Celestyal Cancels 85 Gulf Sailings to Expand Mediterranean Cruises
Booked guests will be offered a full refund or future cruise credit, while the replacement Mediterranean departures are scheduled to open for sale on June 15.
Celestyal has cancelled its winter 2026-27 Arabian Gulf season and will replace the program with additional Mediterranean sailings, including the line’s first Western Mediterranean itinerary. The decision removes 85 scheduled Gulf departures from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Jeddah across Celestyal Discovery and Celestyal Journey.
The change follows a season in which both Celestyal ships spent nearly two months stranded in the Persian Gulf because of regional conflict before returning to the Mediterranean in late April.
Lee Haslett, chief commercial officer at Celestyal, said the line made the change after reviewing its winter program. “We have decided to focus on strengthening our authentically Mediterranean offering,” Haslett said. “These updates allow us to add more choice across some of our most popular itineraries and introduce brand new Western Mediterranean sailings for the first time.”
Mediterranean capacity replaces 85 Gulf departures
The cancelled Gulf program includes 51 Celestyal Discovery sailings scheduled from Nov. 20, 2026, to March 11, 2027, and 34 Celestyal Journey sailings scheduled from Nov. 14, 2026, to March 26, 2027. Celestyal told booked guests they would be contacted by the line or their original travel provider and offered either a full refund or future cruise credit for another sailing.
Celestyal Discovery will add two Iconic Greek Islands departures in November 2026 and four more in March 2027. The three- to four-night program includes calls listed for Athens, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Patmos, Rhodes and Santorini.
Celestyal Journey will add four March 2027 Mediterranean departures: two Heavenly Greece, Italy and Croatia sailings and two Idyllic Greece sailings. The seven-night Heavenly Greece, Italy and Croatia itinerary includes Athens, Kefalonia, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Bari, Corfu and Katakolon, while Idyllic Greece includes Athens, Kusadasi, Rhodes, Crete, Santorini, Mykonos and Milos.
Celestyal Discovery will also operate a new Western Mediterranean itinerary in winter 2026-27 and winter 2027-28. Celestyal has not released the full route or pricing for that program.
Gulf disruption reshaped the deployment
The redeployment covers the company’s full fleet. Celestyal Discovery is a 42,289-gt ship built in 2003 with capacity for about 1,360 passengers, while Celestyal Journey is a 55,877-gt, 1,260-guest vessel built in 1994 and refurbished in 2023.
Both ships were in the Middle East in late February when conflict halted cruise operations in the region and prevented vessels from repositioning to Europe. Celestyal Discovery left the Gulf on April 17, followed by Celestyal Journey on April 18, with both returning through the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal before resuming service from Greece.
Celestyal Discovery restarted revenue sailings on May 1 from Athens on a three-night cruise to the Greek Islands and Turkey. Celestyal Journey followed on May 2 from Piraeus with a seven-night itinerary to destinations in Croatia, Greece and Italy.
The Celestyal ships were part of a six-vessel group that had been held in the Arabian Gulf after the Strait of Hormuz closed to ships. By May 22, all six had returned to service, including MSC Euribia, Aroya and TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5.
Sales open June 15, with more plans to come
The new Celestyal sailings are scheduled to open for sale on June 15. Celestyal said further details, including full itineraries and pricing for Discovery, will be released soon.
Plans for Celestyal Journey’s winter 2027-28 season are still pending, with the line saying that deployment will be announced in the near future.
