Celestyal, MSC Cruises and TUI adjust Arabian Gulf sailings

With the winter cruise season in full swing, cruise operations in the Arabian Gulf have been affected by Iranian attacks on the region and subsequent airspace closures, prompting a number of cruise lines, including Celestyal, MSC Cruises and TUI Cruises, to cancel or adjust sailings in late February and early March.

As of 2 March 2026, six cruise ships remain berthed in Gulf ports, including MSC Euribia, Aroya Cruises’ Aroya Manara, TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5, and Celestyal Cruises’ Celestyal Journey and Celestyal Discovery. The vessels are currently located in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.

Cruise operations in the Gulf depend heavily on air connectivity for passenger embarkation and turnaround logistics, so cruise lines are working closely with local and national authorities to assess operating conditions and coordinate passenger arrangements. Some guests remain onboard while disembarkation procedures are reviewed amid temporary airspace and port restrictions in parts of the region.

This evolving situation has already led multiple cruise lines to suspend or revise scheduled Arabian Gulf departures.

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Confirmed cancellations

Celestyal Cruises has suspended its 2 March departures of Celestyal Journey from Dubai and Celestyal Discovery from Abu Dhabi. The line stated that Celestyal Journey will remain in Doha until 7 March, subject to operating conditions, before resuming its Desert Days itinerary, which is a seven-night Arabian Gulf cruise featuring calls in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas Island, Bahrain and Doha.

Saudi Arabia’s home-grown cruise brand Aroya Cruises, currently sailing its debut Arabian Gulf season, confirmed that its vessel Aroya Manara is berthed at Dubai harbour. A spokesperson for Aroya Cruises told Connecting Travel that the line had “undertaken a precautionary review” of the current itinerary that was scheduled to depart Dubai Sunday, 1 March in the evening, and, as a result, “extended our stay in Dubai by one day”, with the new departure time set for Monday, 2 March.

The line is due to offer two-, three- and four-night cruises from ports in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar from 8 May.