Table Of Content
- Why More and More Visitors to Israel Prefer to Arrive by Sea
- Rafah crossing may open at short notice and for a "limited" time, US Embassy says
- 'I Asked Sinwar, Is It Worth 10,000 Gazans Dying? He Said, Even 100,000 Is Worth It'
- U.S. Embassy Organizes Emergency Evacuation by Ship for Americans Wanting to Leave Israel
The Odyssey of the Seas, the cruise line's newest ship, had planned sailings from Haifa beginning June 2 and continuing through October. Instead of sailing from Israel, the ship will spend its inaugural season with sailings in Florida. While air travel to and from Israel had come to a screeching halt, notably with major U.S. airlines temporarily suspending their flights to Tel Aviv, a cruise ship was the most viable alternative. In a letter to employees, Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty announced that Rhapsody of the Seas would be used to safely evacuate American citizens. The ship had its sailings in the region canceled after the Hamas attack from Gaza Strip on Israel last week and the Israeli response that together have left thousands of Israelis and Palestinians dead. Its cruise ship, the Rhapsody of the Seas (78,878 gross tons) which had been idled in Cyprus, was dispatched to Haifa overnight.
Why More and More Visitors to Israel Prefer to Arrive by Sea
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday reiterated Beijing’s support for an independent Palestinian state as a way out of the conflict in Israel and Gaza. As the conflict reaches unprecedented heights, protests in support of both Israelis and Palestinians have been seen around the world — some resulting in violent clashes. About half a million people have left northern Gaza for the south following Israel's evacuation notice on Friday, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said Sunday. Travelers have been asked to sign an “Evacuee Manifest and Promissory Note” as an agreement to repay the US government for the cost of the evacuation travel, though the costs of the travel are not immediately available. In Cyprus, American evacuees will be able to board commercial flights to take them the rest of the way home.
Rafah crossing may open at short notice and for a "limited" time, US Embassy says
The cruise line has said that 100% of crew will be required to be fully vaccinated, Sierra-Caro told USA TODAY. However, Royal Caribbean has not yet announced vaccine protocol for passengers sailing from the United States. Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, said in the release that while the decision was challenging to make that the safety of passengers, crew and the communities the cruise line visits remains priority. Several foreigners in the country were stranded as airlines canceled service to the beleaguered country. The US Embassy reported that the boarding process commenced on Monday morning, and the ship Rhapsody of the Seas was assigned to transport Americans to Limassol Cyprus.
'I Asked Sinwar, Is It Worth 10,000 Gazans Dying? He Said, Even 100,000 Is Worth It'
Royal Caribbean International is using its Haifa-based cruise ship, Rhapsody of the Seas, to assist in evacuating Americans from Israel in light of the ongoing conflict in the region. The assistance was requested by the US Embassy in Israel, with evacuations on Monday, October 16, 2023. Food and Wi-Fi were available while U.S. consular staff were available both on the ship and at the Limassol Port in Cyprus to assist and provide information about onward travel to the United States. The Royal Caribbean International cruise ship was sailing on the request of the U.S. embassy in Israel. Many cruise lines changed itineraries following the conflict, in some cases suspending stops in Israel altogether.
Availability of Rhapsody of the Seas
The Gaza Health Ministry — which is controlled by Hamas — reported at least 3,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,500 injured since the war began. At 6 A.M., the Rhapsody of the Seas made its approach to the Haifa Port and docked at the jetty. At 10 A.M., when I came aboard for a tour, the last passengers were still dragging suitcases toward the nearby train station. But now, the cruise giant will be halting its highly anticipated Israel-based sailings, which would have shuttled fully vaccinated Israelis on three- to seven-night trips to Greece and Cyprus from Haifa, Israel, and back. “This change, while understandably very disappointing for the Israeli holidaymakers who we looked forward to welcoming on board, reflects our strong commitment to offering holidays that are as safe as they are memorable,” Bayley said in a statement. The latest outburst of violence spread across the region over the past week, with Jewish-Arab clashes and rioting in mixed cities of Israel.
Royal Caribbean Assists in Evacuating Americans From Israel - Cruise Hive
Royal Caribbean Assists in Evacuating Americans From Israel.
Posted: Mon, 16 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Container volumes at Port Houston have skyrocketed in the first quarter of 2024. Port executives reported that last month was Houston’s biggest March ever, and they are continuing to take steps to grow the port’s capabilities.Consumer spending on items like furniture and appliances they said contributed to the strong container volumes. The continued growth in volumes for the port also comes as the West Coast ports continued to rebound after weak volumes in 2023 in part due to... Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville.
Hospitals in Gaza are under constant bombardment and facing imminent shutdown due to a lack of fuel, a Palestinian humanitarian official said Sunday. In a separate call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Wang called for a ceasefire, the opening of humanitarian aid routes to Gaza and the resumption of dialogue between Israel and Palestinian authorities. On Sunday, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations told CNN water has been turned back on in southern Gaza, but he didn't say if electricity was on for desalination. Shelters in southern Gaza are overloaded, with shortages of crucial supplies, as tens of thousands of people flee from Israeli airstrikes on the north of the coastal enclave, a UN official said Sunday. The evacuation advisory came after Israel imposed a complete siege on Gaza.
Royal Caribbean cruise ship evacuated Americans from Israel
The American Embassy in Jerusalem announced on its website that it was facilitating the departure of Americans and their immediate family members with valid travel documents from Haifa, arranging for their transportation to nearby Cyprus. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday warned of the risk of a wider regional conflict in the Middle East as Israel pounds Gaza with airstrikes in response to Hamas' unprecedented surprise attacks. Shelters are overloaded and the area is experiencing shortages of food, water and fuel.
Melissa McCarthy defends ‘wonderful’ pal Meghan Markle: She’s ‘incredibly threatening to some people’
"Due to the unrest in Israel and the region, Odyssey has not been able to complete the preparations required to operate from Haifa as planned," the cruise line said in a release provided by spokesperson Lyan Sierra-Caro. Explorethe latest travel news, advice, updates, upcoming exclusive deals and more. Also this weekend, the first of what Gov. Ron DeSantis said would be several rescue charter flight arrived in Tampa, bringing with it 270 passengers from Israel, most of whom were Americans. The cruise line did not say to were the ship would head after departing Israel.
It is unclear if the U.S. has plans for any further emergency evacuations from Israel. All the major cruise lines last week suspended their port calls, as did most commercial airlines. It was reported that MSC Cruises chartered an Israeli-owned cruise ship, Crown Iris (40,000 gross tons), and on Sunday the cruise ship spent about 10 hours in Haifa disembarking Israelis that had been on an MSC cruise when the war broke out. The embassy announcement said the sea journey to Limassol would take approximately 10 to 12 hours, that each traveler would be permitted to bring a 50-pound (22.5-kilogram) suitcase and carry-on bag, and that pets would not be permitted to board. Food and Wi-Fi will be provided on the ship, the announcement said, and upon arrival in Limassol, buses will transport travelers to the country’s international airports in Larnaca and Paphos.
That voyage is a 14-night transatlantic cruise to Fort Lauderdale, visiting Alicante, Malaga, the Canary Islands, and Freeport in the Bahamas along the way. The 78,878-gross-ton, Vision-class Rhapsody of the Seas is currently homeported from Haifa, Israel, but the remainder of the ship’s Mediterranean season has been cancelled due to the regional violence. With no sailings for the next few weeks, the ship is available to assist in such emergency evacuation options. The US has responded to the latest threat with plans to dispatch its warships, including the aircraft carrier the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, a cruiser, and two destroyers, closer to Israel, reports said. Royal Caribbean had been eyeing the chance to offer sailings from Israel "for quite some time," Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean's president and CEO, said in a March press release.
The U.S. State Department and the Embassy in Israel announced that it chartered a cruise ship to accelerate the departure of U.S. nationals and their immediate families from Israel. The move comes as fears mount of escalation as Israel stands poised for what government officials are saying will be the next phase of the war against Hamas with an all-out air, sea, and land invasion of Gaza. US consular staff are onboard the cruise ship as well as in Limassol to assist with information and travel options. The US Embassy will provide busses from the cruise port to both international airports in Cyprus, one in Larnaca (42 miles / 68 kilometers from Limassol) and the other in Paphos (39 miles / 63 kilometers from Limassol). Rather than flights, the cruise ship is being used for this evacuation because air travel has been largely suspended to Israel at this time, and most US airlines have cancelled flights both to and from Tel Aviv. They advised the family members of U.S. government employees and some non-emergency personnel would also be authorized to depart.
When the conflict between Israel and Hamas initially erupted, RCI began canceling scheduled cruises that were meant to operate to and from Israel. In a span of less than a week, the cruise line canceled the remaining portion of the Israel cruise season, which was centered around the Rhapsody of the Seas. The Rhapsody had initially planned to offer cruises from Haifa to the Greek islands through early November. Embassy personnel were trying to guide the process, but at times recommended people leave and return later in smaller groups. They were being told that food and Wi-Fi would be available onboard and the U.S. consular staff would be traveling to assist the people evacuating from Israel.
