Aroya completes 2nd Med season ahead of winter season out of Egypt and Turkey

Aroya Cruises has completed its second summer season in the Eastern Mediterranean, with Aroya now repositioning to the Red Sea.

The 3,500-passenger ship departed Istanbul on 12 September 2026 on an eight-night repositioning cruise to Jeddah, following a summer programme primarily comprising seven-night cruises to Greece, Turkey, and Egypt.

The voyage includes calls at Bodrum and Marmaris in Turkey, followed by Port Suez and Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt before Aroya arrives at its Saudi homeport.

The ship will then operate a short autumn season in the Red Sea, offering two- to five-night cruises to destinations in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt.

During its second Mediterranean season, Aroya called at ports including Mykonos, Rhodes, Souda Bay, and Piraeus in Greece, as well as Bodrum and Antalya in Turkey.

The 150,000-gross-tonne vessel also took on a different role during the deployment when it was chartered as a floating hotel for the 20th Mediterranean Games in Taranto, Italy.

Docked in Taranto between late August and early September, the ship provided accommodation for more than 4,000 athletes and other participants representing 26 nations.

The conclusion of the summer deployment will not mark the end of Aroya’s Mediterranean operations for 2026, with the ship scheduled to return to Istanbul in October following its short Red Sea season.

Aroya Cruises is planning its first winter season in the Eastern Mediterranean for 2026/27, extending the ship’s presence in the region beyond its previous summer deployments.

The programme will run through April and feature a series of seven-night cruises from Galataport Istanbul to destinations in Turkey and Egypt.

Itineraries will include calls at Kusadasi and Marmaris, as well as overnight visits to Alexandria.

The winter programme will also introduce an interporting arrangement that allows passengers to embark Aroya in Alexandria rather than solely at its primary Istanbul turnaround port.

The deployment represents an expansion of Aroya Cruises’ Mediterranean programme after the cruise line operated consecutive summer seasons in the region.

The company is already planning to return for a third Mediterranean summer season in 2027, with further cruises scheduled to depart from Istanbul.

Before returning to Turkey in October, Aroya will operate its short Red Sea programme from Saudi Arabia, including a five-night Saudi National Day cruise departing Jeddah on 22 September.