ONBOARD CELESTYAL JOURNEY — Celestyal Cruises isn’t new to Canada. In 2017, the Greek cruise line operated the Cuba Cruise program, which sold well through Transat Holidays.

Today, Celestyal Cruises’ fleet consists of the 1,370-guest Celestyal Discovery and the 1,260-guest Celestyal Journey, offering three- and four-day jaunts to the Greek Islands, and seven-day itineraries to Greece, Italy, and Croatia.

Celestyal also sails in the Arabian Gulf during the winter season.

Travelweek was recently onboard the Celestyal Journey to experience the new seven–day ʻHeavenly Greece, Italy and Croatiaʻ itinerary sailing roundtrip from Athens.

A FAMILIAR MID-SIZED VESSEL

Advisors may recognize the profile and layout of the 1,260-guest Celestyal Journey as it was originally launched in 1994 as Holland America’s Ryndam (and was home-ported in Vancouver for several Alaska seasons).

It was later transferred to P&O Cruises and joined Celestyal in 2023 with a $21 million retrofit.

Just shy of 56,000 GRT, mid-sized Celestyal Journey features a main dining room, three specialty restaurants (Asian, Italian, and steakhouse), a buffet, an ice cream/smoothie outlet, and a Greek Deli snack bar.

Additional venues include a show theatre, a specialty coffee bar, a spa/fitness centre, a lecture hall, a casino, a kids’ club, and various bars and lounges.

On deck are two swimming pools – one of which has a retractable glass roof – and several hot tubs.

DESTINATION FOCUSED

While the ship is pleasant and comfortable, the main focus of a Celestyal cruise is the destination.

Our intensive seven-night Adriatic sailing combined popular Dubrovnik, Kotor, and Katakolon (for Olympia) and less-visited Kefalonia, Corfu, and Bari, Italy.

A well-rounded excursion program spans the gamut from nature to culture, such as the underground caves of Kefalonia, the wineries of Corfu, the UNESCO-designated conical homes of Alberobello, the archeological ruins of Olympia, the breathtaking cliffs of Kotor, and historical Dubrovnik – complete with a Game of Thrones locations tour.

A late stay in Dubrovnik also let us enjoy dinner in town and a beautiful stroll with very few tourists around.

HOW TO SELL CELESTYAL

Celestyal is a contemporary brand offering value for money. Its fares include all meals, unlimited soft drinks, entertainment and activities, WiFi, gratuities, and port taxes and fees.

To maintain a lower per diem, Celestyal does not include bar beverages or specialty dining, but guests can purchase and use ʻCelestyal Payʻ – a food and bar tab of various denominations (commissionable if pre-purchased before leaving home).

While English is the main language onboard, expect a multicultural and multilingual clientele.

Stephanie McDonald, Celestyal’s trade training and development manager who was escorting a fam onboard, spent some time with Travelweek to further discuss the Celestyal experience.

The Celestyal Journey docked in Corfu, Greece

“Travellers should consider a Celestyal cruise because our product is focused on the destination, which is a complete shift from the mainstream cruise lines that are about the ship,” she told Travelweek.

McDonald pointed out that Celestyal Journey can also deliver a premium guest experience, something advisors may not necessarily associate with the brand.

The ship offers twenty-eight 570-square-foot Grand Dream Suites and one 1,140-square-foot Stargazer Penthouse Suite, a dedicated restaurant for suite guests and fully customizable components.

“Advisors can work with their BDM to elevate their guests’ experience. This includes specialty dining every night if they so choose, full in-suite meal service, and excursions in private cars, all of which is cost effective and not astronomical,” said McDonald.

The Heavenly Greece itinerary can also be combined with the 7-night Idyllic Greece sailing to form a two-week vacation.

On the other hand, if your clients want to enhance their land-based European holiday but don’t have seven days, suggest the three- or four-day island-hopping cruise, which is a much more comfortable and convenient option than a ferry.

McDonald’s final advice to advisors: “Ask the right questions to your clients. Celestyal may be a fit for them that you may not have thought about.”

CANADIAN-BASED SUPPORT

McDonald is also Celestyal’s Canadian BDM based in Ontario, and plans to schedule in-person advisor trainings across Canada, which she strongly encourages advisors to attend. More fams will be planned too.

“My travel advisors always tell me after being onboard that ‘I thought I knew Celestyal, I didn’t. You’re different than what I thought, and not quite the same as everybody else,’ which I love to hear,” she added.

Advisors can also register for the Celestyal Compass trade portal to access marketing tools, the Celestyal Campus training program, and the booking engine.

For additional support and training on Celestyal Cruises, advisors can reach out to Stephanie McDonald at s.mcdonald@celestyal.com.