GREECE IS THE WORD FOR CELESTYAL SAILING
For 18 years, I’ve been trying to make it to Santorini, Greece. A storm on a four-day cruise in March 2000 scrapped my chance at landing on the island, and I’ve made two failed attempts since then to go back.
On a windswept Thursday earlier this month, I realized that dream aboard the 1,664-passenger Celestyal Olympia as part of Celestyal Cruises (celestyalcruises.com) four-day Iconic Aegean cruise.
Sailing from the port of Piraeus, near Athens, this is the ultimate classic Greek Islands journey. It departs just before noon on Mondays and immediately sets sail for an evening in Mykonos.
The following day, it visits Kusadasi, Turkey, gateway to the ancient city of Ephesus, before spending the evening anchored off the charming little island of Patmos. A full day is spent on Wednesdays in Rhodes, Greece, while Thursdays see calls on Heraklion, Crete and Santorini before returning back to Piraeus on Friday morning.
What’s amazing about how Celestyal Cruises does this voyage is just how much value the line — headquartered in Cyprus and based in Greece — packs into these short runs. Inclusive beverages and gratuities, plus a selection of complimentary tours, are available to those who book online with the company. Voyages are value-priced, making hopping aboard these quick cruises a real pleasure. You’d hardly know that Celestyal Olympia is more than 30 years old. Built in 1982 as Royal Caribbean’s Song of America, Celestyal has taken exceptional care of this cosy and comfortable vessel since they acquired her in 2004. She doesn’t have all the latest bells and whistles, but she’s charming and comfortable in a way that modern megaships just aren’t.
On this port-intensive cruise, I was impressed at how much effort Celestyal Olympia’s excellent crew put into making afternoon runs between islands memorable. Live music was available throughout the ship during the day, and with inclusive beverages (for those who book direct with the line), it became easy to sit in the comfortable Argo Bar sipping Greek beers while the Aegean Sea thundered past the windows. By night, deck parties, pro- duction shows, live music and multiple dining venues stole the show once guests had returned from their adventures ashore. Most staterooms are interior cabins or oceanview rooms, though a few suites are available. Yes, standard staterooms are small, but you’re really just there to sleep.
A recent refit has left interior furnishings looking great, and there’s a very decent amount of storage space available. This isn’t the kind of cruise you fly all the way to Greece for, but it does serve as an excellent extension to a longer overland trip through Europe. And you will want to stay longer in Athens, particularly to tour the Acropolis, with its amazing Parthenon; or to visit the incredible Acropolis Museum that opened a few years back in the heart of the city’s Plaka district.
I’d recommend a few nights at the Athenaeum InterContinental. It’s a quick 15-minute drive in from the port in Piraeus and offers a free shuttle that runs to and from Syntagma Square, in the heart of Athens. It’s worth a night or two here just to admire the property’s amazing collection of Greek artwork or to take in dinner on the rooftop restaurant within sight of the Acropolis. Falling asleep on one of the comfortable beds in its Executive Rooms is the perfect accompaniment to a satisfying cruise. Unlike other lines that are only in Greece seasonally, this is Celestyal’s homeland. The company takes great pride in offering value-packed voyages through the Eastern Mediterranean aboard its diverse fleet of three.
With cruises that range from three to seven days exploring the far reaches of Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel and Cyprus — and ships packed with international travellers from around the world, Celestyal offers one of the most unique and uncommon (not to mention affordable) Eastern Mediterranean experiences out there. I was charmed by my four days aboard Celestyal Olympia; four days in which I saw and did more than most cruise lines pack into a single week.
If you’re put off by the big new ships doing the same old runs, Celestyal Cruises and its fleet of three offers a welcome change. Happy cruising.
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