Industry News 

Cruise Lines Change Itineraries: Greek Strikes to Blame

Liam Cusack

Liam P. Cusack
New York, NY

(ATHENS, GREECE) Greek workers staged the sixth general strike of the year taking their anger to the streets to protest the government’s austerity measures related to pay and pensions. The strikes halted public transport in Athens, including trains and ferries, and planes were grounded reported the Associated Press.

Two cruise ships were scheduled to make port calls to Athens today. Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Serenity, which was originally scheduled to remain overnight in Athens and depart today, sailed from Athens at Midnight in order to avoid the protests the ship will visit Navplion today instead. MSC Cruises’ MSC Armonia did make a port call at Athens today as scheduled.

Cruise lines with ships calling in Athens later this week include Windstar Cruises’ Wind Spirit on Saturday July 10, 2010 ; Pullmantur Cruise Lines ship the Zenith on Monday, July 12, 2010; NCL’s Norwegian Gem; Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Equinox and Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas all call on Tuesday, July 13, 2010. This latest strike lasted just 24 hours, so at this point, no other itineraries are impacted.

Liam Cusack

Liam P. Cusack is the Managing Editor of Cruise & Travel Report (www.cruiseandtravelreport.com), a publication dedicated to providing travelers the same news that industry insiders receive. A self-described “travel nerd”, Liam is an Ocean Liner and Cruise Industry historian who has traveled to more than 60 countries, every US state and sailed on more than 60 cruises. After nearly two decades as an award-winning political journalist and investigative reporter at a major NYC daily newspaper, he decided to dedicate his career to helping avid travelers, like himself, be more well-informed. With Cruise & Travel Report, Liam strives to provide news and tips to make every vacation a dream vacation.