Chartered by Phoenix Reisen, the Celestyal Journey set sail yesterday from Genoa, Italy, on the first leg of a 143-night world cruise.
Taking over the itinerary that the Amera was going to offer, the ship will offer a 25-night trip to Cape Town, South Africa.
In addition to destinations in Portugal and Spain, the outbound itinerary includes visits to several ports of call in Africa, such as Dakar (Senegal), Banjul (Gambia) and Luderitz (Namibia).
The journey concludes with a visit to St. Helena, a British archipelago in the South Atlantic. Before setting sail for Cape Town, the Celestyal Journey will stop in Namibia's Walvis Bay. Upon reaching the final port of call on this leg, passengers will transfer to another ship to continue the cruise, which will end in Germany in mid-May.
The full itinerary also includes visits to other destinations in Africa, as well as in the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, the Caribbean and North America, among others.
The Celestyal Journey was chartered by Phoenix Resen following a delay in the revitalization of the Amera dry dock.
Currently in a shipyard in Poland, the Celestial Journey, built in 1988, is undergoing a major modernization project that includes the replacement of engines, propellers, bow thrusters and much of the equipment in its engine room.
Acquired by Celestyal Cruises in 2023, the Celestyal Journey was originally in service for Holland America Line.
Built by the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, the 1,258-passenger vessel entered service in 1993 and was also operated by P&O Cruises Australia and Seajets.
With part of its winter program canceled due to the geopolitical situation in Israel, the Celestyal Journey was out of service in Greece before being chartered by the German-based tour operator.
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