Celebrity Solstice Sets Sail for First Time

Celebrity Solstice departed the Meyer Werft shipyard Sunday in Papenburg, Germany, as the largest ship ever built by the shipbuilder. In a milestone event known as “The Conveyance,” the 2,850-guest Celebrity Solstice made its way down the River Eems, as tens of thousands of area residents lining the river banks cheered and photographed the event. “This is a very momentous occasion for Celebrity Cruises,” said President and CEO Dan Hanrahan. “Celebrity Solstice is the perfect manifestation of what the Celebrity brand is all about: extraordinary service, spectacular dining, and fabulous style and design. And as the first in a series of five Solstice-class ships, it’s a vivid example of the growth and momentum of the Celebrity brand, and our commitment to meet our guests’ and travel agent partners’ demands for more vacation options with Celebrity.”

Among the attributes on Celebrity Solstice are the industry’s first Lawn Club, a half-acre recreation area with real grass; live glassblowing demonstrations; larger staterooms, with designs inspired by a panel of five women; 10 restaurants; and a new category of accommodations, AquaClass, designed to offer a spa vacation experience at sea. Celebrity Solstice will be berthed in Eemshaven, Netherlands, from Sept. 29 to Oct. 24, with two sea trials planned during that period, in addition to crew arrivals, training, provisioning and finishing work onboard. The ship will depart Eemshaven on Oct. 24 on a trans-Atlantic voyage. Arrival in Fort Lauderdale is planned for early November, followed by promotional cruises for invited travel agents, press and other dignitaries. The ship will be named in formal ceremonies on Nov. 14, and will begin its maiden season Nov. 23, with a series of seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruises roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale to San Juan, St. Maarten, St. Kitts and Tortola during this fall and winter. Beginning in the spring, Solstice will operate 10- and 11-night Mediterranean cruises from Rome.

Celebrity Announces New Deployments For Celebrity Mercury and Celebrity Millennium

New itineraries for the Celebrity Millennium and Celebrity Mercury has been announced for cruises leaving from Baltimore, Maryland and Charleston, South Carolina, as well as from San Juan, Puerto Rico.The line also announced plans to discontinue its Australia and New Zealand cruises, previously scheduled for late 2009 and 2010 on the Celebrity Millennium.

The 2,038-guest Celebrity Millennium will end its 2009 season in Alaska with cruises previously scheduled for the 1,898-guest Celebrity Mercury, offering more capacity on the sailings.

The itineraries will reflect those previously announced for Celebrity Mercury, with the addition of a 12-night wine-themed cruise departing from Vancouver on Sept. 28, 2009, followed by an eastbound, 16-night Panama Canal cruise on Oct. 10, 2009, from San Diego to San Juan, where the Millennium will offer a series of 10- and 11-night Southern Caribbean cruises roundtrip from San Juan, beginning Oct. 26, 2009. Ports of call will include Tortola, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Curacao, Aruba, St. Croix, St. Kitts and Dominica, with slight variations between the 10- and 11-night sailings.

Guests with reservations on the sailings previously scheduled for Celebrity Mercury will be contacted and re-accommodated on the same sailing dates on Celebrity Millennium, at the rates paid.

Celebrity Mercury will sail a 17-night Panama Canal cruise from San Diego on Oct. 23, 2009, ending in Baltimore. There, from Nov. 2009 to Feb. 2010, the ship will sail a series of new 12-night Eastern Caribbean cruises visiting St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Maarten and Tortola, as well as four nine-night cruises visiting Charleston, Key West, Cococay and Nassau, Bahamas.

The Mercury will then present a series of 10- and 11-night Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages from Charleston from February through April 2010, with visits to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Kitts and Tortola on the Eastern series, and Key West; Costa Maya, Mexico; Belize City, Belize; Cozumel, Mexico; and Nassau on the Western sailings.

The new itineraries on Celebrity Mercury replace the Southern Caribbean cruises from San Juan previously scheduled from Nov. 2009 to April 2010. Guests with affected bookings will be contacted and offered the option to be re-accommodated in like accommodations on identical South Caribbean itineraries on Celebrity Millennium at the rate paid.

Guests holding either individual or group reservations on Millennium’s previously scheduled Australia and New Zealand cruises between Oct. 9, 2009 and March 22, 2010, will be offered the option to re-book on the Millennium’s Australia and New Zealand cruises between Oct. 17, 2008 and April 12, 2009, subject to availability, at the prevailing rate, and will receive a $600 per-stateroom or $800 per-suite onboard credit.

Alternatively, these guests may rebook the Millennium’s new Panama Canal or Southern Caribbean sailings between Oct. 10, 2009 and April 16, 2010, and receive a $200 per-stateroom or $400 per-suite onboard credit.

 

For more information about rebooking and cancellation, please visit www.nycvaluecruise.com for a live chat.