MSC Cruises announces the cancellation of sailings from the port of Haifa in the next cruise season during the months of May-October 2024.
The company explains that “in light of the ongoing and developing security situation in the Middle East, many of the international customers who booked a cruise on the MSC MUSICA ship expressed concern about the cruise route that included docking at the port of Haifa, and contacted the company with a request for an alternative route.” As a result, the company had to redefine the ship’s sailing route between May 13 and October 28 to the western Mediterranean. MSC MUSICA’s port of departure will be changed from the port of Piraeus in Greece to the port of Civitavecchia in Rome, and the ports of call for destinations in Western Europe including Genoa and Caligari in Italy, Cannes in France and Barcelona in Spain.
For passengers who have already booked a cruise from Haifa in 2024, MSC Israel now offers two options: or transfer to any other cruise of the company in the Mediterranean Sea, in a number of days, room type and date range identical to the original booked cruise. The price paid and the terms of the order will remain unchanged. Or, alternatively, choose a full refund. In the company’s announcement, there is no reference to the cost of the vacation due to the need to purchase plane tickets to Rome, and perhaps also accommodation in a hotel near Civitavecchia.
MSC Cruises docked in Haifa the previous two seasons. In the 2022 post-corona cruise season, there were many breakdowns and complaints from Israelis, due to a lack of professional salespeople. This fault was fixed, and in the 2023 season the cruises went smoothly, and the company was in high demand and praised by Israeli passengers. Expectations for continued success in 2024 were accordingly, until this announcement of the removal of the port of Haifa from MSC’s routes.
It is worth noting that most of the passengers on the cruise line that includes Haifa are not Israelis, but mostly Russians who board in Turkey, Cyprus and Greece. They were probably the ones who complained about fear of arriving in Haifa, and the company’s management in Italy preferred their interest over ours. I wonder how it will affect the company when MSC wants to return to work in Israel in two years.
In the photo: the Musika ship arrives at the port of Haifa. Nir Hoffman
