Two cruise lines grappling with their inability to reposition ships away from the war-torn Middle East have been forced to cancel additional voyages.

Both TUI Cruises, which is half-owned by Royal Caribbean Group and TUI AG, and Celestyal Cruises, a boutique line based in Greece, are in the unenviable position of having ships stranded at Persian Gulf ports and unable to transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

With no way to reposition their vessels into the Mediterranean, the cruise lines are notifying more booked guests that their planned vacations at sea will not happen. 

As reported in Cruise Hive, both cruise lines have been cancelling sailings piecemeal since early March, hoping that a solution will emerge that allows the ships to leave the area.

TUI Cruises’ Latest Changes

TUI Cruises confirmed on March 24, 2026, that Mein Schiff 4, stuck in Abu Dhabi, and Mein Schiff 5, in Doha, Qatar, remain unable to depart the area.

Mein Schiff 4’s planned departure on April 11, 2026, a 20-day cruise from Cape Town to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, has been cancelled. Guests booked to sail were to enjoy visits to Namibia, the Canary Islands, Morocco, and Barcelona, among other destinations.

This follows the cancellation of a March 22 voyage from Dubai, UAE, to Cape Town, South Africa. Port calls were scheduled for Muscat, Oman; Mahe Island, Seychelles; Mauritius Island; Reunion Island; and Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Mein Schiff 5’s March 29 cruise is also cancelled. It was to sail from Cape Town on a 19-day cruise to Palma de Mallorca. Port calls included Namibia, Cape Verde, the Canary Islands, and Gibraltar. Other, earlier departures of both ships had been scrapped shortly after the war began.

In its notice to guests, TUI Cruises requested that booked passengers avoid contacting the line directly, saying it will keep them updated.

“We kindly ask you to refrain from making individual enquiries about upcoming departures, as we are continuously assessing the situation and always make decisions based on current official recommendations,” said TUI Cruises in a statement to guests.

TUI Cruises, which caters to the German market, indicated that the decision follows travel and safety advice from the German Foreign Office. With some crew members remaining onboard the ships, the line noted that their safety is the top priority.

Celestyal Cruises Cancels More Sailings

Like TUI, Celestyal Cruises has two ships stranded: Celestyal Discovery in Dubai, and Celestyal Journey in Qatar.

The latest departure to be cancelled is Celestyal Discovery’s April 3, 2026, sailing, a 3-night Greek Islands getaway roundtrip from Athens. The latest announcement was issued on March 24.

Celestyal Discovery’s April 6 cruise has also been cancelled. That cruise was originally scheduled to depart on a 4-night sailing to the Greek islands, departing from Lavrion, Greece.

The cruise line has now also cancelled the April 4 departure out of Athens in Greece. This was scheduled to be a 14-night Mediterranean sailing, but also included a shorter 7-night segment ending on April 11.

“Guests booked on these departures will be offered the choice of a full refund or a future cruise credit to use against a future sailing. Affected guests are kindly asked to contact their original travel provider to discuss the available options and next steps,” a statement from Celestyal Cruises explained.

As with TUI Cruises, Celestyal had earlier nixed scheduled departures. Celestyal Discovery’s March 27 and March 30 cruises were cancelled, along with Celestyal Journey’s March 20 and March 23 voyages.

The situation in the Middle East remains unclear, with multiple cruise lines impacted. Cruise Hive will continue to ensure readers are kept updated.