Celestyal Journey

Celestyal is reaching out to the higher-end market by loading Journey with more balconies and suites than the line’s previous ships. In total there are 630 staterooms, 149 of which have balconies.

The 120 Junior Suites and 28 Grand Suites aboard Journey have exclusive access to a beach club on the top deck, as well as the Compass Lounge, set aside for suite guests. Suite guests also have private access to the breakfast and lunch buffets at Pink Moon or Smoked Olive, allowing them to skip long lines at the main buffet restaurant. Suites all have a refrigerated minibar and additional seating area. Grand Suites also have dedicated concierge service, which includes a priority check-in counter, quicker embarkation and express luggage delivery, as well as assistance unpacking. Celestyal is also debuting the line’s first-ever penthouse suite aboard Journey.

Every stateroom has a flat screen TV, hair dryer, and safe. Some staterooms feature bathrooms with bathtubs, others have only showers, but all include soap, shampoo, and lotion. The most budget-friendly option is the exterior stateroom with an obstructed view on deck 6, which sleeps two in lower beds. Other exterior staterooms can sleep four. Size and layout can vary, with some having a guest sleeping in an upper bunk bed and a lower single bed, others offering a double sofa bed.

The Junior Suite Balcony staterooms sleep three in two lower beds and a single sofa bed. Grand Suite Balconies sleep four in two lower beds and one double sofa bed. Several Junior Balcony cabins connect to Junior Balconies, a great option for extended family or larger groups traveling together.

Options for solo travelers are more limited, as there are no single cabins. Solo travelers need to stay in a double cabin and pay a single supplement.

Celestyal does offer staterooms designed for those with accessibility needs, featuring roll-in showers, lowered towel bars and closet bars, and accessible vanities. 

Overall, Celestyal Journey offers accessibility to all public areas and decks.

There are elevators located at the forward and the aft part of the vessel, which enable physically challenged people to move around the ship easily.

There are public wheelchair-accessible restrooms and 6 wheelchair-accessible cabins.

Celestyal’s itineraries include tendering ports in such islands as Mykonos, Milos, Santorini etc, where disembarkation is carried out by tender boats.

Disembarking and re-embarking by tender boats is not possible for people who are wheelchair bound. Depending on the mobility degree of a guest, he/she may or may not be able to use the tender boats.

The buffet restaurant, Thalassa, can get crowded, especially at lunch. There’s a salad bar which includes one type of soup and a selection of bread. Hot dishes include hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled chicken, grilled fish, and a beef dish. The buffet restaurant also includes a dessert table. For breakfast, the buffet restaurant offers Greek yogurt and assorted dried fruits, alongside egg choices. There’s also the standard European selections of fresh breads, cold cuts, and cheese. Suite guests avoid the lunchtime crowds with their exclusive access to either Pink Moon or Smoked Olive (both on deck 8), specialty dinner restaurants which are used as buffet restaurants for suite guests during breakfast and lunch.

The complimentary pool deck dining area also serves a limited menu for breakfast and lunch. There’s a daily omelette station for breakfast and a rotating selection at lunch—pasta bar one day, hamburgers and hot dogs another; other days it might be crepes or paninis.

Casual fare like burgers and pizza are offered throughout the day at the poolside Greek Deli on deck 11, but unlike most cruise lines, it’s at an extra cost. A burger costs ten Euros, pizza is twelve Euros. Also offered poolside are Instagram-worthy ice-cream concoctions, which are included with the Premium Plus drink package, but otherwise cost extra. There’s no 24-hour pizza joint to visit. Instead, servers walk around the bar areas at night with platters of complimentary snacks, items like chicken wings, mini hot dogs, and fried fare. During the day, servers walk around offering trays of  pastries and muffins.

Journey has eight bars, including the Grapevine Wine Cellar and Fizz Club, which offers champagne, craft cocktails and exquisite views. Passengers who enjoy live music will appreciate the piano bar, Blue Bar and Lounge.

The house beer and wine, both Greek, are complimentary for every passenger. Soda is also complimentary, something many cruise lines are now charging for. Fruit juice, tea and coffee is also complimentary.

The premium drink package costs 30 euros per day and includes wines that cost up to six euros as well as cocktails costing up to seven euros. It also includes sparkling water at meals and premium coffees and teas, for passengers who appreciate a latte or cappuccino.

The premium plus drinks package costs 47 euros per day and includes all alcohol, as well as fresh blended juices and lavish ice cream concoctions. It also includes access to a juice bar where they blend smoothies and vegetable juices.

A great option for those who don’t drink alcohol or don’t wish to over-indulge, is the alcohol-free drink package, costing 27 euros per day. This package includes the indulgent ice cream shakes, access to the juice bar, as well as unlimited mocktails, sparkling water, and premium coffee and tea. It’s the premium plus drink package without the alcohol.

Entertainment on board is more limited than you’d find on a larger ship. There’s one big show in the main theatre every evening, with two seating times. The 400-seat theatre has a lounge feeling, with comfortable chairs set up around cocktail tables for easy access to your drink. The musical productions are cabaret-style shows with singers, dancers and aerial acrobatics. One evening’s performance will likely honor Greek mythology, while others may include an homage to the Swedish band Abba or a medley of popular show tunes.

The ship’s Greek band plays traditional Greek songs throughout the late afternoon and into the evening. Ship staff perform modern popular tunes and lead a nightly dance party, while also assisting with nightly karaoke.

Because so much time is spent in port, there are fewer activities onboard than most cruise lines. Activities start in the late afternoon and include things like arts and crafts, dance lessons, mythology trivia or Greek cooking demonstrations, where you might get a recipe for a classic Tzatziki sauce.

There’s a casino with a few slot machines and game tables and two pools, one with a retractable roof, allowing for swimming in any weather. There are also two hot tubs.

Though most passengers on Celestyal cruises get their exercise walking and sightseeing in port each day, Journey does have a free fitness center for those who want to work out on equipment. In addition, there’s a basketball and a tennis court. There are no fitness classes though.

Adjacent to the fitness center is the luxurious Sozo Spa, offering a large menu of massages, facials, and other treatments. Services include massages that start at 60 euros for 30 minutes and a variety of facials that start at 84 euros. Service in the spa, as elsewhere on the ship, is friendly and professional. There is also a sauna and steam room adjacent to the fitness center for all the ship’s guests to enjoy.

In addition to the spa, there’s a beautiful salon with floor to ceiling windows. Services include manicures for 33 euros, pedicures for 44 euros, shampoo and blow-drys for 26 euros, and a variety of other services.