Cruises according to Leslie Peden, Chief Commercial Officer of Celestyal Cruises

Do you take advantage of your job to always be part of cruises?

Partaking in cruises aboard our ships is part of my daily routine. It's mostly because I must live the client experience, being part of the same cruise as our « guests » in order to be aware of their demands and their expectations, especially the French, who represent the majority of our foreign clientele, and who are very exacting. This is how we develop our service offers in order to improve them.

Specialized in Greece, you must know the country by heart?

Our ships, the Olympia and the Crystal, cruise around the Cyclades islands, which have so much to offer, both in terms of culture and patrimony. It's essential to organize the land excursions of our clients, according to their centers of interest. Let's not forget we make at least two stopovers per day between the most emblematic islands in Greece, so that our very motivated passengers can visit them.

Does Celestyal develop new itineraries around the Mediterranean Sea?

Yes, our destinations now include Milos, a volcanic island with red sand beaches and moonlike landscapes. We also offer a « 3 continent » cruise of 7 nights—Europe, Africa and Asia at the same time. It goes through Kusadasi, in Turkey, then Alexandria and Port Saïd in Egypt, in order to be able to discover the pyramids of Gizeh during the day, and finally Ashdod, in Israel. At Celestyal stopovers are long, for example  in Mykonos and Santorini, the boat stays at the pier for the night so passengers can enjoy stopovers in complete serenity.

A young company, born in 2014, Celestyal owns 2 cruise ships outright and is planning on acquiring a third one. © DR

On board, the coasts of the Greek islands are visible at every moment. © DR

How many employees work for Celestyal and in how many countries ?

Between the main headquarters in Athens and our agencies in 11 countries, there are about 150 persons. As for the staff on board, they are about 600 per ship.

Do you have an acquisition program for new ships ?

We have invested a great deal in the renovation of our ships, and will soon be announcing the acquisition of average-tonnage ships—on a human scale, for 2021.

What are the differences between the Olympia and the Crystal ?

The Crystal is smaller, with only 476 rooms, of which 56 have balconies, for a maximum of 1 200 passengers. The Olympia can welcome up to 1 500 passengers, and it is equipped with several decks open onto the sea for observation during navigation. For the 2 ships, we are going to extend the seasonality and cruise 8 additional weeks on the Mediterranean.

Do you have an environmentally-friendly approach?

Due to the size of the ships, their carbon footprint is minimal. Our itineraries are planned so as not to moor in ports saturated with tourists in order not to make their pollution worse at the heart of summer. We have removed all the plastic bottles onboard, and the hulls of the ships are covered with a layer of silicone to reduce their fuel consumption.

To enhance your photo albums, sign up for the excursions, as a group or solo. © DR

In Athens, the change of the guard in front of the parliament is a not to be missed spectacle. © DR

Why do you put the accent on gastronomy aboard your ships?

Everything that pertains to cuisine and gastronomy has become a main entertainment onboard our ships. All Inclusive passengers are very demanding, so we organize daily tastings of products and wines, reinforced by « cook shows » in which they can participate.

Imitated, but never equalled the Greek salad is an institution in order to initiate diners to the cusine in the Land of Gods. © DR