VidantaWorld Opens 2027 Mediterranean Sailings on Elegant
Elegant was rebuilt from the former Voyager with larger suites, expanded outdoor decks and two tenders for yacht-oriented ports such as Saint-Tropez.
VidantaWorld Voyages has opened reservations for a 2027 Mediterranean deployment aboard VidantaWorld’s Elegant, building an April-to-September schedule around extended port time and two event-timed departures. The 216-guest ship is scheduled to place passengers at sea between Kalamata and Chania, Greece, during a seven-night Athens cruise in August 2027, when the vessel will be inside the path of totality for a total solar eclipse.
The program expands the cruise operation Grupo Vidanta launched this year in the Mediterranean after a major rebuild of the former Voyager. VidantaWorld said it expects strong early demand for the eclipse cruise and for a Cannes departure tied to the opening of the Cannes Film Festival.
“We designed the 2027 itineraries around time; having more of it in the places that matter most,” said Ivan Chavez, executive vice president of Grupo Vidanta. He said the Cannes and eclipse departures were planned around “moments that define a destination.”
Eclipse and Cannes departures lead the program
The Cannes call is scheduled for May 12, 2027, coinciding with the first day of the film festival. The spring portion of the deployment begins in April and continues through June with itineraries in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy, followed by summer “Mediterranean Classics” cruises calling in Italy, including Capri and the Amalfi Coast.
During peak summer, VidantaWorld’s Elegant is also scheduled for Greek Islands and Adriatic itineraries visiting Croatia, Montenegro and Greece. The September program returns to the Western Mediterranean with ports in Spain, France and Italy.
VidantaWorld said the itineraries use extended stays, late departures and overnight calls, with multiple-day calls planned for Mykonos, Santorini and Monte Carlo. Chavez said some departures are set for midnight or 1 a.m., with certain calls extended overnight or for two nights, and the company plans tender-on-demand service to support more flexible time ashore.
“We want to show the Mediterranean at night, not just during the day,” Chavez said. “The most beautiful moments in Europe happen around sundown.”
Refitted Elegant sets the operating model
The vessel entered Vidanta service after an extensive refit of the 1990-built Voyager, which Grupo Vidanta acquired in 2017 after All Leisure Group’s collapse. CruiseMapper lists the 15,595-gt, 502-foot ship with a maximum capacity of 298 passengers and 252 crew; VidantaWorld is selling the rebuilt product around 216 guests after cutting capacity from more than 500.
The refit combined original cabins into larger suites, added a stern restaurant structure, expanded outdoor deck space and rebuilt guest-facing areas including restaurants, bars, a theater, spa, fitness area and marina platform. Chavez said Vidanta also considered newbuilds, but shipyards quoted seven-to-eight-year delivery timelines and offered repeat designs rather than the custom product the company wanted.
With 216 guests and two onboard tenders, Chavez said Elegant can work yacht-oriented ports such as Saint-Tropez, Monte Carlo and Cannes, and Vidanta secured 85% to 90% of the itineraries it sought.
Grupo Vidanta keeps the ship in Europe
Grupo Vidanta, the Mexican resort operator, has used its land-based customer base as the launch market for the ship. Chavez said 75% of the resort business’s guests come from the United States and Canada and 25% from Mexico, and the company ran two months of friends-and-family test sailings before placing senior resort chefs, housekeeping staff and hotel managers onboard alongside cruise professionals.
Elegant is due to stay in Europe through the 2026-27 winter in warm layup on a river in northern France, with the off-season set aside for charters and special events. Chavez said Vidanta has further plans: “Our aim is not just to have one ship.”
