Celestyal is widening its map in a way that rewards planners and wanderers alike. For the 2025-2026 season, the line will position two ships in the Arabian Gulf, add a fresh Athens to Jeddah route, and lean into Egypt and Turkey with smart segment options that suit real calendars. It reads like a guest-led refresh, more dates, more variety, and a week that flows forward rather than circling back.
From November 2025 through the 2025-2026 season, Celestyal deploys Celestyal Journey and Celestyal Discovery to the Arabian Gulf, lifting capacity by more than 200 percent. The update adds two new seven-night Athens to Jeddah sailings, calls at Marmaris and Kusadasi, and an Egypt trio of Port Said, Sharm el Sheikh, and Safaga, with six-night segments available from the Turkish ports.
Celestyal’s maiden one-ship season in the region did what a pilot should do. It proved demand, captured feedback, and permitted the team to scale. The next chapter arrives with a bigger canvas, a clearer storyline, and flexibility that fits work schedules, school terms, and long-haul realities. Two ships unlock side-by-side flavors, a one-way arc from Greece to Saudi Arabia, and a shorter segment that trades length for focus.
This is not a change for its own sake. Earlier routing adjustments, such as swapping Muscat for Ras Al Khaimah, tightened the map around experiences that play to the brand’s strengths, small group days, cultural texture, and logistics that feel human.
Bringing Celestyal Journey and Celestyal Discovery into the region from December does more than add beds. It changes how you plan. With a capacity lift north of 200 percent, it becomes easier to lock in the stateroom you actually want while you finalise flights and friends.
More sailings spread demand across the calendar, which keeps tour group sizes small and dining times aligned with your routine. For Australians meeting the ship after a long flight, that breathing room matters. It increases the chance that the week you need is the week Celestyal sails.
The new Athens to Jeddah pattern is the statement move. It connects the Aegean to the Red Sea with a sequence that reads like a story: Marmaris, then an Egyptian trio, then a Saudi finale. One way logic trims backtracking and opens flight options at both ends, helpful if you want to add a few days around the Acropolis or a coastal pause along Jeddah’s Corniche before flying home. Seven nights is the sweet spot. There is time to settle into ship life without losing momentum ashore.
Six-night segments departing the Turkish gateways give you another lever. If your calendar wants to be concise, or you are pairing a short cruise with time inland, the segments make it tidy. They also suit multi-city trips, a Cappadocia visit before or after Marmaris or Kusadasi, then back to the coast for the ship. Less shuffle, more story, and a straightforward meet-up point for friends joining partway.
Celestyal’s signature has always been shore-led days where you feel part of a place, not just parked beside it. Doubling down in the Gulf with a guest-informed map makes that easier to plan and easier to feel. Ports sit close to what you came to see, and ship size supports small group touring that stays nimble even when the calendar gets busy. It also answers a broader appetite. Many of us want itineraries that balance scenery with substance, places where history lives in markets, mosques, and museums within a short ride of the pier.
One way weeks change the mood. You move forward, not around, which saves time and delivers variety without repetition. Early in the week, Greece and Turkey give you colour and coastline. Mid-week, Egypt takes the stage with archaeology and Red Sea light. You arrive in Saudi Arabia with a fuller context for the region and a different set of stories to bring home. Forward motion suits families, couples, and solo travellers in different ways, but the common win is simple: fewer logistics, more living.
Port Said, Sharm el Sheikh, and Safaga are three ports in Egypt that do not require marathon transfers. You can reach significant sites and still have time for a café pause or a market browse. Marmaris and Kusadasi add Ottoman and Hellenic layers to the week, with coastal walks, old towns, and the option to reach classical ruins or stay local for a slow lunch. This is exactly where Celestyal does its best work, guiding, then getting out of the way so the place can speak.
A capacity increase can sound like larger groups. In practice, more sailings spread demand across months, which keeps tours small and stateroom categories available. Balcony fans get a better shot at their preferred outlook, families can cluster cabins near lifts, and couples can choose quiet decks without gambling on dates. Choice is the quiet luxury here. You feel it at every step.
Treat the season as a set of anchors. Pick one headline and one simple pleasure in each port. That pattern keeps days full without feeling frantic. The geography invites it, with short reaches and concentrated history. The result is a week that holds together, from Greece to Arabia, with Egypt as the centre chapter.
Port Said tells the Suez Canal story in real time and serves as a launch point into the Nile Delta. Even if you keep it local, the canal zone is a living piece of maritime history with a rhythm all its own. Sharm el Sheikh brings Red Sea clarity, coral gardens, and a resort town promenade that shines at dusk. Safaga adds access to Luxor and the Eastern Desert, or a quiet beach day if you want to keep energy light. Taken together, the trio gives you archaeology, seafaring, and shoreline in a single week.
Marmaris curves around a calm bay with a small castle, marina strolls, and day boats that reward the unhurried. Kusadasi is the stage door for Ephesus, a classical city where timing matters. Arriving early and leaving room to wander the Terrace Houses changes the experience completely. Both ports also work as food days, long lunches, coastal walks, and a golden hour by the harbour. You come back aboard with the sun on your shoulders and a pocket of stories.
Jeddah closes the arc with Red Sea light and historic Al Balad lanes that have returned to life with care. It makes sense as an end note, a city with culture in reach of the pier and flights that take you home or onward. If time allows, consider an extra night to watch the evening life along the Corniche and to browse small galleries that add context to the week. A thoughtful finish is often what makes a trip feel complete.
Even on shore-led itineraries, the ship feels matter. You want a base that resets energy between port days, a dining rhythm that suits appetite, and spaces that let you be social or quiet as the day demands. Both ships aim for that balance, with size and layout that make wayfinding intuitive. On weeks with early starts, a ship that moves you gently from coffee to gangway is golden.
Celestyal Journey carries around 1,260 guests, a scale that supports short lines and small group programming even on busy mornings. Expect venues a stroll apart rather than a sprint, and dining that favours flavour over fuss. If you like a bookish corner and a glass of something local after sailing away, the ship makes that easy. Stateroom choice still matters. Early sleepers should avoid decks directly under lively venues.
Celestyal Discovery brings 1,360 guests in a similarly human scale. The layout suits travellers who like to dip in and out of social zones rather than camp in one spot. Discovery’s role in launching the Gulf season from Athens frames it for guests who want to taste the route without needing two full weeks. If you love sunrise coffee, a balcony with shelter from the wind will earn its keep between Greece and the Red Sea.
One way weeks often start earlier and end later ashore. Pick a cabin that supports that rhythm. Light sleepers should check deck plans to dodge late-night noise, families often appreciate proximity to lifts for easy returns after sandy excursions, and balcony lovers should consider orientation on scenic sail-ins. Your consultant can map deck quirks to habits so the room helps, not hinders. Small choices here shape every morning of your trip.
For Australians, the puzzle is flights as much as sailings. The Athens to Jeddah format gives you two sensible hubs with broad networks. Aim to arrive in Athens a day early to recover, and leave Jeddah with a calm buffer in case you want a final market stop. If you are pairing the cruise with Europe or Gulf visits, the six-night segments keep things tidy. Documents and modest dress codes deserve a little pre-planning. Sorted early, they fade into the background.
With more capacity, booking becomes about fit rather than scarcity. Decide whether a full seven-night arc or a six-night segment matches your calendar, then secure the stateroom style that suits your routine. If you are travelling with friends, hold adjacent cabins first, then finesse. Promotions will appear, but the bigger win is matching the week to your life. A good plan locks the shape early and lets price work for you later.
Sydney and Melbourne connect cleanly to Athens via hubs in the Middle East or Asia. From Jeddah, return through the Gulf or link a side trip to Jordan or the UAE. Visa and entry processes vary by passport, so plan documents and modest dress for religious or heritage sites. A lightweight scarf and shoulders to knees coverage keeps everyone comfortable. Confidence with formalities makes shore days sweeter.
November into early winter brings kind water and cool evenings. Pack layers, a light windbreaker for deck time, sun protection for Red Sea days, and shoes that handle cobbles and ship decks. A small daypack, reusable water bottle, and a phone battery keep you running on long, interesting days ashore. Practical, light, and respectful is the packing brief that always works.
Before you choose dates, it helps to compare options side by side. Our Cruise Finder lays out Celestyal Arabian Gulf deployment sailings alongside wider Mediterranean and Red Sea choices so you can weigh one-way patterns, segment weeks, and your preferred ports at a glance
If you already have a month in mind, use filters to surface seven-night Athens to Jeddah weeks and the six-night segments from Turkish ports. You can check sea day placement, port order, and stateroom availability in one view, then build a shortlist that suits couples, families, and friends travelling together.
If this season’s map feels like your kind of discovery, we can help you line up the right week, compare ships, and choose a stateroom that supports how you move through a day. From Port Said to Al Balad, from seafood on a Marmaris quay to Red Sea light at dusk, we will shape a plan that fits your pace and your priorities. When you are ready, message our cruise consultant for tailored planning, and we will design an Arabia-bound journey that works for guests departing Australia and for travellers meeting the ship in the region.