Celestyal is expanding its winter Mediterranean program, adding new Eastern Med sailings aboard Celestyal Journey as the cruise line says bookings for its recently launched Western Mediterranean season are already running ahead of expectations.
Beginning in December 2027, the Celestyal Journey will operate four seven-night “Mediterranean Mosaics” cruises between Athens and Istanbul.
The sailings can also be combined into three 14-night “Three Continents Explorer” voyages, revamping Celestyal’s former Three Continents itinerary.
The new cruises include an overnight call in Alexandria, Egypt, along with ports in Greece, Turkey and Cyprus.
During a media briefing Tuesday, John Diorio, Celestyal’s vice president and managing director for North America, said the line spoke with guests and some of its larger partners before deciding to bring Egypt back.
“The feedback was very positive,” Diorio said. “We’re very confident about Egypt.”
He said the overnight in Alexandria gives guests more time to explore beyond the port, including trips to Cairo and the pyramids.
North American cruisers lean in
The expansion comes as Celestyal’s first dedicated Western Mediterranean winter program, which went on sale July 1, is performing better than planned.
“We are way ahead of our expectations of bookings,” Diorio said, referencing the short booking window ahead of the first December departures.
Diorio also connected the growing winter Mediterranean market to cruise lines moving capacity away from the Middle East.
“You’ve seen a lot of cruise lines pivot, ourselves included, now that obviously the Middle East is not available or no one’s going,” he said. “I think the demand is there, at least from what we can see so far.”
North America already represents a large portion of Celestyal’s business.
“Fifty percent of our guests are from North America,” Diorio said, adding that the company expects the new itineraries to appeal even more to the North American market.
Summer 2028 schedule also announced
Celestyal also announced its summer 2028 schedule, consisting of 124 sailings aboard Celestyal Journey and Celestyal Discovery.
The program includes three- and four-night Greek Isles cruises, seven-night Greece, Italy and Croatia voyages, and 14-night combination cruises.
By the end of the week, Celestyal will have cruises available for booking through November 2028. Diorio called it “the largest amount of inventory we’ve had on sale ahead of time in many, many years.”
What is Celestyal Cruises like? Read our trip report from Celestyal Journey here.
