Emerald Cruises has announced that its third superyacht, Emerald Kaia, will commence service with an inaugural sailing on April 4th, 2026. The vessel will operate an 11-day/10-night itinerary from Limassol (Cyprus) to Piraeus-Athens (Greece), calling at ports in Greece and Turkey.
The maiden voyage coincides with Easter, allowing passengers the opportunity to observe both Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox celebrations during the journey.
Note: The April 4th inauguration was rescheduled from May 6th. The original maiden voyage was an Aegean Sea itinerary (15-day “Discover the Best of the Croatian Coast”) leaving roundtrip from Dubrovnik. It included overnights in Dubrovnik, Split, Venice, and Hvar, plus calls to Zadar, Opatija, Piran, Rovinj, Sibenik, Trogir, Vis, and Korcula.
The 128-passenger Emerald Kaia will spend its maiden season in the Mediterranean before repositioning to the Caribbean for the winter.
Attention is also turning toward the forthcoming sistership Emerald Raiya, scheduled to join the fleet in 2027. Bookings have opened for its first sailing, an 8-day itinerary through the Greek islands and Turkiye, beginning June 19th, 2027. Construction of the vessel is already underway, marked by a ceremonial steel-cutting held on August 20th, 2024, in Vietnam.
The newbuilds will join the line’s existing superyachts, the Emerald Azzurra and Emerald Sakara, which entered service in 2022 and 2023. Together, these vessels represent Emerald’s continued expansion into luxury yacht cruising.