Louis Cruises has launched a new brand in 2015 that it says will reach for the stars and promises to gives travelers an authentic Greek experience.

“We will give a name to this promise: Celestyal Cruises,” said Kyriakos Anastassiadis, company CEO.

Celestyal stems from celestial, which means “pertaining to the stars” and “heavenly” or “divine,” Anastassiadis said.

“By launching Celestyal, we are expanding the Louis Cruises portfolio thereby reflecting the divine, real Greek experience that one enjoys when sailing with us,” he said.

“We’ve also chosen this name to honor our ancestors, the Ancient Greeks, who were among the first peoples to use celestial navigation,” Anastassiadis said. “By the third century BC, Greek mariners were using the Little Bear to navigate their ships.”

Two ships in the Louis Cruises fleet will be sailing under the colors of this subsidiary brand – Celestyal Crystal and Celestyal Olympia. The two ships sailing out of the Piraeus and Lavrion cruise ports in Athens are now branded Celestyal Cruises.

Louis Cruises said the change is being made because today’s travelers want an authentic experience when they travel. They want unique destinations and a true taste of the culture, gastronomy and history of a place. And, as modern life becomes more hectic, travelers want a travel experience that dissolves their cares from the moment they depart. They want a temporary home in the stars. Thus, the name and the change.

Since 2013, Louis Cruises has kept this idea at the forefront of its efforts, particularly with the inauguration of its “Kalimera!” experience. The word “Kalimera” doesn’t  just mean “good morning” to Louis Cruises. It means “good” in every sense of the word – quality, satisfaction and happiness – and that is what the company has used as its motto.

“We say it,” the Louis Cruises brochures note, “You live it.”

The company plans to bolster its commitment with even more outstanding Greek food and wine, and with themed programs that take passengers deeper into the archaeology, gastronomy, history and music of Greece.

In 2015 the company will continue to build on the promise of “Kalimera!” by sailing to new ports of call in the Ionian and Adriatic seas and along the Dalmatian coast. The Celestyal Crystal is offering 94 cruises in 2015; the Celestyal Olympia is offering 131.

Founded in 1935, Louis Group has over the decades evolved into a leading tourism, hospitality and travel group in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Louis Hotels owns and manages 19 four and five star hotels in all of Cyprus’ resorts, including the Hilton Park Nicosia and the Greek islands of Corfu, Zante, Crete, Mykonos and Rhodes.

Louis Cruises is the only home porting cruise operator in Greece and preeminent cruise line for the Greek Islands and Turkey.

By Jackie Scheckler Finch