After canceling the dozens of cruises from Haifa that it had planned for the summer of 2021, Royal Caribbean has announced round-trip cruises from Israel to Cyprus and Greece for next summer.
Instead of the Odyssey of the Seas, which anchored in Haifa but was eventually forced to set sail, Royal Caribbean will use the Rhapsody of the Seas for its Israel cruises between August and the end of October 2022. The Rhapsody of the Seas can hold up to 2,400 passengers, less than half the capacity of 5,000 passengers of the Odyssey of the Seas. The 300-meter long Rhapsody of the Seas has 1,020 cabins on 12 decks.
Prices on the Royal Caribbean website start from NIS 2,800 per person per seven night round trip, and NIS 2,200 for six nights. The cruises will leave and return to Haifa and call in at Limassol, Cyprus and Rhodes, Athens, Santorini and Mykonos in Greece. Also are available are three night cruises from Haifa to Limassol and back for NIS 940 per person.
Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas sailed into Haifa in May with 1,500 crew on board ahead of a full summer of cruises between Israel, Cyprus and Greece. But the cruises were cancelled causes major losses to the company and Israel's tourist industry. The tens of thousands of Israelis who had booked the cruises were offered a refund or a coupon for an enlarged amount.
The official reason for the cancellation of the cruises was the security flare-up between Israel and Gaza. But there had previously been acrimonious exchanges between Royal Caribbean and Israel's Ministry of Health, which refused vaccinations for the crew and they were unable to agree on protocols regarding Covid-19.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on June 30, 2021
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