AROYA cruise ship, Saudi Arabia – 3 nights on the Red Sea in a superior suite

Okay I genuinely did not see this coming. Saudi Arabia launched its own cruise line – from scratch – in December 2024, and the ship they’re doing it with is a 335-meter, 150,000 gross ton floating resort with 19 decks, 12 restaurants, a water park with six waterslides, a zip line, a 1,018-seat theatre, two luxury mini-submarines, and 2,589 pieces of artwork in the corridors – 60% of which were made by Saudi artists. This is not a test run. This is a full-send launch of something genuinely ambitious.

The vlog covers a 3-night 4-day sailing from Jeddah to Yanbu and back in February 2026 in a Superior Suite. If you just watched that and you’re now googling whether AROYA is actually real and what it costs – yes it’s real, yes it’s worth looking at, and let’s go through everything deck by deck.

So what actually is AROYA?

The name is a combination of “Arabian” and “roya” – the Arabic word for vision or dream. And the backstory is genuinely interesting. The ship itself was built in 2017 as the World Dream for Dream Cruises, a Chinese luxury cruise line. Dream Cruises went bankrupt in 2022 when its parent company Genting Hong Kong collapsed. The ship sat in Singapore until Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund bought it at auction in 2023 for around $355 million, put it through an extensive refit in Germany, and launched it as AROYA in December 2024.

The quick stats because they’re worth knowing:

• 🚢 Gross tonnage: 150,695 GT – this is a large ship
• 📏 Length: 335.2 meters (1,099 ft)
• 🏙️ 19 decks, 1,678 cabins, capacity for 4,764 passengers
• 👥 Over 1,500 crew members
• 🍽️ 12 restaurants, 17 bars and cafes
• 🎭 20+ entertainment venues including a 1,018-seat theatre
• 🎢 Water park with 6 waterslides, zip line, ropes course
• 🤿 Two luxury mini-submarines – yes, actual submarines
• 🕌 Separate prayer rooms for men and women on Deck 5
• 🎨 2,589 artworks onboard, 60% by Saudi artists

It’s operated by Cruise Saudi – a company 100% owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the same sovereign wealth fund behind LIV Golf, Newcastle United and half the interesting things Saudi Arabia has been doing in the last five years. AROYA is their bet that Saudi Arabia can build its own cruise industry from zero. Based on the numbers – 92,000 passengers in the first four months of operation – the bet is paying off.

The cabins – from interior to Khuzama villas

1,678 cabins across multiple categories. Here’s how to think about it:

🛏️ Standard cabins

Interior, sea view and balcony options. Around 1,000 of the total cabins have private balconies. These are your mainstream cruise cabin categories – comfortable, modern, fully equipped. For a 3-night sailing where you’re spending most of your time exploring the ship, a balcony cabin is genuinely the sweet spot between cost and experience.

🌟 Superior Suite – what the vlog covers

This is the cabin category in the video – SAR 7,244 (approximately USD 1,930) for the 3-night 4-day sailing in February 2026. The vlog spends a full cabin tour from the 3:30 mark going through everything. More space, proper suite layout, upgraded amenities. At under $2,000 for a 3-night Red Sea cruise in a suite on a brand-new ship, this is genuinely competitive pricing.

👑 Khuzama – the ship within a ship

This is where things get interesting. Khuzama is AROYA’s exclusive luxury enclave – 145 suites and nine villas with dedicated spaces, butler service and private dining. The vlog shows the Khuzama area from the 12:08 mark and the exclusive Khuzama restaurant at the 1:02:00 mark. Here’s the full breakdown:

• Senior Suites – elevated space and service, access to Khuzama lounge and restaurant
• Presidential Villas – two available, top-tier luxury, 24-hour butler service
• Royal Villas – the absolute pinnacle. Six bedrooms, among the largest suite categories in the entire cruise industry. 24-hour butler. Private everything. This is for people who want to feel like they bought the ship

Khuzama guests get access to exclusive dining, dedicated pool and lounge areas, and a level of service that is genuinely separate from the main ship experience. If you’re going to splurge, this is where you do it.

The food situation – 12 restaurants and one that’s genuinely historic

Okay this is the part that deserves real attention because the dining lineup on AROYA is not your standard cruise ship buffet and a steakhouse situation. There are 12 restaurants plus 17 lounges and cafes, and the variety is legitimately impressive.

🇸🇦 Irth – the first Saudi restaurant at sea

This is the headline. Irth was developed in partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Culinary Arts Commission specifically to bring authentic Saudi cuisine to the ocean for the first time. Jareesh (crushed wheat with meat), haneeth (slow-cooked lamb), saleeg (white rice in broth), local breads, Saudi coffee. This is not fusion or interpretation – it’s traditional Saudi sharing food done properly. The name means “heritage” in Arabic. Worth booking specifically.

🐟 The Fish Market

The specialty seafood restaurant shown in the vlog at the 1:42:42 mark. Fresh fish sourced locally and sustainably from the Red Sea – najel, hamour, harid, shaour (local species you won’t find anywhere else). Different service levels including Guéridon and silver service if you want to elevate the experience. This is the one reviewers keep mentioning as a genuine highlight.

🥩 Meast Steakhouse

The steak restaurant shown at the 1:27:55 mark in the vlog. Middle Eastern meets steakhouse – proper cuts, proper cooking, the kind of dinner you plan your day around. Consistently praised.

🇮🇹 La Tavola

Italian restaurant – pasta, risotto, the classics. Exactly what you want when you’ve had two days of more adventurous eating and just need something familiar and excellent.

🥢 Bamboo Kitchen

The signature Asian restaurant. Broad pan-Asian menu done well.

🚀 Space Diner

Possibly the most unexpectedly fun concept on the ship. American fast food – astro-burger sliders, meteorite mac ‘n’ cheese – in an interior designed around retro space-age aesthetics inspired by the Saudi Space Agency’s Human Space Flight programme. Families love it. Adults who appreciate a committed concept love it. Genuinely silly in the best way.

🍽️ The complimentary options

• Amwaj Buffet – the main buffet restaurant on Deck 16, shown from the 16:57 mark. International spread, all included
• Al Waha Dining – all-day included dining option
• Dallah Cafe – Saudi and international food throughout the day

One important note: AROYA is a dry ship. No alcohol onboard. This is a Saudi cruise line operating in line with Saudi cultural values. The mocktail game, specialty coffees and fresh juice situation are genuinely impressive as compensation – and the Legends Sports Lounge has the world’s first charcoal shishas on a cruise ship if that matters to you.

Deck by deck – what’s actually where

The vlog covers the ship deck by deck from day one which is the most useful way to understand the layout. Here’s the map:

• 🌊 Deck 16 – Main Pool area and Amwaj Buffet. The heart of daytime ship life
• 🎮 Deck 17 – Gaming facilities, arcade, entertainment options
• ☀️ Deck 18 – Sky Pool and sports facilities. Higher up, better views, more active crowd
• 🌅 Deck 19 – Sky Lounge. The highest passenger deck – views are extraordinary, especially at sunset
• 🧖 Deck 15 – Spa and gym. Full wellness center, separate hours for women in the spa
• 🍽️ Deck 8 – Restaurants and bars including specialty dining
• 🎭 Decks 6-7 – The Souk (retail district inspired by traditional souqs), the AROYA Theatre, additional restaurants
• 🏥 Deck 5 – Medical center and prayer rooms (separate for men and women)

The Souk retail district is worth mentioning specifically – it’s designed around the aesthetic of a traditional Arabian market and houses over 1,100 sqm of retail space including high-end brands. The vlog shows a Rolex watch sales event onboard at the 1:45:45 mark. This is not a normal cruise ship duty-free shop situation.

Entertainment – they went all in

This is one area where AROYA clearly decided to prove a point. Twenty entertainment venues is not a number you arrive at accidentally.

• 🎭 AROYA Theatre (1,018 seats) – Broadway-style productions, international circus shows, magic shows (shown at 1:30:00), Jurassic Park show (1:38:52), comedy. The theater programming changes throughout the sailing
• 🎢 Water park – 6 waterslides, the largest children’s area at sea at 1,800 sqm
• 🪂 Zip line and ropes course
• 🎮 Glitch VR – virtual reality gaming
• 🤿 Two luxury mini-submarines – four passengers plus a pilot each. For exploring the Red Sea below the surface while the ship is at anchor. Genuinely extraordinary
• 🎉 Themed parties – the departure party on Day 1 (57:45) and the White Party (1:32:07) shown in the vlog. These are proper events, not halfhearted cruise ship gatherings
• 🎵 Ardah dance performances – Saudi traditional dance recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, performed onboard
• 🌅 Sunset deck events – the sunset at 1:41:16 in the vlog is the kind of thing you don’t plan for and end up talking about for years

Port of call – Yanbu

The 3-night Jeddah itinerary stops at Yanbu on Day 2. The vlog covers the Yanbu excursion from the 1:20:19 mark. Yanbu is a Red Sea port city about 300km north of Jeddah – a historic trading town with a well-preserved old district, Red Sea diving and snorkeling, and a notably different pace from Jeddah.

What Yanbu actually offers on a port day:

• 🤿 Red Sea diving and snorkeling – Yanbu’s coral reefs are considered among the best in the Red Sea and significantly less visited than the Egyptian side
• 🏘️ Yanbu Al-Bahr (Old Yanbu) – the historic port district with traditional architecture
• 🏖️ Red Sea beaches – calm, clear, warm water
• 🐠 Snorkeling straight off the beach – the coral starts almost at the shoreline in some spots

AROYA also operates sailings to Saudi Arabia’s private island Jabal Al-Sabaya, Sharm el-Sheikh, Aqaba in Jordan and Safaga in Egypt. The itinerary options are expanding fast.

What does it cost?

Here’s the range based on current pricing:

• Budget entry point: from SAR 999 (approximately USD 266) for a 3-night Red Sea sailing in a standard cabin
• Superior Suite (as in this vlog): SAR 7,244 (approximately USD 1,930) for 3 nights 4 days
• Khuzama suites: significantly higher, butler service included
• Royal Villa (6 bedrooms): contact for pricing – this is the “how much does it cost to rent the best thing on the ship” category

For context – $1,930 for a 3-night suite on a brand-new ship with 12 restaurants, a full entertainment program and Red Sea port stops is genuinely competitive against comparable international cruise lines. AROYA is clearly pricing to build the market rather than extract maximum margin from day one.

AROYA Cruises doesn’t currently have a traditional cruise loyalty points program in the way that Royal Caribbean or MSC do – it’s a new line less than a year old. Worth watching this space as they develop it. You can book direct at aroya.com or through travel agents.

The bigger picture – why this matters

Saudi Arabia had zero cruise tourism infrastructure five years ago. Cruise Saudi was created in 2021, AROYA launched in December 2024, and by April 2025 they’d carried 92,000 passengers. The ship is now sailing Mediterranean routes in summer from Istanbul and planning Arabian Gulf sailings from Dubai and Dammam in early 2026.

This is the same story as the Haramain High Speed Railway – a country transforming its tourism infrastructure in real time at extraordinary speed. Sailing on AROYA right now, in this specific window before it becomes a global mainstream cruise brand, has a timestamp on it. The Red Sea itineraries in particular – sailing waters that international cruise lines have barely touched, stopping at ports that most travelers have never heard of – are genuinely unlike anything else available right now.

Frequently asked questions

📹 Video by ST Travel