Celestyal Cruises Will Restart Sailing in May

Greek Isles and East Mediterranean cruise line Celestyal Cruises will resume operations on May 29, it announced on Wednesday morning.

The line will resume operations with a seven-night Idyllic Aegean itinerary that includes stops at Kusadasi, Rhodes, Santorini, Lavrion, Mykonos, Milos, and Crete onboard Celestyal Crystal. Going forward, Celestyal could add more ships, but right now it is concentrating on Crystal, which will offer some short three- and four-night sailings from Lavrion and Piraeus throughout the spring.

Celestyal is restarting with a set of onboard health and safety protocols that include a negative PCR test requirement (waived if proof of vaccination is provided), thermal screening at embarkation and onboard, contract tracing technology onboard, face mask requirements in public spaces, and health checks throughout the duration of the cruise for guests and crew members.

 “We are extremely encouraged by the increased global distribution and effectiveness of the vaccine and by the positive response we are receiving from our partners and guests around the world,” said Celestyal Cruises CEO, Chris Theophilides. 

“We will continue to monitor the positive progress of the healthy reopening of both Greece and cruising while continuing to liaise with the European and Greek health authorities to ensure that we continue to provide a safe and responsible operation for our guests, crew, and the communities we serve.  Everyone at Celestyal is extremely excited to return to sailing very soon and to extend our award-winning, warm, and welcoming Greek hospitality.”

The news is another step forward for the international cruise industry. Celestyal’s restart comes just as the U.K. announced that domestic cruising in that region can restart in May.