The after-effects of the Arab Spring continue to reverberate across the cruise industry. While ships are returning to ports in Egypt and Tunisia, other areas continue to be off-limits.
Following P&O’s recent announcement that their ships will not be making the scheduled calls in Tripoli in December and January, Voyages to Antiquity have decided to amend the itineraries of the last cruises of the year on Aegean Odyssey (above).
Three itineraries have been combined into two, and planned visits to Latakia in Syria and Darnah, Benghazi and Tripoli in Libya have been abandoned.
The November 8 departure – now called Ancient Wonders and the Holy Land – will feature a two-day excursion to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, by road from Eilat, with the chance of a dip in the Dead Sea.
The final cruise of the 2011 season – now called The Red Sea, Petra and Suez Canal – begins with a two-night stay in the Jordanian capital of Amman, plus a night in the ancient, rose-red city of Petra, staying in 5-star hotels.
Both cruises also include an overnight stay on board the Aegean Odyssey in Beirut with an included excursion to Baalbeck, the ancient site of Heliopolis, plus an overnight hotel stay in Luxor, where guided visits to the temples of Karnak and Luxor as well as the Valley of the Kings will be arranged.
About the Author: John Honeywell
John Honeywell is a travel writer specialising in cruise ships and cruise travel. Winner of CLIA UK's Contribution to Cruise award 2017.
The itinerary sounds great 🙂