Aroya Cruises and the Souda Bay Port celebrated the inaugural visit of the Aroya to the Greek port with a plaque exchange ceremony.

The event took place onboard the vessel earlier this month and was attended by the ship’s officers and executives from the cruise line, as well as port officials and local authorities.

Aroya was represented by Captain Roland Polic and Hotel Director Stefan Antonescu, as well as Executive Director of Marketing Turky Kari and Director of Branding and Communication Ghadah Marghalani.

The Souda Bay Port was represented by Lieutenant Junior Grade of the Hellenic Coast Guard Christina Bourmpoula; President of the Chania Port Fund Dimitrios Virirakis; and General Director of the Chania Port Fund Styliani Manioudaki.

The celebration was held on the bridge of the 150,000-ton vessel and also included a tour of public areas and facilities.

After kicking off its inaugural season in the Red Sea in late 2024, the Aroya arrived in the Mediterranean in late June.

The ship is now set to offer weeklong cruises in the region departing from the Galataport Istanbul Cruise Terminal in Turkey.

Itineraries include visits to a wide range of destinations in Greece and Turkey, such as Piraeus, Mykonos, Rhodes, Bodrum, Marmaris and Kas.

Before returning to the Red Sea later this year, the Aroya is also scheduled to make an additional visit to Souda Bay in late August 2025.

From the port, passengers will be able to explore destinations on the Island of Crete, including Chania’s Old Town and its Venetian Port.

Built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in 2017, the Aroya originally entered service for Dream Cruises as the World Dream.

Following an extensive refurbishment, which included the reconstruction of over 95 percent of its internal areas, the ship kicked off its maiden season for Aroya Cruises in December 2024.