Celestyal Cruises is shifting focus from Cuba to Greece for 2019 in order to accommodate rising demand for the destination on the Aegean, a Celestyal spokesperson tells Travel Agent. The cruise line, which is currently wrapping up its fifth winter season in Cuba, dropped the country from its 2019 schedule, which was announced back in November.
“Once the season is complete, Celestyal Crystal will return to Greece to perform the highly anticipated new Idyllic Aegean cruise program,” a Celesytal spokesperson says. “Our focus for 2018 is shifting to meeting demand for Greece with the goal of year-round sailings in the Aegean as record numbers of travelers continue to look to our home waters for the travel experience of a lifetime.”
In 2019, all of Celestyal’s cruises in the Aegean will sail roundtrip from Piraeus. The three- and four-day itineraries will call at Mykonos, Samos or Kusadasi, Patmos, Heraklion (Crete) and Santorini, with the four-day cruise adding Rhodes. Both itineraries include a full evening on Mykonos and a full evening on Santorini, while the four-day itinerary includes an entire day on Rhodes. The cruises will run from March 15, 2019, through November 15, 2019.
“With demand for travel to Greece so high, our key priority is to increase awareness of our distinctive, destination-focused 'all-inclusive' cruises that sail throughout the Aegean and showcase our amazing cities and breath-taking islands,” a representative for the cruise line told Travel Agent, noting that Celestyal is the only mainstream cruise line offering overnight stays in both Mykonos and Santorini.
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