Royal Caribbean has canceled two scheduled voyages aboard Rhapsody of the Seas departing from Haifa, Israel, on October 9 and October 13, 2023, due to safety concerns following a series of land, sea, and air attacks in Israel on Saturday, October 8.

The measure has been taken in order to ensure the safety of passengers and avoid the war zone. Haifa is located approximately 50 miles away from Tel Aviv, which was one of the main targets of the attacks.

Passengers can expect a full refund for their fare, taxes, fees, gratuities, and other charges that they have already paid for, including flights and travel insurance bought through the cruise line. Refunded payments will be remitted within 14 business days. Any credits that were used for the sailings will also be reinstated.

This is not the first time that Royal Caribbean has had to cancel cruises from Haifa due to safety concerns. In 2021, the cruise line was forced to cancel a series of cruises scheduled to begin from Haifa after hundreds of rockets from Hamas were fired into Israel.

At the time, Odyssey of the Seas had just entered service and there were plans that it would homeport in Haifa. However, the Israeli military responded with airstrikes in Gaza, and Royal Caribbean decided to cancel the sailings and pull Odyssey out of Israel.

In August 2022, Royal Caribbean resumed homeporting in Israel with the older and smaller Rhapsody of the Seas. Until the most recent conflict, Rhapsody of the Seas had been operating closed-loop cruises from Haifa to Limassol in Cyprus, Rhodes Island, and Santorini in Greece.

Other ships in the area from all three major cruise companies had to make alternate plans after Saturday’s attack on Israel. Carnival Corporation and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings ships were docked in Haifa at the time of the attack, but they were able to leave safely. Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam and Oceania Cruises’ Nautica were also docked in Haifa at the time of the attack, but they were able to leave after guests returned from shore excursions.

Royal Caribbean’s decision to cancel the two cruises from Haifa is understandable, given the current safety concerns. The cruise line has a responsibility to protect its passengers and crew, and canceling the cruises is the best way to do that.