Aroya Cruises is trying something new this winter: keeping its big ship in the Mediterranean instead of heading back to the Red Sea. The Aroya, a 3,400-passenger, 150,000-ton vessel, has repositioned from a short autumn Red Sea run to Istanbul, where it will sail from the Galataport Cruise Terminal through to September 2027.
The winter programme is straightforward and appealing for anyone after a warm-weather escape without a long flight. Seven-night itineraries loop through the Eastern Mediterranean, calling at Marmaris and Kusadasi in Turkey plus two-day stops in Alexandria, Egypt — enough time to head inland and see more of the country than a typical port call allows. The routes run through May 2027.
There's a flexibility bonus too. As part of the line's interporting setup, passengers can join or leave the ship in Alexandria as well as Istanbul, so an Istanbul-to-Egypt cruise could double as a one-way trip if you'd rather fly home from Cairo.
From June, the ship's summer season widens the map considerably. Ports in Turkey and Greece are added — Bodrum, Antalya, Kas, Chania, Rhodes and Nafplion among them — and Aroya makes its first forays into the Western Mediterranean and the Adriatic with a pair of 14-night roundtrips from Istanbul. The June sailing sweeps from east to west across the sea, taking in Catania, Salerno, Civitavecchia, Cagliari, La Goulette in Tunisia and Valletta in Malta, plus Mykonos. July's two-weeker heads the other way through the Adriatic, with calls at Katakolon, Sarandë in Albania, Bar in Montenegro, Trieste, Zadar, Korčula and Bari.
Once the 11-month Mediterranean stint wraps up, the Aroya repositions back to the Red Sea in early September 2027 and resumes short cruises from Jeddah to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt through the end of the year.
Why it matters: winter sun options in the Med are usually thin on the ground, and a full-size resort ship sailing seven-night loops from Istanbul with two-day Egyptian stops is a genuinely different proposition. It suits travellers who want warm-weather cruising between November and May, or who fancy combining a city break in Istanbul with a beach-and-history itinerary. The summer 14-nighters, meanwhile, are a way to tick off a big chunk of the Mediterranean — Italy, Malta, Tunisia, the Adriatic — in one booking without flying between countries.
If you're tempted, note that the winter itineraries mix Turkish coastal towns with Alexandria, so pack for both ancient sites and seaside strolling. And with boarding possible in both Istanbul and Alexandria, it's worth comparing flight prices into Istanbul and Cairo before choosing your direction.
