Celestyal Cruises

Athens (Piraeus)

Kusadasi

Crete (Heraklion)

Istanbul

Rhodes

Limassol

Europe - All

Mediterranean

Europe - Eastern Mediterranean

Turkey

Greece

Egypt

Israel

Nile River

Africa

Sweden

Excellent

Very Good

Average

Terrible

Poor

Celestyal Crystal

Celestyal Olympia

Celestyal Journey

Overall great experience

Tortola

Great  Cruise ! Staff were brilliant could not do enough for you  cabins very clean Selection of food superb something to suit everyone Drinks menu was like a book again so much to choose from ! We had a lovely time  the only down side was my husband did not sleep great due to the noise of engines He did not bring this to staff attention if he had l know it would have been sorted out and we would have been moved up few decks ! Despite this we had great time 

Thanks to Milly +Ayla our cabin ladies Waiters Essam Samak Mark Sommelier Rodel whose wine tasting talk first rate ! 

Thalassa Bar Ivan Ary also BK Danny Edley Christian hopefully have all your names right it was a joy to pop in for a cocktail or a coffee and to be looked after so well  We wish you all best for your futures Thanks

Aegean 7 Night Cruise

If you have cruised on larger ships with a variety of decent food options and amenities, this ship is not for you or maybe any Celestyal cruise.  I have been cruising for over 25 years and have had some bumps but this experience was subpar, a 2.5 is more accurate rather than a 3. I made this selection for the ports and as the lovely people at the Celestyal call center explained the staff and food would be very nice. While I knew the Crystal would be worn and minimal, I was surprised and disappointed with the lack of quality and tastelessness in the food. Shame on Celestyal! They could do much better. Some of the food on the buffet was so unappetizing to even look at, I found it hard to find something edible and I am not a picky eater. Even in the main dining room, several items left me wondering how could they serve this food. And if you wanted a glass of water, there was one water dispenser in the buffet area only open during operating hours. I know it is common in Europe to pay for water but on a cruise at the very least, water should be available and not from one spout for an entire ship. There were also some glitches and misinformation about excursions, which made it difficult to plan for activities and other excursions I wanted to partake. The staff overall was pleasant and when dealing with some of the managers, they did listen and try to accommodate for the mishaps.  The outside cabin we had was adequate as well. So staff, service and cabin is why I gave this cruise a 2.5 but I wouldn’t be comfortable selecting this cruise line again. Perhaps Celestyal Journey will be a tad better but they need a serious food overhaul.

Buyer beware!

We chose this cruise solely on the itinerary, because it allowed us to see several Greek island locations without having to make numerous ferry trips. Because of the low cost of the fare, we had little expectations of the ship and did not expect the service or amenities to match what we had experienced on larger cruise lines. We were entirely shocked at what high quality this cruise was!  First, the motivation of the staff to connect with passengers and create positive experiences was something so outstanding, we stood around talking about it with other cruise passengers on the last day. Even our 14 year old daughter became attached to members of the crew, like our steward Sylvest, our favorite waiters Tarek, Abel, and Rafael, the drink servers like Aziza, Yamile, and Fernando, and the hardest working and impressively diverse group of entertainers. The nightly entertainment was a delightful surprise.  The group of singers, dancers, acrobats, and musicians were far beyond what we expected.  Our daughter couldn’t miss the nightly show.  Bravo to the performance team, particularly for their Latin night. So while the boat didn’t have multiple live performance venues or numerous restaurants, they focused on making outstanding experiences in the venues they have.  All of the people we encountered on the ship relayed surprise at the quality of the cruise. This extraordinary team with their outstanding corporate culture transfers to their new ship the Journey in September. With a new ship, these folks could only create a 5-star experience. 

We found the excursions to be very well priced and worth the money. In Kusadasi, after all tours, the tour guides take you to a rug sales pitch. This sales pitch is similar to a high pressure time share presentation. Know that you CAN opt to take a taxi to the port at the conclusion of your tour and find a lot of outstanding shopping and sites in Old Town Kusadasi.  Many passengers were angry about the rug sales. For Ephesus tours (which is highly recommended), there is a taxi stand at the end. 

On Milos, we took the 4x4 geology tour excursion. WOW!  Antonios and Nikos took us on an exciting tour of the unique geology of the island, ending with a surprise unscheduled visit to Nikos home where his aunts and grandmother were baking up Greek treats. This small group tour was a unique, unusual, personal tour, and was our daughters favorite on the whole trip. Don’t hesitate to give this tour a chance to surprise and delight you.

Highly recommend this crew on the new Celestyal Journey

I wanted to cruise Greek islands and this ship seemed to offer less tenders and more of a Greek holiday experience with good offers too with drink package and off shore tours included in price.

We had an inside cabin for a change and with the inside wall full size water/mountain scene it was lovely. The shower was a good size too with plenty of hot water. We did not want fancy Atriums, chandeliers etc this cruise and if this is what you want from a cruise then Celestyal would not be for people wanting glitter/glamour on a cruise but if you want fun, entertainment and lovely people both staff and passengers then this cruise company is perfect!

The entertainment in theatre every night was excellent, the best we have had for many years, equal if not better than larger cruise ships we have been on.

The atmosphere on ship was the best one could every ask for. This was thanks to all the crew/staff team, so friendly and happy which made every day even more enjoyable.

Each meal was varied and tasty whether it be in main dining room or smaller eating areas. Served with a smile and conversation.

I am sorry to hear Crystal will no longer be cruising after end of this September but was really pleased to hear that all the Crystal team staff will be transferring to Journey which we have already booked for New Year cruise. Exciting times ahead and looking forward to another great cruise with Celestyal, a company that in my opinion is right up there with all the big named ship companies we have sailed with over many years.

So recommend!

BRILLIANT! RECOMMEND!

For starters Piraeus was not the port this ship docked on, it was Lavriom. An hour or so away from the Acropolis. I had to pay $150.00 for my husband and myself for a taxi to take us to the Acropolis. It just does not make any sense. The other 16 passengers in our 18 passenger group were not able to go. They just went around the port town which is not the purpose to visiting Athens. All of us very disappointed   Best thing about the ship CELESTYAL PRINCESS, was the housekeeping and food and food area staff. The accommodation were horrible. Heater water issues as well as AC. Very old ship it seems. But the worst is that two islands per day were cramped and giving us few hours to enjoy. To make it worse, if you do not have a tour booked with them, sometimes have to wait an hour to disembark, making the visit much shorter. I do not believe that because we did not purchase a tour package with this ship we should all 18 of us in this group be penalized by taking away time from our paid stay in each island. Only tour we booked was in Mykonos which included a dinner. Also, most of us were not able to visit the Acropolis in Athens because this ship docked at a port one hour away. Totally ruined our experience. I STRONGLY DO NOT RECOMMEND

The housekeeping crew and all around staff were wonderful. But that’s all

Overall we were happy with this cruise.   Our cabin was spacious and very clean.  The food was inconsistent. Breakfasts and lunches were always very good, but the dinner options were either very good or disappointing.  We chose the specialty dining at 60 euros a person for our last night and while it was delicious, it didn't blow us away.  Wifi and cell service was extra and a hassle to set up and log in and many times it didn't work. I had two massages and they were both excellent. Excursions seems chaotic and unorganized at times and many of the excursions we had to take tender boats to the dock, which for some people it was difficult to get around. We expected Santorini's excursion to be at 5 pm to see the sunset as advertised but instead it was at 8 am.  Going back to the ship, the line for the cable cars was very long so we opted to walk down the steep, zig zag  cobblestone street (5000 steps on my pedometer) with the donkeys and we had to dodge the poo. Santorini was beautiful but very crowded and it wasn't even peak season yet.   Mykonos and Milos were absolutely beautiful. Thessoloniki was disappointing, Crete was nice with  a great ancient palace. We had an amazing time with our friends and overall we were happy with this cruise.

My wife and I went on a 7 days cruise of Greek Islands in Celestyal Crystal , starting from Athens.

It was a wonderful and enjoyable experience -we felt completely at home by the 5 star service provided by the entire ship crew. They made us feel like being part of one big family. Even though we are vegetarians there was enough spread of fruits and vegetables to ease our concerns. The F&B crew were very friendly and helpful. The daily entertainment provided by their professional team members was top notch- the music, dance, acrobatics and all round skills shown by this team  was thoroughly enjoyable. Overall it was a fantastic and fun loving cruise which will be etched in our memory for a long time.

Everyone is this cruise liner always sports a spontaneous smile and  we got the impression that the Ship's Management team treats them very well. Kudos to the  Leadership team for taking care of these hard working team members who are away from home for 10 months in a year.

We would like to thank Chef Reda, Denzel, Felix, Kadek and Musallam, Ayu, Barbara, Arasi, Theresa, Vladmir and rest of the crew for making it a fun experience for us.

We look forward to our next cruise experience with this wonderful cruise liner.

Amazing cruise

The balcony cabin was fine, the two servicing people were great. However, the pushy sales tactics experienced from almost every employee, especially during the first three days of the cruise, trying to sell us an additional drink package for 49.95 per day per person (in addition to what we had already included in our price) became a total nuisance. The wash clothes were a dirty yellow, clearly not washed properly. The constant picture taking of the onboard photographers (we indicated to them that we did not wish our photos taken, we would not purchase them) was another total nuisance. When does NO mean NO? The land tour in Santorini was from our point of view a complete disaster, We visited a garbage strewn dirty island, not the Jewel of Greece as advertised. I might add that we were there years ago when it still could be called a Jewel. Now it is nothing but a narrow dirty street with Jewellery, Clothing, Souvenir and Handbag stores. I was told the major of Santorini was sent recently to jail for corruption, he stopped garbage pickup and street cleaning. Very sad indeed. Our tour leader obviously thought she was hired as a standup comedian on a bus. Instead of explaining the history and the scenery she told us personal experiences and some vulgar jokes. In two places we stopped, she told us, "there is absolutely nothing to see here because it is to early in the season and nothing is open but it is on the tour, we we drive there".  Food on the ship was mediocre to real well a few  times. Three times offering hamburger/cheeseburger for lunch in 7 days is perhaps a tad too many. 

I certainly was disappointed and would not recommend this cruise to anybody.

Not the experience we were looking for

After our very positive experience with the Celestyal Crystal last year, my wife and I wanted to take another cruise with this ship (see review August 2022), now with other destinations, such as Istanbul, Volos and Kavala. We had a great time again this trip, thanks in part to the very friendly, hospitable crew, the unsurpassed theater and music performances, the fine ship, the well-known inside cabin, the excellent food, the excellent service, the nice destinations and the good value for money. Some waiters and the cabin steward (Samir) recognized us from last year. We got a fixed table in the restaurant without being asked and always the same waiters (Ned and Chris). The excursions to the Spice Market and the boat trip on the Bosphorus in Istanbul, as well as those to Oia on Santorini (it was wonderfully quiet there), were well organized again. We were the only Dutch people on board, Celestyal is virtually unknown in our country. Maybe next year we'll take a cruise on the Celstyal Journey. In any case, a large part of the crew of the Crystal is then working on the Journey.

Another great cruise with the Celestyal Crystal!!

We chose this cruise for the itinerary, full in the knowledge that Crystal was due for retirement in a few months, and despite it having little in the way of modern conveniences and razzmatazz. We were definitely not disappointed, and enjoyed a fabulous 2 weeks. The crew were, in the main, fantastic.

Despite only having limited performers, we were presented with a different show every night in the theatre, to a good standard. Music was supported by an authentic Greek band, "El Greco", who had an amazing Bouzouki player. 

The restaurant staff were very enthusiastic and friendly, lead by Herbert, the professional, helpful, Maitre D'. The meals were of excellent quality. I have an unusual food allergy, which was catered for very well, without hesitation or complaint. I was offered the opportunity to choose my meals 24 hours in advance so that they could be prepared without the allergens. This was the best cruise I have experienced for delivering a relaxed atmosphere in the dining room whilst maintaining standards.

A special mention to Konstantin and his bar staff, who were sociable and knowledgeable, up on the Helios deck. The drinks waiter from Cuba, on deck 5 was always obliging and smiling (I'm just sorry I can't remember his name).

The ports of call were interesting and different. If the ship wasn't docked within a short walk of the town/city centres, a shuttle bus was provided. The crew organising the tender transfers were happy and reliable.

We had 4 included tours, which we took advantage of; although we enjoyed them, we wouldn't specifically have chosen to pay for them.

1. Istanbul - the spice market was OK. The Bosphorous cruise allowed us to see further up the Golden Horn than would otherwise have been possible.

2. Santorini - Megalochori and Oia, 2 lovely places to visit, and the telecabine return from Thira to the tender.

3. Kusadasi - fantastic guide for Ephesus, such a shame we weren't there longer. Uncomfortable experience at the "Turkish Rug Co-operative".

4. Heraklion - could have spent much longer in Knossos. The guide was average and could have pointed the group in the direction of the archeaological museum in Heraklion which was fantastic.

We are already planning another Celestyal cruise, on Journey, the newly refurbished ship.

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