Celestyal has announced the cancellation of its upcoming 14-night repositioning cruises, “From Ancient Athens to Dazzling Doha” and its counterpart, “From Dazzling Doha to Ancient Athens.” The cruises were scheduled to depart on October 26, 2024, and March 8, 2025, respectively, aboard the Celestyal Journey.
The decision was made following the recent escalation of political unrest along the original Red Sea route. To maintain its commitment to the program year-round and ensure the success of Celestyal's inaugural season in the Arabian Gulf, the Celestyal Journey will instead embark on a 34-night, non-commercial repositioning cruise to and from Doha, Qatar.
To accommodate longer repositioning cruises, the first three scheduled “Amazing Desert” itineraries, which were to depart from Doha on November 9, 16 and 23, will be cancelled.
With the return of the Celestyal Journey to Europe, the first three 2025 itineraries of “Sublime Adriatic”, which were scheduled to depart on March 22, 29 and April 5, 2025, are also cancelled.
Celestyal Journey’s inaugural Arabian Gulf voyage will now be a slightly modified seven-night “Awesome Desert & Qatar Grand Prix” cruise, sailing round trip from Doha and departing on November 30, 2024. This voyage will be based in Doha for the first three days to cover the Qatar Grand Prix, with an overnight stay in Dubai Marina and stops in Khasab, Sir Bani Yas Island, and Abu Dhabi. This will be followed by a slightly modified seven-night “Awesome Desert & Abu Dhabi Grand Prix” cruise, now sailing round trip from Dubai and departing on December 2, 2024, with a full day and night stay in Abu Dhabi on December 8 to accommodate guests attending the Grand Prix race.
Lee Haslett, Chief Commercial Officer of Celestyal, said: “We recently announced our full cruise program through March 2027 to bring simplicity and security to our offering. In light of the current geopolitical climate on our original route through this year’s winter season, we have decided to operate longer, non-commercial repositioning voyages to and from Qatar. The Celestyal Journey will proudly continue to be homeported in Doha, Qatar, from November 2024 for the next three winter seasons.”.
“We regret any inconvenience today’s cancellation of a small number of our itineraries may have caused. All affected guests have been offered alternative cruise options and/or refunds. We remain committed to our year-round global operations in the Greek Islands, the Mediterranean, and the Arabian Gulf, and we would like to thank our valued guests and business partners for their understanding and support. We look forward to welcoming our guests aboard Celestyal Journey for her inaugural season in the Arabian Gulf at the end of November this year.”.
The Celestyal Journey's inaugural Arabian Gulf season now comprises nine seven-night "Awesome Desert" voyages departing between November 2024 and March 2025, with embarkation options in Doha, Qatar; Abu Dhabi; or Dubai, UAE. In addition, there are two special Grand Prix voyages, departing on November 30, 2024, round trip from Doha, and on December 2, 2024, round trip from Dubai.
All affected guests have been notified and provided with alternative cruises and refunds.
All travel agents have been notified, assured of commission protection, and provided with updated information and booking change options for guests. All changes to the booking system will be updated within the next two weeks.
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