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Her husband was staying behind for the time being, but hoping to rejoin the family in Dallas by Wednesday, she told ABC News. Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. The Rhapsody of the Seas ship can accommodate more than 2,400 passengers, according to Royal Caribbean’s website. The line’s Rhapsody of the Seas vessel had been sailing in the region but canceled its itineraries in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. In March, Royal Caribbean committed to "fully-vaccinated" for sailings on Odyssey of the Seas. "Due to the unrest in Israel and the region, Odyssey has not been able to complete the preparations required to operate from Haifa as planned," the cruise line said in a release provided by spokesperson Lyan Sierra-Caro.
Blinken speaks with Turkish foreign minister about Israel-Hamas war
Department of State in the assisted departure of American citizens,” said a statement from Royal Caribbean. Travelers have been asked to sign an “Evacuee Manifest and Promissory Note” as an agreement to repay the US government for the cost of the evacuation travel, though the costs of the travel are not immediately available. In Cyprus, American evacuees will be able to board commercial flights to take them the rest of the way home. Evacuee Idella Schatzberg was leaving for Cyprus with her two tots in tow.
U.S. Embassy Organizes Emergency Evacuation by Ship for Americans Wanting to Leave Israel
Americans flee Israel on complicated charter flights and a cruise ship - The Washington Post
Americans flee Israel on complicated charter flights and a cruise ship.
Posted: Wed, 18 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The State Department said Sunday the number of Americans killed in the conflict since it began has risen to 30, and that it believed several Americans were among the nearly 200 people Hamas kidnapped after the surprise attack on Oct. 7. Department of State, Rhapsody of the Seas arrived in Israel early Monday morning to evacuate Americans and their immediate family members with valid travel credentials. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has decided to equip one of its LR1 product tankers with a combination system that both captures a portion of the CO2 emissions from the exhaust as well as acts as a SOx scrubber. For reasons unclear, two of Russia's sanctioned military supply ships have had to make a heroic journey around Europe after their latest run to the naval base at Tartus, Syria.
Royal Caribbean Ship Helps Evacuate Americans from Israel
Egypt supports the opening of the crossing and that aid vehicles were standing by for permission to cross, Shoukry said. In the south, all eyes are on the Rafah crossing into Egypt – the last available exit to Gazans. And in the north, all eyes are on the movements of Israel’s Defense Forces ahead of any potential developments on the ground.
Royal Caribbean International is using its Haifa-based cruise ship, Rhapsody of the Seas, to assist in evacuating Americans from Israel in light of the ongoing conflict in the region. The assistance was requested by the US Embassy in Israel, with evacuations on Monday, October 16, 2023. The cruise ship line Royal Caribbean stepped in to help after commercial airlines mostly stopped flying into Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport, making it extremely difficult to get out of the country. The Odyssey of the Seas, the cruise line's newest ship, had planned sailings from Haifa beginning June 2 and continuing through October. Instead of sailing from Israel, the ship will spend its inaugural season with sailings in Florida. A ship for American citizens wishing to leave Israel will be departing from Haifa on Monday morning, the U.S.
All travelers will be responsible for their own onward travel plans from Cyprus, whether returning to the US or traveling elsewhere. Charter options and assistance to arrange such travel will be available. All travelers must be either a US national or the immediate family member of a US national, including spouses or children under the age of 21. All travelers must also have a valid passport, though assistance is available if eligible individuals do not have their passports in their possession. All travelers may bring on bag up to 50 pounds, plus one small carry-on bag.
Royal Caribbean cruise ship evacuated Americans from Israel
The flight was organized by an international rescue nonprofit group called Project Dynamo. Also this weekend, the first of what Gov. Ron DeSantis said would be several rescue charter flight arrived in Tampa, bringing with it 270 passengers from Israel, most of whom were Americans. The cruise line did not say to were the ship would head after departing Israel. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Jerusalem for his meetings with Israeli officials, according to the traveling press. Five empty UN petrol trucks are now waiting at the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing, hoping to cross over and refuel in Egypt, a Palestinian official responsible for the Rafah crossing told CNN on Monday.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Evacuates Americans from Israel - Cruise Industry News
Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Evacuates Americans from Israel.
Posted: Mon, 16 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
While air travel to and from Israel had come to a screeching halt, notably with major U.S. airlines temporarily suspending their flights to Tel Aviv, a cruise ship was the most viable alternative. A Royal Caribbean cruise ship carrying US nationals has departed the Israeli port of Haifa for Cyprus. The embassy had informed U.S. residents that the voyage was based on space available on the ship, which had its cruises cancelled out of Haifa due to the geopolitical situation. The Royal Caribbean International cruise ship was sailing on the request of the U.S. embassy in Israel. At the moment, it is unknown whether just one seagoing evacuation will be used or if additional voyages may be necessary in the coming days. It is possible that additional trips could be planned to accommodate US citizens in Israel who were unable to reach Haifa by Monday morning for the scheduled departure.
Food and Wi-Fi will be provided on the ship, the announcement said, and upon arrival in Limassol, buses will transport travelers to the country’s international airports in Larnaca and Paphos. Embassy personnel were trying to guide the process, but at times recommended people leave and return later in smaller groups. They were being told that food and Wi-Fi would be available onboard and the U.S. consular staff would be traveling to assist the people evacuating from Israel. Space onboard the cruise ship is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The freighter Sparta IV has traveled back and forth between Russia and Tartus for years, moving equipment and stores for the Russian military. Tartus is an important base, providing the Russian Navy with a year-round, sanctions-free haven in the Mediterranean. The top US diplomat did not travel to Jerusalem when he visited last week. Instead, the meetings were held in Tel Aviv, which is where the airport is located. By Monday, little progress had been made regarding either of those appeals. Israel reported at least 199 people are being held hostage in Gaza – a sharp upward revision from the previous count of 155.
And Palestinian officials said that Israel is still not supplying water to the densely populated enclave. The news comes as CNN reported over the weekend that discussions are underway for a possible visit to the Middle East after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended an invitation to Biden. With her Israel cruise season now cancelled, Rhapsody of the Seas is assisting in an emergency evacuation of US nationals out of Israel. The Gaza Health Ministry — which is controlled by Hamas — reported at least 3,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,500 injured since the war began. The US Embassy in Israel announced the evacuation plan Sunday, offering the 2,500 Americans and their immediate family members still in Israel a chance to leave by sea. The latest outburst of violence spread across the region over the past week, with Jewish-Arab clashes and rioting in mixed cities of Israel.
They advised the family members of U.S. government employees and some non-emergency personnel would also be authorized to depart. The U.S. State Department and the Embassy in Israel announced that it chartered a cruise ship to accelerate the departure of U.S. nationals and their immediate families from Israel. The move comes as fears mount of escalation as Israel stands poised for what government officials are saying will be the next phase of the war against Hamas with an all-out air, sea, and land invasion of Gaza.
President Joe Biden is scrapping a trip to Colorado for “national security meetings,” the White House told pool reporters Monday. The US State Department said that in addition to the ship, chartered flights from Israel will be available for American citizens on Monday and Tuesday. The passage from Haifa to Limassol Port in Cyprus was expected to take between 10 and 12 hours, with food and internet service available to passengers on board. Thousands of Americans fleeing the war in Israel raced to board a cruise ship Monday that would take them to neighboring Cyprus.
As the passage between Haifa and Limassol is approximately 170 miles (274 kilometers), the trip is expected to take hours. Meals and Wi-Fi service will be provided onboard, though guests will not likely be assigned individual staterooms for this short journey. Travel to the ship’s departure site in Haifa “is conducted at your own risk, and plans may change depending on the security situation. The U.S. government is unable to guarantee your safety,” the announcement stated. Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines.
“Each traveler must be a U.S. national or the immediate family member (spouse/partner, children under age 21) of a U.S. national and have a valid passport,” the alert said. The embassy said travelers would be responsible for arranging their own accommodations and travel from Cyprus, but that chartered flights were also being arranged. In a letter to employees, Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty announced that Rhapsody of the Seas would be used to safely evacuate American citizens.
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