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AROYA Cruises Embarks on the Mediterranean with New Summer Itineraries

Prime Highlights

  • AROYA Cruises, Saudi Arabia’s inaugural cruise line, is opening Eastern Mediterranean cruises on June 21, 2025, from Galataport Istanbul.
  • The high-end cruise will provide Arabian-style hospitality as it sails to classic ports in Turkey and Greece.

Key Facts

  • The vessel will call at ports including Bodrum, Marmaris, Kuşadası, Athens, Mykonos, Crete, and Rhodes.
  • There are two primary itineraries: one is solely for Turkish ports of call, and the other combines Turkey and Greece.
  • AROYA Cruises was initiated under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and welcomed its maiden Red Sea cruise in December 2024.

Key Background

AROYA Cruises, the subsidiary of Cruise Saudi supported by the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, will be growing beyond the Red Sea into the Eastern Mediterranean during summer 2025. This is a major milestone as the cruise line gears up to welcome a wider international clientele while reflecting Arabian heritage onboard.

Beginning June 21, 2025, the AROYA cruise ship will be based in Istanbul’s Galataport, a primary gateway that combines modern tourism facilities with deep cultural heritage. AROYA will have 12 weekly seven-night voyages starting from there through mid-September. Two different itineraries have been prepared for guests: one purely dedicated to Turkey’s coastal beauty with ports such as Bodrum, Marmaris, Kaş, Kuşadası, Fethiye, and İzmir, and another that blends Turkish and Greek ports such as Athens, Mykonos, Crete, and Rhodes.

The vessel itself, previously called the World Dream, has been completely renovated to host Arabian-style elegance and luxury. It boasts of varied dining options, huge entertainment spaces, wellness areas, snow room, water slide, and one of the biggest children’s playgrounds onboard at sea. The experience and design are tailored specifically for Arab passengers while being open to international visitors.

AROYA Cruises President, Dr. Jörg Rudolph, stressed that this Mediterranean cruise is a source of pride in the company’s development as a luxury travel provider that gives respect to its cultural heritage while providing international destinations. CEO of Galataport Istanbul also stressed the strategic importance of AROYA as its summer base, citing the contribution of the cruise to regional tourism.

This summer deployment is not merely a seasonal deployment to bypass the Red Sea’s hot summer weather—it is a strategic decision in sync with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which seeks to enhance tourism, diversify the economy, and make the Kingdom a leisure travel destination. The success of this expansion could lead to future operations within the Arabian Gulf and other international routes.