AROYA Cruises

AROYA Cruises is Saudi Arabia's first homegrown cruise line and part of the Cruise Saudi initiative of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) — a component of the Vision 2030 strategy to diversify the economy beyond oil. The company is headquartered in Jeddah. The brand launched in December 2024 with its first ship, the AROYA — a comprehensively converted former NCL cruise ship (Norwegian Sun, 1999), which was completely redesigned for Arabic guests at Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven.

The AROYA (reopened in 2024 as AROYA, 78,717 GRT, 1,648 guests) offers a consistently Arabic onboard experience: no alcoholic beverages, separate wellness areas for men and women, five daily prayer programs, halal cuisine, Arabic live music, and traditional karaoke. The interior design celebrates Arabic art and calligraphy. Spacious cabins with particularly generous storage space cater to the typically Arabic family trip with multiple pieces of luggage.

The onboard language is Arabic and English, and the onboard currency is the Saudi Riyal (SAR) and US Dollar. Route highlights include the Red Sea (Jeddah – Aqaba – Sokhna – Sharm El-Sheikh) as well as planned expansions into the Arabian Gulf and the Mediterranean. AROYA is part of Saudi Arabia's strategy to attract millions of international tourists annually.