Nicko Cruises (fleet) is preparing to enter the Saudi Arabian market with a 4-night land program in Jeddah, incorporated into the revised 2025–2026 world cruise aboard Vasco da Gama. The voyage departed Hamburg earlier this month, but regional security concerns along the Red Sea have prompted the line to adjust the Dubai–Piraeus segment scheduled for March 20th, 2026. Instead of transiting the Red Sea, guests will now disembark at Salalah in southern Oman and fly by charter to Jeddah, while the ship repositions independently.
The Jeddah stay has been outlined as a program intended to offer a broad introduction to the city’s heritage, gastronomy, and cultural landscape. Guests will be accommodated in a 4-star hotel and will join excursions designed to showcase key sites, most notably the historic Al-Balad district, a UNESCO World Heritage enclave known for its coral-stone buildings and traditional souks. After 4 nights ashore, travelers will rejoin Vasco da Gama to continue the passage northward through the Suez Canal toward Europe.
Managing Director Guido Laukamp remarked that, although the line hoped conditions near Yemen might stabilize ahead of the scheduled transit, it was taking a proactive approach by arranging a land program that would ensure passenger safety while offering meaningful cultural engagement. The shift comes as other cruise lines expand operations in the region; Celestyal has introduced initial calls at Jeddah for its 2025–2026 season, and MSC Cruises continues to increase its Red Sea sailings from the port.
Saudi Arabia’s cruise sector is advancing rapidly, recently joining the Cruise Arabia Alliance alongside Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar in an effort to enhance multi-country itineraries and strengthen the Gulf’s position as a cohesive cruising region. These developments accompany the planned launch of Connections Cruise Arabia in September 2025, with the first gathering in 2026 expected to convene senior industry leaders to shape future growth and the global profile of the Gulf’s cruise trade.