A unique new festive season cruise package in the Mediterranean in 2023 will see guests spend Christmas in the Holy Land and New Year’s in Istanbul, with the Egyptian pyramids and ancient ruins in Greece and Turkey added to the alluring yuletide stocking.
Savings of up to A$2298 per couple and A$1081 for solos plus bonus free excursions are available for earlybird bookings made with Cruise Traveller, before 31 January 2022.
The new 21-night, value-filled ‘Christmas with a Twist’ package in December 2023, features popular Greek cruise line, Celestyal Cruises.
Resuming voyages in March 2022, Celestyal Cruises offers award-winning Eastern Mediterranean cruises aboard two, classic, boutique ships – Celestyal Crystal and Celestyal Olympia. Destinations include Greece and her islands, Turkey, Egypt, Cyprus and Israel. Celestyal is noted for offering affordable Greek Island cruises, the Greek way, with lively and welcoming Greek hospitality to the fore, with included beverages, gratuities and selected shore excursions adding to the appeal.
Offering a unique and unforgettable Christmas adventure of a lifetime, with varied festive traditions across five countries, the festive package begins on 14 December 2023, with a two-night stay, pre-cruise, in Athens and a ‘Taste of Athens’ evening walking tour to whet the appetite, with guests tasting wine and delicious local treats on a guided stroll through the fabled city.
Guest then board the 1200-guest Celestyal Crystal for an immersive, destination and culture-filled 19-night voyage taking in smaller and less visited ports not available to larger ships in Greece and her sun-kissed islands, Turkey, Egypt, Cyprus and Israel. Among the 13 ports visited is Haifa in Israel where an overnight stay on Christmas Eve enables guests to opt for an excursion into the Holy Land to visit places central to the biblical Christmas story such as the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
The voyage includes four free excursions as well as two bonus free excursions – six in total. One of these is in Istanbul where Celestyal Crystal will dock overnight on New Year’s Eve, allowing guests to celebrate with locals. The free tour includes a private city cruise on the Bosphorus Strait and an aroma-filled visit to a local spice market.
Other free excursions include a bucket-list visit to the pyramids in Cairo, the ruins of the once-great Roman Empire city of Ephesus in Turkey, the remains of the ancient palace of Knossos on Crete and the age-old monasteries of Meteroa perched spectacularly atop towering pillars of rock in Greece.
Including two nights in Athens with a tour, the 19-night cruise, six shore excursions and onboard drinks and gratuities, the 21-night ‘Christmas with a Twist’ package in December, 2023 is available from A$4265 per person, twin-share, in an ocean-view stateroom – a saving of A$831 per person. A suite is available from A$5260 per person, twin-share – a saving of A$1149 per person. And solo travellers are looked after with fares in an ocean-view stateroom from just A$5325 – a saving of $1081. The savings and two bonus shore excursions are for bookings made by 31 January 2022.
Visit www.CruiseTraveller.com.au/ChristmasTwist or call 1800 507 777.
SOURCE: Cruise Traveller
