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The ‘Aroya Manara’ and the ‘MSC Euribia’ anchored at the port of Dubai on March 4.
Credit: Giuseppe CACACE \/ AFP via Getty<\/p>\n
NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
Six cruise ships reportedly remain stuck in the Persian Gulf amid military conflicts in the Middle East<\/p>\n
Approximately 15,000 passengers were stranded in the region but largely have since been repatriated through charter flights and other travel arrangements<\/p>\n
As a result, cruise lines operating in the region have canceled or adjusted itineraries as ships remain unable to leave<\/p>\n
Six cruise ships currently located in the Persian Gulf are reportedly stuck in the Middle East without a way to leave.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Feb. 28, President Donald Trump announced the U.S. participated in a joint attack with Israel against Iran. In retaliation, Iran launched a series of subsequent drone and missile strikes across the region, including areas like Israel, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).<\/p>\n
At the time, six cruise ships across four different companies were believed to have been impacted by the conflict, according to Euronews<\/a> and CruiseHive<\/a>. Those vessels included the MSC Euribia, TUI\u2019s Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5, Celestyal Cruises\u2019 Discovery and Journey as well as the Saudi-based AroyaManara ship.<\/p>\n The vessels were forced to remain in port<\/a>, as they would have to pass through the Strait of Hormuz to find safer waters. Airspace in the region was also shut down, making return flights home nearly impossible for travelers.<\/p>\n Two cruise ships anchored in Doha, Qatar, on March 2 According to a March 6 report from The New York Times<\/a>, approximately 15,000 cruise passengers were stuck in the Gulf<\/a> as a result.<\/p>\n Since the conflict, cruise companies have worked to return their guests home through private charters and another means of travel.<\/p>\n In a statement previously shared with PEOPLE on March 6, a representative from MSC Cruises confirmed the company launched a \u201cdedicated flight operation\u201d that included at least five charter flights to repatriate guests on board the Euribia ported in Dubai, UAE.<\/p>\n The ‘MSC Euribia’ The cruise line confirmed all guests, over 1,500 in total, were flown home by March 9, according to a statement shared with TravelWeek<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a March 18 statement, Germany-based TUI Group confirmed all guests returned home safely about two weeks after the conflict began. The company says most guests, on board the Mei Schiff 4 in Dubai and the Mein Schiff 5 in Doha, Qatar, were directly transported via 12 TUI Airlines flights and 26 organized charter flights.<\/p>\n Although the passengers have largely returned home, the ships themselves remain stuck in the region.<\/p>\n According to CruiseMapper<\/a>, the MSC Euribia, the Celestyal Discovery and the Aroya Manara still remain in Dubai. The Celestyal Journey and the Mein Schiff 5 are located in Doha while the Mein Schiff 4 is in Abu Dhabi, UAE.<\/p>\n As a result, the cruise lines have updated their itineraries and canceled sailings.<\/p>\n In a March 25 update<\/a>, TUI announced the Mein Schiff 4\u2019s scheduled sailings up until April 11 could not take place. Similarly, the Mein Schiff 5 has canceled its sailings up to April 24.<\/p>\n On the same day, Celestyal Cruises announced<\/a> it would have to cancel three voyages, including two Mediterranean sailings on the Journey and one Greek Island sailing on the Discovery.<\/p>\n Two cruise ships anchored in Doha, Qatar, on March 2 For MSC\u2019s Euribia<\/a>, the soonest sailing is a roundtrip voyage out of Kiel, Germany, on May 2.<\/p>\n Meanwhile Aroya Cruises cancelled the rest of their cruising season entirely in a March 7 statement<\/a>. The company also confirmed all of its passengers in Dubai disembarked on March 7.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n PEOPLE has reached out to MSC Cruises for further comment.<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/a24a60ba7e65c0417e89d12f464d7551.jpeg\"\/)
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Credit: HANNIBAL HANSCHKE\/EPA\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ef2e30c3c725e20e7d19c2e7714f156e.jpeg\"\/)
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Credit: Finnbarr Webster\/Getty<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/8eb1e2ffa4bf9b56408522deee402c6f.jpeg\"\/)
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Credit: HANNIBAL HANSCHKE\/EPA\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n