MSC Cancels Additional Cruises as Ship Remains Unable to Reposition
Key Aspects:
MSC Cruises cancelled the May 9 and May 16, 2026, sailings of MSC Euribia from Kiel, Germany.
The vessel remains delayed in the Middle East due to the ongoing regional crisis.
Affected guests can rebook another cruise, receive onboard credit, or request a full refund.
More cruises have been called off as MSC Cruises continues to deal with disruptions tied to the ongoing Middle East crisis.
The cruise line has announced the cancellation of additional sailings aboard MSC Euribia scheduled to depart from Kiel, Germany, on May 9 and May 16, 2026.
Passengers were notified that the ship remains unable to leave its U.A.E. port to position to Northern Europe in time for the start of its summer season.
“Due to the situation currently underway in the Middle East, MSC Euribia will still be sailing in the region and we do not yet have certainty in the coming weeks about when the ship will be able to begin its repositioning voyage toward Northern Europe,” MSC Cruises told guests in the notice.
The cruise line said the cancellations were made after evaluating alternatives and confirmed the decision was directly related to the ship’s delayed departure from the region.
The affected voyages were part of the 6,327-guest ship’s planned Northern Europe program sailings from Kiel to the Norwegian Fjords.
Passengers booked on the cancelled departures are being offered several options.
Guests may transfer their reservation to another MSC Cruises voyage departing by November 30, 2026, without paying a change fee and with guaranteed low rates.
For sailings after December 1, 2026, the cruise line said any previous payments will be applied to the new booking, though the fare for the selected cruise will apply without change fees.
The company is also providing onboard credit incentives of up to 100€ per person, capped at 200€ per cabin, depending on the booking type.
Passengers who do not wish to rebook may instead cancel and receive a full refund. Flights and additional services are excluded from the offer.
MSC Cruises asked guests to notify the company or their travel agent of their preferred option by April 21, 2026. After that deadline, bookings will automatically be cancelled and refunded if no choice is made.
Latest Disruptions as MSC Euribia Remains Stuck
The cancellations mark the latest setback tied to the ongoing disruption of cruise operations in the Middle East.
MSC Euribia has been unable to leave the region since late February, after escalating geopolitical tensions disrupted maritime traffic and left several vessels unable to safely transit key shipping corridors.
The crisis has left the 183,500-gross-ton ship stuck in Dubai and delaying its scheduled repositioning voyage to Europe. It also forced the cruise line to work with airlines to fly stranded passengers home from the U.A.E. after sailings were cancelled.
The vessel had originally been scheduled to begin its European program on May 2, 2026, with a 7-night Norwegian Fjords cruise departing from Kiel and visiting ports such as Flam, Hellesylt, and Alesund.
That sailing was cancelled earlier when the ship could not depart the Middle East in time, the first clear sign that the regional crisis was starting to affect the European cruise season.
The current cancellations extend that disruption into mid-May. Until the vessel can begin its repositioning voyage, additional adjustments to the ship’s Northern Europe schedule remain possible.
MSC Cancels Additional Cruises as Ship Remains Unable to Reposition