New Ships in the Old World: Celebrity Cruises' Solstice Class Ships to Summer in Europe
Europe and Alaska itineraries to open for sale, offering loyalty program members opportunity to be first to experience newest ship
For those who have swooned over Celebrity Cruises' stylish new Solstice-class ships since their introduction in 2008, the year 2011 will be the summer of love. Inspired by its new brand platform, "Designed for you," Celebrity Cruises has created a destination line-up for the summer of 2011 that will place all four of its Solstice-class ships – including Celebrity Silhouette, which will set sail next year – in Europe at the same time, for the first time.
The move marks the return of the widely lauded Celebrity Solstice – the class's flagship vessel – to Europe. Celebrity's 2011 Europe season also will include a series of new seven-night Mediterranean voyages on Celebrity Constellation, which will undergo a series of refreshments inspired by the Solstice-class vessels, later this month. Celebrity's 2011 summer voyages and cruisetours will open for sale beginning tomorrow and continuing through the coming weeks. Celebrity's Captain's Club members can be the first to book voyages on Celebrity Silhouette in Europe and, in a Solstice-class first, in the Caribbean out of Bayonne, New Jersey, in the winter of 2011-12. Celebrity opened its summer Bermuda voyages – 7-night roundtrip sailings from Bayonne, New Jersey, on Celebrity Summit – on March 10.
"We believe our summer destination line-up perfectly complements our commitment to designing cruise vacations around our guests' interests – a commitment that is central to our brand platform, 'Designed for you,'" said Dan Hanrahan, President and CEO, Celebrity Cruises. "Our guests told us what they wanted in ship design, cuisine, accommodations and innovations, and we designed our Solstice-class ships around those desires. Our guests said that they want to experience that same style on our other ships, and we committed to invest $200 million to "Solsticize," or refit, our Millennium-class ships to reflect some of the Solstice-class venues and design attributes. Now, we have designed a dynamic new cruise calendar valued by discerning cruisers and reflective of the same level of service and sophistication we offer onboard."
When Celebrity Silhouette sets sail for the first time in July 2011, she will offer a unique maiden voyage from Hamburg to Rome and a special nine-night Mediterranean voyage. Then, she will offer a series of 12- and 13-night Holy Land sailings roundtrip out of Rome. Celebrity Equinox also will sail from Rome, offering 10- and 11-night roundtrip Mediterranean cruises.
Celebrity Solstice, offering summer Caribbean voyages out of Fort Lauderdale in the summer of 2010, will return to Europe next summer with a series of 12 night round-trip itineraries out of Barcelona, and Celebrity Eclipse – launching next month in Southampton, England – will offer a similar line-up from that same port in 2011. The 2011 Europe cruises on Celebrity Solstice, and Celebrity Equinox will open for sale to the general public beginning tomorrow; Celebrity Eclipse is already open for booking.
In another Solstice-class first, Celebrity Silhouette will sail from Cape Liberty (Bayonne), New Jersey, offering cruisers throughout the Northeast easy driving access to a vacation on the newest ship in the line's award-winning fleet. After Celebrity Silhouette makes her debut in Europe, she will homeport in Cape Liberty (Bayonne), New Jersey during the winter of 2011-12, with a series of 12-night Caribbean voyages. Members of Celebrity's loyalty program, Captain's Club, will have exclusive first-booking rights to Celebrity Silhouette's 2011-12 summer and winter itineraries, beginning tomorrow, through April 19.
