Red Sea issues compel a luxury cruise ship to navigate 23,000 miles off course

One of the globe's most opulent cruise ships is set to travel 23,000 miles in the opposite direction to avoid conflict in the Middle East.

Luxury line Seabourn announced on Wednesday that its ship, Seabourn Encore, will take an atypical easterly route from Asia to Europe in early 2025, crossing the Pacific to the Panama Canal before heading to Europe.

This marks a departure from the line's initial plan, which had the vessel following a more conventional westerly path across the Indian Ocean and through the Red Sea and Suez Canal to reach Europe.

This change will see the ship travel nearly 20,000 nautical miles — about 23,000 standard miles — in the opposite direction of its previously scheduled route for repositioning.

"We adjusted the originally planned itineraries to ensure the safety of our guests and to avoid the Red Sea," the line stated in a press release late Wednesday.

Houthi assaults on vessels in the Red Sea over the past nine months have led cruise lines to cancel an increasing number of trips through this route. However, reroutings of this magnitude, like the one announced by Seabourn on Wednesday, have been uncommon.

This alteration is resulting in the last-minute cancellation of nearly three months' worth of voyages in 2025 aboard one of the world's most luxurious cruise ships. Fares for Seabourn Encore typically begin at around $1,000 per person, per day.

Cancellations affect nearly every sailing scheduled from March 2025 to May 2025.

Instead of its originally scheduled itineraries during this time, the ship will launch six new voyages from March 2, 2025, to May 25, 2025, ranging from seven to 25 days, which can be combined into a single extended 53-day journey.

The new itineraries will feature stops across Southeast Asia, Japan, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, and the Mediterranean, including 36 port visits in 18 countries, many of which Seabourn Encore has never explored since its launch in 2016.

The ship will make its inaugural transit through the Panama Canal and will also dock at U.S. ports for the first time, with scheduled stops in Hawaii, California, and Florida.

Seabourn Encore will also call at two Japanese ports that have never been visited by any Seabourn ship: Tokushima, renowned for its tranquil landscapes, and Wakayama, famous for its temples and coastal views.

Other highlights of the new itineraries include overnight stays in Honolulu, Hawaii; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Kobe, Japan.

The newly announced voyages for 2025, listed by departure date, are as follows:

• March 2 to March 16: A 14-day cruise from Singapore to Kobe, exploring Southeast Asia and Japan
• March 16 to April 9: A 25-day journey from Kobe to Long Beach, California, visiting Japan and the Hawaiian Islands
• April 9 to April 28: A 19-day voyage from Long Beach to Miami, navigating the Panama Canal
• April 28 to May 10: A 12-day Atlantic crossing from Miami to Lisbon
• May 10 to May 18: An eight-day sailing from Lisbon to Civitavecchia, Italy (gateway to Rome)
• May 18 to May 25: A seven-day cruise from Civitavecchia to Dubrovnik, Croatia, featuring the Amalfi Coast and Adriatic Sea

As part of the announcement, Seabourn stated that guests who book by November 19, 2024, will receive a 10% discount on these new voyages.