Mano Launches 2025 Season in the Eastern Mediterranean

Mano Cruises recently kicked off its 2025 season in the Eastern Mediterranean onboard the Crown Iris.

Resuming service after a winter layup, the 1,462-guest ship welcomed passengers onboard in Haifa on March 27, 2025.

For the first cruise of the season, the Crown Iris embarked on a three-night cruise to Cyprus that featured an overnight visit to Limassol.

The ship is now offering a series of two- to four-night cruises to Cyprus and Greece that sail to a wide range of destinations, such as Lanarca, Rhodes, Heraklion and Piraeus.

Other ports of call set to be visited include Larnaca, Agios Nikolaos, Rhodes and Santorini, as well as Thessaloniki, Patmos, Volos and Mykonos.

In addition to short cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean, the 2025 season of the Crown Iris features longer itineraries to other regions.

After offering seven short cruises, the 1992-built ship sailed from Haifa for a 12-night cruise to Central Mediterranean on April 20, 2025.

Sailing to Greece, Italy and Malta, the itinerary will make visits to Heraklion, Chania, Valletta, Catania, Palermo, Civitavecchia and Naples before returning to Israel in early May.

This year’s deployment is also highlighted by a cruise to the Black Sea that is scheduled to sail in late October.

The 11-night itinerary features sails to ports in Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, including Syros, Varna, Constanza and Bourgas.

After having its season extended earlier this year, the vessel is set to offer cruises from Haifa through late December.

Acquired by Mano Maritime in late 2018, the Crown Iris was originally built for Majesty Cruise Line as the Royal Majesty.

The 38,000-ton vessel later sailed for several brands, including Norwegian Cruise Line, Louis Cruises, Celestyal Cruises and Thomson Cruises.

In 1999, the ship was stretched at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Germany, gaining a new 33-meter-long section, as well as additional staterooms and public areas.