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A state of emergency has been declared for an iconic tourist destination that tops many cruisers bucket lists.
Uncertainty is growing about whether cruise ships will be able to stop in the popular port of call this year as an unusual crisis grips the island.
Related: Royal Caribbean forced to continue skipping popular port
The island’s most important industry—tourism—relies heavily on cruise ship visits and peak tourist season is just around the corner. Princess, MSC and Celebrity Cruises all have visits to the island scheduled in April. Viking Cruises has already had to cancel calls to the destination this month.
Although many passengers likely booked their upcoming cruises specifically to visit this destination, they may see their cruise’s call to the port canceled if safety concerns aren’t lifted soon.
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Thousands of earthquakes have shaken Greece’s volcanic island of Santorini since late January. Although earthquakes are not uncommon in the area and most of the quakes have had small magnitudes, the spike in seismic activity that’s persisting over an extended period of time prompted authorities to place Santorini under a state of emergency until at least March 3.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake, the strongest yet of the tremors, rattled the island on Feb. 10. Many residents, visitors, and seasonal workers have fled the island as precautionary measures are taken to prepare for the worst. Seismologists say the possibility of a larger quake or a minor eruption of one of the area’s volcanoes cannot be ruled out.
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Both locals and cruisers are hoping for the best for the charming island, known for its stunning views and whitewashed villages, that welcomes thousands of tourists each day during peak season.
But even if the seismic swarms lead to nothing, workers and business owners who rely on Santorini’s tourism industry worry that the earthquakes will still cause travelers to reconsider their plans to visit the island.
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In the Celebrity Cruises community on Reddit, a passenger booked on a May cruise to the island expressed a new hesitation about visiting Santorini.
“After seeing the news of the persistent quakes in Santorini, I’m curious what Celebrity is doing with any anticipated stops there. Are they skipping the port or rolling in and hoping for the best?” asked Reddit user tatotornado. “If you’re on an upcoming sailing, will you be disembarking if it’s an option? We are cruising in May which I know is far out, but I’d be a little hesitant to trapse around the island.”
Cruisers noted that it seems to be a wait-and-see situation for the time being, but cruise ships will likely have to skip Santorini if the quakes continue into the spring.
Related: Celebrity Cruises tries to bring its destinations onboard
“The cruise line will not stop in Santorini if there is even the slightest hint of risk (they don’t want to be sued). I expect they are waiting to see if things calm down. If they don’t, they will skip the port entirely, or replace it with another port,” wrote Reddit user 10S_NE1.
The passenger also pointed out that if cruise lines wait too long to decide on Santorini, they may not be able to replace it with another port.
“The only question is when they will make their decision,” 10S_NE1 continued. “If Celebrity decides right now to replace Santorini with another port, they have time to get it in place and arrange excursions; if they wait until last minute to make the call, they will likely just replace the Santorini day with a sea day.”
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Another passenger agreed that the quakes would make them a little uneasy about visiting Santorini on an upcoming cruise.
“I can’t say I wouldn’t be nervous riding the suspended cable car that runs from the old harbor/port tender dock into town,” noted ericopia.
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