Celestyal has announced new programs for 2025, 2026 and early 2027 including an expansion into the Arabian Gulf during the winter season which will see both ships cruising year-round for the first time.
The cruise line’s newest ship, Celestyal Discovery, will chase the sun to the Arabian Gulf for its first winter season from 2025, joining Celestyal Journey which makes its debut in the region this November, representing a 30 per cent increase in capacity from 2023-24.
During its maiden Arabian Gulf season in 2025, Celestyal Discovery will homeport in Abu Dhabi and offer rotating three- and four-night itineraries, which can be combined into a seven-night sailing. The cruises will operate from November to March 2025-2026 and 2026-2027, and visit ports in Oman, Dubai, Qatar and the spectacular wildlife sanctuary on Sir Bani Yas Island.
As part of a three-year partnership with the region, Celestyal Journey will homeport from Doha for the next three winter seasons, operating a seven-day ‘Desert Days’ itinerary, which commences on November 9, 2024, with maiden calls to Khasab (Oman), Dubai, Sir Bani Yas Island (UAE), Abu Dhabi and Khalifa Bin Salman (Bahrain).
Start and end in Doha or Dubai
Guests can choose to start and end their cruise in Doha or Dubai, with a popular overnight option offered in Dubai. Celestyal Journey will also offer special sailings to coincide with the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Alongside the new Arabian Gulf voyages, Celestyal’s core summer Greek and Mediterranean cruises in 2025 and 2026 are on sale, featuring eight additional ‘Heavenly Adriatic’ cruises in 2025 and 13 in 2026, due to demand for the new itinerary which launched this year and takes in Greece, Croatia (Split or Dubrovnik), Montenegro (Kotor) and Italy (Venice or Bari).
“An overwhelming number (86 per cent) of our guests tell us they want to come back to Celestyal, so we’re delivering on our commitment to broaden our programs. 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,” Celestyal chief commercial officer Lee Haslett said.
“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.
“We offer award-winning service, two newly refurbished ships, immersive shore excursions, exceptional food and beverage, and unrivalled customer satisfaction, as well as the ambition to continuously evolve and deliver more. We really cannot wait to showcase everything Celestyal has to offer to Australian travellers.”
To launch the new programs, Celestyal is offering early booking savings of around 50 per cent until August 31, 2024, on new Arabian Gulf bookings across the 2024 to 2027 programs, and over 200 Greek and Mediterranean departures across 2025 and 2026. Further discounts of 30 per cent are also available for third and fourth guests sharing a cabin.
As part of the new program, Celestyal Discovery will no longer sail the ‘Three Continents’ itinerary. Customers on the six affected departures have been contacted in advance and either reimbursed or offered alternative cruises.
