With Celestyal Cruises, ship guests travel to the most popular destinations that Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean have to offer. Experience stunningly beautiful islands and ancient cities where the culture of past eras is alive. How about cruises that head to Cyprus, Egypt and Turkey, for example? On the cruise there, you will enjoy all the comforts that make your stay as pleasant and varied as possible. The Cypriot cruise line operates modern cruise ships that offer a wide range of services, entertainment and gastronomic options for its guests. Celestyal Cruises also places maximum value on the authenticity of the travel experiences and integrates cultural programs, local specialties and excursions to historical sites into the planning to give passengers a deeper understanding of the destinations visited. The mission? To show the best of each region so that your ocean voyage becomes an unforgettable experience. And the cruise line vouches for this with its name: heavenly cruises!
Celestyal Cruises Cruise Line
Celestyal Cruises is a provider of cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean. In addition to Greece and the Greek islands, the travel destinations are Cyprus, Turkey, Israel and Egypt as well as Montenegro, Croatia and Italy. The fleet currently consists of two cruise ships, the Celestyal Crystal and the Celestyal Olympia. The home port for cruises is in Piraeus in Greece.
Celestyal Cruises is headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus; the ships sail under the flag of Malta. Other branches of the cruise line are located in Athens, Miami, Munich or Paris.
The cruise line was originally founded in 1986 under the name Louis Cruise Lines. The provider mobilized the ships used at the time, such as the first ship, the Princesa Marissa, primarily for shorter cruises in the Mediterranean. The following ships also served short cruises in the Mediterranean.
As of 1990s, Louis Cruise Lines entered into a collaboration with the British cruise operator Thomson Cruises as well as with various other cruise lines, for which the company chartered various ships of the fleet. Subsequently, Louis Cruise Lines grew to become the fifth largest cruise company in the region.
In 2009 the cruise line officially got the new name Louis Cruises. In the course of the renaming, older cruise ships were outsourced and the remaining ones were renovated.
In 2014 the cruise line was renamed again: since then it has been named Celestyal Cruises. The two current cruise ships in service, the Celestyal Crystal and the Celestyal Olympia, are also older. They have undergone a fundamental renovation and offer modern amenities and contemporary comfort.
Family and charming: the Celestyal Cruises fleet
The cruise line's fleet currently consists of the two cruise ships Celestyal Crystal and Celestyal Olympia. Both ships are characterized by a pleasant family atmosphere on board. Due to their relatively small size, they can call at many smaller ports that are not available to the large oceanliners. This gives travelers the exclusive pleasure of getting to know the islands of the eastern Mediterranean. Dream islands such as Rhodes and Mykonos, but also Patmos, Samos and Santorini as well as destinations on the Turkish Riviera, such as Bodrum and Cesme, have a lot to offer both in terms of culture and landscape.
Celestyal Crystal
Aboard the Celestyal Crystal you will be pampered by comfortable cabins and suites, in which you will feel at home. Various restaurants with delicious Mediterranean cuisine as well as the bars and lounges with their tasteful ambience invite you to linger. Sports fans also get their money's worth: depending on your ambitions, you can be active in the fitness and wellness areas or on the promenade decks or just relax and unwind.
The Celestyal Crystal was originally built in 1980 as a Viking Saga for the Viking Line and ran on the Stockholm-Helsinki line. From 1986 the ship sailed under the name Sally Albatross on cruises in the Baltic Sea. From 1991 to 1992 a new, larger ship was built on the hull. After further various operations, including in the Caribbean, and under different owners and names, the cruise ship finally became the property of the Greek cruise line Louis Cruises in 2007, which it used under the name Cristal for Mediterranean cruises. When the cruise line was renamed Celestyal Cruises in 2014, the ship also got its current name: Celestyal Crystal.
The Celestyal Crystal has a maximum length of 162 meters, a width of approximately 25.5 meters, a height of approximately 15.5 meters and a draft of approximately six meters. The tonnage is 25,611 gross register tons, the load capacity is 1,703 tdw (tons deadweight). The ship also has stabilizers. The machine output is 19,120 kW, which corresponds to 25,996 hp; the maximum speed is 18 knots.
Celestyal Crystal operates under the flag of Malta, its home port is La Valetta, the classification is Det Norske Veritas.
There are a total of ten decks on the Celestyal Crystal, nine of which are passenger decks. The maximum number of passengers is 1,200, which are spread over 480 cabins, six of which are designed as wheelchair-accessible cabins. 406 crew members take care of the well-being of the guests. The feedback from the travelers: "relaxed staff", "very hospitable and courteous".
There are four lifts aboard the ship. The electrical voltage for the use of electrical devices is 110 V or 220 V.
The ship has four restaurants. The main restaurants are the "Amalthia Restaurant" and the "Olympus Restaurant". The locations with buffet are the "Leda Casual Dining" and the "Aura Casual Dining". There are also five bars and lounges on board: “Helios Pool Bar”, “Horizons Lounge & Bar”, “Muses Lounge & Bar”, “Thalassa Bar” and the “Eros Lounge & Bar”.
A fitness room and a swimming pool are available for sports and wellness. In the wellness and spa area you can relax in the sauna or whirlpool. Or you can book one of the various massages and let yourself be pampered with other beauty treatments. How about shiatsu, a mud treatment or a honey and sugar peeling?
Would you like to learn something new and broaden your horizons? This is not only possible with the help of various shore excursions, but passengers can also take part in creative courses and workshops during the cruise. The Greek language courses taught by native speakers are also very popular. And if business calls: you can access the WiFi and use the conference center on board for meetings.
The attractive entertainment program includes live music, shows, a disco and the night club as well as a casino. There are also entertainment and board games, such as bridge, bingo and quiz nights.
The well-stocked shops and duty-free shops invite you to stroll. Keyword shopping! What payment options are there on board? In addition to VISA and MasterCard, American Express and travelers checks are also accepted. The onboard currency in Europe is the euro, outside it is the US dollar.
Also worth knowing for life on board: there is a ship doctor on board for medical care. The on-board language is English, but there is also a German-speaking guest service.
Celestyal Olympia
This cruise ship is named after the ancient Greek sanctuary in the Peloponnese, before which the first ancient Olympics also took place. The name also stands for the many ancient sites in the Aegean Sea that passengers can visit with this ship. Complemented by the modern comfort aboard the cruise ship, guests can relax and experience the wonderfully beautiful and inviting nature of the Mediterranean and its many islands.
The Celestyal Olympia originally had its maiden voyage in 1982 under the name Song of America for the cruise line Royal Caribbean International and served as a cruise ship in the Caribbean. In 1998 the ship changed hands and was sold to Sun Cruises. After another six years, the cruise liner became part of the fleet of the then Louis Cruise Line in 2004, however it was chartered until 2012 and was initially renamed Louis Olympia. Like its sister ship, it received its current name in 2014 when the cruise line was renamed Celestyal Cruises: Celestyal Olympia. The last renovation took place in 2015.
The Celestyal Olympia is approx. 215 meters long, approx. 32.5 meters wide and has a draft of max. seven meters. Its top speed is 19 knots. As with the Celestyal Crystal, stabilizers are also available. The tonnage is 37,584 GRT; the onboard voltage is 110 V / 220 V.
The home port is La Valetta on Malta, so the ship sails under the Maltese flag. Classification: Det Norske Veritas.
Ten decks, including nine passenger decks that can be reached via seven elevators, offer space for 540 crew members and 1,575 passengers for whom 724 cabins are available - two of which are wheelchair accessible. A ship doctor is on board for medical care. The ship language is English!
Three restaurants take care of the physical well-being on board: the main restaurant is the "Aegean Restaurant", the buffet restaurant is the "Leda Casual Dining" and the "Aura Grill", which is open during the day. Five bars and two lounges offer an additional opportunity to relax with a drink, such as the "Argo Lounge & Bar", the "Helios Bar" and the "Horizons Lounge & Bar", the "Eclipse Lounge & Bar", "Selene Lounge & Bar ”, the“ Muses Lounge & Bar ”and the“ Thalassa Bar ”.
For sporting activities and wellness there is a fully equipped fitness center offering gymnastics and zumba, but also basketball, soccer, volleyball and table tennis. Two swimming pools also offer space for sports and games. There is also a spa area and the "Sana Beauty Center" on board. Here, travelers can enjoy aromatherapy, shiatsu, saunas and massages, as well as beauty treatments.
For entertainment there is a show program, live music, the night club and the casino. Children and young people can meet in the Kids' Club, meet up for video games or chat at the internet café. Aboard the Celestyal Crystal, further variety is offered by various creative courses, language courses with locals, the library and various entertainment games.
A number of shops and duty-free shops have an interesting selection and many cheap items. The onboard currency in European waters is the euro, otherwise the US dollar. You can also pay with VISA, MasterCard and American Express, but also with travelers checks. The onboard language English.
