The Celestyal Discovery became the first cruise ship to transit the Strait of Hormuz since the beginning of the conflicts in the Middle East.
After being docked in Dubai, the Celestyal vessel departed the UAE port on the afternoon of Friday, April 17, 2026.
According to AIS data, the 1,360-passenger ship transited the Strait of Hormuz while heading to Muscat in Oman a few hours later.
Following a technical visit to the port, the Discovery is expected to kick off a repositioning voyage to Europe.
Current plans call for the ship to resume its regular sailing schedule in the Eastern Mediterranean on May 1, 2026 as the vessel is expected to embark on a short cruise to the Greek Islands and Turkey from the port of Lavrion.
The port-intensive itinerary includes visits to Kusadasi, Mykonos, Patmos, Santorini, and Heraklion over three nights.
Continuing its summer season, the 2003-built ship offers additional short cruises in the region, visiting more ports such as Rhodes.
The Celestyal Discovery was stranded in the United Arab Emirates since late February when a conflict in the region led to a suspension of cruising in the Middle East.
A few days later, Celestyal cancelled the remaining sailings of the ship in the region and started planning a repositioning voyage back to Europe.
However, with the Strait of Hormuz virtually closed for maritime traffic, the ship’s return to the region was postponed indefinitely.
In addition to four vessels from other cruise lines, a second Celestyal ship, the Journey, is also in the Middle East, and as of Friday evening, was also sailing out according to AIS data.
As of Friday afternoon, the vessel had departed the port of Doha in Qatar, where it spent nearly two months docked.
According to AIS data, the 55,819-ton ship is currently heading to the port of Khasab in Oman, where it is expected to arrive on April 18, 2026.