Celestyal Cruises, a top line for carefully curated and enriching voyages to the Greek Islands and the Eastern Mediterranean, has announced a new flagship, the Celestyal Experience.
Celestyal Experience is the former Costa neoRomantica. Celestyal purchased the 1,800-passenger, newly refurbished ship from Costa Cruises in summer 2020.
The ship's first sailing will be March 6, 20201, with a seven-night "Three Continents" itinerary that visits Greece (Athens and Rhodes), Turkey (Kusadasi), Israel (Ashdod), Egypt (Port Said) and Cyprus (Limassol). On a journey starts April 3, Celestyal Experience's seven-night "Idyllic Aegean" itinerary explores Athens, Rhodes, Crete (Agios Nikolaos), Santorini, Milos, Mykonos and Kusadasi (Ephesus).
We really love the ports of call that you get on a Celestyal voyage. These are exotic, lesser-visit destinations that you get to experience in a highly inclusive manner with this line.
Later in the season, the Celestyal Experience will operate its "Eclectic Aegean" itinerary, a seven-night voyage that introduces the city of Thessaloniki, the gateway to the land of Alexander the Great, as a new embarkation port. You'll have an overnight stay in Istanbul, see the "hanging monasteries" of Meteora in central Greece and take a visit to the site of Ancient Troy.
Celestyal Experience features 789 staterooms, 166 of which come with balconies, sea terraces and bridge-view verandas. The ship's size allows it to visit smaller ports, a key differentiator for Celestyal, which specializes in destinations generally unavailable to larger cruise ships.
"This has been a challenging year for everyone. However, we are extremely optimistic about the future of travel and, especially of cruising," Celestyal Cruises' CEO Chris Theophilides said. "We are delighted with the addition of the Celestyal Experience to our fleet. This ship will be a game-changer for us, and we can't wait to introduce her to our guests."
Onboard experiences include four restaurants, seven bars and lounges, two pools, two hot tubs, a beach club, sundeck and jogging track.
Other amenities and activities: nightly entertainment, casino, library, meeting rooms, boutiques. The ship also offers a specialty wine and cheese bar that will serve as a tribute to Mediterranean varieties.
Panoramic Thalassotherapy Spa
One of the highlights is the 47,300 square-foot panoramic spa spread across two decks, complete with a fully equipped gym offering ocean views, thalassotherapy baths, massage rooms, saunas and a range of thermal suites. The spa also includes a Japanese-style tea parlor, which offers a wide variety of rare teas including remedial herb and mountain teas.
A Suite Experience
Celestyal Experience provides even the most discerning travelers a range of premium accommodation options. The ship has 166 suite category staterooms, 132 of which are junior suites with balconies. The 34 Suites include 22 with balconies, six with bridge-view verandas and six Grand Suites boasting large sea terraces. If you book one of the 34 full suites, you also get access to the Celestyal Cruises Suite Concierge service, which features a dedicated priority check-in counter, expedited embarkation, an exclusive dining area onboard and express luggage delivery service including assistance with unpacking. A dedicated Celestyal Cruises Suite Concierge is also available to assist with specific service requests.
Wellness Staterooms
Celestyal Cruises has created new "Wellness Spa" stateroom category on Celestyal Experience, and these cabins feature a variety of spacious balcony, sea terrace and veranda suite accommodations. Passengers in the Wellness Spa rooms get exclusive use of Deck 14 -- a serene and tranquil area of the ship. Complimentary and unlimited access to the wellness and spa areas is included, featuring relaxation options, most notably the thalassotherapy baths and thermal suites. The Wellness Spa staterooms also come with priority access to specialty dining experiences and a new, exclusive Beach Club concept.
This adults-only outdoor area, dedicated to Suite and Wellness class cruisers offers a tranquil atmosphere that is reminiscent of the best Greek island "chill-out" beach clubs. The Beach Club boasts attentive service and premium sunbeds and cabanas. It features a Jacuzzi perched on the stern with endless views across the ocean.
Mediterranean Cuisine
Celestyal is known for its regionally inspired and sourced cuisine created according to the healthful Mediterranean Diet, acclaimed by global chefs, leading nutritionists and scientists. This will be a special highlight onboard the Celestyal Experience. Among the new dining venues will be a Greek grill and deli, featuring regional favorites. You can also get casual food featuring traditional recipes and locally inspired wood-fired pizzas. Premium tasting experiences feature Mediterranean wines, olive oils, cheeses and other featured specialties.
We absolutely love the concepts on this new ship from Celestyal Cruises, as well as the fact that is specializes in intimate sailings in Greece, easily one of our favorite destinations in the world.
See you onboard!
Thanks for reading,
JR