I have cruised all around on the world on close to 20 different cruise lines. I’ve heard a lot about Celestyal Cruises but have never cruised on them. My dentist loves their smaller ships and port intensive itineraries, and he always tells me about them.
When Celestyal Cruises invited me to cruise on their new popular itinerary Desert Days, I was excited to say yes and finally check them out.
I am currently on board Celestyal Journey for a seven-night cruise in the Persian Gulf. I am sailing with a group of international journalists, and after spending a few days on board, here are my first impressions of Celestyal Cruises.
Cruise Ship
This is the “newest” ship in the cruise line’s fleet. I actually prefer smaller ships like this on port intensive itineraries. The vessel is 55,000 gross tons in size so it’s easy to move from one place on the ship to another.
Celestyal Journey had previously been in service with Holland America Line and P&O Cruises, so it has some miles under its belt. The public spaces on the ship are modern and in good shape, yet it offers a nostalgic feel from a ship built over 30 years ago.
The ship recently completed a dry dock, so most of the furniture and carpet is all brand new.
One of the things that has impressed me is the number of public spaces and lounges for a ship this size. This creates lots of opportunities for different types of live music at night and there’s no issue trying to find a place to sit and relax.
Even though there are 1,202 passengers on board (96% capacity), the ship does not feel crowded at all. I was shocked when I saw the total number of passengers on board because it feels like the ship is sailing at 50% capacity. And it’s not just me. Other people I am traveling with said the same thing.
If you’ve been following Cruise Fever for any amount of time, you know that I love it when the ship’s main pool has a retractable roof on it. It helps create so much more useable space at night or when the weather isn’t cooperating.
This is not the only pool, there is also one in the aft.
This cruise isn’t about the ship, it’s about the destinations that you will visit.
Itinerary
This is a seven-day roundtrip cruise from Doha, Qatar that visits a port every day of the trip. We will visit Bahrain, Dubai (overnight), Sir Bani Yas, Oman, and Abu Dhabi on this port intensive itinerary.
This is my first time cruising in the Middle East and I’m loving the itinerary. Celestyal Cruises recently extended their season here due to popular demand and I now understand why.
I’ve felt completely safe in every place we’ve visited so far. All of the port stops are in extremely modern cities that are loaded with cultural experiences and history, with an exception for the island, Sir Bani Yas.
Cruise fares start at a little over a $100 per person, per day. This includes drinks during meals. You can choose between a three-, four-, or seven-night option as several of the ports are embarkation/disembarkation cities.
Crew
The crew has been fantastic during the first few days of my cruise. It’s one of the friendliest group of crew members I’ve ever sailed with. I can’t say enough good things about them.
One of the bartenders started doing some card tricks with us one night, I’ve never had that happen on a cruise before. He told us that on one night of the cruise, they do a magic show in the bar for guests. I can’t wait to check that out!
Other First Thoughts
There is a small casino on board, 24 slot machines and three table games. Even though there are only 24 slots, you can choose anywhere from 10-25 different games on each one.
All of the inside spaces on the ship are no smoking, thank you Celestyal Cruises!
Since Celestyal has yet to roll out their app (It’s in progress I’m told), they still deliver paper daily programs to your cabin. I forgot how much easier it is to have a paper than endless scrolling in an app.
The busiest part of the ship has been the buffet. With a port intensive itinerary, more guests tend to prefer casual meals.
There are several specialty restaurants on board that I can’t wait to check out. One morning we had breakfast in the main dining room. It’s all buffet options but I thought it was really good.
I was able to check out a couple of the shows in the main theater. So far, they have been the standard song and dance shows. But that makes sense since there’s guests from so many different countries on here. However, English is the main language spoken board.
I’ve found a couple “Easter Eggs” on board from the ship’s time with Holland America Line. I’m glad they left a few things on the ship as a nod to the ship’s storied heritage.
I want to give a special shoutout to Qatar Airways for flying me to Doha in one of their signature Qsuites. I will have more on that and a lot more on this cruise and cruise line when I get home from the trip.
If you’d like, you can follow along on my cruise on Cruise Fever’s social media channels on X, Instagram and Facebook (@CruiseFever for all).
