Nicko Cruises adds Jeddah land programme to world cruise itinerary

Nicko Cruises is set to make its Saudi Arabian debut, unveiling a four-night land programme in Jeddah as part of the newly re-routed 2025-26 world cruise onboard Vasco da Gama, which set sail from Hamburg earlier this month.​

 

Responding to ongoing security concerns in the Red Sea, the cruise line has revised its itinerary for the Dubai–Piraeus (Athens) segment on 20 March 2026. Rather than transiting the Red Sea, guests will disembark in Salalah, at the southernmost tip of Oman, and board a charter flight to Jeddah, where the ship will reposition without passengers.

 

The Jeddah segment promises “a wealth of unforgettable experiences and adventures”, the line said. 

 

During the four-night stay, travellers will be accommodated in a four-star hotel and discover Jeddah’s rich culture, cuisine and heritage through a variety of curated excursions. The city is particularly famed for its Al-Balad district, a Unesco World Heritage Site celebrated for centuries-old architecture and traditional souks selling spices and textiles. 

 

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After exploring Jeddah, guests will rejoin Vasco da Gama and continue the journey through the Suez Canal en route to Europe.

 

Guido Laukamp, Managing Director, commented: “Even though we hope that the conditions for shipping around Yemen will continue to stabilise before our planned passage, we are proactively offering a high-quality, enriching land programme in Saudi Arabia. This allows us to combine safety with unique cultural insights and create an unforgettable travel experience for our guests.”

 

The move reflects a broader regional trend, with cruise lines such as Celestyal integrating maiden calls to Jeddah in its 2025-26 itineraries and MSC Cruises ramping up Red Sea sailings from the Saudi port.

 

Cruise ambitions in Saudi continue to accelerate, with the kingdom recently joining the Cruise Arabia Alliance alongside Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar, a move designed to expand multi-country itineraries and establish the Gulf as a unified, world-class cruise destination.

 

Building on these collective efforts to strengthen the region’s cruise offering, the launch of Connections Cruise Arabia in September 2025 marks another major step forward, with its first edition in September 2026 set to convene 300 senior cruise leaders and stakeholders to shape the growth and global visibility of the Gulf’s cruise sector.

 

For more information, visit nicko-cruises.de