However, that number would have been far higher had the conflict in the Middle East started a few years earlier. In 2019, P&O Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises all had ships based in the region.
And that’s before factoring in European cruise brands like Aida Cruises, Costa Cruises and Tui Cruises, all of which had capacity in the Middle East that year.
In more peaceful times, the Middle East was a key deployment for cruise lines, offering passengers a potent mix of modern luxury and ancient history. Most major cruise lines would base at least one ship there.
