Celebrity Cruises is a cruise line which was founded in 1988 by the Greece-based Chandris Group. In 1997, Celebrity Cruises Ltd. merged with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line to form Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., and has been a wholly owned subsidiary of the latter since then. The company has its headquarters in Miami, Florida.[1] Celebrity's signature logo is an "Χ" displayed on the funnel of Celebrity ships, and is the Greek letter chi, for "Chandris".[2][3]
Contents
History
Celebrity Cruises was founded in April 1988 as a subsidiary of the Greece-based Chandris Group to operate upmarket cruise ships to Bermuda.[4][5] Chandris had been involved in cruise traffic since the 1960s,[3] and during the late 1980s the company operated in the United States market under the brand name Chandris Cruises. Chandris Fantasy Cruises targeted the lower end of the cruise passenger market, with fleets consisting of second-hand ocean liners.[6] Celebrity Cruises came into existence when, in April 1988, Home Lines, at the time one of the world's leading premium cruise lines, was sold to Holland America Line. Home Lines' ships had held two of the five contracts offered by the Government of Bermuda to cruise lines, giving the ships priority berthing arrangement and unlimited access of sail to the islands in exchange for the ships sailing to Bermuda between April and October each year. Although these contracts were highly valued, Holland America Line decided to withdraw the former Home Lines ships from this service, leaving an opening for two new ships to gain access. Chandris wanted to acquire the contracts, but the Government of Bermuda was only willing to award them to upmarket cruise lines, which Chandris Fantasy Cruises was not.[4]
In order to gain the Bermuda Government contracts, Chandris created Celebrity Cruises and immediately began negotiating with the Bermuda Government in April 1988. As a result of the negotiations, Celebrity Cruises was awarded the contract for two ships for a five-year period beginning in 1990 [4] In order to fulfill the contract, Chandris Fantasy Cruises' Galileo was rebuilt at Lloyd Werft, Germany in 1989, re-entering service as Meridian for Celebrity Cruises in February 1990.[4][2] As the second ship Horizon, that had been ordered in 1988 as a replacement for Amerikanis in the Chandris Fantasy fleet, was transferred to Celebrity Cruises fleet, entering service in May 1990.[4][7] In late 1990 Celebrity Cruises placed an order for a sister ship of the Horizon, delivered in 1992 as Zenith.[4][8]
Merger with Royal Caribbean
Millennium, the lead ship in the Millennium-class ship, renamed Celebrity Millennium in 2008
In 1997, the Chandris family sold their interests in Celebrity Cruises to Royal Caribbean Cruise Line,[9] leading to the formation of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. as a holding company to keep both brands separate, and the renaming of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line to Royal Caribbean International.[4] During the same year Celebrity Cruises took delivery of the first Century class vessel, Century, that was followed by Galaxy in 1996 and Mercury in 1997.[8] Following the delivery of the Mercury, the Meridian was sold to Singapore-based Sun Cruises. Between 2000 and 2002 Celebrity took delivery of a quartet of new ships, the gas turbine-powered and aptly named Millennium class ships Millennium, Infinity, Summit and Constellation.[8] The Celebrity Expeditions sub-brand was launched in 2001 with the acquisition of Celebrity Xpedition, a small boutique ship offering specialized cruises around the Galápagos Islands.[10] In 2005, the Horizon was transferred to the fleet Royal Caribbean's United Kingdom-based subsidiary Island Cruises.[7] In the same year, the first ship of what was to be named Solstice class was ordered from Meyer Werft.[11] By 2007, three more ships of this class were on order.[12]
In 2006, plans were made to transfer Blue Moon and Blue Dream from the fleet of Pullmantur Cruises to Celebrity Cruises under the names of Celebrity Quest and Celebrity Journey. The ships would have joined the Celebrity Expeditions sub-brand,[13][14] but in the end the decision was made to form an entirely new line, Azamara Cruises, to operate these ships in 2007.[15] Also in 2007 the Zenith was transferred to Pullmantur Cruises 'in exchange' for the Azamara ships.[13] Transfer of the Zenith also meant the end of Celebrity Cruises' association with Bermuda for the time being, as no ship was brought in to replace her on the cruises to Bermuda.[16] In April 2010, The Celebrity Summit reposition yearly to New Jersey and offers cruises to Bermuda.[17]
Celebrity Solstice, the lead ship in the Solstice-Class
In 2007-2008, all of Celebrity Cruises' ships were renamed with a "Celebrity" prefix added to the pre-existing ship names.[8][18] Celebrity Solstice, the first ship in the new Solstice class, was delivered to Celebrity on 24 October 2008.[19] In May 2009 Galaxy was transferred to the fleet of TUI Cruises, a joint venture between Celebrity Cruises' owner Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and TUI AG and renamed as Mein Schiff.[20] Two more Solstice Class ships entered service – the Celebrity Equinox in 2009 and the Celebrity Eclipse in 2010.
Celebrity Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line embarkation point, Port of Seattle Bell Street Pier
In 2011, Celebrity Mercury was sold by Celebrity fleet to become Mein Schiff 2 for TUI Cruises.[21] The fourth Solstice Class ship the Celebrity Silhouette entered service in 2011. The Celebrity Reflection was delivered in 2012.
In 2014, Celebrity Cruises launched a blog called Catalyst, which covers travel, fashion and culture.[22]
In April 2015, Celebrity's oldest ship, the Celebrity Century departed the fleet.[23]
On 4 December 2014, Celebrity Cruises signed of a letter of intent for a new class of vessels. The two 2,900-guest, 117,000 GT ships, will be developed under the project name EDGE and will build upon the brand's Millennium and Solstice class vessels. The company expects delivery of the first ship in fall 2018, with the second vessel delivered in the early part of 2020.[24]
In December 2014, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo (after 32 years working for Celebrity Cruises) was promoted to president and Chief Executive Officer. Making her "the first woman to be named CEO of a major cruise line".[25][26][27]
On 14 March 2016, Celebrity Cruises announced the planned acquisition of Galápagos Islands tour operator Ocean Adventures and its two ships, the 48-guest M/V Eclipse and the 16-guest catamaran M/C Athala II. The move expands Celebrity's guest capacity in the Galápagos by 65 percent.[28]
Celebrity Cruises announced on 11 October 2017, that it will perform legal same-sex marriages on its ships while in international waters following the legalization of same-sex marriage in Malta, where most of the Celebrity fleet is registered.[29] The company already hosted same-sex marriages while docked in jurisdictions where they are legal, but the change in Maltese law allowed the company's captains to perform legally recognized marriages while in international waters.[30]
In July 2018, the company announced its intention to invest more than $500 million to refurbish all ships in the company's fleet.[31]
Awards
Recent Travel awards include
"Best Premium Cruise Line" 2016 by Travel Weekly[32]
"Best Europe Cruise Line" 2016 by Travel Weekly[32]
Fleet
Current fleet
Millennium class
Main article: Millennium-class cruise ship
Ship Entered service
for Celebrity Capacity Gross tonnage Flag Notes Image
Celebrity Millennium 2000 2,137 91,000 GT Malta Previously Millennium, renamed in 2008.
Refitted in 2019[33]
Celebrity Millennium at Kurushima Strait (cropped) (cropped).jpg
Celebrity Infinity 2001 2,170 91,000 GT Malta Previously Infinity, renamed in 2007. GTS Celebrity Infinity 2014 Ushuaia.JPG
Celebrity Summit 2001 2,158 91,000 GT Malta Previously Summit, renamed in 2008.
Refitted in 2019[34]
GTS Summit in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada May 19, 2006.jpg
Celebrity Constellation 2002 2,170 91,000 GT Malta Previously Constellation, renamed in 2007. Celebrity Constellation (ship, 2002) 001.jpg
Solstice class
Main article: Solstice-class cruise ship
Ship Entered service
for Celebrity Capacity Gross tonnage Flag Notes Image
Celebrity Solstice 2008 2,850 121,878 GT Malta First ship in the class M-S Celebrity Solstice.jpg
Celebrity Equinox 2009 2,850 121,878 GT Malta Refitted in 2019[35] CelebrityEquinox-maidenvoyage.jpg
Celebrity Eclipse 2010 2,850 121,878 GT Malta Celebrity Eclipse-1.jpg
Celebrity Silhouette 2011 2,886 122,210 GT Malta Celebrity Silhouette San Juan.JPG
Celebrity Reflection 2012 3,046 125,366 GT Malta Celebrity's biggest cruise ship (by passenger count). Awarded "Best Premium Cruise Ship" by Travel Weekly[32] CelebrityReflection.jpg
Edge class
Main article: Edge-class cruise ship
Ship Entered service
for Celebrity Capacity Gross tonnage Flag Notes Image
Celebrity Edge 2018 2,918 130,818 GT Malta First ship in the class, largest in fleet by tonnage Celebrity Edge - Sept 2018 (cropped).jpg
Xpedition class
Ship Entered service
for Celebrity Capacity Gross tonnage Flag Notes Image
Celebrity Xpedition 2001 96 2,842 GT Ecuador Last refurbished in September 2015 Xpedition Galapagos.jpg
Celebrity Xperience 2017 48 1,610 GT Ecuador Inaugural date is March 2017
Celebrity Xploration 2017 - 319.5 GT Ecuador Inaugural date is March 2017
Celebrity Flora 2019 100 5,739 GT Ecuador [36]
Future ships
Ship Class Enters service
with Celebrity Capacity Gross tonnage Flag Notes
Celebrity Apex[37] Edge Spring 2020 2,918 129,500 GT Malta [38]
TBA Edge Fall 2021 2,918 129,500 GT Malta
TBA Edge Fall 2022 2,918 129,500 GT Malta [38]
TBA Edge Fall 2024 2,918 129,500 GT Malta [38]
Retired ships
Ship Class Years in service Tonnage* Status after Celebrity Image
Meridian 1990–1997 30,440 GRT Burnt and sank at the Straits of Malacca in 1999 as the Sun Vista for Sun Cruises.[39] "Meridian" - San Blas Islands, 1993.jpg
Horizon Horizon class 1990–2005 46,811 GT From 2005 to 2009, Island Star for Island Cruises. From 2009 to 2012, sailed for Pullmantur Cruises. From 2012 to 2017 sailed for CDF Croisières de France.[40] Returned to Pullmantur Cruises fleet in 2017, in service for Pullmantur 2017 to present. "Horizon" - Norfolk.jpg
Zenith Horizon class 1992–2007 47,255 GT From 2007 to 2014 sailing for Pullmantur Cruises. From 2014 to 2017 sailed for CDF Croisières de France.[41] Returned to Pullmantur Cruises fleet in 2017, in service for Pullmantur 2017 to present. Zenith at Ocho Rios.jpg
Galaxy
/Celebrity Galaxy Century class 1996–2009 76,522 GT Entered service with TUI Cruises as Mein Schiff in May 2009.[42] Will transfer to Marella Cruises as Marella Explorer in May 2018. Celebrity galaxy ship.jpeg
Celebrity Mercury Century class 1997–2011 77,713 GT Entered service with TUI Cruises as Mein Schiff 2 in February 2011.[21] Celebrity Mercury at Cabo San Lucas 1.jpg
Celebrity Century Century class 1995–2015 71,545 GT Transferred to Ctrip in April 2015. Sold to Marella Cruises, will sail as Marella Explorer 2 in late 2018.
Contents
History
Celebrity Cruises was founded in April 1988 as a subsidiary of the Greece-based Chandris Group to operate upmarket cruise ships to Bermuda.[4][5] Chandris had been involved in cruise traffic since the 1960s,[3] and during the late 1980s the company operated in the United States market under the brand name Chandris Cruises. Chandris Fantasy Cruises targeted the lower end of the cruise passenger market, with fleets consisting of second-hand ocean liners.[6] Celebrity Cruises came into existence when, in April 1988, Home Lines, at the time one of the world's leading premium cruise lines, was sold to Holland America Line. Home Lines' ships had held two of the five contracts offered by the Government of Bermuda to cruise lines, giving the ships priority berthing arrangement and unlimited access of sail to the islands in exchange for the ships sailing to Bermuda between April and October each year. Although these contracts were highly valued, Holland America Line decided to withdraw the former Home Lines ships from this service, leaving an opening for two new ships to gain access. Chandris wanted to acquire the contracts, but the Government of Bermuda was only willing to award them to upmarket cruise lines, which Chandris Fantasy Cruises was not.[4]
In order to gain the Bermuda Government contracts, Chandris created Celebrity Cruises and immediately began negotiating with the Bermuda Government in April 1988. As a result of the negotiations, Celebrity Cruises was awarded the contract for two ships for a five-year period beginning in 1990 [4] In order to fulfill the contract, Chandris Fantasy Cruises' Galileo was rebuilt at Lloyd Werft, Germany in 1989, re-entering service as Meridian for Celebrity Cruises in February 1990.[4][2] As the second ship Horizon, that had been ordered in 1988 as a replacement for Amerikanis in the Chandris Fantasy fleet, was transferred to Celebrity Cruises fleet, entering service in May 1990.[4][7] In late 1990 Celebrity Cruises placed an order for a sister ship of the Horizon, delivered in 1992 as Zenith.[4][8]
Merger with Royal Caribbean
Millennium, the lead ship in the Millennium-class ship, renamed Celebrity Millennium in 2008
In 1997, the Chandris family sold their interests in Celebrity Cruises to Royal Caribbean Cruise Line,[9] leading to the formation of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. as a holding company to keep both brands separate, and the renaming of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line to Royal Caribbean International.[4] During the same year Celebrity Cruises took delivery of the first Century class vessel, Century, that was followed by Galaxy in 1996 and Mercury in 1997.[8] Following the delivery of the Mercury, the Meridian was sold to Singapore-based Sun Cruises. Between 2000 and 2002 Celebrity took delivery of a quartet of new ships, the gas turbine-powered and aptly named Millennium class ships Millennium, Infinity, Summit and Constellation.[8] The Celebrity Expeditions sub-brand was launched in 2001 with the acquisition of Celebrity Xpedition, a small boutique ship offering specialized cruises around the Galápagos Islands.[10] In 2005, the Horizon was transferred to the fleet Royal Caribbean's United Kingdom-based subsidiary Island Cruises.[7] In the same year, the first ship of what was to be named Solstice class was ordered from Meyer Werft.[11] By 2007, three more ships of this class were on order.[12]
In 2006, plans were made to transfer Blue Moon and Blue Dream from the fleet of Pullmantur Cruises to Celebrity Cruises under the names of Celebrity Quest and Celebrity Journey. The ships would have joined the Celebrity Expeditions sub-brand,[13][14] but in the end the decision was made to form an entirely new line, Azamara Cruises, to operate these ships in 2007.[15] Also in 2007 the Zenith was transferred to Pullmantur Cruises 'in exchange' for the Azamara ships.[13] Transfer of the Zenith also meant the end of Celebrity Cruises' association with Bermuda for the time being, as no ship was brought in to replace her on the cruises to Bermuda.[16] In April 2010, The Celebrity Summit reposition yearly to New Jersey and offers cruises to Bermuda.[17]
Celebrity Solstice, the lead ship in the Solstice-Class
In 2007-2008, all of Celebrity Cruises' ships were renamed with a "Celebrity" prefix added to the pre-existing ship names.[8][18] Celebrity Solstice, the first ship in the new Solstice class, was delivered to Celebrity on 24 October 2008.[19] In May 2009 Galaxy was transferred to the fleet of TUI Cruises, a joint venture between Celebrity Cruises' owner Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and TUI AG and renamed as Mein Schiff.[20] Two more Solstice Class ships entered service – the Celebrity Equinox in 2009 and the Celebrity Eclipse in 2010.
Celebrity Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line embarkation point, Port of Seattle Bell Street Pier
In 2011, Celebrity Mercury was sold by Celebrity fleet to become Mein Schiff 2 for TUI Cruises.[21] The fourth Solstice Class ship the Celebrity Silhouette entered service in 2011. The Celebrity Reflection was delivered in 2012.
In 2014, Celebrity Cruises launched a blog called Catalyst, which covers travel, fashion and culture.[22]
In April 2015, Celebrity's oldest ship, the Celebrity Century departed the fleet.[23]
On 4 December 2014, Celebrity Cruises signed of a letter of intent for a new class of vessels. The two 2,900-guest, 117,000 GT ships, will be developed under the project name EDGE and will build upon the brand's Millennium and Solstice class vessels. The company expects delivery of the first ship in fall 2018, with the second vessel delivered in the early part of 2020.[24]
In December 2014, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo (after 32 years working for Celebrity Cruises) was promoted to president and Chief Executive Officer. Making her "the first woman to be named CEO of a major cruise line".[25][26][27]
On 14 March 2016, Celebrity Cruises announced the planned acquisition of Galápagos Islands tour operator Ocean Adventures and its two ships, the 48-guest M/V Eclipse and the 16-guest catamaran M/C Athala II. The move expands Celebrity's guest capacity in the Galápagos by 65 percent.[28]
Celebrity Cruises announced on 11 October 2017, that it will perform legal same-sex marriages on its ships while in international waters following the legalization of same-sex marriage in Malta, where most of the Celebrity fleet is registered.[29] The company already hosted same-sex marriages while docked in jurisdictions where they are legal, but the change in Maltese law allowed the company's captains to perform legally recognized marriages while in international waters.[30]
In July 2018, the company announced its intention to invest more than $500 million to refurbish all ships in the company's fleet.[31]
Awards
Recent Travel awards include
"Best Premium Cruise Line" 2016 by Travel Weekly[32]
"Best Europe Cruise Line" 2016 by Travel Weekly[32]
Fleet
Current fleet
Millennium class
Main article: Millennium-class cruise ship
Ship Entered service
for Celebrity Capacity Gross tonnage Flag Notes Image
Celebrity Millennium 2000 2,137 91,000 GT Malta Previously Millennium, renamed in 2008.
Refitted in 2019[33]
Celebrity Millennium at Kurushima Strait (cropped) (cropped).jpg
Celebrity Infinity 2001 2,170 91,000 GT Malta Previously Infinity, renamed in 2007. GTS Celebrity Infinity 2014 Ushuaia.JPG
Celebrity Summit 2001 2,158 91,000 GT Malta Previously Summit, renamed in 2008.
Refitted in 2019[34]
GTS Summit in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada May 19, 2006.jpg
Celebrity Constellation 2002 2,170 91,000 GT Malta Previously Constellation, renamed in 2007. Celebrity Constellation (ship, 2002) 001.jpg
Solstice class
Main article: Solstice-class cruise ship
Ship Entered service
for Celebrity Capacity Gross tonnage Flag Notes Image
Celebrity Solstice 2008 2,850 121,878 GT Malta First ship in the class M-S Celebrity Solstice.jpg
Celebrity Equinox 2009 2,850 121,878 GT Malta Refitted in 2019[35] CelebrityEquinox-maidenvoyage.jpg
Celebrity Eclipse 2010 2,850 121,878 GT Malta Celebrity Eclipse-1.jpg
Celebrity Silhouette 2011 2,886 122,210 GT Malta Celebrity Silhouette San Juan.JPG
Celebrity Reflection 2012 3,046 125,366 GT Malta Celebrity's biggest cruise ship (by passenger count). Awarded "Best Premium Cruise Ship" by Travel Weekly[32] CelebrityReflection.jpg
Edge class
Main article: Edge-class cruise ship
Ship Entered service
for Celebrity Capacity Gross tonnage Flag Notes Image
Celebrity Edge 2018 2,918 130,818 GT Malta First ship in the class, largest in fleet by tonnage Celebrity Edge - Sept 2018 (cropped).jpg
Xpedition class
Ship Entered service
for Celebrity Capacity Gross tonnage Flag Notes Image
Celebrity Xpedition 2001 96 2,842 GT Ecuador Last refurbished in September 2015 Xpedition Galapagos.jpg
Celebrity Xperience 2017 48 1,610 GT Ecuador Inaugural date is March 2017
Celebrity Xploration 2017 - 319.5 GT Ecuador Inaugural date is March 2017
Celebrity Flora 2019 100 5,739 GT Ecuador [36]
Future ships
Ship Class Enters service
with Celebrity Capacity Gross tonnage Flag Notes
Celebrity Apex[37] Edge Spring 2020 2,918 129,500 GT Malta [38]
TBA Edge Fall 2021 2,918 129,500 GT Malta
TBA Edge Fall 2022 2,918 129,500 GT Malta [38]
TBA Edge Fall 2024 2,918 129,500 GT Malta [38]
Retired ships
Ship Class Years in service Tonnage* Status after Celebrity Image
Meridian 1990–1997 30,440 GRT Burnt and sank at the Straits of Malacca in 1999 as the Sun Vista for Sun Cruises.[39] "Meridian" - San Blas Islands, 1993.jpg
Horizon Horizon class 1990–2005 46,811 GT From 2005 to 2009, Island Star for Island Cruises. From 2009 to 2012, sailed for Pullmantur Cruises. From 2012 to 2017 sailed for CDF Croisières de France.[40] Returned to Pullmantur Cruises fleet in 2017, in service for Pullmantur 2017 to present. "Horizon" - Norfolk.jpg
Zenith Horizon class 1992–2007 47,255 GT From 2007 to 2014 sailing for Pullmantur Cruises. From 2014 to 2017 sailed for CDF Croisières de France.[41] Returned to Pullmantur Cruises fleet in 2017, in service for Pullmantur 2017 to present. Zenith at Ocho Rios.jpg
Galaxy
/Celebrity Galaxy Century class 1996–2009 76,522 GT Entered service with TUI Cruises as Mein Schiff in May 2009.[42] Will transfer to Marella Cruises as Marella Explorer in May 2018. Celebrity galaxy ship.jpeg
Celebrity Mercury Century class 1997–2011 77,713 GT Entered service with TUI Cruises as Mein Schiff 2 in February 2011.[21] Celebrity Mercury at Cabo San Lucas 1.jpg
Celebrity Century Century class 1995–2015 71,545 GT Transferred to Ctrip in April 2015. Sold to Marella Cruises, will sail as Marella Explorer 2 in late 2018.
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