Suez Canal cruises : Luxury cruise to Suez Canal Passage Ponant

Table Of Content

• Suez Canal Bridge
• Timsah Lake
• Transit the Suez Canal
• Crystal Cancels Middle East Cruise on Symphony; Reroutes World Cruise
• Virgin Voyages cancels Australia&New Zealand cruises 2024-2025 due to Red Sea crisis
• Transit the Suez Canal, Egypt
• Watch my video of our Suez Canal cruise transit from Port Said to Port Tewfik (southbound).

As you continue through the canal, you’ll come across the city of Ismailia – founded during the canal’s construction. Enjoy beautiful views from on deck of this lush city, surrounded by emerald greenery and peppered with impressive colonial architecture. One of the best viewing points on a Suez Canal cruise is at the forward or aft of the cruise ship. I would highly recommend checking your cruise ship’s daily planner for details of the time that the ship is due to enter the Suez Canal. Near the city of Suez, you'll pass by the Suez Canal Bridge with your Egypt cruise, also called the Mubarak Peace Bridge or simply El-Qantara ("The Bridge").

Suez Canal Bridge

We're Laura and Craig – a UK cruise bloggers, here to help you maximise your cruise experiences with helpful information about cruise ships, cruise destinations and food to enjoy onboard and in port. It is safe to cruise through the Suez Canal and many cruise ships do it during repositioning cruises every year. The Suez Canal is 120 miles long with ships travelling both northbound or southbound. Built in 1869, the Suez Canal was an engineering feat that shaved 4,300 miles off the route for sailors traveling between Asia and Europe. Before the canal was built, they had to sail around the entire continent of Africa. On a Suez Canal cruise, you’ll see firsthand the incredible waterway that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea via Egypt.

Timsah Lake

Port Suez Canal cruise ship schedule shows timetable calendars of all arrival and departure dates by month. The port's schedule lists all ships (in links) with cruises going to or leaving from Suez Canal, Egypt. To see the full itineraries (ports of call dates and arrival / departure times) and their lowest rates – just follow the corresponding ship-link.

Transit the Suez Canal

Windstar Cruises, which was to deploy its Star Legend on its first series of Middle East voyages next month from Dubai, sent a note to passengers on October 16 advising them that their cruises had been canceled. Cruise lines had initially canceled ports of call in Israel like Ashdod and Haifa following the attack on Israel by Hamas in early October. Now, with the conflict showing no signs of resolving, some cruise lines have begun making sweeping changes to current and upcoming deployments in the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf. Carnival Corporation announced on January 30, 2024 that it would re-route 12 individual cruise ships across its family of brands in order to avoid the Red Sea and conflict in the Middle East. Instead of going through the Middle East, the MSC ships will sail with no passengers on board and go around Africa.

Crystal Cancels Middle East Cruise on Symphony; Reroutes World Cruise

The southbound route is the original Suez Canal and the northbound route incorporates an expansion that was completed in 2016. The Mubarak Peace Bridge, also known as the Suez Canal Bridge, opened in 2001 after Egypt received funding from Japan to assist the development of the Sinai Peninsular (port side). You may see free ferries crossing this point of the canal, which link the two cities. From here you can see both sides of the Suez Canal and watch the other ships and tugs behind you. The first ship to enter the Suez Canal was in fact a British Navy ship, HMS Newport.

“The safety of passengers and crew is the number one priority and as there was no viable alternative itinerary, the Company has regrettably had to cancel the voyages. “The safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit is always our top priority. Our Global Security teams continue to monitor the evolving situation in the Red Sea.

Transit the Suez Canal, Egypt

Special requirements imposed for yellow fever injection and travel insurance which are compulsory. Passengers have to possess a valid passport (at least six months of validation). On container ships accepted for carriage are only travelers of good physical and mental health. Container ships don’t provide a medical officer or doctor onboard, only basic first aid treatment is available. Representing a very small segment of all cruise ships repositioning deals, Suez cruises may also be segments of Around the World cruises. These special voyages are usually starting at the beginning of each year by some of the world’s major brands, and done mostly by luxury cruise lines ships.

Watch my video of our Suez Canal cruise transit from Port Said to Port Tewfik (southbound).

In an abundance of caution, we have adjusted select itineraries of Silver Moon, Silver Spirit, and Silver Whisper. We are notifying guests and travel advisors of changes directly,” the cruise line said in a statement shared with Cruise Critic. Instead of sailing through the Middle East, Serenade of the Seas will transit Africa and offer its guests an immersive tour of the continent.

Cruise lines reroute ships to avoid Yemen and the Red Sea - Travel Weekly

Cruise lines reroute ships to avoid Yemen and the Red Sea.

Posted: Tue, 09 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Look for colonial-era buildings like De Lessep's House, the impeccably maintained former residence of the French consul to Egypt. "On the advice of our internal teams and the relevant authorities we have decided to temporarily remove Israel from our Three Continents itinerary until the end of November this year. Replacement voyages for MSC Orchestra and MSC Sinfonia have not yet been announced. The line is also rerouting segments on the 2024 World Cruise on Crystal Serenity to avoid the Middle East. Matt started Royal Caribbean Blog in 2010 as a place to share his passion for all things Royal Caribbean with readers.

Both tunnel entrances are equipped with 10 scanners (each) processing vehicles and trailers with max capacity 250 units per hour. The Suez Canal is owned and maintained by the SCA (Suez Canal Authority) of Egypt. It may be used (under the Convention of Constantinople) "in time of war as in time of peace, by every vessel of commerce or of war, without distinction of flag". The canal extends from Port Said's northern terminus to Port Tewfik's southern terminus (at Port Suez). Canal's length is 193 km (120 mi), including its southern and northern access channels. World's other large canal waterway is Panama Canal - connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean.

Here are some of the things to most look forward to during your cruise to the Suez Canal.

Regularly clogged with silt, this route was abandoned and reopened multiple times, including during the reign of Ramesses II and in the times of Alexander the Great and Cleopatra. The first-known depiction of this waterway dates back to 1300 BC, when it appeared in an Egyptian bas-relief of Pharaoh Seti I walking along a canal in the middle of the desert. If the ship enters the canal at around 6.00am, you will be able to enjoy a day of scenic cruising and leave the Suez Canal, late afternoon. This is to ensure that the ship doesn’t get stuck on a bank like the Ever Given cargo ship did in March 2021. Make sure you’re out on the open decks of your cruise ship as you pass underneath the bridge.

Royal Caribbean Confirms It's 'Reviewing Alternative' Routes for 9-Month Cruise Due to Middle East Unrest - PEOPLE

Royal Caribbean Confirms It's 'Reviewing Alternative' Routes for 9-Month Cruise Due to Middle East Unrest.

Posted: Fri, 09 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Itinerary changes as a result of the conflict are also being felt in other geographic areas, too. Passengers aboard Norwegian Epic were notified that their November itinerary would drop ports in Israel – but also the Greek ports of Rhodes and Patmos. Celestyal Cruises, which maintains a presence in the region, said late Monday evening it would suspend calls to Israel on its sailings until the end of November.

A bustling port city at the tip of northern Egypt, Port Said is an intoxicating feast for the senses, with vibrant open-air markets, towering mosques and colourful public gardens. Keep an eye out for the unmistakable checkerboard-painted Port Said Lighthouse, constructed in 1869 and at the time considered one of the most technologically advanced structures of its kind in the world. It is estimated that 7,000–8,000 guests were invited to the Suez Canal inauguration in 1869, where they enjoyed an unprecedented level of luxury. Among them were the Empress Eugenie, the Emperor of Austria, the Prince of Prussia, the princes of the Netherlands and Hanover, and ambassadors from England and Russia.

The line has canceled three repositioning ‘Grand Voyage’ sailings in April from South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Europe. Cunard Line informed guests it will re-route its World Cruise aboard Queen Mary 2, changing a full month of the planned voyage itinerary in order to bypass the Red Sea and Suez Canal in favor of transiting around the horn of Africa. Luxury line Silversea canceled a 17-night voyage from Mumbai to Athens aboard Silver Whisper, citing the geopolitical situation in the Red Sea region.

Over the years, the Canal has been a highly sought strategic prize, encapsulated with Prime Minister Disraeli’s famous words to Queen Victoria in 1875, “You have it, Madam”. A key component at the height of the British Empire, the canal opened up new opportunities for trade, allowing ships to save a journey of over 7000 miles navigating around the European and Asian continents. Bear witness to one of the world’s most impressive feats of maritime engineering, as you relax and indulge in the sumptuous surroundings of your cruise ship. Built in the 19th century, the Suez Canal snakes through 120 miles of vast desert landscapes, past picturesque canal-side cities and villages and within a stone's throw of breath-taking architecture and natural splendour.