
Celestyal refines ‘Iconic Arabia' sailings for 2025 following a successful first Arabian Gulf season
Based on feedback from the hugely popular first season, guests and their valued travel agent community and regional partners, the itineraries will now feature additional stops in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, with the introduction of Ras Al Khaimah as a new port of call.
The new itineraries have been renamed and are as follows:
Iconic Arabia, featuring Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sir Bani Yas Island: three-night long weekend sailings departing on a Friday, roundtrip from Abu Dhabi, visiting the dazzling sights of Dubai and then onto the exclusive Sir Bani Yas Island for a combination of beach and wildlife safari experiences. Prices start from €309/$359/£279/AU$509pp.
Iconic Arabia, featuring Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Oman- four-night mid-week sailings: departing on a Monday, roundtrip from Abu Dhabi, calling at the iconic cities of Doha and Dubai (via Ras Al Khaimah) mixed with the more relaxed coastal port of Khasab in Oman. Prices start from €389/$459/ £349/AU$629pp.
The prices above are part of the current 'Live Your Vacation Dream' promotion available on new bookings made until March 16, 2025, and include up to €100 of complimentary specialty drinks and dining per person pre-loaded on each guest's CelestyalPay tab*.
Lee Haslett, chief commercial officer at Celestyal, said: 'We strive to deliver unmissable experiences, and in doing so constantly listen to our guests, and travel agent community. Following a hugely successful first season in the Arabian Gulf we learnt more about what our guests and partners would like to see and are excited to announce these changes based on their feedback. Since launching our winter season Arabian Gulf itineraries, we've been thrilled by the positive response and the growing interest from both repeat and new-to-cruise customers in exploring this spectacular region.
'Our guests have told us they love iconic destinations like Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, as well as discovering more off-the-beaten-track ports that are synonymous with a Celestyal voyage, such as Sir Bani Yas Island and the coastal resort of Khasab. We're known for our destination immersive and port intensive cruises, so we have refined our 2025 itineraries to offer more time in our guests favourite ports, while adding an additional port in the stunning Ras Al Khaimah.'
The 1360-guest Celestyal Discovery will commence her inaugural Arabian Gulf season in the region on December 12, 2025, joining her fleet mate, the 1260-guest Celestyal Journey, who returns to the Arabian Gulf on December 6, 2025. Celestyal Journey will operate the popular 'Desert Days' itinerary as planned, starting the season with an Abu Dhabi Grand Prix celebratory cruise. The cruise line will then offer a combination of 7-night, 3- and 4-night Gulf itineraries from December through to March on both ships, for the next three consecutive seasons.
For more information, visit celestyal.com
-Ends-
* Introduced last year, CelestyalPay is a prepaid specialty food and beverage tab used onboard for any non-complimentary food and drink purchases. Guests can either add the charges to their account as they go or will be invited to preload their CelestyalPay prior to, or on the first day of sailing to receive top-up bonus credit from the cruise line.
About Celestyal
Celestyal, an award-winning and year-round cruise company, continues to set the standard for unmissable travel experiences in the Greek Islands, the Adriatic, and the Arabian Gulf. Built on a foundation of unique Greek heritage, the company excels in delivering exceptional hospitality, ensuring genuine cultural immersion both onboard and onshore. Operating two brand new vessels, accommodating up to 1360 passengers each, Celestyal prioritizes highly personalised services, establishing a high-end environment that welcomes over 140,000 passengers annually from more than 130 different nationalities.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Zawya
3 hours ago
- Zawya
Saudi: Over 43mln e-transactions carried out via Absher in July
RIYADH — The Ministry of Interior's electronic platform "Absher" carried out 43,439,206 electronic transactions for beneficiaries during the last month of July. The number of transactions undertaken through the Absher Individuals platform reached 40,650,713, including 33,387,591 document reviews through the digital wallet available to citizens, residents, and visitors. The number of transactions completed through the Absher Business platform reached 2,788,493. The number of transactions related to the General Directorate of Public Security services reached 3,679,429, including 3,586,290 transactions at the General Department of Traffic, 2,769,794 transactions at the General Directorate of Passports, and 664,096 transactions at the Ministry of Interior's Civil Status Agency. Through the public services on the Absher Individuals platform, 146,212 reports were issued in the Absher Reports service, 3,591 requests for document delivery by mail, and 2,287 general inquiries about fingerprints were made. It is noteworthy that the number of unified digital identities issued by the Ministry of Interior through the Absher platform has exceeded 28 million. These identities can easily and reliably benefit from the services of the Ministry of Interior's sectors through its electronic platforms (Absher Individuals, Absher Business, and Absher Government), and access more than 500 government and private entities through the National Unified Access Portal Nafath. © Copyright 2022 The Saudi Gazette. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (


Zawya
21 hours ago
- Zawya
Saudi EXIM: Bolstering non-oil exports from Saudi Arabia
Saudi Export-Import Bank (Saudi EXIM) was established in February 2020. Its core mission is to promote non-oil exports from Saudi Arabia and enhance their presence and competitiveness in regional and global markets by bridging financing gaps and mitigating export risks and by building international trade partnerships. Saudi EXIM is a government agency operating under the supervision of the National Development Fund (NDF), led by the Bank's CEO, H.E. Eng. Saad bin Abdulaziz Alkhalb. Saudi EXIM offers trade finance and credit insurance for national exporters to grow their business overseas, and also provides short and medium-term financing options for Saudi exporters and international buyers of Saudi products and services. Saudi EXIM operates in line with global best practices and collaborates with commercial banks and local and international financial institutions to provide integrated financial services for export financing and insurance - facilitating trade between exporters and importers. As a member of leading international trade and economic organizations, including Aman Union, G-NEXID, and the Berne Union, the Bank strengthens its position in the global business community, credibility, and fosters confidence in Saudi exports through enhanced risk management and international collaboration. The work of the bank is closely tied to the economic diversification goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 transformation program which include increasing the total export value of the non-oil sector from 16% to 50% of GDP by 2030. Since its establishment, Saudi EXIM has been a key driver of sustainable economic growth and local content development. Over the past five years, it has extended more than USD 22 billion in credit facilities. The Bank has also secured an A+ long-term issuer credit rating for both foreign and local currencies from Fitch Ratings, with a stable outlook. In 2024, the Bank achieved a significant breakthrough in the scale and impact of its credit operations. The total value of credit facilities reached USD 8.93 billion, marking a 103% increase compared to 2023. This reflects the Bank's growing role as a key driver in enabling Saudi Arabia's non-oil exports. These facilities included USD 3.19 billion in direct export financing and USD 5.75 billion through export credit insurance programs, raising the Bank's contribution to total non-oil export credit facilities to 7.66%. This serves as a clear indicator of Saudi EXIM's expanding economic footprint in supporting global market access for Saudi products and services. To date, the Bank has signed over 70 MoUs, along with a wide range of financing and insurance agreements, as well as partnerships with international and local banks, financial and commercial institutions, global trading houses, export credit agencies (ECAs), and several relevant multilateral organizations. Milestones include partnerships with major global trading houses such as Trafigura and Glencore, a strategic reinsurance agreement with Allianz Trade to cover supply chains in over 50 countries, and a landmark letter of credit insurance agreement with SABIC — the largest of its kind in the Middle East and a regional first. The Bank launched the Bridges Initiative (Jusoor) to empower Saudi manufacturers by streamlining the import of raw materials and equipment more efficiently. This is achieved through tailored financing and insurance solutions. Covering imports from over 70 countries to support strategic industries such as mining, automotive, aviation, and renewable energy, in full alignment with the objectives of the National Industrial Strategy. The Bank remains committed to deepening collaboration through strategic partnerships and international memberships, aiming to address exporter challenges through innovative solutions while building strong commercial ties that promote mutual interests and support national development objectives.


Zawya
a day ago
- Zawya
Saudi Arabia's SWPC expected to award Arana ISTP project in Q4 2025
Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC), the main off-taker for water and wastewater projects in the Kingdom. Is expected to award the Arana Independent Sewage Treatment Plant (ISTP) project in Makkah in the fourth quarter of 2025, a source aware of the details said. The project involves the development of a sewage treatment plant under the public-private partnership (PPP) model with an initial capacity of 250,000 cubic metres per day (m3/day), expandable to 500,000 m3/day. The Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued on 5 January 2025 with a bid submission deadline of 5 May 2025, which was postponed to 4 July 2025, the source told Zawya Projects. 'The contract award is likely to be announced in November 2025,' the source said, adding that the project is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2028. The project will be implemented on BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer) basis through a 25-year Sewage Treatment Agreement (STA). (Reporting by Deva Palanisamy; Editing by Anoop Menon) (