- Celestyal Discovery became the first cruise ship to transit the Strait of Hormuz since the conflicts began.
- The ship departed Dubai on the afternoon of Friday 17 April 2026 and headed to Muscat in Oman.
- Celestyal Journey departed Doha in Qatar on the same evening and was expected in Khasab on 18 April 2026.
- The Discovery was stranded in the United Arab Emirates since late February and April sailings were cancelled.
- The vessel is scheduled to resume operations from Lavrion on 1 May 2026 with visits to Greek Islands and Turkey ports.
Celestyal Discovery becomes the first cruise ship to transit the Strait of Hormuz since the beginning of the conflicts in the Middle East and is repositioning to Europe. The 1,360-passenger ship departed Dubai on the afternoon of Friday 17 April 2026 and transited the strait a few hours later according to AIS data while heading to Muscat in Oman.
The vessel was stranded in the United Arab Emirates since late February when a conflict led to suspension of cruising in the Middle East. Celestyal cancelled the remaining sailings and planned a repositioning voyage. The Celestyal Journey also departed Doha in Qatar on Friday evening and headed to Khasab in Oman where it was expected to arrive on 18 April 2026. Four other cruise operators reduced manning to minimum crew on ships in the Persian Gulf and prepared repositioning strategies that included sailing around Africa or through the Suez Canal.
Celestyal Discovery is expected to resume its regular sailing schedule in the Eastern Mediterranean on 1 May 2026 with a short cruise to the Greek Islands and Turkey from Lavrion. The port-intensive itinerary includes visits to Kusadasi Mykonos Patmos Santorini and Heraklion over three nights. The 2003-built ship offers additional short cruises in the region that visit ports such as Rhodes during the summer season.
Celestyal Cruises shared following careful consideration we have made the decision to cancel all April 2026 sailings while our ships the Celestyal Discovery and the Celestyal Journey wait to reposition to the Mediterranean.
