Celestyal increases Arabia and Med cruise capacity by 30%
Sponsored by Celestyal
Following the announcement that Celestyal will expand its Arabian Gulf and Mediterranean sailings, Cruise Trade News takes a closer look at the itinerary offering of two of the line’s flagship vessels: Celestyal Discovery and Celestyal Journey
When Celestyal unveiled its cruise programme for 2025, 2026 and 2027, it was exciting news for the winter sun cruise market.
The cruise line’s newest ship, Celestyal Discovery, will sail the winter sun Arabian Gulf season from 2025, joining Celestyal Journey, which will depart on the previously launched seven-night ‘Desert Days’ itinerary later this year.
This will be complemented by Celestyal’s hugely popular Greek and Mediterranean summer sailings, which will feature eight additional Heavenly Adriatic cruises in 2025 and a further 13 in 2026 due to overwhelming demand.
“86% of our guests tell us they want to come back to Celestyal, so we’re delivering on our commitment to broaden our programmes,” said Lee Haslett, Chief Commercial Officer at Celestyal.
“We’re renowned as the cruise specialists of the Greek islands and Mediterranean and, thanks to the commitment of the region and this overwhelming support from our customers and trusted partners, we are now confident in becoming the go-to cruise specialists of the Arabian Gulf.
“Across our network we offer two types of cruising. Destination intensive three- and four-night itineraries are perfect to combine with a land stay and as a bolt-on to a beach or touring holiday, while our classic seven-night cruises are ideal as a holiday in themselves.”
With capacity up by an impressive 30 per cent, here’s a taste of the itineraries each ship will be operating from November 2024, all of which are on sale now.
Celestyal Discovery
The line’s newest ship, the 1,260-guest Celestyal Discovery, will operate rotating three- and four-night versions of its Iconic Arabia itinerary from November to March. The former will depart from Abu Dhabi and call at Doha (Qatar) and Sir Bani Yas Island (UAE), while the latter – also departing from Abu Dhabi – will call at Fujairah (UAE), Muscat and Khasab in Oman.
While sailing through the Gulf, guests will have the chance to explore Doha’s characterful Souq Waqif and world-beating museums and get up close to thousands of free-to-roam animals at the Arabian Wildlife Park in Sir Bani Yas Island.
Meanwhile, Celestyal Discover will continue to offer a rotation of its popular Iconic Aegean itinerary, with three- and four-night options available. Both will depart from Athens and call at Mykonos, Kusadasi (Ephesus), Patmos, Crete and Santorini, with the extended four-night version including a stop in Rhodes.
Celestyal Journey
Launched in September last year, Celestyal Journey is a statement addition to the challenger brand’s fleet. The ship will offer itineraries in the Adriatic, Aegean and Arabian Gulf from 2024, with the option to combine itineraries in the Mediterranean into an extended two-week-long voyage.
The ship’s Heavenly Adriatic itinerary, which sets sail in March 2025, will depart from Athens and will include a late stay in Dubrovnik, as well as full-day calls at Kefalonia, Kotor, Bari, Corfu and Katakolo. The line is also offering an alternative version which will see the ship sail into Venice, Marghera; Kotor and Split.
Meanwhile, the Idyllic Aegean cruise, which will set sail in 2025 and 2026, will see the ship homeport inAthens, while offering full days in Kusadasi (Ephesus), Rhodes, Crete, Santorini, and Milos plus a full day and late stay in Mykonos.
The Idyllic Aegean sailings can also be combined with the Heavenly Adriatic sailings on select dates to form 14-night voyages.
Finally, Celestyal Journey will sail its highly anticipated seven-night Desert Days itinerary from November 2024 to March 2025 out of Doha, calling at Dubai; Khasab, Oman; Sir Bani Yas Island; and Abu Dhabi. Special sailings will also be on offer for guests wanting to visit the region over Christmas and during the F1 Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix 2024 in November, with guests able to purchase a three-day grandstand race ticket from £193pp.
