Magic Going to Europe this Year?

[DCLMP]

I agree!

So as long as the conflict remains contained to Ukraine and between Russia and Ukraine. However, several western european countries and the US have positioned military assets in Eastern Europe during the build up to this. If any of those countries try to get involved, I could see Russia swiftly taking steps to prevent them from doing so. Heck, Putin said as much a little more than 12 hours ago. If that happens, I fear all bets are off.

Watching this cautiously and hoping this is as bad as it gets.

With NATO and article 5 it wouldn’t take much to trigger WW3.

 

[CarolynU]

Exactly. The impact of this could be world changing. Let’s just hope that it doesn’t develop to that degree.

 

[AquaDame]

Until other countries use this as an opportunity to invade someone, or Russia moves on other countries I wouldn't worry about this becoming WW3 yet. Countdown until I eat my words in 3..2..

I can see DCL cancelling their Baltic cruises or adjusting them to stay away from the easternmost ports if things aren't quickly resolved one way or another. We'd need months of peace and status quo for people to feel safe again.

 

[CarolynU]

Until other countries use this as an opportunity to invade someone, or Russia moves on other countries I wouldn't worry about this becoming WW3 yet. Countdown until I eat my words in 3..2..

I can see DCL cancelling their Baltic cruises or adjusting them to stay away from the easternmost ports if things aren't quickly resolved one way or another. We'd need months of peace and status quo for people to feel safe again.

I was actually due to sail on a Northern European stopping at St Petersburg until last week when I swapped it out for a different itinerary altogether. Let’s just hope that the European cruises do happen and I’m sure that they will unless the countries of Europe decide to act in a more pro active way than just largely economic sanctions or if Putin doesn’t stop inflicting his pain upon The Ukraine and goes further, and who knows if that would be in his head.
Sadly one of my ex assistant servers who I’m still in touch with who comes from the Ukraine has posted that she and her family have taken shelter and are ok for now. Her fiancé also a server from India is with her at the moment. They must have been on their break from DCL at the moment. Poor things.

 

[DCLMP]

Until other countries use this as an opportunity to invade someone, or Russia moves on other countries I wouldn't worry about this becoming WW3 yet. Countdown until I eat my words in 3..2..

I can see DCL cancelling their Baltic cruises or adjusting them to stay away from the easternmost ports if things aren't quickly resolved one way or another. We'd need months of peace and status quo for people to feel safe again.

Ukraine is not a Baltic country it’s on the Black Sea. Accessed through the med passing by Turkey and Greece. It’s been reported by some news outlets that a Turkish ship was hit(nato country)If anything I’d think med cruises would be most affected

 

[Sykes]

At this point it's almost certainly too late for them to cancel the Europe season and redeploy the Magic on departures from the US and get any reasonable number of bookings, so I find it pretty hard to believe that they'd cancel the Magic's Med season. I do expect that unless the testing situation changes significantly, though, they'll have far fewer bookings from Americans than they would have originally hoped for. We'd still go, but I know a lot of people that wouldn't. I'm sure the Ukraine situation won't help attract more people.

 

[DCLMP]

At this point it's almost certainly too late for them to cancel the Europe season and redeploy the Magic on departures from the US and get any reasonable number of bookings, so I find it pretty hard to believe that they'd cancel the Magic's Med season. I do expect that unless the testing situation changes significantly, though, they'll have far fewer bookings from Americans than they would have originally hoped for. We'd still go, but I know a lot of people that wouldn't. I'm sure the Ukraine situation won't help attract more people.

There cancelled them the last two years I wouldn’t find it hard to believe.

 

[Sykes]

There cancelled them the last two years I wouldn’t find it hard to believe.

Well, wide-spread cruising hadn't resumed by the time they canceled last year so it's a pretty substantially different situation than today. And their willingness to staff up the Magic just to do relatively cheap and low-capacity 2 and 3-day UK staycations (the first Disney ship to start up last year) shows that they're willing to do European cruising under less-than-ideal situations.

 

[AquaDame]

Ukraine is not a Baltic country it’s on the Black Sea. Accessed through the med passing by Turkey and Greece. It’s been reported by some news outlets that a Turkish ship was hit(nato country)If anything I’d think med cruises would be most affected

Makes sense - I was just looking at the ports and thinking I wasn't sure they would want to visit neighbors that close to St Petersburg either if they cancelled that stop. Might be thinking too cautiously there even for Disney.

 

[diablodancer]

Ukraine is not a Baltic country it’s on the Black Sea. Accessed through the med passing by Turkey and Greece. It’s been reported by some news outlets that a Turkish ship was hit(nato country)If anything I’d think med cruises would be most affected

But sanctions are targeting Russia itself and other cruise lines are already cancelling stops there. I don’t think it’s so much active danger of going there (although there have been travel warnings this week) but rather that travel may not be possible whether due to sanctions or travel bans for certain nationalities.

 

[Mommb]

Ukraine is not a Baltic country it’s on the Black Sea. Accessed through the med passing by Turkey and Greece. It’s been reported by some news outlets that a Turkish ship was hit(nato country)If anything I’d think med cruises would be most affected

Just to clarify: The Turkish ship that was reported hit was by Odessa, a Ukrainian port on the Black Sea. Turkey borders the Mediterranean, but Ukraine does not (although it is correct that ships can move from the Med to the Black Sea and vice versa).

 

[DCLMP]

Just to clarify: The Turkish ship that was reported hit was by Odessa, a Ukrainian port on the Black Sea. Turkey borders the Mediterranean, but Ukraine does not (although it is correct that ships can move from the Med to the Black Sea and vice versa).

Yes I did say Ukraine was on the Black Sea? I’m not even sure if the reports on the Turkish ship are true. It’s a small misstep like that is scary.

 

[DCLMP]

But sanctions are targeting Russia itself and other cruise lines are already cancelling stops there. I don’t think it’s so much active danger of going there (although there have been travel warnings this week) but rather that travel may not be possible whether due to sanctions or travel bans for certain nationalities.

There would not at this time be any reason to pull out of the Baltic’s other than maybe St Petersburg. Personally the only reason I would book a Baltic cruise would be for St Petersburg so I would cancel.

 

[diablodancer]

There would not at this time be any reason to pull out of the Baltic’s other than maybe St Petersburg. Personally the only reason I would book a Baltic cruise would be for St Petersburg so I would cancel.

Yes, I was talking specifically about Russia (and agree, that would be the main draw for me on that route). Seeing people cancelling NCL sailings after they announced they won’t be stopping there this year.

 

[Intr3pid]

Here is the thing about this lopsided war. It's an easy one to start (for that reason), but a very expensive one to keep, as the sanctions get increasingly onerous.

I think things will cool off by the summer but so will the travel demand to that point.

For Magic, SPB will likely come off the itineraries. It's also entirely possible that Magic either (A) doesn't reposition to Copenhagen at all, or (B) switches the Baltic itinerary to Norwegian/Icelandic. They did something similar to one of the Med cruises a few years ago following the events in Turkey.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

Ukraine is not a Baltic country it’s on the Black Sea. Accessed through the med passing by Turkey and Greece. It’s been reported by some news outlets that a Turkish ship was hit(nato country)If anything I’d think med cruises would be most affected

This is true. And I think a few years back DCL cancelled a Greek itinerary due to activity in Turkey? I think I heard that anyway. This activity may be just a bit too close to bring families on a cruise ship nearby. We shall see what the next days and weeks bring. Hopefully peace to the region. Unknown if it will be in time for the start of the cruising season in the Med.

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

I would say it would be safe to say that St. Petersburg will be cancelled like other lines have started, but in true DCL fashion they will drag their feet and be the last to announce it.