Celestyal Cruises announced the start of the 2022 cruise season on April 18, aboard the Celestyal Crystal. The ship will set sail from the port of Lavrion on a 4 Night Iconic Aegean cruise to Mykonos, Kusadasi, Patmos, Rhodes, Iraklion, and Santorini The cruise line specializes in the Mediterranean region offering travelers an opportunity to immerse in the authentic spirit of Greece, with shorter trips. The second ship, Celestyal Olympia will start cruising on April 29, with a combined 3 and 4 Night voyages.

Speaking in Athens during a press briefing on Thursday, Celestyal Cruises Chief Commercial Officer Leslie Peden highlighted that the company this year will once again be including the ports of Thessaloniki and Lavrio as homeports, in addition to the port of Piraeus.

“We brought the islands closer to Thessaloniki,” Peden said, underlining that homeporting from the northern Greek city proved to be a wise move for Celestyal due to very good and affordable air connections from northern and Western Europe.

He also specified that Celestyal see a developing opportunity within the market from the Balkan countries with numerous road travelers driving down from the Balkans and setting out on a voyage from Thessaloniki.

Regarding the port of Lavrio, a historic Greek town located within 10–minute drive from the Temple of Poseidon in Sounion, ship operators Cap. George Koumpenas, stated that the strategic planning for this port station ‘’will ensure an improved and faster boarding and disembarking experience ". 

According to Mr. Koubenas, the bookings so far are very positive for the whole industry as this year there are clearly fewer restrictions due to Covid, while it is estimated that the climate will improve even more and 2022 will be a very good year. According to company data to date, passenger bookings will reach 64% in 2019 by 2022 and that traditional markets from the US, UK, Germany and France will account for 50% of bookings. Of course, there are also last-minute bookings, so these rates may change. 

It should be noted that last year Celestyal Cruises with its two ships before the arrival of Omicron, transported 14,330 passengers which translates to 71,000 visits to Greek ports and 12,000 passengers who boarded and disembarked (Home Port) in the Greek ports of Piraeus, Lavrio and Thessaloniki.

Operating only two and a half months in 2021, Celestyal Cruises’ total contribution to the Greek economy reached 26 million euros, which includes the company’s annual direct operating expenses.