Key Aspects:
- MSC Cruises has cancelled the remainder of MSC Euribia‘s Middle East season from Dubai.
- Three 7-night cruises are now cancelled, including departures from Doha and Abu Dhabi.
- The ship will be repositioning to northern Europe as planned for the summer season.
Given the ongoing instability in the Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf) and the safety concerns for guests, crew members, and ships, MSC Cruises is now proactively cancelling the remaining sailings for MSC Euribia‘s winter season from Dubai.
In total, three 7-night sailings are cancelled: the ship’s March 14, March 21, and March 28 departures. This includes all shorter segments from those sailings, including departures from Doha and Abu Dhabi.
“Following the sudden security events that began this Saturday in the Middle East, we must cancel your upcoming cruise,” the cruise line said in a letter to booked guests. “Your safety and wellbeing are always our highest priority.”
MSC Cruises will be fully refunding all guests booked on those now-cancelled sailings. Travel costs outside of MSC Cruises’ responsibility, however, are not refunded. This would include independently-arranged airfare, hotels, or other expenses. Guests will need to reach out to those travel providers for applicable cancellations or other options.
These further cancellations come while MSC Euribia remains docked in Dubai, where the ship has remained since arriving on schedule for an overnight stay on Friday, February 27, the day before the violence erupted with the joint US-Israel strike on Iran.
The impacted cruises were to have visited Kalifa Bin Salman in Bahrain and Sir Bani Yas Island, a private island destination in the UAE, along with Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai.
Just a few days ago, the cruise line cancelled the March 7 embarkation. It has now become clear that the rest of the ship’s winter season of Middle East cruises will not be able to operate safely.
Cruise Hive has recently reported on further Middle East cancellations, including several sailings TUI Cruises has now cancelled for both Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5.
TUI Cruises is making arrangements to fly guests home from those vessels. MSC Cruises has not yet released details about how guests currently aboard MSC Euribia will be helped home.
The Meraviglia-Plus Class ship can welcome as many as 6,327 guests per sailing and is also home to 1,711 crew members. It may take some time to be able to assist all travelers with their plans.
Where Will MSC Euribia Go?
At this time, there is no change to MSC Euribia‘s European cruise season. The ship is scheduled for her first departure from Kiel, Germany, on May 2, 2026.
Read Also: All Cruise Lines Impacted by Middle East Tensions So Far
The vessel will offer departures from both Kiel and Copenhagen through mid-October. The 7-night Northern Europe itineraries will visit Hellesylt, Alesund, Geiranger, and Flam in Norway, though the exact ports for each cruise depend on the sailing date.
On October 10, the ship will leave Kiel and move to Barcelona to begin Mediterranean sailings through early April 2027. Departures are available from most of her port visits, including Marseille, Genoa, Naples, and Palermo, and MSC Euribia will also be visiting Tunis, Tunisia.
In spring 2027, MSC Euribia will return to Kiel and Copenhagen for another season, visiting Norway. At this time, the ship is not scheduled to deploy to the Middle East at least through December 2027. No itineraries have yet been released for her past that date.
Instead, MSC World Europa is scheduled to sail in the Middle East from late November 2026. At this time, there is no change to that deployment, though changes may be necessary if the violence in the region has not cooled ahead of her scheduled arrival.
