It had been 10 minutes and my daughters were transfixed by a pod of dolphins splashing in and out of the turquoise water beside us. It felt worlds away from our usual rainy February half-terms in England. It was a sight you might expect in the Caribbean – except we were in the Arabian peninsula with Celestyal Cruises.
The Greek-owned cruise line began its winter sun sailings in the Arabian Gulf in 2024 and exceeded guest targets by 35 per cent, prompting them to return for the 2025/26 season.
I had previously been unconvinced by the idea of a winter sun cruise. With school-age children, going away during the week of February half-term meant travelling far for sunshine and risking jet lag.
But after a four-night round trip sailing from Abu Dhabi with Celestyal Cruises with our 11 and 13-year-old daughters, my wife Danielle and I might just be converted.
The first challenge with a winter sun cruise is getting to the embarkation port. Our Arabian nights cruise departed from Abu Dhabi, a seven-hour flight away.
Most departure times to the United Arab Emirates from the UK aren’t usually family-friendly, with most leaving between 9pm and 10pm. So we were pleased to find a departure with Etihad Airways that left early in the morning from London Heathrow and arrived in time for dinner in Abu Dhabi.
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We were sitting in economy but the experience felt premium, with plenty of leg room and extras such as a soft, not scratchy, blanket.
It confirmed that it’s best not to risk an overnight flight and miss out on sleep. No one wants to arrive at a cruise feeling exhausted and this is a region that requires lots of energy.
Before embarking on the cruise, we spent the day on Yas Island. This Abu Dhabi destination is home to attractions such as the Warner Bros World theme park. Located in a massive 1.65 million square foot indoor space, Warner Bros World was the perfect escape from the Abu Dhabi heat.
The park is fully air-conditioned but climate control isn’t the only reason people visit. It was a chance for my wife and I to introduce our children to the characters of our youth at different dedicated zones, such as “Cartoon Junction”, featuring nostalgic Scooby-Doo rides, and the “Bedrock” area, which was home to a very wet Flintstone’s water ride.
I even got to meet Batman and help in a battle with the Joker in Gotham City. We were expecting Disney-style crowds, but the queues were short and we managed most of the rides by around 2pm, even though the park only opened at 10am.
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This was the perfect way to prepare for our Arabian adventure aboard Celestyal Discovery.
With capacity for 1,360 passengers, Celestyal treads the line between a small and mid-size cruise ship.
The ship has a boutique feel, with plenty of lounges and bars where we you can sit, read and relax.
Finding a sun bed was easy and there was none of scrambling you can get on megaships.
The ship size was an initial shock for our girls. There were no towering waterslides, no 24-hour pizza stands, no late-night free poolside ice cream. The buffet even closed by 10pm.
But soon, the slower pace worked its charm. We grazed on chicken gyros at the complimentary grab-and-go Greek Deli on the pool deck during the day, filled up on delicious dinners and happily paid £2 for a scoop of the delicious ice cream flavours at Fig & Honey.
We saw plenty of benefits to being on a smaller ship. It was much easier to get a slot during activities such as evening karaoke, where I failed to impress a group of Russians with my rendition of “Piano Man”.
Bar staff also had more time to create impressive mocktails and chocolate milkshakes for the kids. Danielle and I had fun trying the onboard menu of molecular cocktails (such as the smoky old fashioned served in a tube and a strawberry daiquiri full of delicious boba balls.)
The ship’s Greek roots are clear throughout, with circular and dome shaped decor in the stairwells evoking the blue hue of Santorini.
Between a pool deck mini golf competition (in which I came second), cabaret and Greatest Showman circus-themed shows, there was no chance to get bored on this sailing.
But the ship isn’t necessarily the main event with this cruise line. Celestyal is really all about immersive and port-intensive itineraries. These may sound like a lot to fit into a family-orientated half-term trip, but in fact they left us energised.
A bumpy Jeep safari took us deep into the desert of Ras Al Khaimah – a unique port that is too small for megaships – and made us feel as though we were back on the rollercoasters of Yas Island.
We gasped and held on tight as our driver steered us up almost vertical ascents and down into deep sand dunes in a surprisingly capable Toyota Land Cruiser, before stopping to allow for photo opportunities.
Later, we swapped four wheels for two humps on a camel ride. Our guide even managed to get our camels to smile for a picture.
Our daughters described the experience as “the best day ever.”
It’s a peak parenting goal to see genuine joy in your child’s eyes, so we were especially lucky for this to be the case again only a day later when the ship stopped in Khasab, Oman.
As it’s known as the “Norway of Arabia”, I was expecting to spend the day marvelling at rocky fjords when we stepped off our cruise ship into a comfortable dhow boat. So it was a lovely surprise when the dolphins turned up, swimming and splashing alongside us, as if they were our guides, and as we ran excitedly from side to side to catch a glimpse before they disappeared.
The dhow boat headed for more calm waters and we dived in, splashing around among like the mammals we had seen minutes before.
Back on the cruise ship, I scrolled through the photos we had taken. They showed our excitement at everything from devouring decadent milkshakes to driving up a sand dune, looking out to the endless desert view and coming almost nose-to-nose with a dolphin. All in four fabulous days.
It felt a world away from the region’s shiny skyscrapers, and confirmed that it’s well worth a journey to find out more.
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How to do it
Fares for a four-night “Iconic Arabia” sailing with Celestyal Cruises on 15 February 2027 from Abu Dhabi, visiting Doha, Ras Al Khaimah and Khasab, start at £1,136 for a family of four sharing an inside cabin. Prices include all meals, soft drinks, wifi, onboard entertainment and gratuities.
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