A Look at Celestyal Journey, Past and Present

Last month, I boarded the 1,260-passenger Celestyal Journey in Piraeus (Athens), Greece, carrying much more than just my hand luggage. Sailing on the ship’s seven-night “Heavenly Greece, Italy and Croatia” itinerary, I also brought aboard hopeful expectations and a sense of familiarity. 

Why was I hopeful? This mid-sized ship — fresh from a multimillion-dollar revitalization and technical overhaul — is now sailing for Celestyal Cruises, an experienced, Crete-based cruise line. Having sailed on this brand twice in the past, I know that it offers a unique portfolio of eastern Mediterranean itineraries.

Typically, the line acquires older ships, spends millions of dollars to revitalize them and operates boutique-style sailings. No, Celestyal Journey isn’t a razzle-dazzle product. Nor does it offer the latest-and-greatest thrill activities or waterparks provided by the industry’s newer, larger ships. But it has sizable appeal in a different way. 

After spending a week aboard, I’d characterize Celestyal Journey‘s interior look and feel as a pleasant coupling of laid-back, old-school charm with newly refurbished interiors and fresh soft goods. For example, I loved the bold, bright, modern and yet comfortable look of the ship’s Blue Bar (see photo above). 

But for me, a sprinkling of those old-school elements also brought back fond memories. How so? Let’s just say that no one ever forgets his or her first cruise. Back in 1998, I’d sailed on my first cruise aboard this ship. At that time, it was plying global oceans as Holland America Line’s Ryndam, a nearly new vessel launched in 1994. 

Thus, my 2025 sailing on Celestyal Journey was akin to a ship reunion of sorts. For a “flashback moment,” check out the photo below. Alas, I’m shown (at left) with my former college roommate Susan Page as we proudly posed in our formal ball gowns on Ryndam, back in 1998. We were heading for the main dining room with assigned, fixed seating, which was common at the time.

Since advisors may have clients interested in the ship’s past life, here are a few other tidbits. This cruise ship sailed nearly two decades for Holland America before repositioning to sister brand P&O Australia. With that Carnival Corporation brand, it began a new chapter sailing as Pacific Aria. In  2019, it was expected to sail for Cruise & Maritime Voyages, but the pandemic intervened. Subsequently, it was acquired by Seajets and renamed Aegean Goddess. 

After Celestyal acquired the ship in 2023, it’s primarily sailing the eastern Mediterranean region — the Aegean and Adriatic seas, in particular. During my recent Adriatic itinerary, Celestyal Journey sailed roundtrip from Piraeus (Athens) to Dubrovnik, Croatia (overnight until 2:30 a.m.); Montenegro; Bari, Italy; and Corfu, Kefalonia and Katakolon, Greece.

Destination Intensive 

Why is Celestyal Journey a good fit itinerary-wise for Celestyal? Beyond calls at marquee ports, the ship’s “destination intensive” itineraries also include visits to many smaller, lesser-known destinations. Simply put, the mid-sized Celestyal Journey is a ship that can call at ports that either can’t handle or don’t want calls from much larger ships.    

In addition, cruise lines often craft itineraries that include one, two or even more sea days. So, their ships may only visit two or three ports in a region, not five, six or seven. In contrast, Celestyal offers few (if any) sea days on most itineraries. That gives guests maximum port time within a region. 

Most importantly, even if travelers are repeat cruisers to that region, they may find opportunities to visit a port or two that they hadn’t in the past. For example, I’ve sailed on six different Adriatic-transiting itineraries operated by multiple lines over the years. But none had called at Katakolon in western Greece.

Let’s just say that my personal travel philosophy is: “I never met a ruin I didn’t like.” So, while poring over Celestyal Journey‘s shore offerings for Katakolon, I was enticed by not one, not two, not three, but four different excursions that included touring of ancient Olympia. I opted for the “Olympia and Wine Tasting” excursion (which cost 109 euros). Instead of wine tasting, the three other Olympia-visiting excursions substituted either olive oil tasting, an archaeological museum visit, or hiking. 

Venturing ashore in Katakolon, I observed that Celestyal Journey was the sole cruise vessel docked at the pier, and there weren’t any crowds ashore. Boarding our shore excursion motorcoach, we soon were riding 35 minutes or so to reach ancient Olympia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Along the way, our excellent tour guide provided fact-filled, engaging commentary about the region. She imparted a good mix of intel, both about the local lifestyle in this region of Greece, as well as tidbits about Olympia’s historical significance. I felt my drive to the ancient ruins was, in and of itself, destination immersion in action. 

After a fairly lengthy stroll from the coach parking spot to the entry point, we entered and explored the archaeological site. I eagerly strolled to the Temple of Hera, the Temple of Zeus and other archaeological site hot spots. For those with mobility challenges, it’s a tough site to visit, given uneven, stone pathways through the site. 

Next, we reboarded the motorcoach for a short drive to the Olympia Land Estate, an organic vineyard in the small village of Koskina. What could be better combining ancient history with wine tasting? We tasted dry white, rose and red wines as well as a sweet wine from such grape varieties as Assyrtiko, Malagousia, Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot and Agiorgitiko.

On another shore day, I marveled at the spectacular beauty of Kotor, Montenegro, nestled within a lovely fjord. Of Celestyal’s multiple Kotor shore options, I booked the “Highlights of Montenegro” tour for 90 euros. Many fellow travelers headed out instead on a fun, off-road adventure. Other Celestyal excursions focused on historic destination touring or delving into the local lifestyle. 

My motorcoach driver expertly navigated upward along the mountain roadway adjacent to Kotor. We zigged and zagged on more than 25 switchback curves. Each provided better and better views of the majestic fjord and Kotor in the valley below. 

Even after completing that journey, we traveled on more curved roads including one-single lane roadway, where it was fascinating to watch locals and tourists back up or pull off the road a bit to allow the coach to pass. 

After stopping atop a mountaintop for a tasting of the local prosciutto and cheese, we then visited Cetinje, known as the “Valley of the Gods,” and seaside Budva, a popular tourist destination. This excursion then ended in Kotor’s old town center with a walking tour. 

Onboard Life and Affordability

Returning to the ship, I set out to explore, enjoy a quick bite, gather more intel and just observe what guests enjoyed doing on board. My assessment is that Celestyal Journey’s onboard spaces provide relatively easy access for guests to transit from Point A to Point B. 

Size-wise, this ship is also large enough to offer varied dining choices including, specialty restaurants, multiple lounges and bars, a multitude of onboard activities and several live entertainment shows.  Yet, at the same time, the ship never felt crowded to me. 

Some clients may wonder how the Celestyal brand fits within the cruise industry, I’d say that Celestyal isn’t a luxury or upper premium product. From my perspective, it straddles the border between contemporary and premium. On a scale of 0 to 5, with 5 the most impressive, I’d give it a 3.5 to 4 rating. Overall, it’s a good product at an affordable price point.

In one example, the seven-night “Heavenly Greece, Italy and Croatia” sailing on Celestyal Journey, departing October 25, 2025, starts at just $899 per person, double occupancy. What’s included in that? In late 2024, Celestyal introduced a new simplified fare structure called Celestyal One. So, all pricing now includes the cruise fare; complimentary essential Wi-Fi; filtered coffee, tea, water and juice (from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.); unlimited free soft drinks with meals in the main restaurants; port fees, taxes and crew gratuities.

Celestyal also recently replaced its beverage packages with a new CelestyalPay prepaid food-and-beverage wallet. Today, that’s used onboard by guests for any non-complimentary food and drink purchases. Guests can either add the charges to their account as they go or, better yet, preload money to that CelestyalPay prior to sailing. If they do, they’ll receive added bonus credits from the cruise line. 

Given the affordability of Celestyal’s fares, guests do pay extra for added service or items onboard. But some guests prefer not to pay for inclusive features they may not want or need. Instead, they like paying as they go for added services, specialty dining, and other items. 

All guests can now use their stateroom card to pay for any purchases through CelestyalPay. They can also check their balance throughout the cruise either online or via guest services.

Our Grand Dream Suite

On the accommodations side, Celestyal Journey’s guests have a choice of 630 premium cabins. That includes 149 suites — one Stargazer Penthouse Suite, 28 Grand Dream Suites, and 120 Junior Suites — all with balconies. Most notably, this ship has three times the number of balcony cabins compared to the Celestyal ship it replaced.  

Space-wise, the lowest category, Interior Cosmos Cabin, spans 183 square feet. The highest category is the ship’s 947-square-foot Stargazer Suite. Large or small, all accommodations have air conditioning, a private bathroom with shower, telephone, hair dryer, personal safe, and television.

As for my “digs,” I stayed in #10035 (SG), a comfortable Grand Dream Suite, accommodating up to four people. Guests staying in either these 378-square-foot suites as well as Junior Dream Suites or Stargazer Suites receive concierge service. 

So, what’s that about? Among the concierge service perks are a dedicated priority check-in counter, expedited embarkation, express luggage delivery service, and unpacking assistance. My luggage delivery to the suite was extremely quick on embarkation day.

Decor-wise, the Grand Dream Suite is decked out in a color scheme of soft blue, white, and light grey. I loved the simplistic, lovely, blue-and-white wall art that graced the wall behind and above the bed. New carpeting, bedding, towels and other soft goods also provide a fresh, welcoming feel and look. 

That said, some furniture, such as my suite’s lengthy credenza and the end tables, are more traditional in styling. While there’s no door between the living room and bedroom area, I felt the space flowed well. 

As for the living room, it offers a couch that’s also a pull-out sofa bed (sleeps two), plus guests will find one upholstered chair and a small round coffee table. Atop that table is a small, live olive tree, a nice touch with a nod to our Adriatic itinerary.

Did you know that the olive tree means “peace and wisdom” in Greek culture and history? I learned that from an explanatory note card Celestyal placed adjacent to the olive tree plant. The card also imparts that Athens was reportedly so named because the city accepted an olive tree from the goddess Athena, rather than a gushing spring from Poseidon. 

Light flows well into the Grand Dream Suite, both from the living room area’s sliding glass door and from windows behind a credenza within the bedroom area. As for the balcony, it’s quite large – with a teak deck that extends across the suite’s full width. Guests can sit on one of three chairs at the balcony’s table, or sprawl on two loungers with cushions. Offering great sea views, the Grand Dream Suite’s balcony space is large enough for guests to host a pre-dinner cocktail hour with friends or family members.

Inside the suite, the bedroom area consists of a king-sized bed (convertible to two twins), flanked by an end table on both sides. In addition, the bedroom has a long L-shaped credenza with a humongous number of storage drawers. Note to fashionistas: You’ll have scads of space for storing clothing and personal items.

Plus, guests will discover a small mini-fridge and large flat-screen TV that swivels, making it viewable from either the living or bedroom area. On embarkation day, we were greeted by a bottle of bubbly and a bowl of fresh fruit placed on the credenza. Also atop that surface were water bottles (complimentary to suite guests) plus a few snacks for an extra fee.

I liked this suite’s nook area for its desk surface (doubling as a make-up spot) with a large mirror on the adjacent wall. I did remote work here on the laptop. Just bring adapters, as plugs do vary within accommodations. For instance, while using the desk surface, I needed an adaptor for plugging in a USB cord to power my phone. That said, USB ports are located on the wall adjacent to the bed.

As for closet space, this suite has a short hallway leading to a walk-in closet with a small stool. What’s a bit different, though, is that the closet’s clothes hanging rods and storage spaces are behind sliding mirrored glass doors. Storage spots were quite good, but one odd facet was the personal safe’s almost-on-the-floor positioning. 

The closet area leads to the bathroom, which has a brown vanity, a bottle of organic hand soak, one sink, a toilet and a fairly good-sized shower. In advance, I’d asked the line for a shower chair and that was promptly provided. The shower also has wall-mounted pump bottles of organic shampoo and shower gel (no conditioner). 

Grand Suite Perks

Grand Suite guests also receive complimentary thermal suite access, a complimentary evening cocktail event, yummy hors d’oeuvres delivered to the suite daily by the concierge, and access to Ray, an outdoor lounge area (which I found to be fairly basic). The line’s promotional materials also say that a dedicated concierge is available in the exclusive-use Compass Lounge to cater to the needs of Grand Suite guests.

Since my suite was just steps from that lounge in the same corridor, I popped over on several occasions. I discovered comfortable furniture, a few workspace surfaces, and a reception desk area, but no people. Apparently, the line was still working to set up the concierge suite operation during my cruise.

One Grand Suite perk I loved was the exclusive access to the Smoked Olive specialty restaurant during breakfast and lunch. Guests order off the same menu as the main Thalassa dining room during those meals but enjoy an elevated level of service and scenic views.

Overall, I truly enjoyed my stay in Celestyal Journey‘s spacious Grand Dream Suite. It was a great “home base” with a huge balcony, plenty of storage space, a nice living area with a tabletop olive tree, desk nook, decent Wi-Fi, and comfortable bedding. Most of all, I appreciated the highly attentive service from both my cabin steward and the concierge. 

In one of my Ryndam flashback moments, though, our trade group toured a few other cabin categories, among them a twin-bedded stateroom with a large window. Suddenly, I flashed back to an earlier era. I found myself looking at exactly the same category configuration that I’d stayed in two decades before on this ship. 

Yet, this cabin (see the photo above) was perfect for me and my friend on that cruise. Even today, it seemed fresh with new soft goods. It also has a large couch and separate desk/entertainment credenza area.

Stay tuned for our second article in this two-part series about our week aboard the revitalized Celestyal Journey. We’ll cover the ship’s dining, lounges/bars, onboard activities, enrichment, entertainment and more. All in all, we’re excited to see this classic ship in its latest chapter of cruise service. 

For more information on Celestyal Cruises, visit https://celestyal.com/us.