Cruise ships stranded in Middle East clear the Strait of Hormuz

Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5 had passed through the waterway as of early afternoon on April 19 and were bound for Cape Town, operator TUI Cruises said on its website. Iran lifted a blockade on marine traffic but later reimposed it, while the U.S. has maintained a blockade of Iranian ports.

The cruise ships Aroya Manara and MSC Euribia are anchored at the port of Dubai on March 4, 2026.

Mein Schiff 4 had been in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, while Mein Schiff 5 was in Doha, Qatar. Guests were repatriated in early to mid-March, followed by most crew.

"The past few weeks have presented us all with extraordinary challenges," TUI Cruises CEO Wybcke Meier said in a statement. "I would like to extend my special thanks to our captains, the crews and all the teams on board and ashore who have helped to overcome this situation with great professionalism, caution and dedication. We are therefore all the more delighted that we can now swiftly return to regular operations and deploy our entire fleet as planned."

Mein Schiff 4’s cruise departing from Trieste, Italy on May 17 and Mein Schiff 5’s cruise from Heraklion in Greece on May 15 had been canceled, but will now proceed.

MSC Euribia also left Dubai and "safely transited the Strait of Hormuz," MSC Cruises said in an April 18 statement. No guests were on board at the time.

"MSC Euribia is on course to resume her Northern Europe season, and as the ship will now be able to return sooner than previously anticipated, MSC Cruises confirms that the cruise departing on May 16 from Kiel (and May 17 from Copenhagen) will now operate as originally scheduled, with all subsequent sailings operating as planned," the company said.

Passengers whose voyages were canceled can transfer their bookings to that cruise.

Celestyal Cruises’ Celestyal Discovery and Celestyal Journey ships safely sailed through the waterway as well, according to an April 20 update on its website.

"Safety remained the absolute priority throughout the operation, with outstanding leadership, expertise and calm command demonstrated by both ships’ captains, alongside onboard and shoreside teams," the statement said. "Their efforts in navigating complex and sensitive conditions were instrumental in ensuring the safety of all crew and the successful passage of both ships."

The cruise line did not immediately respond to a request for comment on when passengers disembarked, but Travelweek reported the company had disembarked all guests from Celestyal Discovery in Dubai and was working to disembark the final guests from Celestyal Journey in Doha as of March 9.

The vessels will reposition to the Mediterranean and operate summer voyages as planned, Celstyal noted on its website.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].