Everything you need to know about Celestyal Journey at Celestyal | Cruises | Travel

The Celestyal Journey joined Greece-based Celestyal after an upgrade of $20 million in 2023, and is what is called a “heritage” ship. The Journey, built in 1993 as Lindam of the Dutch American Line, was also a P&O Cruise Australian ship, and was temporarily part of Seajet before Celestir purchased it in December 2023.

The cruise line is best known for its Greek and Turkish itinerary, and this summer, the other ship, Celestyal Discovery, will offer 3 and 4 nights from Athens, with the Journey having 7 nights of sailing, which can be attended for 14 nights in Athens, Thessaloniki, Kusadasi, Athens or Kusadasi.

In winter 2025/2026, Celestyal will have both ships in the Arabian Gulf and will sail for three, four or seven nights at ports including Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, Kasab, Doha in Yas Island, Oman. Bahrain.

The Journey may be an old ship, but its renovated public space is as smart and luxurious as a new build with two stylish pools. It is a large pool at Harara Cove on Deck 11 with a retractable roof with a small view behind Deck 10.

When I was on my daily desert cruise, there was a very international atmosphere, with many Eastern Europeans and quite a few Chinese and Japanese guests, and among the 1,360 guests, Western Europeans.

Evening Entertainment is primarily traditional singing and dancing in the theatres and disco in the top deck lounge. However, the most enjoyable evening included magic tricks by the bar staff after dinner.

At least as far as Adriatical and Arabian Gulf cruises are concerned, it is the exceptional value of money marking Celestyal from its competitors.

The seven-night desert day cruise costs £569 in winter 2025 and will be three countries, including Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, a day in Oman, a day in Abu Dhabi and a day in Baniyas Island, where there are no sea days.

The cabin is quite there, but since this is an old ship, the outside cabin with the interior and windows is pretty compact, with bedrooms, wardrobes and small bathrooms.

The balcony cabin includes a sofa and coffee table plus a desk and bathroom with clothes drawers and a word base, while the Junior Dream Suite is of a similar size and includes a complimentary use of a smoked olive restaurant booked for suite guests.

Almost twice the size of the Grand Dream Suite, it has a walk-in wardrobe, a large bathroom and a double size balcony. These, and Stargazer penthouse suites, offer a dedicated concierge, access to a private ray sundeck, and free use of thermal pass suite hot tubs, steam rooms, saunas and private relaxation areas.

The penthouse suite is huge and has four poster style beds, a walk-in wardrobe, a large sofa that can be a bed, a separate dining area for free indoor dining, a kitchen and two bathrooms. There is also an unlimited minibar and free laundry service.

The Tarassa restaurant and self-service buffets Taberna are served by the waiter and open for free breakfast, lunch and dinner. Meanwhile, the Greek deli counter near the main harara cove pool will have a complimentary chicken jillo at lunchtime.

Thalassa Restaurant's menu is not large, but changes daily and includes dishes such as the Pansiar Aegean Fish Mixed Grill and traditional Moussaka.

Vegetarians and vegans offer dishes such as summer vegetables stuffed with vegans. There are daily dishes from chef's gourmet restaurant dishes, but you will have to pay.

Specialised restaurants are grill seekers for meat meals, lobsters and Asian Fusion Pink Moon. This includes a wide range of menus ranging from bowls of ramen and noodles to various fried noodles and rice plates. The steamed sticky rice with lotusleef was particularly popular. Neither of these restaurants are cheap, but they are well worth it if you're celebrating a birthday or anniversary.

Smoked Olive is a complimentary restaurant for suite guests, but there is also a chef's table private dining room where you can book, if there is plenty of space for other guests to use for specialist meals.

Coffee Nation near the bar and onboard shops is a place where you can pay for a very good barista coffee.

Cruises with many destinations are one of Celestyal's unique selling points. That itinerary usually does not include sea days, so there is nothing new to see every day. Alternatively, you can stay on board and enjoy the boat with a few other passengers.

This is one of the best times to treat yourself in the day at Sozo Spa. Here you can pay for facials, body wraps and various massages. Driftden, which also features a thermal relaxation bed, with a sauna and steam room, is much quieter, and you can pay for nail polish and hair treatments on Glover. There is also a complimentary, well equipped gym.

Most people take on cruise excursions in the Arabian Gulf, as there are rare cases of shuttle buses and obvious public transport. Doing your own thing at your Greek destination is easy, but it's worth taking part in an excursion at a far-reaching attraction, so don't risk missing the boat if you're late.

The dress code for travel is very relaxed during the day, but most people change for dinner and shorts are not allowed in restaurants other than the buffet. There is an official night, but you'll barely know about it – no tuxedo and cocktail dresses needed – and was largely ignored on my cruise – the horizon lounge at the top of the ship was full of white covered disco dancers for a late-night party.

The Amphitheatro Show Lounge has a show in the lounge every night. Although I rarely enjoy anything without the story, the show was mostly well-written and the song was in English.

But the most enjoyable evening was at the mix bar, with some particularly talented bar staff entertaining us. The opera singing of Cuban waitress water lily was amazing and I'll never forget the balloons swallowing up a Chinese barman JD in a quilt.

There was also a live music with a blue blue velvet sofa and hidden several different spaces, an atmospheric bar and lounge, and the mix bar had a great young violinist moniker who plays most nights. I especially loved the interior design of the adjacent martini bar, but inexplicably, this was usually empty.

For those with energy, the top deck horizon lounges do disco dance every night.

Starting in March 2025, Celestyal introduced new Celestyal One fares, including free restaurant meals, basic WiFi, tea, coffee and water throughout the day (6:30am to 10pm). It also includes soda at Mealtimes, all entertainment, port fees and staff excellence.

We also introduced CelestyalPay, an account that collects money before you leave and receives a total bonus from the cruise line.

* 7 Night Desert Day from Doha, December 13, 2025, starting from 569 pound cruise only (celestial.com; 0808 280 3553)