Due to the ongoing situation in the Red Sea region, Princess Cruises is revising the itineraries for its two 2025 World Cruises. The itineraries will now avoid the Middle East and Asia and feature new stops in Africa and Europe instead.
"A Princess World Cruise is truly the voyage of a lifetime, and after careful consideration with guidance from global security experts and government authorities, we know our guests will understand and appreciate the change to our upcoming 2025 itineraries to avoid certain areas," said Terry Thornton, chief commercial officer of Princess Cruises.
For the Island Princess 116-day World Cruise from North America, the revised routing from February 16 to April 9 will see the ship depart Sydney and sail to Melbourne, Perth and then South Africa instead of heading towards the Middle East.
Key revised calls include Port Louis, Mauritius on March 3; Cape Town, South Africa on March 9-10 (overnight); Walvis Bay, Namibia on March 12; Mindelo, Cape Verde Islands on March 20; Madeira, Portugal on March 23; and Gibraltar on the Iberian Peninsula on March 25.
The cruise will then resume its scheduled Mediterranean itinerary from Valletta, Malta on April 9 with new calls at Volos and Patmos, Greece, among others.
Guests originally scheduled to embark or disembark in Dubai on March 14 will now join or leave four days earlier on March 9 in Cape Town, South Africa. They will receive a $300 onboard credit and fare adjustments.
For the Crown Princess 113-day World Cruise departing Auckland on May 31 and Sydney on June 4, the ship will also bypass the Red Sea and Suez Canal and transit via Africa instead of Asia. A fully revised itinerary is still being finalized.
"These global events beyond our control have necessitated these reroutings, but we are pleased to continue to ensure these world cruises retain destination-rich itineraries with incredible stops along the west Africa coast and the Mediterranean," said Thornton.
Editor’s Note: This article was generated by AI, based on a press release distributed by Princess Cruises. It has been fact-checked and reviewed by a TravelAge West editor.
