Stranded British Cruise Passengers Keep Partying on MSC Euribia as Iran Missile Threats Hit Dubai

On the seventh day of a cruise that was supposed to wander the Gulf coast, Alistair Riddoch pulled out his phone and showed a reporter a video: guests packed together, arms in the air, dancing hard. The retired planning manager, 62, from Dunfermline, was aboard the MSC Euribia, a 19-deck ship berthed at Port Rashid in Dubai while Iranian missiles and drones were being intercepted over the city.

Riddoch and his partner, Lesley Ballantyne, 59, had boarded last Saturday looking forward to golf and boat rides at stops in Abu Dhabi, Doha and Bahrain. That night, early in the morning, a security alert arrived on their phones: potential missile threats, seek immediate shelter in the closest secure building. The ship, roughly a thousand feet long and carrying about 6,000 passengers and 2,000 crew, never made those ports. It stayed where it was. Riddoch said he was absolutely frightened as drones were shot down in skies visible from the deck, though he also said the cruise had ended up in a war zone beyond anyone's control. The White Party, where guests dressed all in white, was the best of the onboard parties, he said, and he praised the entertainment staff for going the extra mile.

The couple made friends with the Chenery family from Bressingham, Norfolk: Tanya, 52, a paramedic; her husband Paul, 58, a postman; and their sons Max, 27, and Alfie, 22. It was meant to be a holiday of a lifetime. Tanya said the family did not quite believe the war had begun until they saw missiles intercepted in the sky from their balcony on Sunday night. They have tried to make the best of it, she said, having paid a lot of money to enjoy themselves and having met some brilliant people.

Not everyone treated the interceptions as background. Darren Lee, a father of two originally from Manchester, described a drone being intercepted directly overhead, with a loud boom that sent everyone running inside. He said four or five interceptions were happening every hour, and that while some people carried on as if nothing was happening, dancing around the pool, his family stayed indoors for safety.

William Hunter, 55, who owns a wealth management business in Edinburgh, chose to leave. He told The Telegraph he did not fancy being in a gilded jail with a drinks package, pretending nothing was happening. Worried that so large a vessel could become a target, he checked into a resort about 30 minutes from Dubai on Sunday. He said he met immense hostility from MSC, that crew would not help with his luggage, and that he was pressed to sign disclaimers, which he refused to do. He accused the company of trying to get every bit of money out of passengers and give nothing back. He still described the mood onboard as relaxed, with people dancing in bars and singing while planes and loud bangs could be heard.

MSC presents a different picture. A spokesman said flights had been organised for more than 1,500 guests who were aboard the Euribia in Dubai, and that seven flights carrying MSC guests had left the region as of that morning, to destinations including the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Spain, the United States and Brazil. Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said he was immensely proud of how the company was handling a highly complex repatriation, adding that some guests remained on the ship and that work continued to secure their safe passage.

The passengers the reporter spoke to were happy with the crew and owners. Riddoch called the staff fabulous, said guests would only be put off the ship once a flight was available, and said a letter the previous night promised everyone a full refund given the circumstances. Thousands of passengers remain aboard the Euribia and other cruise ships berthed in the Gulf, waiting for seats home. The next thing to watch is how quickly the remaining flights come through.