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Nice attack rattles French Riviera's serene reputation

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Nice's chic Promenade des Anglais - site of Thursday night's carnage
Once again a deadly attack has struck a popular Mediterranean tourist destination, but the Nice incident was perhaps all the more shocking because it took place on the French Riviera, world-renowned for its beauty and serenity.

Two cruise calls were immediately canceled, a contact at the French Riviera Ports told Seatrade Cruise News.

Royal Caribbean International's Navigator of the Seas was scheduled to visit Nice (Villefranche) on Friday but instead spent the day at sea. Celebrity Constellation was due to call Saturday, but it, too, will remain at sea.

'We will continue to closely monitor the situation in France and will contact guests or their travel agents should we make any additional changes to upcoming itineraries,' Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. said in a statement.

It added: 'Whether or not we call to Nice will always be driven by our concern for the safety and well-being of our guests and crew members.'

At least 84 people died and hundreds were injured in a truck driver's rampage along Nice's chic seaside Promenade des Anglais, packed with crowds for Bastille Day fireworks late Thursday.

Just the night before, a short distance along the coast in Monte Carlo, some 700 cruise industry figures, top retailers, suppliers and media had gathered for the christening of Seven Seas Explorer, with Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco on hand. Many attendees had traveled to the festivities via the Nice Côte d'Azur International Airport or returned home via Nice on flights in the hours before the attack.

Vicky Garcia, chief operating officer and co-owner, Cruise Planners, stayed in Nice prior to the christening and is currently sailing on Seven Seas Explorer. She's not changing her plans and is keeping her overnight hotel stay there on her return from the cruise next week.

'I believe in #LoveNotHate and will NOT let these awful terrorists get the best of us,' she wrote in an email.

Nice and the nearby Villefranche, Cannes and other French Riviera ports are in peak cruise season. Until now, the security of the Western Mediterranean had not been a major concern for cruise lines, compared to the Eastern Med where destinations like Istanbul are getting bypassed after attacks in tourist areas.

France made it through the Euro Cup 2016 football championships, which ended Sunday, without major incident. Euro Cup and other large-scale events in France were mentioned as potential targets for terrorists in a May 31 US State Department travel alert for Europe.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization on Friday conveyed its condolences to the families and friends of the victims in Nice and its solidarity with the people and the government of France.

'Nice is, and will continue to be, one of the leading tourism destinations in France and in the world,' UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai said. 'In the face of these forces of darkness, we must more than ever remain united to fight this global threat.'