Celestyal Cruises Reviews 

Be warned, they will mess up the charges on your bill. We got double charged for an excursion we did, and the credit amount was incorrect on the bill. When I went to the front desk to get it taken care of, the lady Natalia was so unhelpful. “well yesterday you said you understood.” no, I walked away and had the tour guide come over to take care of it.

When I said “my friend, let me-“ she cut me off to insist “no, i’m not your friend.” so, when we embark we’re buddy buddy and everyone is friends but when you disembark it’s ‘pay me what I want you to pay me and get off.’

What could they do to improve? Front desk associates who aren’t rude. Simple as that.

We had an amazing week, we had a slightly better cabin as my wife wanted a balcony and all the extra little things that came with the better cabin made such a difference to our trip.

As a frequent traveller and someone who previously worked in customer service, there were quite a few things I noticed during our Celestyal cruise that I feel are worth pointing out.

Check-in & Important Information for Travelling with a Child

I was travelling with my 11-year-old daughter and my elderly mother, who has difficulty standing for long periods. Unfortunately, there did not appear to be any priority check-in assistance for passengers travelling with elderly family members.

While we were waiting, I approached a staff member who was promoting excursions and explained my mother’s situation. I was simply told that we had to remain in the queue. Considering her age and difficulty standing for a long time, I felt there could have been more understanding and assistance.

When we finally reached the check-in counter, I was told that because my daughter was under 12, I needed parental permission from my husband.

My biggest concern is why such an important requirement was not clearly communicated to us before the cruise. Celestyal already had my daughter’s age and knew that I was travelling with an 11-year-old child. We had travelled all the way from Australia, with a significant time difference making it difficult to contact my husband immediately.

If parental consent documentation is required, this should be highlighted very clearly in the pre-departure emails so that parents can prepare the necessary documents before travelling.

Staff & Customer Service

Overall, I did not find some of the staff genuinely warm or welcoming. At times, I felt that certain staff members looked unhappy or uninterested when speaking with me. I cannot know the reason for this, but as an Asian passenger, there were occasions when the interactions made me feel uncomfortable and less welcomed.

Of course, this does not apply to every staff member, and there were some very professional people onboard.

Food

The food was above average overall, and we generally enjoyed the meals.

Medical Centre

Unfortunately, my experience with the medical centre was one of the most disappointing parts of the cruise.

My 11-year-old daughter suffered from sunburn, and I went to the medical centre hoping they could provide some basic assistance or something to soothe her skin. The staff member I spoke with was very abrupt and told me that we would have to pay for aloe vera.

My concern was not simply about having to pay. It was the lack of empathy and the way the situation was handled. There seemed to be very little concern or sympathy for a child who was uncomfortable from sunburn.

Reception later advised me that they did not keep aloe vera as part of their basic first-aid supplies. I found this surprising for a cruise visiting sunny Mediterranean islands, where sunburn must be a relatively common issue.

Even my daughter was surprised by the experience, as in Australia we would normally expect basic first-aid assistance for something like a minor sunburn.

An Outstanding Reception Manager

I would, however, particularly like to recognise one of the reception managers. She was wearing a white uniform and was exceptionally professional, caring and attentive.

One day my elderly mother became unwell and stayed in her cabin. I went to reception and asked whether it might be possible to get some soup for her from the Deck 7 restaurant. The manager assisted me professionally and showed genuine concern.

What impressed me even more was that several days later, when she saw me during breakfast, she remembered me and asked how my mother was feeling.

That small gesture meant a great deal to me. This is exactly what genuine customer service looks like — remembering a passenger and showing sincere concern without being asked.

I hope Celestyal can identify this manager and recognise her for her excellent service.

Overall

There were parts of the cruise that we enjoyed, particularly the food and some individual staff members who provided excellent service. However, I believe Celestyal could significantly improve its pre-departure communication, assistance for elderly passengers, consistency of customer service and the way basic medical concerns are handled.

Travelling internationally with an elderly parent and a young child can already be challenging. Small amounts of understanding, clear communication and genuine care from staff can make an enormous difference to a family’s experience.

Out of the 6 cruises I have been on, Celestyal has been the best. Additionally, I have travelled to close to 40 countries and worked in the travel industry, so know a thing or two about travel.
At first, I was a little hesitant to book this family trip with Celestyal as they are not as big as some companies. However, this is what is so good about them.
Let me tell you why.
First, there are so many excellent locations to visit. When visiting somewhere like the Greek islands and surrounds, you don't want to waste days at sea like so many other companies do.
Second, the tendering process is excellent. In some companies, it has always bothered me that you have to collect your tender tickets first thing in the morning the day you visit that location. With Celestyal, you pick the ticket up the afternoon one or two days prior an hour or so after everyone is back on board from a location. This means you don't have to get up extremely early to get a good ticket time.
Third, the staff are extremely helpful and friendly. They will go out of their way to assist.
Fourth, the shows are excellent. The quality of dancing and singing is the highest of any cruise I have been on.
Fifth, the food and drink are always of a very high quality. There are always plenty of options. It also includes soft drinks and soda water, which many cruises do not.
Sixth, being that Celestyal cruise ships have a capacity of about 1,300, it doesn't feel as busy and hectic as some ships.
Seventh, 250mb of WiFi is included daily. While this is not a lot, it is very helpful to just do the basics.
If I was going to give a critique, it would be that the shows seem to start 10 or so minutes later than what is on the schedule. However, for the reasons above, this is a minor inconvenience.

Require birth certificates of children and marriage certificates for embarkation to prove you created your children.
This requirement is not made easily available when you book and even staff admit this is "below the hair-dryer policy in your room"
Very confrontational upsetting boarding process which spoiled our holiday and caused significant upset to our children.
"Has your ivf clinic donor given consent for you to travel" ?
2026 July experience. Beware. Have your documentation with you if no male figure is present to avoid unpleasant exchange and threats of not allowing you to board.
Sadly after my experience at piraeus port we dont want to travel at all.

de las peores navieras que me he encontrado, utilizamos el celestyal journey, un barco de 33 años. Horarios de buffet escasos, tenias que estar todo el rato atento de ir al barco. Un dia llegamos 3 minutos tarde, ya habian quitado todo y nos dieron 4 cachos de pan como si hubieramos pagado 10 euros por el viaje. Les falto acompañarlo con agua para que nos llenara más.
Ruidos por todos lados, el camarote sonaba a todas horas cada vez que zarpaba o llegaba a puerto, parecia que se caia el techo encima.
Es un atrapabobos este crucero y la compañia en si. LLevo 5 cruceros y nunca habia tenido una experiencia tan mala, ha sido un autentico calvario con todo. Estoy deseando volver a Royal Caribean o MSC para volver a recuperar la ilusion por los cruceros

We booked a cruise for a week out of Doha for Dec 2026.
Obviously with USA and Israel attacking Iran, we've been wondering if the cruise will go ahead.
Doing some googling last week I located articles from May ->2 months ago- stating that the middle east cruise season has been cancelled.

We have not been advised of this. Our travel agent has not been advised of this.

If they decided THREE MONTHS AGO to cancel all middle.east cruises, we should have been advised immediately, and they should have initiated refunds immediately.

How long do we wait for them to tell us our cruise isn't happening? Until we arrive at the dock?

They obviously can't control world events, but they havd 100% control over their communications. Incredibly poor customer service. Will never book a cruise with them again.

A full breach of trust. Canceled our cruise because of a private booking of the whole ship. Never again. Lost money on other bookings because of them. Ruined our summer.

Our experience aboard the Celestyal Journey on the Idyllic Greece itinerary was excellent, and we would definitely recommend this cruise. What impressed us most was the extraordinary kindness and professionalism of the entire crew. My wife has a disability in one of her legs, and from day one, everyone was attentive to her with care that went far beyond our expectations. At the buffet, they frequently offered to bring her food to the table without us having to ask, and they were always ready to help her during boarding the tenders and in areas with stairs. This warm and personal approach made all the difference and made us feel truly cared for.

We also loved the Idyllic Greece itinerary, which focuses almost entirely on the Greek islands. The only stop outside of mainland Greece was Kusadasi, which was also very interesting, so we felt the itinerary was very well designed.

The cabin was a pleasant space that surprised us with its spaciousness, comfort, and functionality. The buffet food was another highlight of the trip. We found a varied selection, high quality, and very well prepared, with options for all tastes. The evening shows were magnificent, with top-notch artists and very entertaining productions.

Finally, we really enjoyed traveling on a ship the size of the Celestyal Journey. Its size makes everything more accessible and personal, without the overcrowding of megaships. You quickly get your bearings, the service is more personalized, and a very friendly atmosphere is created.

It was a fantastic experience and we would travel with Celestyal again without hesitation. Many thanks to the entire crew for making our vacation so special.

Fantastic experience. The boat is smaller and older, so the entertainment is not as fancy as with other companies, which is exactly what I wanted. We were looking for a cruise that maximizes time on the islands and minimizes time on board.
The food was good, they change the menues every night in the two included restaurants so you didn't have to eat the same every day. The only complaint is that the free coffee tasted like dirt. If you are a coffee person, get yourself the coffee pack on your first day and go to Café Nation, that one was really good.
It would be nice to have access to soft drinks outside of the eating times. During the day you can only get water and some pretty nasty juices free of charge.
The cabin was clean and the housekeeping was very nice. It is an older boat, so the room was a bit outdated, but the beds, pillows, and linen were dreamy. The towels were a bit old and could use some replacement, but nothing too serious.
The crew was amazing, they speak so many languages so you could always find someone to communicate with.
It is not a super fancy experience if you are used to bigger ships, but the price is significantly lower, it avoids the typical cruise tourism, and you get so much time on ground that it doesn't matter anyway. If you are doing a cruise to enjoy the boat, maybe this is not for you.

Ich kann keinen der hier abgegebenen negativen Erfahrungsberichte bestätigen. Vielleicht hatte ich auch nur Glück, wer weiß, aber meine Kreuzfahrt verlief reibungslos. Von Anfang an. Wie gebucht, so bekommen.

An Bord der Celestyal Journey habe ich nur zuvorkommende, eifrige und freundliche Servicekräfte erlebt. Die Verpflegung - ein täglicher Genuss. Die Kabine - sauber und geräumig. Das Schiff an sich - nur halbvoll mit Gästen und deshalb sehr gemütlich und ziemlich menschenlärmfrei. Man hatte immer einen freien Platz im eleganten Hauptrestaurant, auf dem obersten Sonnendeck und in allen Bars.

Das einzige, was zu bemängeln ist und einen Stern kostet, ist die sonderbare Praxis, den Gästen die Reisepässe abzunehmen und erst am Terminal wieder auszuhändigen - was soll das? Zweimal auf dieser Reise muss man unnötigerweise seinem Pass hinterherrennen, damit man weiterschippern kann.

We booked a 7 night cruise in April, the voyage was cancelled due to the ship held up in Dubai. It was been o months and still no refund! The lack of information is concerning.

Celestyal cancelled my April 2026 cruise. That happens. But what also should happen is that THEY SHOULD NOTIFY YOU BY phone, text or email that your cruise was cancelled. Or at least put a splash page up when you log in to look at your cruise details. And at least STOP SENDING you mail..."Get ready, your cruise is only 1 week away!" I found out the cruise as cancelled accidently and AFTER I had left the US for Europe, Guess where they did put the cancellation notification? At their main website that you don't even see when you log into your booking details buried deep. You would have to explore and discover it. After cancelling a cruise, they should REFUND YOUR MONEY, right? But it's been 6 weeks and many calls and they still have not issue my refund. STRONG AVOID on this cruise line.

Compre un crucero por el Adriatico con salida el 4 de abril desde Atenas. La naviera cancelo unos días antes el crucero aduciendo problemas en el medio oriente. Solicite el reembolso de mi dinero y aun no me lo han regresado siendo que ya ha pasado casi un mes desde la cancelación. He escrito varias veces solicitando la devolución y no me responden.

Cancelled our Greek Isles cruise by bulk email, less than 2 weeks from sailing. We were already on our way, with flights booked into and out of Athens, along with accommodation before boarding. A stark contrast to their own super-strict payment and cancellation terms. I operate a holiday accommodation business myself in a popular ski area and just cannot imagine the carnage I would cause if I cancelled my guests' accommodation day before they arrive. Never got a chance to experience their actual service, but never will after that. Advise people to be careful if you expect this company to actually deliver what they promise.

Very disappointed by Ceslestyal's customer service. Originally, I booked just after Christmas when prices were low, and because there were issues with my booking, by the time I was actually booked, the prices had gone up. Then Celestyal canceled my excursions and took away part of my excursion credit. It took 3 weeks and countless interactions between Celestyal and my travel agent for this to be solved.

Then they dropped the prices of the cruise that I'm going on significantly (around $600 USD) and won't refund me the difference. The only thing they suggested was that I cancel my cruise and re-book at the lower price with no guarantees of getting the same room/class. I would have been fine with that except that if I cancel, I loose 50% of what I paid because my trip is in less than 60 days. That's hardly fair.

You'd think with all the issues Clestyal is having (having to cancel cruises, their boats stuck in the Middle East) that they would try to keep their existing clients happy.

Now considering just canceling despite loosing 50% as I am losing trust in this company completely.

Nous avons fait une croisière au départ de Dubai. Lors de la réservation Celestyal vous donne du crédit à bord, ce crédit nous l'avons utilisé pour faire des sorties hors du bateau. Les deux sorties annulées avec des raisons incompréhensibles, exemple : "vous êtes sortis trop tard du bateau", alors que Celestyal nous laissait pas sortir sous prétexte des contrôles douaniers à Abu Dhabi. Ils attendaient juste que le bus parte car c'était notre dernier jour. Nous étions plusieurs personnes dans le même cas... Cette croisière était une horreur ... 4 jours interminables.

El peor crucero en el que he estado
Agosto 2025, islas griegas.
Después de haber viajado con varias compañías, este ha sido con diferencia el peor crucero que he hecho.
Comida muy básica y de baja calidad (pasta, pizza, fritos y dulces industriales), piscina minúscula imposible de usar, espectáculos discretos y una organización del desembarco caótica: colas diarias de 1–1,5 horas solo para obtener número, más esperas adicionales para poder bajar a tierra. En un itinerario donde lo importante son las escalas, perder tanto tiempo es inaceptable.
Las bebidas tenían precios muy elevados y recargo por servicio, incentivando un bono de 150 € no reembolsable. Los bares estaban vacíos, lo cual dice bastante.
Horarios de restaurantes cambiantes y, en ocasiones, cerrados al regresar de excursiones organizadas por la propia compañía. Colas constantes en recepción. En una excursión contratada ni siquiera respetaron la ruta elegida y no hubo solución posterior.
En resumen: mala organización, baja calidad y relación calidad-precio muy cuestionable.
Si estás pensando en reservar este crucero, te recomiendo comparar antes con otras compañías que hacen rutas similares por las islas griegas y leer bien las opiniones.

I went on my daughter's 40th birthday for a weeklong cruise with both our husbands and her boys ages 3 and 5. It was fantastic! The staff were kind and helpful, and charming (except one woman who was in a rush one time). I was flabbergasted by the fabulous display of decorative cakes and cookies that our well costumed cafeteria cooks put out for us! The onboard activities were fun, and the entertainment shows were excellent!!! We didn't do tours, and figured things out on our own pretty well, so I can't rate that. My "cabin boy" made different animals out of my swimming towels every day... my grandkids were delighted to see the creations because their "cabin boy" didn't do that. I studied art and am sensitive to decoration, so I was impressed by the lovely diversity of the decoration in the common arias, restaurants, lounges, etc. I had a wonderful time, and if I cruise again I would would like to be on the same ship with the same crew. The only way it could have been better would have been if all the drinks were free!

This cruise was a complete disappointment from start to finish, and honestly, it felt like a scam.

First, our cabin was unbearably cold — stuck at 19°C — and even though we reported it right away, no one came to fix it. When we followed up, we were brushed off. We ended up spending the whole cruise freezing in an uncomfortable, poorly furnished cabin.

When we asked for compensation, the staff didn’t apologize or try to make things right — instead, they accused us of smoking on the balcony, claimed they had “evidence,” and even brought crew members to confront us. It felt like they were looking for excuses not to take responsibility for their own failures.

Even the deck experience was frustrating. On the first day, there were sunbeds with comfortable mattresses, but by the next day, all the mattresses were removed. We were given one ridiculous excuse after another (“wind,” “deck cleaning”) even when it was clearly not true.

The prices on board felt like another scam. Drinks were outrageously expensive, with no option to buy a package, and they add an automatic 18% service fee to every single drink purchase. It felt like being nickel-and-dimed constantly.

Most importantly, we never felt like valued guests. Instead of relaxing on holiday, we felt like we were there for the staff — not the other way around. The attitude and service made us feel unwelcome and unimportant.

Overall, between the freezing cabin, dishonest excuses, rude treatment, overpriced drinks, and the feeling that we were not respected as guests, this entire cruise was a nightmare. I will never sail with this company again and strongly warn others to think twice before booking.