Celestyal has cancelled its 2026-27 winter Arabian Gulf season and instead extended its Eastern Mediterranean programme

The two-ship line was previously scheduled to operate out of the Middle East over the winter season.

Celestyal Discovery will now offer six additional Iconic Greek Islands sailings, two of which will depart in November with the remainder in March 2027.

Meanwhile, Celestyal Journey will add four March 2027 departures, comprising two Heavenly Greece, Italy and Croatia sailings and two Idyllic Greece cruises.

Celestyal said it has notified agents about the changes and has provided information to support guest rebooking options.

The line will also introduce a new Western Mediterranean programme for winter 2026-27 and winter 2027-28 with sailings scheduled to go on sale from 15 June. Further details about the departures will be released shortly, the line said.

Lee Haslett, chief commercial officer, said: “Following a review of our winter deployment, we have decided to focus on strengthening our authentically Mediterranean offering.

“As a brand rooted in the region, these updates allow us to add more choice across some of our most popular itineraries and introduce brand new Western Mediterranean sailings for the first time.

“We know our guests value Celestyal for our warm hospitality, destination immersion and premium casual approach to cruising, and this extended programme will give them even more opportunities to explore the region with us.”

Celestyal was forced to cancel six Mediterranean cruises and end its Arabian Gulf season early due to the conflict in the Middle East which saw its ships stuck in Doha and Dubai.

After cancelling a total of 41 cruises, the ships were then able to transit the vessels through the Strait of Hormuz last month and the line commenced its Mediterranean season.

Explora Journeys has also cancelled its 2026-27 winter Middle East programme on Explora II due to the conflict.

Meanwhile, MSC Cruises has switched the deployment of MSC World Europa for winter 2026-27 from the Middle East to the Caribbean.