Cruise Saudi Marks Five Years With Five Red Sea-Gulf Gateways
Aroya’s Eastern Mediterranean program uses Istanbul and Alexandria as embarkation points, with eight of ten Alexandria calls offering interporting.
Cruise Saudi said it has activated five cruise ports and gateways across the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf since its 2021 launch, as the state-backed cruise developer reaches five years of operation. The company’s record now includes the launch of Aroya Cruises in December 2024 and the planned 2027 debut of Aman at Sea’s Amangati.
Cruise Saudi launched on Jan. 27, 2021, and is wholly owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Its remit spans cruise berths and terminals, destination experiences, shore excursions and vessel-support operations. The company’s work sits within Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 tourism agenda, which includes a target to raise tourism’s share of GDP from 3 percent to 10 percent.
“In our five-year journey, Cruise Saudi has moved from ambition to delivery,” said Taha Nazer, acting chief executive officer of Cruise Saudi, describing the company’s work as “transforming ports into gateways and cruise calls into meaningful destination experiences.” Nazer said the next phase would focus on quality, including journeys that “support local communities” and “set new benchmarks for wellbeing and innovation at sea.”
Aroya expands beyond its Red Sea launch base
Aroya Cruises launched in 2024 as the first Arabian cruise line. Its sole ship, the 150,695-gt Aroya, is the 2017-built former World Dream, acquired by Cruise Saudi in 2023 and refitted in Germany for the new brand before entering service on Dec. 16, 2024.
The ship is now deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean after starting operations from Saudi Arabia. Aroya arrived in Alexandria on June 11, 2026, opening a series of regular calls at the Egyptian port; eight of its 10 scheduled Alexandria calls include interporting, allowing guests to begin or end cruises there.
For the first Alexandria call of the season, the 3,400-passenger ship arrived with 2,063 passengers and 1,054 crew members, with about 275 guests boarding at the port. Alexandria Port Authority said the operation restored embarkation and disembarkation services after a hiatus and brings “significant added value” to Egypt’s economy and tourism sector.
Aroya’s 2026 Eastern Mediterranean program includes seven-night cruises from Turkey and Egypt, with Istanbul and Alexandria used as embarkation points on select sailings. The ship is also operating from Galataport Cruise Terminal on Greece and Turkey itineraries that include Bodrum, Rhodes, Mykonos and Piraeus before it repositions back toward the Red Sea in September.
Aman at Sea’s Amangati debuts in 2027
Cruise Saudi is also advancing Aman at Sea with Aman Group, whose first ship, Amangati, is under construction at the T. Mariotti shipyard in Italy. The 183-meter, 23,000-gt yacht is designed for 94 guests in 47 suites, with a crew of 207.
The first published Amangati sailing is scheduled for May 7, 2027, a six-night Western Mediterranean cruise from Palma de Mallorca to Nice with calls including Ibiza, Barcelona, Palamos, Marseille and Saint-Tropez. The yacht is then scheduled to operate in the Adriatic, the Greek Islands and the Western Mediterranean before beginning its first Caribbean season from Antigua on Nov. 21, 2027.
Inaugural fares start at about $38,500 for five nights.
Cruise Saudi said it plans to add more cruise gateways and partnerships across the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf, but it did not name the next locations or counterparties. Aroya is scheduled to return to the Mediterranean for a third consecutive summer season starting in June 2027.
