Troubles in the Middle East Force Dramatic Change for Seabourn Encore

Seabourn announced it would reposition one of its ship, the Encore, in 2025 from Asia to Europe using an unusual route.

Normally, the ship would have sailed on a westerly coarse that goes through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. But troubles in the Middle East have caused many lines hesitation. Instead, Seabourn will take an eastern route through the Panama Canal and into the Atlantic Ocean instead of the Indian Ocean.

It’s a difference of more than 20,000 nautical miles, or 23,000 standard miles.

“Changes were made to the original planned itineraries to prioritize the safety of guests and to avoid the Red Sea,” the line said in a statement.

Cruise lines often have unplanned changes, but this is unprecedented for a re-routing. Almost three months worth of itineraries have to be changed from March 2025 to May of 2025.

The new 2025 voyages are:

• March 2 to March 16: A 14-day Southeast Asia and Japan sailing from Singapore to Kobe
• March 16 to April 9: A 25-day Japan and Hawaiian Islands sailing from Kobe to Long Beach, California
• April 9 to April 28: A 19-day Panama Canal sailing from Long Beach to Miami
• April 28 to May 10: A 12-day Atlantic crossing from Miami to Lisbon
• May 10 to May 18: An eight-day Western Mediterranean sailing from Lisbon to Civitavecchia, Italy, the port for Rome
• May 18 to May 25: A seven-day Amalfi Coast and Adriatic sailing from Civitavecchia to Dubrovnik, Croatia

There will be U.S. calls in Hawaii, California and Florida.