At its first-ever UK event, the line set out its ambitions for the trade and plans for new ships, with its second vessel due in the early 2030s
Aroya Cruises hosted agents, media and industry partners at 1 Hotel Mayfair, London, on 2 October to mark its launch in the UK market and showcase newly announced itineraries running to spring 2028.
The event was led by Taha Nazer, acting CEO of Cruise Saudi, who was joined by the wider team from Saudi Arabia, along with Sara Amro, head of business development for the UK and EU at Aroya Cruises.
Aroya Cruises is a subsidiary of Cruise Saudi, which is wholly owned by PIF, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. The line currently has one ship, Aroya, which was originally built for Dream Cruises, before being bought by Cruise Saudi at auction and undergoing an extensive refit.
It sailed its maiden voyage in December 2024, operating as a completely dry ship, with no alcohol permitted on board. All restaurants and drinks venues are fully halal certified. English is one of the primary languages used throughout the ship, along with Arabic.
At the event, Nazer outlined the line’s international growth and its ambitions for the UK: “Aroya is the first Arabian cruise line and has already welcomed 117 nationalities, including 8,000 passengers from Germany. We’ve engaged the Turkish market, the Egyptian market and Europe more broadly. We’re looking forward to welcoming the UK as one of our major source markets.”
Ala Tashkandi, commercial executive director at Aroya Cruises, added: “We are here to build a relationship with the UK trade and have a win-win scenario.”
Several agents in attendance expressed interest in understanding the product first-hand to see how it might appeal to a UK audience. Becky Walker, travel agent at Club Voyages, said: “I think the best thing they can do is put agents on board, to understand how to sell it.”
As part of efforts to reach a broader market, the line is offering an extended selection of Mediterranean itineraries, homeporting in Istanbul, through summer 2027. Voyages will feature destinations in Turkey, such as Marmaris, Bodrum, Kuşadası and Antalya, as well as Alexandria in Egypt and Greek ports including Piraeus (for Athens), Mykonos, Nafplion and Katakolon. Additional sailings will feature ports such as Valletta in Malta, Sarandë in Albania, Kotor in Montenegro and La Goulette in Tunisia.
In September 2027, a repositioning cruise will journey through the Suez Canal to begin Aroya’s Red Sea season, with the ship homeporting in Jeddah. Red Sea itineraries will visit ports such as Yanbu in Saudi Arabia; Sharm El Sheikh, Ain Sokhna (for Cairo and Giza) and Safaga (for Luxor) in Egypt; and Aqaba (for Petra) in Jordan.
The line will offer port calls of up to 15 hours to accommodate shore excursions, including Islamic tours that allow Muslim passengers to perform Umrah in Mecca and visit the holy city of Medina.
In March 2026, Aroya Cruises, along with operators such as MSC Cruises and Celestyal, had to cut its Gulf season short due to the US-Israeli war with Iran.
When questioned about the impact of conflicts in the Middle East, Nazer said that the cost of insurance and fuel has affected the business but asserted there has been no current disruption to operations.
He also reiterated broader plans for the future, saying: “Our strategy is clear. We are planning three ships and are working very closely with different shipyards and designers. We plan for our second ship to be in the market by 2032 or 2033.”
You can find Aroya Cruises’ portal for agents here.
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