Cruise Ship Cancels French Port Due to Unrest; Will Spend Extra Time in Spain

As tensions grow in France, at least one cruise line has decided to drop a scheduled stop and give passengers more time in Spain instead.

P&O Cruises removed the Le Havre call from its current Iona sailing because of ongoing protests and civil unrest. Le Havre is about a 2.5-to-3-hour drive to Paris but is often listed as ‘Paris (Le Havre)’ on cruise itineraries.

The 7-night cruise left Southampton on October 17, 2026. The ship was due in Le Havre on Sunday, October 18, for a full day that would have allowed Normandy tours or the longer trip toward Paris.

That stop became a sea day instead.

Guests received the news before they boarded, and any shore excursions booked through P&O for Le Havre were canceled and refunded.

The new itinerary keeps the passengers in Spain. Iona arrived in Vigo a day early, on Monday, October 19. She went to La Coruña on Tuesday, October 20, and stays overnight through Wednesday, turning a daytime-only visit into a full overnight.

The Bilbao-Getxo call on Thursday, October 22, remains unchanged. The ship returns to Southampton on Saturday, October 24, as planned.

Iona, one of P&O’s largest ships at more than 184,000 gross tons with a double capacity of 5,200 passengers, was on a short cruise mixing France and Spain. With the French port gone, the entire voyage is now Spain-only.

Reaction from passengers has been mostly positive. One reply on X said the change in the itinerary was not a bad thing:

“Swapping Le Havre for an overnight in A Coruña isn’t a bad trade. Paris was a 2.5-hour ride each way from the port anyway, and A Coruña has the Tower of Hercules, the oldest Roman lighthouse still in use, plus a full evening ashore for seafood.”

Comments on Facebook echo that view as well. Several people currently onboard said they are happy with the decision and looking forward to the overnight stay.

One said there are about 1,700 children on the ship and called the skip the correct call. Others simply stressed that passenger and crew safety has to come first, with multiple comments along the lines of “better safe than sorry” and “trust the captain.”

Protests in France

The change of plans comes after widespread demonstrations in Paris and other French cities. More than 600 protests were planned across France for Saturday, October 17, the day before the ship’s scheduled arrival.

Some protests turned violent over the weekend, with clashes, damage, and looting reported in cities including Paris. That led to curfews in certain areas, travel alerts from several countries, and cancellations of some hotel bookings.

Cruise lines monitor these situations carefully for passenger safety. Road traveling conditions could have made day trips from Le Havre difficult.

So far, Iona appears to be the only major cruise ship to drop a French port call because of the unrest, but Cruise Fever is monitoring the situation and will keep readers updated on any changes.

According to current cruise itineraries, other cruise ships scheduled to visit Le Havre over the next few days include the following:

October 21, 2026 (Wednesday):

• MS Swiss Sapphire
• Mein Schiff Flow
• VIVA Beyond

October 22, 2026 (Thursday):

• MS Swiss Sapphire
• MSC Preziosa

October 23, 2026 (Friday):

• Mein Schiff 3

October 24, 2026 (Saturday):

• Tauck MS Serene
• AmaLyra
• Amadeus Diamond

October 25, 2026 (Sunday):

• AmaLyra

October 26, 2026 (Monday):

• MS Seine Comtesse

October 28, 2026 (Wednesday):

• VIVA Beyond
• Mein Schiff Relax