The Celestyal Journey is a cruise ship owned by the Greek company Celestyal Cruises, which purchased it to replace the oldest ship in its fleet, the Celestyal Crystal. Originally built by the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy in 1993, she began her journey as Ryndam with Holland America Line as one of the Statendam or S-class ships. Since 2015, she has been operated under the name Pacific Aria by P&O Cruises Australia, and in 2019 the sale of the ship to Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) was announced, which renamed her Ida Pfeiffer. However, this company went bankrupt during the pandemic.

Specifications:

After a renovation and technical upgrade at the shipyard in Piraeus, Greece, the vessel will enter the next phase of her career as the Celestyal Journey. It will begin replacing the Celestyal Crystal routes from September 2, 2023, and will join the already existing Celestyal Olympia. Celestyal Journey will operate cruises around the islands of Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean.

 

The Celestyal Journey is a traditional cruise ship and will be the youngest and most modern ship in the fleet when it enters service. Compared to the older Celestyal Crystal and Celestyal Olympia, launched in 1980 and 1981 respectively, the Celestyal Journey will have more cabins with balconies.

 

The Celestyal Journey has nine passenger decks, and five of them have cabins ranging in size from 17 square meters to the largest of them, the 87 square meter Stargazer Suite.

 

Celestyal Journey offers restaurants and bars with a focus on authentic Greek and Mediterranean cuisine.

 

The Celestyal Journey has two swimming pools, including one with a tear-off roof that allows passengers to swim in any weather. The ship also has an outdoor sports ground, jogging track, spa and fitness center on a separate deck.

 

The first Celestyal Journey will start on September 2, 2023 from Piraeus, Greece towards Thessaloniki, Kusadasi, Heraklion (Crete), Santorini, Mykonos and Milo.