Shortly after RCI-Royal Caribbean's cancellation of cruises departing from Israel, the cruise line redirected a ship back to the country, albeit for a different purpose. As the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalated, US nationals residing in Israel sought a means of leaving the region, and the US State Department requested assistance from RCI to evacuate Americans from Israel.
The American Embassy in Jerusalem announced on its website that it was facilitating the departure of Americans and their immediate family members with valid travel documents from Haifa, arranging for their transportation to nearby Cyprus.
With air travel halted to Israel, a maritime connection became the most viable alternative, given that major U.S. airlines temporarily suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv.
The US Embassy reported that the boarding process commenced on Monday morning, and the ship Rhapsody of the Seas was assigned to transport Americans to Limassol Cyprus.
Dozens of US citizens and their spouses awaited boarding on Rhapsody OTS in Haifa.
The journey is estimated to take about 10-12 hours, with food and Wi-Fi available during the evacuation voyage.
When the conflict between Israel and Hamas initially erupted, RCI began canceling scheduled cruises that were meant to operate to and from Israel. In a span of less than a week, the cruise line canceled the remaining portion of the Israel cruise season, which was centered around the Rhapsody of the Seas. The Rhapsody had initially planned to offer cruises from Haifa to the Greek islands through early November.
Subsequently, other cruise lines also canceled their visits to Israel. Royal Caribbean's sister brand, Celebrity Cruises, called off a visit to Israel that Celebrity Apex had scheduled earlier in the week. These Israel-bound itineraries were replaced with visits to alternative destinations like Turkey or Greece.