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Are Dubai 2019-2020 cruises going to be cancelled?


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9 hours ago, John W said:

We are due to travel to Dubai on the 11th of January.  We also would be happier if Royal Caribbean cancelled cruises around gulf .. . Too late for us to cancel with loosing 100% of cost . 

We are also due to be travelling out Dubai on the 12th for our cruise on the 13th. I called Royal Caribbean today and they said no change and they wouldn’t sail if it wasn’t safe. She said nothing has happened yet .....REALLY! Ok so let’s wait until they retaliate and cause loss of life before we cancel ? They have a lot of money to refund if the cruise is cancelled so unfortunately I don’t think they will despite the warnings. Personally I’m going to take the loss my life is worth more. 

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11 hours ago, Epernay said:

Travel insurance won't cover this unless a statement is issued by the Foreign Office advising against travel. If Royal Caribbean don't cancel the cruise we either go or cancel and lose all our payment. 

A policy with cancel for ANY reason (CFAR) would cover you! 

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17 hours ago, Martin Wheatley said:

I did tweet RC a second time emphasising how volatile the situation now is, they replied "We appreciate your feedback and understand your concerns. We'll make sure to contact you right away if any changes are made."  A bit of a fob-off but I guess they can't say much more unless someone up the food chain makes a decision.

If you're worried then don't go.

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3 hours ago, J_Keeble said:

If you're worried then don't go.

Unless there is a thawing in relations between Iran & the USA then it is highly unlikely that me and my family will now go on the cruise.  However that thawing is very unlikely so we will want to go elsewhere.  Unfortunately unless RC cancels the sailings then I will only get a fraction of my money back and won't be able to afford to go anywhere else.  That's why I'm keen on them cancelling. I think we'd go to the Canary Islands instead.

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17 hours ago, Mandy lemon said:

We are also due to be travelling out Dubai on the 12th for our cruise on the 13th. I called Royal Caribbean today and they said no change and they wouldn’t sail if it wasn’t safe. She said nothing has happened yet .....REALLY! Ok so let’s wait until they retaliate and cause loss of life before we cancel ? They have a lot of money to refund if the cruise is cancelled so unfortunately I don’t think they will despite the warnings. Personally I’m going to take the loss my life is worth more. 

They told me our safety is their number one priority.  Sure.  That they are still considering sending ships within miles of Iran when Iran has vowed retaliation against American assets & experts have advised all Westerners to leave the UAE for their own safety says to me that RC's bottom line is their #1 priority.  Even if the ship is safe, I am not confident about getting off at ports of call as there may be be Iranians or local pro-Iranians who will be happy to vent their anger at any Westerners they see milling about.    To show how close shipping gets to Iran I've attached an image of the Strait of Hormuz, at its narrowest it is only 21 miles across. The Jewel of the Seas passes through this twice on the cruise I'm on.

Strait_of_Hormuz.jpg

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9 minutes ago, Martin Wheatley said:

Unless there is a thawing in relations between Iran & the USA then it is highly unlikely that me and my family will now go on the cruise.  However that thawing is very unlikely so we will want to go elsewhere.  Unfortunately unless RC cancels the sailings then I will only get a fraction of my money back and won't be able to afford to go anywhere else.  That's why I'm keen on them cancelling. I think we'd go to the Canary Islands instead.

There has alway been issues/tension between Iran and the U.S.  If you feel uneasy about going, why not transfer your sailing to another sailing, the most that you will lose would be $100 per person, unless you're in a suit.  I don't know what that would entail.

 

 

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5 minutes ago, mworkman said:

There has alway been issues/tension between Iran and the U.S.  If you feel uneasy about going, why not transfer your sailing to another sailing, the most that you will lose would be $100 per person, unless you're in a suit.  I don't know what that would entail.

 

 

But the tension has got significantly worse since the President's action this week.  When we booked in November the situation was stable and Iran was not threatening to take revenge on America and the West.  I might look into transferring the booking, I didn't realise you could do that - thanks for the advice.  

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As long as the final payment date has not passed, you can cancel or transfer the booking without penalty.  If the final payment date has passed, there will be a cancellation penalty that is not recoverable.  If Royal cancels then all of these cancellation fees are waived but in the absence of official cancellation, the penalties are in effect.  This is for North American booking rules.  Other regions have different rules.

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5 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

As long as the final payment date has not passed, you can cancel or transfer the booking without penalty.  If the final payment date has passed, there will be a cancellation penalty that is not recoverable.  If Royal cancels then all of these cancellation fees are waived but in the absence of official cancellation, the penalties are in effect.  This is for North American booking rules.  Other regions have different rules.

I booked in the UK and the final payment date has passed so my only choice is cancelling and get a refund of 50% up to 28 days before.  

I just saw a Sky News story which said that the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has identified 35 American targets in the Persian Gulf for retaliatory action including "ships" in the Strait of Hormuz !!!  He also said that Tehran would punish Americans and its allies “wherever they are in reach”.  Good Lord.  How RC can still be sending cruise ships just miles from the Iranian coast beggars belief.

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5 hours ago, Martin Wheatley said:

Unless there is a thawing in relations between Iran & the USA then it is highly unlikely that me and my family will now go on the cruise.  However that thawing is very unlikely so we will want to go elsewhere.  Unfortunately unless RC cancels the sailings then I will only get a fraction of my money back and won't be able to afford to go anywhere else.  That's why I'm keen on them cancelling. I think we'd go to the Canary Islands instead.

Just booked the Canary Island Martin . Hopping they cancel this next cruise.  

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12 minutes ago, John W said:

Just booked the Canary Island Martin . Hopping they cancel this next cruise.  

Yes, same here. I had a hotel booked in Dubai for 3 nights at the end of the cruise, am cancelling that at no cost & I hope they cancel the cruise but will be able to get 50% refund up to 28 days before if they don't. The £700+ costs of the BA flights will be a loss though apart from a refund of Air Passenger Duty.  Those savings should pay for a cheapy holiday in northern Tenerife.  We've gone from being really excited at the beginning of the year about visiting the middle east for the first time to being completely turned off the idea.  And anyone who says it's safe doesn't understand the volatility of the situation.

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24 minutes ago, Martin Wheatley said:

Yes, same here. I had a hotel booked in Dubai for 3 nights at the end of the cruise, am cancelling that at no cost & I hope they cancel the cruise but will be able to get 50% refund up to 28 days before if they don't. The £700+ costs of the BA flights will be a loss though apart from a refund of Air Passenger Duty.  Those savings should pay for a cheapy holiday in northern Tenerife.  We've gone from being really excited at the beginning of the year about visiting the middle east for the first time to being completely turned off the idea.  And anyone who says it's safe doesn't understand the volatility of the situation.

Couldn't agree more . 

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1 hour ago, J_Keeble said:

blame TRUMP

Ghassem Soleimani was responsible for hundreds of U.S. service members deaths as the leader of Qods Force during Operation Iraqi Freedom of which I deployed five times so if he met his very untimely death I won’t miss a night of sleep. If this situation  wrecks some cruises because of larger global issues than so be it. I personally lost people because of this guy so forgive me if I don’t blame the U.S president.  This is a raw subject for me so excuse me if I come off too strong. 

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3 hours ago, Tim B. said:

Ghassem Soleimani was responsible for hundreds of U.S. service members deaths as the leader of Qods Force during Operation Iraqi Freedom of which I deployed five times so if he met his very untimely death I won’t miss a night of sleep. If this situation  wrecks some cruises because of larger global issues than so be it. I personally lost people because of this guy so forgive me if I don’t blame the U.S president.  This is a raw subject for me so excuse me if I come off too strong. 

Thank you so much for your service! We appreciate YOU!!

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I think the best thing is to take a deep breath. Iran has been saber rattling since 1979...  Recent years they have behaved badly a few times with no response. When they killed American citizens last week they crossed a line and were spanked. They tried our embassy. Guess what? We have a less tolerant president than Obama this time and we repelled it. We saw opportunity to take out a terrorist who was responsible for thousands of deaths over the years going back to Beirut 1983. We did just that. Ok,  they are jumping up and down and screaming but they lack the tools to mount a real offensive. For that matter I don't see that they have the tools to defend either. I see the word "escalation" used here ... I prefer to look at it as a few uncomfortable moments ending a war before it gets started... It has not gone well for any country to push too hard against the coalition. I have a hunch that their survival instinct will outweigh their desire to continue their little tantrum. Peace through a show of force if you will. Remain vigilant and follow advice from your respective countries as to the safety of passage through questionable waters.  Also bear in mind RCL does have your best interest as their best interest. I don't think they have any intention of serving up billion dollar ships into arms way either.

For those impacted. I wish you well and sober decisions will be made to answer your questions. 

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4 hours ago, Tim B. said:

Ghassem Soleimani was responsible for hundreds of U.S. service members deaths as the leader of Qods Force during Operation Iraqi Freedom of which I deployed five times so if he met his very untimely death I won’t miss a night of sleep. If this situation  wrecks some cruises because of larger global issues than so be it. I personally lost people because of this guy so forgive me if I don’t blame the U.S president.  This is a raw subject for me so excuse me if I come off too strong. 

I agree, I am not sorry to see the end of Ghassem Soleimani as he was a horrible human being & am not blaming Trump for taking this difficult decision.  The timing isn't great for those of us visiting the Persian Gulf soon and we'll work round it, but I'm certainly not going to put myself on a boat sailing anywhere near Iran with all the threats they are making.  It's just not worth the risk. 

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We are supposed to be travelling as a party of four from Dubai to India for a tour , then back to Dubai for one night then onto the Jewel of the Seas for a cruise around the UAE next Sunday (12th) 
We have gone from being really excited to now feeling as though we will be putting ourselves at a huge risk . My husband says just go ! The rest of the party are so frightened . Really don’t know what to do . ?
 

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Personally I would still go, I guess they are scared of being attacked? Very unlikely I'm sure. I think security at ports such as Bahrain, Qatar and Abu Dhabi is second to none.

However it is certainly in the back of my mind for my march sailing. I cant see royal pulling out, they would have done so by now IMO.

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1 hour ago, Jayney said:

We are supposed to be travelling as a party of four from Dubai to India for a tour , then back to Dubai for one night then onto the Jewel of the Seas for a cruise around the UAE next Sunday (12th) 
We have gone from being really excited to now feeling as though we will be putting ourselves at a huge risk . My husband says just go ! The rest of the party are so frightened . Really don’t know what to do . ?
 

We were meant to be on the same cruise, following on from a short stay in Mauritius. I was very alarmed at the recent events and the possible consequences, my husband less so. We have, reluctantly, made the decision not to go. I am sure I am being over cautious and a bit of a coward,  but I know how anxious I would feel the whole time. That was the deciding factor in the end. No sign of the cruise being cancelled and we have lost the whole cost of the package. Feeling sick about the waste of money but feel we have made the right choice for us. Others may be made of stronger stuff! 

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1 hour ago, Epernay said:

We were meant to be on the same cruise, following on from a short stay in Mauritius. I was very alarmed at the recent events and the possible consequences, my husband less so. We have, reluctantly, made the decision not to go. I am sure I am being over cautious and a bit of a coward,  but I know how anxious I would feel the whole time. That was the deciding factor in the end. No sign of the cruise being cancelled and we have lost the whole cost of the package. Feeling sick about the waste of money but feel we have made the right choice for us. Others may be made of stronger stuff! 

We were going to be on same cruise on Sunday .. have cancelled. Holiday should be relaxing not apprehensive.  I suppose it depends on peoples attitude to risk . Our family are pleased we cancelled as they would have been concerned for us the whole holiday till we returned.  The loss of money is hard to take but we will get over it . 

17 hours ago, J_Keeble said:

blame TRUMP

 

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5 minutes ago, Baked Alaska said:

Is cancel for any reason (CFAR) on trip insurance not available on these cruises? Is that just something that is offered on policies written in the US? Just curious. 

I think it's more likely that most don't purchase trip insurance, and of those, even fewer purchase Cancel For Any Reason.  The number of people that are active on these type of forums and even aware such insurance exists in tiny compared to the number of travelers.

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9 minutes ago, Atlantix2000 said:

I think it's more likely that most don't purchase trip insurance, and of those, even fewer purchase Cancel For Any Reason.  The number of people that are active on these type of forums and even aware such insurance exists in tiny compared to the number of travelers.

I may be wrong but I am not aware of CFAR insurance being available in the UK. I would be interested to hear if anyone has any details. We always make sure we have good insurance cover. We would be covered if we were advised by the Foreign Office not to travel, but so far the advice is “ be vigilant” . Not quite sure how to do this, as most attacks appear to come out of the blue. 

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26 minutes ago, Atlantix2000 said:

I think it's more likely that most don't purchase trip insurance, and of those, even fewer purchase Cancel For Any Reason.  The number of people that are active on these type of forums and even aware such insurance exists in tiny compared to the number of travelers.

I'm sure most from uk will have travel insurance..most travel agents insist on it . We have a world wide yearly insurance but I've never encountered CFAR cover . Is it more common in USA . ? 

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16 minutes ago, Epernay said:

I may be wrong but I am not aware of CFAR insurance being available in the UK. I would be interested to hear if anyone has any details. We always make sure we have good insurance cover. We would be covered if we were advised by the Foreign Office not to travel, but so far the advice is “ be vigilant” . Not quite sure how to do this, as most attacks appear to come out of the blue. 

Was just asking same thing about CFAR  ...as for being vigilant   Meerkat springs to mind .

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On 1/4/2020 at 11:02 AM, John W said:

We are due to travel to Dubai on the 11th of January.  We also would be happier if Royal Caribbean cancelled cruises around gulf .. . Too late for us to cancel with loosing 100% of cost . 

just called RC again and still no plans to cancel, Or change itinerary  despite the FCO advising against travel to anywhere within 100 kilometres of the Iran border. I think the ship lane is a lot closer than that. Managed to get a refund for drinks package and excursions but that’s it. Lost quite a bit of money on this but at least I won’t be living in fear for 7 days. I pray for the safety of all of the passengers and crew on that ship. 

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As a family we have decided not to go on the cruise, however we still have return BA flights London to Dubai over a ten day period which cost us a fortune.  We are still happy to visit central Dubai so have decided to spend a night in Dubai,  have purchased new onward flights to Kerala in India for £160 return with Air India and will spend 8 nights touring the Backwaters and Tea Plantation country of that part of the world.  Then we'll fly back to Dubai, spend another night there and then fly back to London.  As India is so cheap (5* hotels are £70 are night), with the 50% refund on the cruise & full refund on excursions we have just about broke even.  Plus Kerala looks so beautiful, we are now excited again about our holiday.

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I am booked on a Gulf cruise in March. It is a tricky situation as the balance payment is due in a couple of weeks, so at the moment I would only lose the deposit if I cancel. 

What I find pretty poor from RCCL is that they have been quick to send repeated payment reminders, but no updates or communications regarding the tensions and that the cruise will go ahead,

I will wait until the last minute, but my thoughts at the moment are to just cancel due to the uncertainty.

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Due to sail in March from Dubai. Fully paid up, but due to current unrest may cancel trip and take the financial hit, flights, hotels, cruise etc.

Think Royal Caribbean should keep clients up to date with regards to current situation, however I do understand that they will try and wait as long as possible before cancelling a cruise.

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*My First post - Hello All*

I'm booked on a Dubai sailing on the 17th February 2020. I have previously been on a RC Cruise from Dubai which visited Oman this itinerary though visits Bahrain, SIr Bani Yas, Doha..

At present I have no plans to cancel, I have friends working out in Dubai & Oman who have said ignore all the usual tabloids 'Daily fail/mail' etc. Everything is BAU just with increased security in and around the tourist hot spots. I will continue to monitor what the UK Gov post however I think if I went off what they / the BBC etc advise I would never have ticked off many destinations (Turkey, Russia, Egypt).

If RC do pull the cruise do we get a full refund or credit towards another cruise ? fortunately the previous cruises I have been on I have never experienced this. I really hope it does go ahead as It is my honeymoon... Im sailing the day after getting married.

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40 minutes ago, pmanchester said:

*My First post - Hello All*

I'm booked on a Dubai sailing on the 17th February 2020. I have previously been on a RC Cruise from Dubai which visited Oman this itinerary though visits Bahrain, SIr Bani Yas, Doha..

At present I have no plans to cancel, I have friends working out in Dubai & Oman who have said ignore all the usual tabloids 'Daily fail/mail' etc. Everything is BAU just with increased security in and around the tourist hot spots. I will continue to monitor what the UK Gov post however I think if I went off what they / the BBC etc advise I would never have ticked off many destinations (Turkey, Russia, Egypt).

If RC do pull the cruise do we get a full refund or credit towards another cruise ? fortunately the previous cruises I have been on I have never experienced this. I really hope it does go ahead as It is my honeymoon... Im sailing the day after getting married.

Welcome to the blog.  Have a great cruise !  ...and Congratulations!

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Just heard this morning on the news that the White House Administration is monitoring shipping lanes in the region which include cruise lines, oil tankers, etc. and will be determining whether or not to suggest OR issue a travel restriction of ALL ships, cruises, etc. to stay clear of the region.  Lets keep our eyes and ears open for any future announcements that anyone might hear and share it quickly on the blog for those cruising in the area so they are made aware of and can alter/change their respective travels.

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