Royal Caribbean cancels Baltic cruises for 2023 (2024)

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Royal Caribbean cancels Baltic cruises for 2023? ›

Royal Caribbean International is canceling the European season of the Serenade of the Seas in summer 2023. The ship was scheduled to depart from Stockholm and Copenhagen on cruises through the Baltic Sea.

RCI-Royal Caribbean announced it is canceling the European season of Serenade of the Seas previously scheduled for summer 2023. Serenade OTS was initially homeported in Stockholm (Sweden) and Copenhagen (Denmark) for cruises in the Baltic Sea.

Princess cancels Regal's 2023 Baltic program and several Royal Asia-Pacific cruises. Citing the ongoing war in Ukraine, Princess Cruises canceled the 2023 Baltic program from Copenhagen on Regal Princess. This impacts cruises from April 9 through Sept. 3, 2023.

Inland cruising along the network of lakes and waterways that connect Moscow and St Petersburg is now off the cards. So too are cruises that would have visited the Russian Arctic and the Russian Far East, both increasingly popular destinations in the world of expeditions.

Rhapsody of the Seas Cruise Cancelled

Royal Caribbean International has announced that the Wednesday, October 18, 2023 departure for Rhapsody of the Seas is now completely cancelled.

Baltic cruise port stops might include Copenhagen, where you can visit Tivoli Gardens, and Helsinki, where museum-hopping and spending hours enjoying the waterfront are popular diversions. As of 2021, cruises to the Baltics no longer call on St. Petersburg, Russia.

Northern Europe cruises are great ways to hit several bucket list destinations, so nearly every mainstream cruise line offers Baltic Sea cruises. Princess, Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, Cunard, Costa, MSC, Fred. Olsen and P&O all offer seasonal sailings to this region.

Spring and autumn cruises may be cooler but will also be less busy in your destination. Travel on a Princess Baltic cruise from Southampton or choose to cruise to the Baltic with Royal Caribbean.

The Baltics region is generally fairly safe, and you're highly unlikely to be in any danger if you exercise the same precautions against pickpockets and muggers as you would anywhere.

American Queen Voyages, which made stops in Cleveland during Great Lakes cruises, ends operations. All future American Queen Voyages cruises have been canceled. The company says guests should expect to have their cruise deposits refunded in full.

Is Royal Caribbean still going to St Petersburg? ›

Silversea Cruises also said it would re-route summer voyages scheduled to stop in Russia and Ukraine, while Royal Caribbean International said it had canceled its visits to St. Petersburg on all its summer itineraries.

A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Lines said: “Due to the escalated situation between Russia and Ukraine we have made the decision to alter itineraries and remove calls to St. Petersburg, Russia from our 2022 sailings.” The cruise line continues to confirm replacement ports for the involved itineraries within 2022.

With the safety of our guests and crew always our top priority, we are removing St. Petersburg, Russia from upcoming itineraries in 2022, due to the current situation in Ukraine.

The October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas led to a number of lines canceling port calls (see below), while the latest attacks on cargo vessels in the Red Sea in early 2024 has led to cruise lines canceling itineraries in that region.

Royal Caribbean Group is removing Israel from its 2024 itineraries due to the Israel-Hamas war, according to an email sent to travel agents on Thursday seen by Reuters, making it the second major U.S. cruise operator to alter its plans over the conflict.

We try to avoid operating any ship in the vicinity of a tropical system, and we will monitor the progress of these storms very closely. If there is a potential threat to any of our guests or ships, the itinerary may be altered to try to avoid any interaction with the storm or any affected areas.

A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Lines said: “Due to the escalated situation between Russia and Ukraine we have made the decision to alter itineraries and remove calls to St. Petersburg, Russia from our 2022 sailings.” The cruise line continues to confirm replacement ports for the involved itineraries within 2022.

St. Petersburg, Russia, is a popular port of call for Baltic Sea cruises. “With the recent events, we have made the decision to cancel our visits to St. Petersburg, Russia on all Summer 2022 itineraries,” the company said in a statement.

Current Status of River Cruises in Europe

As of the latest information available, river cruises in Europe are generally not cancelled for 2023. However, it's crucial to keep in mind that travel restrictions and guidelines can vary between countries and regions due to the ever-evolving nature of the ongoing pandemic.