Most European cruises have proceeded with minimal disruption from the volcanic ash spreading from Iceland. THE ERUPTION OF THE GRIMSVOETN VOLCANO IS causing far less problems than Eyjafjallajokull last year, with airline operations largely returning to normal yesterday. Cruises have stuck to their schedules, with only a small number of...
Most European cruises have
proceeded with minimal
disruption from the volcanic
ash spreading from Iceland.
THE ERUPTION OF THE GRIMSVOETN VOLCANO IS
causing far less problems than
Eyjafjallajokull last year, with airline
operations largely returning to normal
yesterday.
Cruises have stuck to their schedules, with
only a small number of passengers affected
by the cancellation of approximately 1,000
flights in Europe.
Scotland was worst hit, and three German
airports — Bremen, Hamburg and Berlin —
were closed for several hours on Wednesday
but have now reopened.
“Aussies on board are able to
view the… ‘volcanic process’”
MSC Cruises is the only line with a ship
scheduled to call at Iceland ports this week.
According to a company spokesperson,
Poesia is currently in the Faroe Islands and
the ship will continue on the same course,
with several Aussies on board able to view
the intriguing “volcanic process”.
Cunard and Saga both had successful
departures from Southampton yesterday.
Saga reorganised flights for one
passenger who was due to fly from
Edinburgh, while some disembarking pax
from Spirit of Adventure at Greenock were
transferred by coach to London.
Royal Caribbean said none of its cruises
or passengers had been affected and river
cruise operators including Avalon and
Uniworld said operations were running
normally and that they were closely
monitoring the situation.
Meanwhile, a poll by British website Cruise Critic indicates that the cruise industry is
likely to benefit from the disruption caused
to travellers’ flights.
Over half of respondents said they
planned to avoid airports on their next
holiday and would instead embark on a
cruise from a UK port.
