After the German cruise line Aida Cruises recently canceled its planned trips to the United Arab Emirates, the Italian company Costa Cruises, also a subsidiary of the American Carnival Group, is now following suit and canceling its planned trips to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this coming winter.
The “Costa Toscana” will instead operate eight-day itineraries over the winter as well as longer cruises to destinations in Southern Europe and North Africa for the first time. However, Costa Cruises wants to offer its guests reliable clarity about their vacation plans as early as possible.
According to Costa, the situation in the Middle East remains very uncertain at the moment, meaning that the company, like Aida Cruises two weeks ago, has had to cancel its trips from Dubai. The cancellation also includes the “positioning cruises” to and from Dubai.
The 337-metre-long “Costa Toscana” will continue its 8-day cruises in the western Mediterranean as planned until 13 November 2025. The 8-day cruise on November 13, 2025 from Savona to Santa Cruz de Tenerife has also been confirmed. The company’s flagship will then return to the Mediterranean with a capacity of up to 6,700 guests and will offer 8-day itineraries over the winter as well as longer cruises to destinations in Southern Europe and North Africa for the first time. Details of the new itineraries for the “Costa Toscana”, delivered from Meyer Turku in 2021, in winter 2025/26 will be published shortly.
Guests who have booked cruises with Costa in the Emirates will be contacted directly and will receive an alternative offer for their winter vacation in the warmth. Costa Cruises is committed to offering solutions that meet the needs of its guests.
Aida Cruises had already decided two weeks ago that the “AIDAprima” will not be sailing in the Persian Gulf in the fall and winter season 2025/26. The first voyages should have started in October 2025. Instead, the ship will now mainly sail from Kiel in the fall and winter.
The situation is different for TUI Cruises, for example, which will even operate two ships, the “Mein Schiff 4” and the “Mein Schiff 5”, in the Persian Gulf this winter. Just like MSC Cruises, which is planning to sail there with the “MSC Euribia”, the shipping companies are currently still sticking to their deployment plans for the region. However, both shipping companies want to continue to monitor the geopolitical situation closely.
