Everything you need to know about the latest addition to Celestyal’s fleet
Overview: Celestyal fans got a treat late last year when Celestyal Journey entered the fleet with more balcony cabins, bars and restaurants than any vessel in the line’s history. The ship isn’t new, having launched in 1994 as Holland America Line’s Ryndam.
It holds 1,260 passengers and attracts various nationalities (with Americans in the majority), so most announcements are made in at least six languages.
Cabins: Our 35sq m Grand Dream Suite lived up to its name, offering a large balcony and bathroom, and a walk-in wardrobe with enough storage for a world cruise, plus perks including priority check-in, exclusive access to the Smoked Olive restaurant for all meals, complimentary bottled water and a free minibar.
The sizeable Stargazer Suite (88sq m) comes with the same inclusions, while a further 120 Junior Dream Suites have access to Smoked Olive on a space-available basis. Cabins without balconies have either sea views or no window (inside), with many able to accommodate up to four people.
Food and drink: There are more bars and lounges than there are days of the week and plenty of places to eat too. The Thalassa main dining room is open to all, Smoked Olive is for suite guests, the Taverna buffet has themed dinners each evening and there are two speciality restaurants – Pink Moon (pictured at the bottom of the page) for Asian fare, and Grill Seekers (pictured below), which focuses on steaks. Both cost extra (prices à la carte) and were really good, although never busy. Greek favourites in the deli by the pool (Celestyal’s answer to a burger bar) also cost extra, as does a Chef’s Table that is open for private functions only.
Facilities: There are plenty of places to hang out, including outdoor and lido pools. The latter has a retractable roof that lets in the sun, though it can get noisy with kids splashing about, so recommend the Fizz Club as a quieter alternative. The thermal suite in the spa is free for those in Grand Dream and Stargazer suites. Evening brings live bands in the bars, song-and-dance shows in the theatre (having so many languages on board rules out spoken entertainment) and a late-night disco.
USP: The cruises are terrific value and the cheery crew are excellent, but what brings passengers back time and again is the wonderful Greek-ness of it all. It’s genuinely relaxed, charmingly chaotic and the theatre shows wonderfully eccentric – I never did work out why dancers donned what looked to be polar bear heads in one show, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Book it: From £879 cruise-only for a seven-night Idyllic Aegean itinerary from Piraeus calling at Thessaloniki, Milos, Kusadasi, Heraklion, Santorini and Mykonos, including selected drinks with meals, tips and £65 excursion credit. A Plus+ upgrade starts at £130 and adds Wi-Fi and unlimited selected drinks, while doubling the excursion credit.
celestyal.com
