Image credit: Royal Clipper by Cbuske46 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); cropped to 16:9 by Deep Arrival. License: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Star Clippers is opening its 2027 to 2028 Mediterranean collection with 27 new ports of call, including lesser-known Greek islands such as Astypalea and Turkish stops such as Fethiye, so tall-ship shoppers can now compare named seven-night Star Flyer routes instead of waiting on a later brochure wave.
Travelers who want smaller ports that megaships rarely use should check the live Eastern Mediterranean booking pages now, price the launch savings window that trade reporting ties to September 30, 2026, and only lock a cabin if the exact ports, ship, and fare beat holding for later inventory.
- Program: Star Clippers 2027 to 2028 Mediterranean expansion with 27 new ports.
- Greece adds: Skiros, Skopelos, Karpathos, and Astypalea among named new calls.
- Turkey adds: Cesme, Datca, Fethiye, Kas, and Kekova among named new calls.
- Sample fares: Seven-night Star Flyer voyages from about 2,500 dollars on named sample itineraries.
- Launch window: Trade coverage cites up to 65 percent savings and extras on select bookings by September 30, 2026.
According to Cruise Industry News coverage of the Star Clippers release, the line is expanding Mediterranean deployment for the 2027 to 2028 season with 27 new ports of call. The same report quotes Terri Haas, vice president of sales and marketing for the Americas, saying guests want places beyond the traditional cruise circuit while keeping the authentic sailing experience that defines the brand.
PAX reporting on the same expansion places the new ports across Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Southern Italy, and the Adriatic, and says the complete 2027 to 2028 sailing collection is now available. Deep Arrival also checked Star Clippers’ public Eastern Mediterranean sailings hub, which is actively selling that region for 2027 dates rather than treating the story as a future placeholder only.
Which new ports matter for 2027 planning
Cruise Industry News lists the Greek expansion as including Skiros, Skopelos, Karpathos, and Astypalea. Those names matter because they sit outside the default Santorini and Mykonos loop that larger ships overuse.
On the Turkish coast, the same coverage names Cesme, Datca, Fethiye, Kas, and Kekova. Fethiye is the clearest booking search term for many North American planners because it already appears in Mediterranean yacht and small-ship language.
Along the Adriatic and Italian coast, the report adds Croatian calls such as Korcula, Komiza, Trogir, and Sibenik, plus Southern Italian stops including Monopoli and Crotone. That is a different product map than a Western Med mega-port circuit built only around Barcelona, Rome, and Naples.
None of those new names erase the classic icons. Star Clippers is still selling well known islands and coasts; the material change is that the 2027 to 2028 brochure set now markets a wider hidden-port inventory as a deliberate line strategy.
Sample itineraries already framed for shoppers
Cruise Industry News highlights Eternal Cyclades as a seven-night Star Flyer voyage that explores Aegean islands including Milos, Santorini, Amorgos, and Hydra, with fares starting at 2,500 dollars. That is a mixed classic-plus-secondary route rather than a pure first-time tourist loop.
Authentic Greek Escape is framed as another seven-night Star Flyer voyage that leans into lesser-known islands through calls such as Astypalea and Sifnos, again with published starting fares from 2,500 dollars. That is the cleanest single product for travelers who specifically want the new-port story rather than only Santorini postcard time.
Italian Gems is described as a longer ten-night Star Clipper voyage that pairs Termini Imerese and Vibo Marina with better-known calls such as Lipari, Sorrento, and Ponza, with fares starting at 3,350 dollars. Use that sample when your decision is Italy and Adriatic access rather than pure Greek islands.
Trade summaries can lag live inventory, so treat those three named routes as planning anchors and reconfirm ship, nights, and port order on the booking path before you pay a deposit.
How the launch pricing window changes the decision
PAX says Star Clippers is marking the launch with savings of up to 65 percent on all sailings, plus up to 500 dollars in onboard credit per cabin and a complimentary bottle of champagne on select departures booked by September 30, 2026. That book-by date is the near-term action clock for people already shopping 2027 Med tall-ship inventory.
Launch pricing is not a guarantee that every cabin category or every sailing will show the headline discount. Open the live fare for your exact week, compare brochure versus current rate, and only call the offer decisive when the cart still shows the savings and any credit on the sailing you actually want.
If you are flexible across May through October 2027, compare at least one Astypalea-heavy Greek Escape style week against one Eternal Cyclades style week before locking. The traveler value is different even when both ships are tall ships and both start near the same 2,500 dollar floor in trade copy.
If your dates are fixed around a wedding, reunion, or flight already bought into Athens or Istanbul, prioritize the port list over the discount percentage. A weaker sale on the right ports beats a deeper sale on the wrong coast.
Who should book now versus wait
Book soon if you already want a small-ship Greek or Turkish Aegean week in 2027, you can accept a tall-ship product, and a September 30, 2026 promo clock would change your deposit timing. Inventory on lesser-known island calls can tighten earlier than megaship mass-market weeks.
Wait if you still need to decide between river, mega-ship, or yacht-style products, or if you only have a vague Mediterranean wish list. Star Clippers is a niche sailing experience with different motion, cabin scale, and activity profile than a mainstream balcony ship.
Use Deep Arrival’s Greek island small-ship cruise guide to test whether sail-powered and yacht-scale products fit your group before you chase a new-port headline. For shorter Athens-based island loops that are not Star Clippers, the four-day Greek island cruise from Athens guide is a useful comparison baseline.
If Eternal Cyclades is on your shortlist, the best beaches in Milos guide helps you plan shore time around a Milos call. For Crete-facing planning when Chania appears on a sample week, use the Chania cruise day guide.
| If you… | Then do this |
|---|---|
| Want lesser-known Greek islands in 2027 | Price Authentic Greek Escape style weeks that name Astypalea or Sifnos |
| Want classic Aegean icons plus secondary stops | Compare Eternal Cyclades samples that still include Santorini or Milos |
| Need an Italy and Adriatic focus | Open Italian Gems style ten-night Star Clipper samples first |
| Already like a tall-ship week and can deposit soon | Recheck launch savings and credit rules before September 30, 2026 |
| Are unsure about sail-ship motion or cabin scale | Hold deposit until product fit is clear; do not buy only for a port name |
- Search terms: Use Astypalea, Fethiye, Eternal Cyclades, and Authentic Greek Escape in fare tools.
- Book-by clock: Treat September 30, 2026 as the launch-offer deadline reported by trade coverage.
- Fare floor: Expect published sample seven-night Star Flyer starts near 2,500 dollars before taxes and fees.
- Ship check: Confirm Star Flyer versus Star Clipper on the exact sailing before comparing cabins.
- Port truth: Reopen the live itinerary page because captains can alter calls for weather and local conditions.
This expansion is a real 2027 Mediterranean planning signal for travelers who want smaller ports on a tall-ship product, not a reason to book any Med cruise that happens to use the word Greece in marketing copy.
How many new Mediterranean ports is Star Clippers adding for 2027 to 2028?
Trade coverage of the company release says Star Clippers is adding 27 new ports of call across its 2027 to 2028 Mediterranean program.
Which new Greek and Turkish ports are named?
Named Greek additions include Skiros, Skopelos, Karpathos, and Astypalea, while named Turkish additions include Cesme, Datca, Fethiye, Kas, and Kekova.
What sample itineraries should I search first?
Start with Eternal Cyclades and Authentic Greek Escape on Star Flyer for seven-night Aegean samples, then Italian Gems on Star Clipper if you need a longer Italy-focused week.
What launch savings are being marketed?
PAX reports savings of up to 65 percent, up to 500 dollars onboard credit per cabin, and champagne on select departures for bookings made by September 30, 2026, subject to live fare rules.
Are the new ports only on one ship?
Sample trade summaries place the named Greek island weeks on Star Flyer and the longer Italian Gems sample on Star Clipper, so always match ship and route before you compare cabins.
