In September, Louis Cruises will launch a new brand called Celestyal Cruises. Two ships in the current Louis Cruises fleet -- Louis Cristal and Louis Olympia -- will sail for this new subsidiary brand starting in 2015. They sail from Piraeus and Lavrion, both ports accessible from Athens
The name of the new brand originates from the word "celestial,” meaning "pertaining to the stars" or "heavenly" or "divine," said the the cruise company. It chose the name to honor the ancient Greeks, considered pioneers in celestial navigation.
The new brand expects to launch product details including itineraries and pricing in September. It's expected that Celestyal Cruises will continue the Greek "Kalimera" experience that the Louis Cruises line began last year.
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That's meant sailing to such iconic destinations as Santorini, Mykonos and Rhodes, plus revamped onboard product elements like food, activities and theming around Greek food, wine, history, music and archaeology.
The other ships in the Louis Cruises fleet will continue to operate the Louis Cruises brand. From Piraeus and Lavrion, Louis Cruises sails to Chios, Crete, Ios, Kos, Milos, Mykonos, Patmos, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini, Symi and Syros, Greece, and to the Turkish ports of Bodrum, Cesme, Istanbul, Izmir and Kusadasi.
In 2015, Louis Cruises will call at new ports in the Ionian and Adriatic seas and along the Dalmatian Coast. Louis Cruises will also continue to operate its ship management and cargo businesses.
Two of the company’s ships, Thomson Spirit and Thomson Majesty, are under charter to Thomson Cruises of TUI AG.
Visit www.louiscruises.com.