Celestyal Cruises has added a new ship, the Celestyal Nefeli, to its fleet as part of a two-year extension to the line's homeporting program in Turkey.
The Celestyal Nefeli will replace the Celestyal Odyssey on the homeporting program, which began in 2015 with embarkation from Istanbul, Izmir and Kusadasi. The Celestyal Odyssey's charter agreement concludes at the end of October.
The name, “Nefeli,” comes from Greek mythology – Nefeli was a goddess of hospitality and a nymph of the clouds. The ship will perform Crystal's itinerary for the next two years, with embarkation from Turkey. Celestyal said it plans to use the ship to visit smaller harbors in the Eastern Mediterranean as part of a strategy to open new destinations in the area. Since 2014, Celestyal has added 15 new destinations, which include Milos, Ios, Kos, Samos, Symi, Chios, Cesme and Syros.
In 2016 Celestyal will increase the number of themed events on its cruises focused on Greek culture, gastronomy, history and wine.
The Celestyal Nefeli (ex Gemini), which can accommodate 1,074 cruisers, was originally built in 1992 by Union Naval de Levante SA in Valencia, Spain. She will be delivered to Celestyal in February and refurbished prior to the commencement of the 2016 cruise season. Of its 400 cabins (277 outside and 123 inside), 12 are executive suites and 31 are junior suites. Most of the executive suites have private balconies.
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