Celestyal Cruises, a specialist in voyages to the Greek Islands and eastern Mediterranean, announced that its new flagship, Celestyal Experience, will set sail on March 5, 2022.
For that first voyage, Celestyal Experience will operate the line's popular seven-night “Three Continents” itinerary, which calls at Greece (Athens and Rhodes), Turkey (Kusadasi), Israel (Ashdod), Egypt (Port Said) and Cyprus (Limassol). Fares begin at $1,019 per person, double occupancy.
Starting on April 9, 2022, Celestyal Experience also will set sail on the line's “Eclectic Aegean” itinerary, a seven-night voyage that visits the historical city of Thessaloniki, includes an overnight in Istanbul, Turkey, and has a maiden call at Kavala. Nestled in northern Greece, Kavala is nine miles from ancient Philippi.
Among other options, on April 30, 2022 the ship also will sail an “Idyllic Aegean” itinerary starting in Athens and visiting Rhodes, Crete (Agios Nikolaos), Santorini, Milos and Mykonos, Greece and Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey, with pricing starting at $1,019, per person, double occupancy.
What's special for 2022? On October 15, 2022, Celestyal Experience will set sail on a one-time “Steps of Paul” itinerary tracing the footsteps of St. Paul, the Apostle, across the Mediterranean.
Extensively refurbished, the new flagship also will end the year in 2022 with two, exclusive holiday sailings.
Celestyal Experience has 789 staterooms, 166 of those with balconies, sea terraces or bridge-view verandas. The ship joined Celestyal's fleet in 2020 and was scheduled to be introduced this year, but that was postponed due to the pandemic.
New Embarkation Option
Celestyal also announced that Thessaloniki, an important trade crossroads over the centuries, will become an additional embarkation port for the line. The city is easily accessible for Balkan and northern Greece drive markets and has good air lift from northern and western Europe.
Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, is beloved by foodies for its mix of Mediterranean and Asian cuisine. It's also a UNESCO World Heritage Site that's home to many Paleo Christian and Byzantine monuments, as well as monuments to Alexander the Great.
2023 Voyages
In 2023, due to increased demand, the “Eclectic Aegean” itinerary will be offered on Celestyal Experience, starting on March 4, 2023 for six sailings. Celestyal Olympia will also operate 10 more of those sailings, starting October 28, 2023, and including Christmas and New Year’s departures for the first time.
Guests will join expert guides on a religious and historical journey with visits to St. Paul’s birthplace in what was once the Roman City of Tarsus. Guests will also visit St. Paul’s Tribune at the Vlatadon Monastery in Philippi, Greece; that's the prison where St. Paul and St. Sylas were held captive. In Turkey, cruisers can ride a cable car to the Acropolis in Pergamon and visit ancient Ephesus.
Celestyal Olympia will also offer an extended program of three- and four-night cruises in 2022 and 2023. Among the line's fare inclusions are unlimited classic drinks, two shore excursions, gratuities and port and service charges, plus other perks.
For more information, visit https://celestyal.com.
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