Tag Archives: Ukraine

Cruise lines are closely monitoring the conflict in Ukraine

Posted on by
Reply

St Petersburg in Russia is a common river cruise halt

Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday after weeks of tension in the region as Russian forces massed on the Ukrainian border. Its actions have been widely condemned, with Boris Johnson promising harsh sanctions. Ukrainian airspace has been shut, and carriers warned to avoid the area.


Several operators are assessing their programmes, most notably Regent Holidays, which is contacting clients due to travel to Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus in the coming months.

A Saga spokesperson confirmed the over-50s specialist last week rerouted a Black Sea cruise which had been due to call in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa following a change in Foreign Office advice for the country.


“Guests are in the process of being contacted about the change, and the rest of the cruise remains unaffected,” said the spokesperson. “We are now looking at the impact of today’s [Thursday] developments on our Baltic cruises later this year, which was due to call in at St Petersburg.


“We will continue to monitor the situation and if necessary make further alterations to our itineraries whilst still ensuring the best experience for our guests.”


Carnival Corporation-owned P&O Cruises and Cunard both tweeted: “In light of the current situation evolving in Ukraine, we will continue to monitor very closely and will amend itineraries as necessary following guidance. The safety and wellbeing of guests and crew are of the highest priority and we will advise guests of any changes.”

A Riviera Travel spokesperson said the operator was monitoring the situation and would provide updates in due course, if necessary. Riviera is among a number of firms that offer cruises on Russia’s rivers and waterways.

AmaWaterways suspends Russia river cruises for 2015

Posted on by
Reply

By Michelle Baran
AmaWaterways will not operate its 212-passenger Amakatarina on Russia’s Volga River for 2015.

“Russia has been a strong product for AmaWaterways,” said President Rudi Schreiner. “However, due to what has been taking place in Russia and Ukraine, the AmaWaterways senior leadership team has given careful thought to how to best handle, in order to ensure the best possible experiences for our guests. At this time, we have decided not to operate cruises aboard the AmaKatarina in 2015.”

In 2011, AmaWaterways launched the Amakatarina, a ship that was originally built in the 1980s but was redesigned and rebuilt from the hull. It was converted to accommodate 212 passengers, down from 400.

Ama contributed capital to the refurbishment, and signed a five-year lease with the ship’s owner, Russian company Vodohod, with the option to renew.

The decision to suspend Russia river cruises comes just as the results of elections held in two eastern Ukraine states on Monday put support behind rebel separatist leaders, an outcome supported by Russia and denounced by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Western countries, news media reported.

Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March.

River cruise and tour operators have reported softness in Russia bookings throughout much of 2014.

The Silversea incident and Russia relations

Posted on by
Reply

By Tom Stieghorst
*InsightIt’s getting chancier to plan a cruise that includes a stop in Russia.

Relations between Russia and the West are turning frosty following the downing of a Malaysian Air passenger jet near the Russian border with Ukraine.

The U.S. and European Union countries have escalated sanctions on top individuals in Russia and added sanctions affecting the financial, oil and military sectors.

Now comes the news that passengers aboard a Silversea Cruises ship were denied entry at a small port in the Russian Pacific. Why they stayed on the ship remains murky.

A preponderance of the passengers on the Silver Discoverer, a small expedition ship, are from the U.S., Great Britain, Germany and Australia, and the local Siberia Times quotes a Russian tour organizer in the port of Provideniya saying that orders denying them entry “allegedly” came from Moscow.*TomStieghorst

A spokesman for the Russian security service told a Russian news website that the passengers lacked the necessary paperwork.

In a statement, Silversea said its ship had received all the necessary clearances for passage into the Chukotka area of Russia and guests and crew had been cleared by immigration, but on arrival July 28, they were denied landing by the Russian authorities.

Spokesman Brad Ball said the line was given no explanation at all.

The ship was sailing a 12-day itinerary from Seward to Nome and was scheduled to call in the Chukotka region on the final few days of the voyage. A new itinerary has been established in Alaska for the rest of the trip.

Port calls in the nearby region of Kamchatka are still being permitted.

If this is merely a regional matter, the impact is limited because relatively few cruise ships visit Pacific Russia. But other regions are more important. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has said demand for cruises in the Black Sea the rest of this year has been “strained” by Russian’s annexation of Crimea.

Travelers considering a Baltic cruise should keep a close eye on things lest sanctions affect debarkations in St. Petersburg, the crown jewel of the cruise industry’s Baltic trade.