What to Expect from Celestyal’s Middle East Desert Day Cruises

With sun all year round and regular flights to the region, the Middle East has great potential as a winter alternative to the Mediterranean. So far only a handful of cruise lines have capitalized on the variety of activities, stunning weather, and easy accessibility of these Middle Eastern ports. Celestyal is one such line, which launched its inaugural Arabian Gulf season late last year.  

For its first season, Celestyal offered a seven-day Desert Days itinerary. In late 2025 and into 2026, the line will offer two itineraries, Desert Days and a shorter Iconic Arabia option.

For our sailing, we tested out the seven-day Desert Days onboard Celestyal Journey, which departs from either Doha, Qatar, or Dubai, and includes visits to Bahrain, Dubai (overnight), Khasab, Oman, Sir Bani Yas Island, and Abu Dhabi, UAE. Amid high demand for its debut Arabian Gulf season, Celestyal ended up adding additional sailings, increasing availability for the season by 10%. 

While Celestyal is best known for its Greece and Turkey itineraries, it was interesting to experience how the line handled its inaugural season in the Middle East. Ultimately, Celestyal makes it easy for travelers to explore parts of the world that might seem intimidating. The itinerary keeps guests entertained, offering stops every single day, and providing access to a variety of countries and destinations during the sailing.

A former Holland America Line ship, the 1,260-guest Celestyal Journey joined the Greece-based cruise line after a $20 million upgrade in 2023. Some onboard spaces also recently underwent a refurbishment. Though the ship is more than 30 years old, being on board you’d have no idea of its true age. 

Multi-National Passenger Mix

On our sailing, most of the passengers were Eastern European but there were quite a few Chinese and Japanese guests as well. It was obvious to us that the Middle East has become a popular holiday hotspot for Eastern Europeans. There were hardly any North Americans onboard, and a small percentage of the cruisers were from other parts of Europe (there was also a small percentage of locals from the Middle East). 

Port Intensive Itineraries

Arguably the biggest selling point for Celestyal is its strong destination focus, and this itinerary definitely fit with our other experiences from the brand. There were no sea days, so we had the ability to see a new destination each day (or spend time in bigger cities like Dubai overnight). It was exciting to wake up each day and have a new place to explore, and we walked away feeling like we’d really experienced the Middle East.

It’s worth keeping in mind that while some ports like Dubai and Abu Dhabi are laxer towards dress codes, countries like Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman are more conservative. Advisors should advise their clients to keep this in mind when packing. If clients overlook this small factor, they’ll be treated to incredibly rich cities filled with lovely people, architecture, and history. 

Paid Excursions Are the Best Way to Explore

Most people opted to join the cruise line’s excursions since there weren’t any shuttle buses or easily accessible public transportation from the ports.

For us, this was one of the few flaws of the entire experience. A provided shuttle into the city would have been a nice touch, instead of having to go the way of prebooked excursions or taking a taxi. Often the ports were far from the city, so it was expensive if you wanted to head into the city on your own.

With that said, for the most part, partaking in the onboard excursions made the most sense and each one we participated in was great. Each one was well-organized and featured local guides who shared a wealth of knowledge. 

We would have liked to see more variety with the offered excursions. For anyone who had been to the destination before and wanted something a bit more cultural (the way the brand offers on its Greece itineraries), there weren’t any options. Something a bit different than the typical run-of-the-mill attractions (like the Burj Khalifa or Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi) wasn’t available.

Far from War

The itinerary stopped in destinations that are far from the Middle Eastern conflict, so we felt no need to worry. However, a cruise to the Middle East is a personal choice advisors’ clients will need to make for themselves.

Personally, we found it to be safe, beautiful, and a great way to explore the region. However, some clients might feel hesitancy based on the region’s cultural differences and rules. As long as cleints go in with an open mind and stay respectful to local customs, they can have a great time and see beautiful countries.

Pricing

The seven-night Desert Day cruise itineraries start at around $750+ for winter 2025 and take passengers to three countries with no sea days. 

Beginning this month, Celestyal unveiled a new Celestyal One fare that includes meals in complimentary restaurants, basic Wi-Fi, all entertainment, port fees, and staff gratuities, plus tea, coffee and water from the buffet throughout the day.

The brand also unveiled Celestyal Pay, a new account system where clients can load money before departure and receive a bonus sum from the cruise line to pay for drinks and specialty coffee and restaurants onboard.