Royal Caribbean sends cruise ship to rescue Americans from Israel

Table Of Content

• Israel unrest leads Royal Caribbean to cancel Odyssey of the Seas June through October sailings from Haifa
• October 15, 2023 Israel-Hamas war news
• Japan Plans Next Generation Containership for Zero Emissions and Efficiency
• Arab States That Allied With Israel and U.S. for Iran Attack Now Face Consequences
• More in Travel
• Royal Caribbean Ship Helps Evacuate Americans from Israel

The cruise ship, which was built in 1997, had been operating cruises from Israel that were canceled last week after the war began. Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines. We make sure cruisers are fully prepared for their cruise vacation with tips on ships and ports.Millions of travelers rely on Cruise Hive in the United States, Europe, Australia, and around the world. The next scheduled sailing for the cruise ship is its Sunday, November 12, 2023 departure from Barcelona, Spain.

Royal Caribbean transports Americans out of Israel via cruise ship - Travel Weekly

Royal Caribbean transports Americans out of Israel via cruise ship.

Posted: Mon, 16 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Israel unrest leads Royal Caribbean to cancel Odyssey of the Seas June through October sailings from Haifa

Department of State in the assisted departure of American citizens,” said a statement from Royal Caribbean. Local time and was available on a first-come, first-served basis, according to embassy officials. The US Embassy in Israel announced the evacuation plan Sunday, offering the 2,500 Americans and their immediate family members still in Israel a chance to leave by sea. Tensions between Israel and Iran have ramped up since Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip, following the October 7 terrorist attacks, when Hamas militants killed an estimated 1,200 people in Israel.

October 15, 2023 Israel-Hamas war news

That voyage is a 14-night transatlantic cruise to Fort Lauderdale, visiting Alicante, Malaga, the Canary Islands, and Freeport in the Bahamas along the way. The 78,878-gross-ton, Vision-class Rhapsody of the Seas is currently homeported from Haifa, Israel, but the remainder of the ship’s Mediterranean season has been cancelled due to the regional violence. With no sailings for the next few weeks, the ship is available to assist in such emergency evacuation options. The US has responded to the latest threat with plans to dispatch its warships, including the aircraft carrier the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, a cruiser, and two destroyers, closer to Israel, reports said. Royal Caribbean had been eyeing the chance to offer sailings from Israel "for quite some time," Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean's president and CEO, said in a March press release.

Japan Plans Next Generation Containership for Zero Emissions and Efficiency

Royal Caribbean helping Americans evacuate Israel - Fox Business

Royal Caribbean helping Americans evacuate Israel.

Posted: Mon, 16 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Charter options and assistance to arrange such travel will be available. Space onboard the cruise ship is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. As the passage between Haifa and Limassol is approximately 170 miles (274 kilometers), the trip is expected to take hours. Meals and Wi-Fi service will be provided onboard, though guests will not likely be assigned individual staterooms for this short journey.

Watch: Israel bombards Lebanon and Gaza in retaliatory attack

"We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel," he added. On Friday, the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah fired 40 rockets into Israel from its Lebanon base, some of which were shot down by Israel's Iron Dome defenses, reports said. Iran's Revolutionary Guard also seized an Israeli-affiliated container ship near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, adding to the tensions in the region. Both sources said Iran had been moving military assets, including drones and missiles, in preparation for a possible attack on the Jewish state. In March, Royal Caribbean committed to "fully-vaccinated" for sailings on Odyssey of the Seas.

Arab States That Allied With Israel and U.S. for Iran Attack Now Face Consequences

Shortly after RCI-Royal Caribbean's cancellation of cruises departing from Israel, the cruise line redirected a ship back to the country, albeit for a different purpose. As the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalated, US nationals residing in Israel sought a means of leaving the region, and the US State Department requested assistance from RCI to evacuate Americans from Israel. At this time, no other cruise ships have been requested for similar evacuations, but the situation is fluid and new plans may be developed at any time. The US government, via the embassy in Israel, is assisting US citizens and their immediate family members to evacuate from Israel to Cyprus on Monday, October 16, 2023. The evacuation will be via Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas, which will take travelers from Haifa, Israel, to Limassol, Cyprus. Royal Caribbean's sister brand, Celebrity Cruises, called off a visit to Israel that Celebrity Apex had scheduled earlier in the week.

More in Travel

The cruise line has said that 100% of crew will be required to be fully vaccinated, Sierra-Caro told USA TODAY. However, Royal Caribbean has not yet announced vaccine protocol for passengers sailing from the United States. Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, said in the release that while the decision was challenging to make that the safety of passengers, crew and the communities the cruise line visits remains priority. Several foreigners in the country were stranded as airlines canceled service to the beleaguered country. The US Embassy reported that the boarding process commenced on Monday morning, and the ship Rhapsody of the Seas was assigned to transport Americans to Limassol Cyprus.

The Rhapsody of the Seas ship can accommodate more than 2,400 passengers, according to Royal Caribbean’s website.

There were also widespread Palestinian protests Friday in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces shot and killed 11 people. Since Monday night, Hamas has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, which has pounded the Gaza Strip with strikes. In Gaza, at least 139 people have been killed, including 39 children and 22 women; in Israel, eight people have been killed, including a man killed by a rocket that hit in Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv, on Saturday. Royal Caribbean has canceled the remainder of the season from Haifa, Isreal. The flight was organized by an international rescue nonprofit group called Project Dynamo.

Thousands of Americans fleeing the war in Israel raced to board a cruise ship Monday that would take them to neighboring Cyprus. Royal Caribbean had planned for its new Odyssey of the Seas ship to begin sailing in June out of Haifa, Israel. The cruise series — unveiled in March — served as Royal Caribbean's first fully vaccinated cruise announcement, and would have been the cruise line's first voyage from Israel.

Cruise Radio prioritizes well-balanced cruise news coverage and accurate reporting, paired with ship reviews and tips. “Now, with enhanced safety precautions in place, our ship is providing free passage, including accommodation and food, for Americans in the region wishing to leave and find safer ground,” Liberty wrote. Department of State to send a cruise ship to Israel to rescue Americans who have not been able to leave the country. A ship for American citizens wishing to leave Israel will be departing from Haifa on Monday morning, the U.S. Cunard Line took delivery today, April 19, from Fincantieri on its first new cruise ship built for the storied brand in 14 years. All travelers must be either a US national or the immediate family member of a US national, including spouses or children under the age of 21.

The Combined Maritime Force (CMF) CTF 150 which is currently being led by the Canadians reports India recently undertook its first interdiction of illicit narcotics as a member of CMF. The Indian frigate Talwar contributed to Focused Operation Crimson Barracuda which CTF was undertaking to interrupt the smuggling of illicit narcotics in the Arabian Sea. Under normal circumstances, Rhapsody of the Seas can accommodate 1,998 guests for a typical cruise at double occupancy, and up to 2,416 travelers when fully booked with all berths filled. This is not a typical situation, however, and the numbers of evacuees are yet unknown. The passage from Haifa to Limassol Port in Cyprus was expected to take between 10 and 12 hours, with food and internet service available to passengers on board.

The journey is estimated to take about hours, with food and Wi-Fi available during the evacuation voyage. Speaking to CNN’s Erin Burnett from Ramallah in the West Bank, Palestinian Red Crescent Director General Marwan Jilani said food, water, medicine, and fuel are in critically short supply. Without mentioning Israel, he said, “the right to self-defence should be exercised in compliance with international humanitarian law and not at the expense of innocent civilian casualties,” according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry readout.

The State Department has an advisory in place for the region, warning against travel to Gaza and urging travelers to reconsider going to Israel and the West Bank. A Royal Caribbean International cruise ship helped evacuate U.S. nationals from Israel on Monday. Royal Caribbean International is canceling its first-ever planned sailings from Haifa, Israel due to unrest, the cruise line announced Saturday.

One of the people said that US officials believe Iran could be readying as many as 100 cruise missiles for an attack, the report said. "Due to the unrest in Israel and the region, we have not been able to complete the preparation required to operate," the cruise line said on May 15 in its updated suspended sailings list. Royal Caribbean has canceled a series of fully vaccinated cruises from Israel amid the surging Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Department of State, Rhapsody of the Seas arrived in Israel early Monday morning to evacuate Americans and their immediate family members with valid travel credentials. The State Department said Sunday the number of Americans killed in the conflict since it began has risen to 30, and that it believed several Americans were among the nearly 200 people Hamas kidnapped after the surprise attack on Oct. 7. Israel has long accused Iran of engaging in a form of proxy war by backing groups — including Hamas — that have launched attacks on its shores.

When the conflict between Israel and Hamas initially erupted, RCI began canceling scheduled cruises that were meant to operate to and from Israel. In a span of less than a week, the cruise line canceled the remaining portion of the Israel cruise season, which was centered around the Rhapsody of the Seas. The Rhapsody had initially planned to offer cruises from Haifa to the Greek islands through early November. Embassy personnel were trying to guide the process, but at times recommended people leave and return later in smaller groups. They were being told that food and Wi-Fi would be available onboard and the U.S. consular staff would be traveling to assist the people evacuating from Israel.