Ukraine and Egypt are now off the itinerary map for MSC Cruises

The recent terror incident in Tunis struck fear in the hearts of all Cruise itinerary planners and a key consequence of this is the elimination of ports considered to pose a high risk.

Case in point is MSC Cruises who recently pulled out suspending of Ukraine and Egypt as from autumn 2015 until spring 2016, replacing these once attractive countries with other Mediterranean destinations such as Rhodes, Heraklion (Crete), Limassol (Cyprus), Burgas (Bulgaria) and even Israel which is a turn up for the books, as one would consider this country to be associated with a reasonably high risk.

MSC Cruises claim that the itinerary adjustments translate to the ongoing focus on safety for Passengers and Crew alike, a number one priority at all times. In essence the following MSC ships are involved in the itinerary changes:

• Sinfonia
• Opera
• Fantasia
• Musica

Clearly the prevailing geopolitical reality means that Egypt and Ukraine unfortunately considered to be high risk. Moreover, the once popular Tunis, Israel, Lebanon, Libya and Algeria are now mostly off Cruise Lines itineraries and even Turkey is being re-evaluated.