Russia Fallout: Tour Canceled, Cruise Lines Adjust Black Seas Itineraries

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Russia Fallout: Tour Canceled, Cruise Lines Adjust Black Seas Itineraries

Cruise | MSC Cruises | Tim Wood | March 26, 2014

With fighting escalating in Russia and tensions between the U.S. and Russia rising, tour companies and cruise lines are rethinking their itineraries to keep customers happy and out of harm’s way.

MSC Cruises announced Wednesday that it has made changes to the itinerary of the MSC Sinfonia (pictured above) and the calls in the Black Sea scheduled for April and May 2014.

“The safety and peace of mind of all our travellers and crew remains our utmost priority at all times. The calls at the ports of Odessa and Yalta will be cancelled and replaced with calls in Volos, Greece and Varna, Bulgaria,” a MSC spokesperson told TravelPulse.

“Volos is the perfect gateway to see the famous monasteries of Meteora – these world renowned monasteries perched on seemingly inaccessible rock pinnacles. The second additional port of call, Varna, Bulgaria, is a seaside resort boasting beautiful sandy beaches and centuries of history, adding an entirely new country to discover during this MSC voyage.”

These changes will be implemented on two 13-day, 12-night cruises.

The first one starting from Tuesday, April 8, as MSC Sinfonia will depart from Genoa on an itinerary that will bring her to Civitavecchia, Istanbul, Varna, Constanta, Volos, Piraeus and Naples before coming back to Genoa.

MSC Sinfonia’s second cruise that will be affected will depart on Friday 02 May from Genoa as well and will follow the same itinerary as previously mentioned.

Regent Seven Seas cruises has also made a change to their Aug. 8, 2014 Black Sea Sanctuary itinerary.

"We have revised the Aug. 8, 2014 Black Sea Sanctuary voyage aboard Regent Seven Seas’ Mariner to preserve the Black Sea experience while at the same time providing a new and diverse array of destinations,” a Regent Seven Seas spokesperson told TravelPulse. “These include Batumi (Georgia), an overnight in Constanta (Romania) and an overnight in Istanbul.   As we continue to monitor the situation in the Ukraine we recognize some guests are apprehensive about traveling to Ukraine and we’ve adjusted the itinerary accordingly. 

“As always, the safety and security of our guests and crew is always our number one priority.  We continue to monitor the situation in the Ukraine and if at any point we believe it is unsafe we will adjust our itineraries.”

Also Wednesday, Insight Vacations announced it has cancelled a tour focused on the Ukraine region.

“We launched a new itinerary this year, Ukraine, Moldova and Crimea,” said Philip Cappelli, president of Insight Vacations. “After much consideration we felt it was in the best interest of our clients and our company to cancel these departures. Eight tours were slated for departure this summer.

"We are completely confident in this program and continue to believe this part of the world must be seen and experienced. However, given the current volatility in the region we decided to suspend the tour for 2014. We continue to monitor the developments in the area carefully.”