Cruise Frog guide
Celestyal Cruises
Celestyal Cruises is a Greek cruise line based in Piraeus, created in 2014 as the successor to Louis Cruises, the shipping arm of the Cyprus travel group Louis plc. Louis began cruising from Cyprus in 1987 and over the following decades ran and chartered a long list of secondhand ships; in November 2021 Searchlight Capital Partners took a majority stake in Celestyal.
Style
Mainstream
big ships with lots to do and fares for most budgets
Best for
- History and culture
- Couples
- Value seekers
Fleet rating
No ships rated yet.
About Celestyal Cruises
The fleet is two ships, Celestyal Journey (the former Ryndam, joined 2023) and Celestyal Discovery (the former AIDAaura, joined 2024), which replaced the older Celestyal Olympia and Celestyal Crystal in 2023.
Celestyal specializes in short and week-long cruises around the Greek islands, Turkey and the Eastern Mediterranean from Athens, with port-intensive itineraries and long stays in places such as Mykonos and Santorini. It has also sailed winters in Cuba and the Arabian Gulf, and for winter 2026/27 it is replacing its Gulf season with Western Mediterranean sailings.
What Celestyal Cruises is known for
Celestyal is known as a Greek-island specialist: its smaller ships call at ports such as Milos, Patmos and Rhodes on three- to seven-night itineraries that pack in many Greek destinations. It has received Cruise Critic and MedCruise awards and promotes a value package called the Celestyal Inclusive Experience.
The trade-offs are scale and age. The two ships date from 1994 and 2003 and have fewer venues and activities than new ships, and with a fleet this small, the choice of itineraries and sailing dates is limited. The line's history includes the 2007 sinking of its predecessor's Sea Diamond off Santorini, though the current company and fleet date from later.
Who it's for
Celestyal suits travelers who want to see a lot of Greece in a short time, including first-time visitors who would rather sail between islands than plan ferries and hotels, and cruisers who value destinations and Greek culture over shipboard attractions. Short three- and four-night cruises also make it easy to add a cruise to a land holiday in Athens.
Travelers who want large modern ships, a wide choice of restaurants and entertainment, or itineraries beyond the Mediterranean should look at bigger lines.
- History and culture
- port-intensive itineraries, lectures, included excursions
- Couples
- romantic dining, quiet spaces, balcony cabins
- Value seekers
- low fares and frequent deals
How it rates
None of Celestyal Cruises's ships has been rated yet. A line's rating is the average of its ships' scores.
Where Celestyal Cruises sails
Ships
Celestyal Discovery2003 · 42,289 GT · 1,266 guests · MediterraneanCelestyal Discovery was built by Aker MTW in Wismar, Germany, and sailed for AIDA Cruises for 20 years as AIDAaura after entering service in 2003. Celestyal bought her in…
Celestyal Journey1994 · 55,819 GT · 1,258 guests · MediterraneanCelestyal Journey is the larger of Celestyal's two ships, built by Fincantieri at Monfalcone and completed in 1994 as Holland America Line's Ryndam, a Statendam class ship. She…Former ships
| Ship | Sailed | Gross tons | Left |
|---|---|---|---|
| Celestyal Olympia | 1982–2023 | 37,584 | November 2023 |
| Celestyal Crystal | 2007–2023 | 25,611 | August 2023 |
| Celestyal Experience | 1993–2021 | 53,049 | September 2021 |
Where to fly in
- Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH)2 Celestyal Cruises ships sail from Piraeus, Greece9 lounges on Lounge Frog
Quick answers
What is Celestyal Cruises known for?
Celestyal is known as a Greek-island specialist: its smaller ships call at ports such as Milos, Patmos and Rhodes on three- to seven-night itineraries that pack in many Greek destinations. It has received Cruise Critic and MedCruise awards and promotes a value package called the Celestyal Inclusive Experience.
Who is Celestyal Cruises best for?
Celestyal suits travelers who want to see a lot of Greece in a short time, including first-time visitors who would rather sail between islands than plan ferries and hotels, and cruisers who value destinations and Greek culture over shipboard attractions. Short three- and four-night cruises also make it easy to add a cruise to a land holiday in Athens.
Where does Celestyal Cruises sail?
Celestyal Cruises's ships in service sail Mediterranean (2 ships).
How many ships does Celestyal Cruises have?
Celestyal Cruises has 2 ships in service on Cruise Frog: Celestyal Discovery and Celestyal Journey.
Who owns Celestyal Cruises?
Celestyal Cruises is part of Searchlight Capital Partners (majority owner).
Where is Celestyal Cruises based?
Celestyal Cruises is headquartered in Piraeus, Greece. It has operated since 2014.
What is the largest Celestyal Cruises ship?
Celestyal Journey is Celestyal Cruises's largest ship at 55,819 gross tons, carrying 1,258 guests.
Cruising with children
A Celestyal cruise can be planned around seeing several destinations together. For children, the balance between shore visits and downtime is more useful than a long checklist of ports.
Read the Celestyal Cruises family guide →