The newest ship in the fleet of Greek island and eastern Mediterranean specialist cruise line Celestyal will set sail on September 2.
Celestyal Journey is undergoing a €20 million refurbishment and technical maintenance overhaul, and will take over Celestyal Crystal’s programme, initially on the seven-night ‘Idyllic Aegean’ itinerary.
Passengers currently holding reservations on Celestyal Crystal from September 2 onwards will be contacted by Celestyal and reaccommodated on sailings with Celestyal Journey.
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The 1,260-passenger mid-sized vessel offers 630 cabins, 149 of which feature balconies. Within the 149 balcony cabins, 120 are Junior Suites, 28 are Grand Suites and one is the spacious Penthouse Concept Suite.
There are seven restaurants, serving Mediterranean, European and Asian dishes, plus a cooking demonstration area and an exclusive Chef’s Table venue.
There will be eight bars and lounges; sundecks with two pools and two Jacuzzis; and the outdoor Beach Club, for exclusive use by all Grand Suite and Junior Suite passengers.
Othe facilities include a spa, fitness and wellness area; conference rooms and a multi-purpose amphitheatre with a cinema.
Chris Theophilides, Celestyal Cruises’ chief executive, said: “It has always been our mission to renew and rejuvenate our fleet, and we’re thrilled to see this come to fruition with the arrival of the Celestyal Journey.
“She is already undergoing her extensive refurbishment programme and will be deployed in a matter of just a few months.
“The Celestyal Journey will offer our guests more in the way of premium accommodation with balconies, a greater choice of dining and bar venues, public areas and open decks creating a greater sense of space.
“At the same time, the newest member of the Celestyal family continues our tradition of operating intimate, mid-sized vessels, allowing us to take our guests to destinations that larger ships cannot, reinforcing our in-depth regional destination knowledge and genuine, warm Greek hospitality, both of which have consistently been recognized as second to none.”
Following the inaugural Idyllic Aegean sailings, Celestyal Journey will continue in October with the ‘Steps of Paul’ itinerary followed by the ‘Three Continents’ itinerary, visiting Greece, Egypt, Israel, Cyprus and. Turkey.
This will be followed by two exclusive holiday sailings, the 11-night Christmas voyage calling at Thessaloniki, Izmir, Crete, Antalya, Limassol, with two days in Alexandria and an overnight visit in Haifa, Israel, to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the Holy Land.
This can be combined with the New Year’s eight-night departure visiting Heraklion, Rhodes, Kusadasi, overnighting in Istanbul before calling Volos.
As well as Celestyal Crystal and Celestyal Journey, the cruise line’s fleet includes Celestyal Olympia. The line recently appointed former Virgin Atlantic global sales vice-president Lee Haslett as global chief commercial officer.