Celestyal Journey has returned to service in the Arabian Gulf following a planned refit in Dubai.
The 1,260-guest ship is now on a Desert Days cruise itinerary, sailing roundtrip from Doha and calling at Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, with an overnight stay in Dubai Marina, as well as Khasab and Sir Bani Yas Island.
The €6.5 million refit saw the ship given a new livery, featuring the signature hull wave and stars of the new brand identity.
The ship’s power management system was also updated to improve operational efficiency.
Celestyal Journey has a further two Desert Days sailings departing from Doha, on February 22 and March 1, 2025, and three Desert Days sailings from Dubai, on February 17 and 24, 2025.
Due to demand, an additional sailing on March 3, 2025 was recently announced.
The ship will then reposition to Athens for the start of its Greece and Mediterranean season, and will undergo further maintenance before the start to the season on April 12.
Celestyal Journey will sail roundtrip from Athens on the new Heavenly Greece, Italy and Croatia itinerary, calling at Kefalonia, Kotor, Bari, Corfu, and Katakolo with an overnight in Dubrovnik.
Celestyal Journey will return to the Arabian Gulf in December 2025, and start the season with an Abu Dhabi Grand Prix cruise, before Celestyal Discovery joins its fleet mate and commences her inaugural season in the region on December 12, 2025.
Celestyal Discovery will homeport from Abu Dhabi.
Lee Haslett, chief commercial officer at Celestyal, said: “We’re thrilled Celestyal Journey has returned to service, looking and performing better than ever.”
“We’ve seen phenomenal demand for our Arabian Gulf itineraries, with our last three Doha-Doha sailings operating at full capacity. Overall, since launching the programme we’re 35% above target for sailed guests, which demonstrates a real desire to explore this region.”
