Anchoring on Arabian Shores

The flag bearer of Arabia on the high seas, AROYA Cruises, has just launched its Mediterranean sailings on June 28 this year.

Until mid-September, AROYA will explore the wonders of the Eastern Med with six and seven-night voyages to ports in Turkey, Greece and Egypt, blending iconic destinations with the cruise line’s Arabian inspired experience. In addition to Kaş and Bodrum, AROYA will sail to Marmaris in Turkey as well as Athens, Mykonos, Rhodes and Souda Bay in Greece, and Alexandria in northern Egypt.

“We’re excited to be bringing AROYA to some of the Mediterranean’s most popular cruise destinations this summer,” Dr Joerg Rudolph, President of AROYA Cruises, tells us when we meet. “AROYA Cruises first set sail just six months ago and we’re incredibly proud of all we’ve achieved so far, with passenger numbers in the Red Sea exceeding expectations. We look forward to welcoming our valued guests aboard this season.”

 

He adds, “We’ve had international guests on board, including media, travel agencies and visitors from Central Europe. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive–some guests even told me it was the best cruise of their lives.

“Aroya Cruises is a very different experience. Luxurious, high quality and guest satisfaction is extremely high. We offer 12 restaurants, 20 bars and a great entertainment programme.

“We have one of the biggest kids and teens areas at sea, but also a beautiful spa and wellness area.

“We are coming to the Mediterranean with an Arabian flavour,” he says.

Since its maiden voyage in December 2024, AROYA Cruises has completed a successful inaugural season in the Red Sea, welcoming more than 70,000 passengers aboard sailings that visited Egypt, Jordan and the Saudi Red Sea private island of Jabal AlSabaya for Saba Beach.

 

HURTIGRUTEN

Middle East cruise specialist CruiseXplore has been appointed as the exclusive Middle East representative for Hurtigruten, a renowned Norwegian cruise line with over 130 years of experience sailing the iconic Norwegian coastline.

Hurtigruten’s legendary Coastal Express voyages and premium Signature Line sailings are one step closer to guests in the region. With a fleet of small, intimately scaled ships operated by expert crews, Hurtigruten offers an authentic and immersive travel experience to some of the most remote and awe-inspiring parts of the Norwegian coast.

Carla Hines, Head of Sales for EMEA, Hurtigruten, tells TTN, “We're a Norwegian brand and Norwegian-owned. Our crew is Scandinavian and we serve only local food–about 80 per cent of everything onboard is sourced along the Norwegian coast. We give back to the communities we visit, creating a more immersive experience. We also take you to some of the small, lesser-known towns along the coast of Norway.

“I think we offer something that nobody else does."

Hines continues to explain, "Because we're a Norwegian brand, we're warmly welcomed wherever we go. Guests benefit from that – we can dock close to the towns, so there are no long transfers when getting off the ship. You don’t spend the whole day in a single port; instead, you'll stop for an hour or two, reboard, and continue up the coast. Then you might stop again in another port for half an hour before the journey continues."

 

"The excursions we offer when we're in port are all focused on the local community and what matters there. If it’s a fishing village, you might try something like ice fishing. In other places, we offer kayaking, hiking and lots of biking opportunities. And if you're not quite so active, there are plenty of bus tours, historical sites to visit and opportunities to learn about the local culture. It’s incredibly diverse–there’s really something for everyone."

With Hurtigruten, guests will get to see breathtaking Northern Lights closely in the sky just above them while standing on the top deck of the ship. Watching this magical and natural wonder, called Aurora Borealis, from the ship is an exciting, and humbling, experience.

 

NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), a global leader in innovative cruise travel, opened a new chapter in its fleet evolution with the launch of Norwegian Aqua earlier this year. As the first vessel in the cutting-edge Prima Plus Class, Norwegian Aqua builds on the legacy of the award-winning Prima Class and introduces groundbreaking experiences allowing guests to enjoy more of what they love about cruising with NCL.

Industry-first and brand-exclusive features at Norwegian Aqua include the thrilling Aqua Slidecoaster; the cutting-edge Glow Court; a reimagination of Galaxy Pavilion as Aqua Game Zone, among others.

Another key highlight for advisors from Norwegian Aqua is The Haven, Rebecca Ransom, MEA Business Development Manager At Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, tells TTN. “The Haven on Aqua is absolutely beautiful–with sleek lines, earthy tones and truly lovely décor. It’s larger than some of the other ships; in fact, Norwegian Aqua is about 10 per cent bigger overall and a significant portion of that space has been dedicated to The Haven.

“Guests can step out of this exclusive ‘ship within a ship’ and enjoy all the exciting new features Aqua has to offer, then retreat to their own private world of luxury–including butler service, concierge, a private restaurant and a private pool. That level of exclusivity and comfort really resonates with Middle Eastern travellers who value luxury in all their holidays.

“We’ve also introduced a brand-new three-bedroom, two-story duplex suite on Aqua, ideal for families. It features separate living and dining areas across two levels, offering more spacious and flexible accommodations–especially appealing to multi-generational families.”

If your clients choose four- or five-star properties on land, they should definitely consider The Haven, Ransom advises. “Equally, anyone looking at a high-end balcony cabin–like a Mini Suite or booking multiple balconies for a family–should also look at The Haven. Sometimes the price difference isn’t that significant, but the added amenities make it well worth it.

 

“It’s the kind of experience that keeps guests coming back,” Ransom says.

For families, there’s now so much more included with NCL’s More at Sea and more value than ever before, she adds. Think premium, high-end spirits, increased dining credits and enhanced Wi-Fi per person. Plus, for families travelling with a third and fourth guest–like children–they now also get Wi-Fi and drinks included.

“The value we offer through ‘More at Sea’ is significant–and it’s just as great for MICE. Any large corporate group should look closely at what’s included upfront rather than paying for extras onboard. We have a dedicated MICE team to manage everything from the start, ensuring all inclusions are covered and tailored for corporate and group needs.”

This is leading to significant interested on other NCL ships as well as the recently unveiled Norwegian Aqua.

“We’re definitely receiving a lot of requests–especially for shorter sailings, which are more common on our US-based itineraries, like the three- and four-night cruises. We’re also seeing increased interest for further out dates, particularly for 2026 and 2027, as corporate groups tend to plan well in advance.”

As for future ships, NCL has the Norwegian Luna coming in March 2026, and there’s more on the way, teases Ransom.

The key focus over the past few months for NCL’s regional team headed by Kevin Bubolz, Vice President & Managing Director Continental Europe, Middle East & Africa, has been the investment in travel trade. “We hosted over 50 travel agents from the region on Norwegian Aqua to experience the product firsthand and spent one-on-one time with them, allowing them to fully immerse themselves in the brand and the ‘More at Sea’ philosophy,” Ransom tells us.

The cruise line also recently launched NCL Connect, a new co-branding tool for travel agents in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions. NCL participated in ATM for the first time this year and also took part in Cruise Travel Mart earlier this year. They hosted travel agents on board Norwegian Sky during its recent calls in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Bahrain, offering direct product experience. NCL has partnered with a new local PR agency and has several new marketing initiatives planned, including radio campaigns this summer and new billboard campaigns.

 

PONANT

For almost four decades, Ponant has offered awe-inspiring voyages to some of the earth’s most fascinating places. The company’s modern fleet of 14 French-flagged small ships are all fitted with the latest environmental technologies, as an industry pioneer in sustainable exploration. Ponant has recently acquired Aqua Expeditions, which runs intimate voyages in the Galápagos, the Amazon and the Yukon rivers.

We speak to Stephen Winter, International Sales Director, Ponant Yacht Cruise & Expeditions, for more. “Here at Ponant, our average ship size is 200 passengers, and we’re the global leader in small luxury expedition cruises. Ponant’s smallest vessel is a 12-person catamaran that spends the entire year in the Seychelles. Our most exceptional vessel, in my view, is the Le Commandant Charcot, a luxury icebreaker. It’s the only one of its kind–unlike cargo-style icebreakers, this is an adventure-focused ship that can take you to the North Pole.

“We need to challenge the common misconceptions about cruising. People often picture massive ships with 4,000 passengers and 40 different restaurants but what they might not realise is that there are ships designed to take you far away from all of that–to some of the most remote parts of the world.

“With big cruises you're visiting ports that only certain ships can access–very few can accommodate vessels of that size. In contrast, we can drop anchor in the middle of the ocean and head out by Zodiac to a completely deserted island.

 

 

“This is real exploration–journeying to places you may have only dreamed of and now finally have the chance to experience.

“Our destinations are not limited to cold-weather destinations. We also sail to French Polynesia, the Seychelles, Papua New Guinea, and the Kimberleys in northern Australia. It’s all about a yacht-like experience, with just 150 to 200 guests onboard.”

Ponant is a French-owned company, but the onboard experience is fully bilingual, Winter says. Onboard, it’s an all-inclusive experience–meals, drinks, and activities are all covered. Alain Ducasse–a renowned, Michelin-starred chef with a global reputation–oversees all food and training through his company at Ponant. “We’re bringing the best of French culinary excellence to sea. That said, while the cuisine has strong French roots, our ships and cruises are truly international.

“Our cruises may be more expensive up front, but when you factor in everything that’s included–meals, drinks, and no hidden extras–it actually offers great value. Compared to spending a week at a hotel, you get far more: each day brings a new country or port to explore. It’s truly a better deal overall,” says Winter.

“What’s also unique is that on every cruise, we invite international scientists to join us and conduct research, as they often don’t have access to these remote regions. They carry out their work onboard, engage with the guests, share what they’re studying and their findings are shared with the global scientific community. It’s a win-win.

“In countries like the UAE, Oman and Kuwait, there are sophisticated travellers with the means to join us–they just haven’t had the opportunity to learn about this type of experience yet. That’s why we’re here,” says Winter.