Aroya Repositions to Istanbul for Summer Mediterranean Cruises
Aroya is due at Istanbul's Galataport Cruise Terminal on June sixth, twenty twenty-six, after calls at Sharm el-Sheikh, Port Sokhna, Antalya and Bodrum.
Aroya has begun an eight-night repositioning voyage from Jeddah to the Eastern Mediterranean, moving Aroya Cruises’ 3,400-passenger ship into position for its second straight summer program in the region. The cruise was scheduled to call in Egypt and Turkey, transit the Suez Canal and reach Istanbul’s Galataport Cruise Terminal on June 6, 2026.
The deployment gives the Saudi cruise brand nearly 15 weeklong roundtrip departures from Istanbul through mid-September, with itineraries built around Egypt, Turkey and Greece. It follows Aroya’s first Eastern Mediterranean season in 2025, when the ship operated similar cruises after being introduced outside the Middle East region for the first time.
Repositioning route and summer calls
The repositioning cruise started in Jeddah and includes Sharm el-Sheikh, Port Sokhna, Port Suez, Antalya and Bodrum before Istanbul. The full Suez Canal transit moves the ship from the Red Sea into the Mediterranean.
From Istanbul, the first scheduled sailing is an Egypt-and-Turkey itinerary visiting Kas, Marmaris, Bodrum and Alexandria. Other seven-night sailings include Alexandria, Marmaris, Mykonos, Piraeus and Rhodes among the ports in the program.
The season runs until mid-September, when Aroya is scheduled to return to the Red Sea on an eight-night voyage via the Suez Canal, with calls in Bodrum, Marmaris, Port Suez and Sharm el-Sheikh.
A single-ship deployment after a disrupted spring
Aroya Cruises’ current operating fleet consists of Aroya, a 2017-built ship formerly known as World Dream and Manara. The vessel measures about 150,695 gross tons and 335.2 meters in length.
The move follows a disrupted spring. Aroya spent nearly two months in the Arabian Gulf after a Middle East conflict suspended operations in late February and the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed to maritime traffic. The ship transited the strait in late April, repositioned to Jeddah and was scheduled to resume guest operations on May 7 with Red Sea cruises.
Those spring itineraries were three- and four-night cruises to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, including Yanbu, Aqaba and overnight stays in Sharm el-Sheikh.
After the Mediterranean season, Aroya is scheduled for short cruises from Jeddah through the end of 2026. A winter 2026-27 Arabian Gulf program is also planned, with itineraries to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain.
