Blue Zephyr Cruises Launches Eastern Mediterranean Season From Lavrio
Built in Italy in 1991 as Renaissance VI, the 4,200-gross-ton Blue Zephyr underwent a six-month refurbishment that retained its fifty-seven-suite cabin count.
Blue Zephyr Cruises began its first Eastern Mediterranean season on September 22, 2026, with the departure of its namesake ship from Lavrio. The new Greek line opened with “Classic Cyclades,” a seven-night itinerary visiting the Greek islands and Turkey.
The single-ship operation’s inaugural season runs through late October. Blue Zephyr can accommodate up to 114 guests in 57 ocean-view suites, with approximately 65 crew members.
The maiden voyage ended back in Lavrio on September 29 after visiting Syros, Delos, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Samos, Naxos and Paros. The Turkish call provides access to shore excursions to the ancient city of Ephesus.
The opening programme also includes the “Blue Zone” itinerary, a round trip from the same homeport combining Sifnos and Ikaria with Mykonos, Paros, Samos and Kusadasi.
Georgios Moulas, general manager of Blue Zephyr, developed the product around philoxenia after spending 25 years as a yacht captain.
“Above all, traditional Greece means hospitality: genuine, traditional hospitality,” Moulas said.
The line is targeting adults seeking an unhurried holiday focused on local culture and exploration. Its programme includes smaller ports, sheltered harbours and anchorages for swimming, drawing on Moulas’s relationships with island communities and local partners.
A full season is scheduled for April through October 2027, with departures from Lavrio remaining focused on the Cyclades and Eastern Aegean. Bookings for that programme stand at 70%, with most early reservations coming from the United States. The line hopes to sell out by April.
Moulas put fuel prices at about €2.30 a litre, compared with 70–80 cents previously. “We have not increased our fares. We don’t want our guests to pay for the fuel; the company absorbs that cost,” he said.
Six-month refurbishment of the former Caledonian Sky
The 4,200-gross-ton ship was built in 1991 by Nuovi Cantieri Apuania in Marina di Carrara, Italy, as Renaissance VI for Renaissance Cruises. Before its sale to Greek owners associated with Kalamata Shipping in late 2025, it operated Mediterranean voyages as Caledonian Sky for APT Touring’s Travelmarvel brand.
Athens-based GYD Architecture, led by Chrysi Giannikaki, completed the refurbishment in approximately six months. The project retained the existing cabin count.
“We didn’t want to change the structural elements, so that the ship could return to service quickly,” Giannikaki explained.
The interiors retain the vessel’s distinctive red wood, combined with a lighter palette inspired by the Aegean and yacht interiors. Work concentrated on lounges and coffee areas, replacing heavier furnishings with a more informal lounge-bar setting. Low seating in the panoramic coffee area keeps views clear, while material and flooring choices took account of daily crew operations.
Additional ships and routes planned
The venture is funded by Greek-American partner Dimitrios Smyrnios, whom Moulas has known for many years through yachting. “He believed in my dream from the very beginning and supported it,” Moulas said.
The company aims to add two or three sister ships within five years. Proposed operating areas include Northern Greece and the Sporades, the Dodecanese and the Ionian Sea, where itineraries could extend to Albania.
For 2028, the line plans a programme around the Peloponnese that would take Blue Zephyr through the Corinth Canal. The itinerary is set to include Delphi, Katakolo for Olympia, Kalamata and Elafonisos.
