haifa.

 

What a logistical nightmare for Regent!

 

 

 

They would have to change the turnaround port to a place with a reasonable airport that has enough flight capacity.  I don’t think Cyprus can meet that need.   Many probably have flights connecting in and out of Europe.  If they still deem Egypt safe they might be able to try to change there or go for Athens. Either way a logistics mess.  If some not on regent air I hope they have insurance.  

[HotelSnob1]

United Airlines just cancelled our flight to Tel Aviv that was to leave from Newark on October 8.  We are in a holding pattern ti to see where the Voyager will let us embark. Ashod is close to the action of the moment. 
So far, Haifa us not, but who knows what will happen in northern Israel. Right now! we have no air to Israel.  I hope we can do this cruise.  Any ideas? 

[HotelSnob1]

I put my money on Athens.  I agree about Cyprus … hope we hear soon … we were shut out if Cuba, Nicaragua, Jerusalem (now twice) and Morocco on other Regent voyages due to politics, civil unrest, Covid 19, and now political unrest again.

Fingers crossed! 

[mrstanley]

What a mess.

 

1. You have passenger’s booked to fly into Israel to board the ship on October 15.

2. You have passengers currently onboard departing the ship on October 15. 
 

3. You have passengers currently touring in Israel before boarding on October 15.

I have friends stuck in Haifa.

 

What a logistical nightmare for Regent!

 

 

 

[mrstanley]

I know 2 couples currently in Haifa. Supposed to board on October 15.

 

Would be very difficult to leave Israel and fly to another port in another country with all the conflict. I’ll bet there are other passengers who went to Israel before the cruise.