Cruise Line Cancels 34 Cruises Just Five Weeks Before The First Itinerary Would’ve Sailed!

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Resorts World Cruises has announced the cancellation of its remaining 2025 Dubai season from February 26 onwards, attributing the decision to operational issues.

Resorts World One

The move comes as a disappointment to thousands of travellers who had planned voyages aboard the Resorts World One, a 1,856-passenger ship that only began sailing from Dubai on 1st November 2024.

In a letter sent to passengers on 22nd January 2025, the cruise line expressed regret for the disruptions.

“We regret to inform you that the Resorts World One departures from Dubai will be cancelled from 26 February 2025 onwards. We understand your disappointment and would sincerely like to apologise for the inconvenience caused, as the cancellation is necessary due to a change in the operational schedule,”

Cruises impacted

The initial cancellations affect a total of 20 voyages between 26th February and 11th April 2025, including popular itineraries such as:

  • 2-night cruises to Doha on Wednesdays
  • 2-night Sir Bani Yas sailings on Fridays
  • 3-night voyages to Khasab and Muscat on Sundays

Resorts World One will honour its scheduled January and February sailings up to 23rd February 2025. But it does mean that the first of these cancelled cruises was only five weeks away when the cancellation was announced.

However, from 5th March to 1st June 2025, the ship will be repositioned to Mumbai, India, effectively halting its Dubai season early.

Compensation for passengers

Passengers on the cancelled sailings have been offered a full refund, covering cabin fare, port charges, and any pre-paid shore excursions.

Those who booked through travel agencies will need to contact their agents directly to process refunds.

In addition, affected guests can opt for a free cruise matching their cancelled itinerary on any departure up to 23rd February 2025.

However, this complimentary voyage offer covers only the fare; passengers remain responsible for port charges, gratuities, and shore excursions.

Keelung, Taiwan cruises also affected

The cruise line’s operational adjustments are also impacting itineraries from Keelung, Taiwan, to destinations in Japan.

Originally scheduled to begin a series of 2- to 5-night sailings on 30th April 2025, these departures have now been pushed back to 13th June, resulting in the cancellation of another 14 cruises.

The affected itineraries include:

  • 2-night roundtrip sailings to Ishigaki
  • 3-night roundtrip voyages to Naha and Miyakojima
  • 5-night sailings to Kagoshima, Kumamoto, and Naha
  • 5-night itineraries to Osaka and Kochi

Passengers booked on the cancelled Keelung sailings have several options:

  1. Cancel the cruise for a full refund.
  2. Cancel and receive a cruise credit with a complimentary NTD 400 dining credit per person.
  3. Transfer the booking to one of the 27 available sailings from Keelung starting 13th June 2025, and also receive a NTD 400 dining credit per person.

The cancellations and repositioning reflect Resorts World Cruises’ broader operational shifts.

While these changes aim to optimise the ship’s deployment, they also highlight the challenges cruise lines face in balancing logistics and guest satisfaction.

Because there are now going to be thousands of guests who likely don’t feel satisfied. The offer of a free cruise after the refund is generous, but guests may not have the flexibility to move dates at such short notice.

Travellers impacted by these changes can take solace in the compensation offers, though for many, the cancellations remain a significant disappointment.

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