The one to sell: Celestyal Desert Days
Jane Archer breaks down a handpicked itinerary that will hopefully entice you and your clients to get booking…
The itinerary
A stack of firsts is on the way from Celestyal as it spreads its wings beyond its Greek homeland and goes year-round with new seven-night Desert Days winter sun cruises around the Persian Gulf. The cruises, round-trip from the Qatari capital of Doha, are on Celestyal Journey, and will call into Bahrain, Dubai, Oman, Sir Bani Yas Island and Abu Dhabi – all new countries for Celestyal.
The cruises run from November 9 to January 18, 2025 (Journey has a dry-dock scheduled in February but will operate the cruises across the entire winter season in 2025-26), with prices from £469pp including selected drinks with meals, tips and a £65 excursion credit. Flights are extra.
The 1,260 passenger Celestyal Journey. Image: Celestyal
The ship
If Celestyal Journey looks familiar, it’s because it used to be Holland America Line’s Ryndam. Celestyal snapped it up in 2023 and relaunched it in its new colours in September that year.
The vessel holds 1,260 passengers in a mix of inside and outside cabins, as well as 148 Junior and Grand suites, all with balconies and private access to the Beach Club open air deck.
Seven dining options range from the Leda buffet and Thalassa main restaurant to Asian dishes (extra cost) in Pink Moon. Grill Seekers (also extra cost) is a turf and surf speciality restaurant. There are as many bars as places to eat, a two-deck theatre, two pools and an entire deck dedicated to the spa and gym.
Thalassa main dining restaurant. Image: Celestyal
Galazio pool deck. Image: Celestyal
Destination highlights
With their gleaming skyscrapers, vast deserts and love of superlatives, the countries on this Gulf itinerary could not be more different to Greece.
Cruisers will get their first taste of high-rise heaven in Doha, where they’ll likely stay a night or two before setting sail. Here, they will have time to visit the fine national museum of Qatar and Souk Waqif, and go dune-bashing in a 4×4 in the desert.
In Bahrain next day, the ship docks at Khalifa Bin Salman port, about 25 minutes from downtown Manama, the capital. The vast Al Fateh Grand Mosque on the highway between the port and the city is a highlight and the souk has a more authentic ring than that in Qatar.
No one loves superlatives more than Dubai, the next port, where Celestyal has scheduled an overnight stay so passengers can try to tick off as many as possible. There’s the world’s tallest building (Burj Al Khalifa), fastest lift (inside Burj Al Khalifa) and largest shopping mall (Dubai Mall). They can go skiing, visit water and theme parks and take a lift to the top of a 150ft ‘frame’ for views of the city’s skyline.
Khasab in Oman has its own thrills – namely a zip-line that takes those with a head for heights over the region’s fjords and mountains. Not for you or your clients? Put tours to ancient forts or dolphin-watching trips on the to-do list.
It’s all quite a contrast to Sir Bani Yas Island where passengers get a break from big cities and instead have beaches, a wildlife reserve, snorkelling, kayaking, horse riding and more to enjoy.
The escape only lasts a day as Abu Dhabi, visited on the penultimate day before disembarkation back in Doha, is another high-rise heaven. For a cultural fix, check out the spectacular Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Louvre Abu Dhabi or Heritage Village. For fun, there’s Ferrari World theme park and Warner Bros World.
Oman Khasab. Image: Celestyal
Bahrain. Image: Celestyal
Ideal customer
With its mix of culture and fast and furious attractions, this is a great one for couples and families with teens (if the dates can be made to work with school holidays) looking for a winter sun and fun alternative to the usual one-week Canary Islands hotel or cruise, and that won’t break the bank.
The cruise line says
Celestyal chief commercial officer Lee Haslett said: “Our Desert Days cruise pairs our signature experiences with marquee destinations such as Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, alongside unique gems including Sir Bani Yas island and Oman. Guests can enjoy a destination-rich itinerary, guaranteed winter sun, fantastic UK airlift, plus huge wave discounts; our agent partners will enjoy a £100 incentive for each booking until the end of February.”