In a significant shift, Costa Cruises has cancelled the Middle East program of Costa Toscana due to ongoing uncertainty in the region, and another line is closely watching the political situation. Meanwhile other cruise lines are avoiding the Red Sea and Suez Canal and it’s is creating an unprecedented winter cruise season in the Mediterranean.
Initially, Costa Toscana was slated to conduct winter sailings to Dubai and other ports in the UAE. In place of the suspended Arabian Gulf voyages Costa is preparing an alternative winter program that centers on Mediterranean destinations and the Canary Islands. The seasonal repositioning cruises to and from Dubai, originally planned for autumn 2025 and spring 2026, have also been cancelled.
Costa Fortuna also plans week-long winter sailings to the Canary Islands, with options including fly-cruise packages.
Cruise lines have been steering clear of the Gulf region since the fall of 2024. Royal Caribbean told passengers that a planned Voyager of the Seas cruise in October 2025 from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Singapore, Singapore, has been canceled, “to avoid the continuing unrest in the Red Sea area.” Instead, the cruise is going around Africa from Barcelona.
Windstar Cruises has also shifted winter itineraries from the Middle East to the Mediterranean, including destinations not available during the summer months, like Naples, Catania and Genoa. Star Legend is doing an entire winter of cruises from Barcelona to ports in Italy, including unprecedented January and February itineraries from Venice to Barcelona and in March from Venice to Istanbul. They also feature overnight stays in cities like Venice and Livorno.
Meanwhile, Celestyal Cruises still has an extensive winter Gulf season scheduled, including its newest ship Celestyal Discovery, homeporting in Abu Dhabi for the next three seasons. However, the line says it is closely monitoring the evolving geopolitical situation in the Middle East. “The safety and well-being of our guests and crew is always our top priority…”Celestyal works closely with local authorities in every destination we visit to ensure the safety of our operations. “If any adjustments to our itineraries become necessary, we will communicate changes to our guests and travel partners at the earliest opportunity.”
If it goes as planned, Celestyal Discovery will make its Arabian Gulf debut on December 12, 2025, joining its fleet mate Celestyal Journey, which returns to the region on December 6, with a Grand Prix celebratory sailing.
The Celestyal ships will offer a season of three-, four- and seven-night cruises from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Doha, with sailings scheduled through March 2026 – and set to continue for the next three consecutive years.
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