Celestyal Cruises: One of Cruising’s Best-Kept Secrets
What if I told you there was a cruise line where the destination, not the ship, is the star of the show?
A cruise line where you can wake up in Greece, spend the afternoon exploring ancient ruins in Turkey, and be back on board in time for dinner under the stars.
Today we’re talking about one of cruising’s best-kept secrets, Celestyal Cruises.
I am Samantha and this is Talk Travel with Samantha, powered by Fabulous Adventures Travel, and we’re talking about Celestyal Cruises.
What Makes Celestyal Cruises Different?
If you’ve never heard of them, you’re not alone.
They don’t have roller coasters. They don’t have go-kart tracks. And they aren’t trying to be a floating amusement park.
What they do have is something many travelers say they’ve been missing from modern cruising: authentic destinations, immersive cultural experiences, and itineraries that take you beyond the usual tourist trail.
Today we are talking with John Diorio, Vice President and Managing Director of North America of Celestyal Cruises, and he is going to tell us why Celestyal is the best-kept secret in the Med.
Celestyal Cruises in the Mediterranean
Celestyal Cruises has been sailing throughout the Mediterranean for over 11 years, but they have over 30 years of heritage in the Greek Islands.
They have two beautiful ships, the Celestyal Discovery and the Celestyal Journey, which is the one I was on.
It was so great. I loved it.
Three and Four Night Greece Cruises From Athens
Celestyal is very unique because they have three and four night sailings out of Athens.
They are the only cruise line that does that, and that works great if you’re over in Europe and you want to pop over to the Greek Islands and do a little island hopping the correct way, without packing and unpacking constantly.
If you think about those who want to go to Greece and they want to do Athens for three or four days and really explore the mainland, that’s a great way to see Greece. But you have to see the Greek Islands.
So, a lot of customers will come over to do Athens for four or five days and then add on a three or four night cruise with Celestyal.
In those three and four nights, you’ll go to six different islands. You’re in two destinations a day.
If you’re into island hopping and you want to get off and explore, it’s unbelievable.
A Perfect Add-On to a Europe Trip
I think these short little cruises are great because a lot of people come to me and say, “Oh, we want to do France and Greece,” or they’ll name off London, Ireland, Paris, and Rome.
And I’m like, “You do know those are nowhere near each other, right?”
They look close on a map. They do.
But that’s why I love these three and four night cruises. If you’re going over there and it’s a long flight, you’re probably thinking, “If I’m going over there for that long, I’m seeing it all because who knows when I’ll be back.”
I get that. I understand that concept.
And I do love that Celestyal has those three and four night sailings because you can be in Barcelona, London, Paris, or another European city and still pop over to Greece.
Smaller Ships, Smaller Greek Islands
What’s also great about those itineraries, especially with Celestyal, is that they go to destinations that others don’t.
Because the ships are boutique in size, they can actually go to islands that the other cruise lines can’t.
They go to Patmos, Milos, and Kefalonia.
Those are islands that you just don’t think of, but they have all that amazing charm of the Greek Islands. They are these rising star destinations that only Celestyal can take you to.
I love that they go to all these little places. A lot of the big ships over there just don’t.
The Heavenly Itinerary
Back to my favorite one. Let’s talk about the Heavenly itinerary.
And honestly, let’s be honest, it’s named perfectly.
It truly is just a heavenly itinerary because you leave out of Athens and you go to Kefalonia. You get a taste of the Greek Islands, but you’re not hitting only those iconic destinations. You’re going to islands you typically wouldn’t go to.
Then they throw in Croatia, which is amazing if you love that Game of Thrones kind of environment.
You go there and you feel like you’re there.
Four Countries in One Week
The Heavenly itinerary hits four countries.
You’re hitting the Greek Islands. You’re going to Croatia. You’re going to Montenegro, which is my new favorite place. And then, of course, the motherland: Italy.
You go to Bari, Italy.
Nobody knows Bari, and I will say that this itinerary is so great because there are a lot of places that you just wouldn’t think to stop.
When people say, “I’m going to Italy,” they usually mean Rome.
Well, of course you are. Everybody goes to Rome.
But Bari was this unassuming place where you’re kind of looking around like, “This is what Italy looks like?” But I’m telling you right now, you’re going to love it.
Alberobello and the Little Huts
We didn’t spend a ton of time in Bari because we actually went to Alberobello, and that is where the little huts are.
It was charming. It was magnificent. It was dreamy. It was everything that you would possibly imagine it to be.
The little huts made me feel like a little Smurf or something. Not really, but they totally looked like that.
We ended up going into one of the little huts. People actually live in these little huts.
It’s a round white building with a thatched roof. It is like hay off the roof.
The guy was so wonderful. He had nuts roasting on the fire. He had wine straight off the roof of his house. It was very authentic. You felt like you were going to someone’s home you’ve known for years.
And he spoke not a lick of English, which was even the best part about the whole thing.
Bari’s Famous Pasta Street
The coolest part about Bari that people don’t know is the little nonna street, the pasta street.
It’s where all these little nonnas are sitting outside on their makeshift tables, pressing orecchiette and making pasta.
It was unreal.
I was like, “What is happening in this place? This is old school.”
And you don’t see that in Rome. You don’t see that in Venice.
It’s Bari, Italy.
It’s those off-the-beaten-path destinations.
Dubrovnik, Croatia and Shoulder Season
Dubrovnik was amazing.
We went during shoulder season, which I have taught the audience about before, and we were almost at the end of shoulder season. The weather was still absolutely perfect.
We had a drink at a very popular bar off the cliff, over the water, and watched the sunset.
It was dreamy. It was heavenly.
Making Gin in Dubrovnik
We also made our own gin in Dubrovnik, which was so cool.
We went to this distillery, but it wasn’t really a distillery. It was more of a learning center of gin and distillation.
Habitat was the local gin there.
They taught us about the ingredients, and then we were sitting there in front of our own little distillery. We had to put certain ingredients in, and then we could play with the flavors like coffee, lemon, lime, fruits, and that kind of thing.
Then we tried all of them later and found out that each one tasted completely different based on what we put in it.
It was one of the coolest things.
And that’s actually an excursion with Celestyal.
Immersive Celestyal Shore Excursions
That’s the kind of stuff Celestyal does.
They pride themselves on excursions.
It’s where they take you, but it’s also what they do with you when you get there.
You can go to Santorini and Mykonos, and while other cruise lines are leaving at 4:30 or 5:00, Celestyal stays until 10:00 or 11:00 so you can actually enjoy the destinations.
That’s the way you should explore those islands.
Cooking Greek Food in Corfu
One of my only requests during this trip was that I really wanted to cook Greek food with a nonna.
I didn’t really know what they call their grandmothers there, but they made it happen.
It was so great that we pretty much became family with this family that owned the restaurant.
The daughter owned the restaurant. The mother helped.
They even invited us back for Greek Orthodox Easter so we could throw plates off the balcony.
I don’t even know what that means, but it’s going to be amazing and I can’t wait to experience it.
The woman who was our guide was one of the top guides there in Corfu. She lives there, too, and she was phenomenal.
One of the best guides I had.
New Celestyal Cruises Western Mediterranean Itineraries
Starting this winter, Celestyal is expanding its Mediterranean dominance.
They will be sailing the Western Mediterranean with one ship, Celestyal Discovery, based out of Barcelona and Lisbon.
They’ll be doing Barcelona to Lisbon for seven nights and back, stopping at places like Malaga, Casablanca, and Tangier.
People love Tangier, so I’m excited to have another option.
They also have some great repositioning cruises from Athens over to Barcelona at the beginning of the season.
That itinerary stops in Kusadasi, Monaco, Rome, Messina in Sicily, and Napoli.
It’s an eight-night itinerary.
Orlando to Lisbon Flights
From Orlando, starting in October, TAP Portugal will have three-times-a-week nonstop service from Orlando International Airport into Lisbon.
That means you’ll be able to go nonstop from Orlando over there and hop on the Western Med.
I love when you can connect cruises like that.
And I’ve always said, if cruising is not your thing, it’s still a really good way to check out the cities and see that much while you’re over there.
You don’t have to go on a train. You don’t have to move your luggage. You don’t have to schlep luggage on cobblestone streets.
What’s Included With Celestyal Cruises?
When you sail with Celestyal, they include Wi-Fi.
All of your gratuities are taken care of.
Dining is included as well.
When you come on board the ship, it feels like family. A lot of the crew have been with Celestyal for 20 plus years, and they get to know you by name.
There are only about 1,200 people on the ship at max capacity, so it’s a really chilled environment.
There’s something to do for everyone.
I love that everything is included because it makes it so much easier for everyone to understand and not have to worry about nickel and diming.
That’s a huge thing right now in cruising that I can’t stand.
Celestyal Cruise Cabins and Suites
Celestyal has some really great cabin options.
I was in the Dream Suite, which was phenomenal. There was lots of space.
They also have insiders, outsides, junior suites, Dream Suites, and a couple Stargazer Suites, which are the largest.
There are a lot of choices, amazing entertainment every single night, and so many great things to consider.
Final Thoughts on Celestyal Cruises
When you think of the Mediterranean, think of Celestyal.
There’s no one more authentically Mediterranean.
We are happy to answer all your questions and get you booked because we love Celestyal, and we want to help get you over there to enjoy it as much as we did.
Until next week, travel smarter, vacation harder.
