Celebrity Cruises
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Celebrity Cruises is a cruise line headquartered in Miami, Florida,<ref>"Contact Us." Celebrity Cruises. Retrieved on 20 January 2010.</ref> and a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group. Celebrity Cruises was founded in 1988 by the Greece-based Chandris Group, and merged with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in 1997.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="MM">Maritime Matters: Sun Vista, retrieved 29. 11. 2007 Template:Webarchive</ref><ref name="Ulrich">Template:Cite book</ref>
History
Chandris Group (1988–1997)
Founding and first ship SS Meridian
Celebrity Cruises was founded in April 1988 as a subsidiary of the Greece-based Chandris Group to operate upmarket cruise ships to Bermuda.<ref name="Plowman">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chandris had been involved in cruise traffic since the 1960s,<ref name="Ulrich" /> 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.<ref name="NineMSN">NineMSN: Cruising: Celebrity Cruises Template:Webarchive, retrieved 29. 11. 2007</ref>
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 to 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 withdrew 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.<ref name=Plowman />
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 five years beginning in 1990<ref name=Plowman /> To fulfill the contract, Chandris Fantasy Cruises' Template:SS was rebuilt at Lloyd Werft, Germany in 1989, re-entering service as the SS Meridian for Celebrity Cruises in February 1990.<ref name=Plowman /><ref name="MM" />
Celebrity Cruises adopted the Chandris "Χ" (the Greek letter Chi, standing for "Chandris"), which was slightly stylized for their logo. The new line advertised itself as a “Luxury Cruising by Design", with the strategy of offering an upscale product with mass-market pricing.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref> The ships would have refined interiors, destinations and dining, which included a partnership with famed chef Michel Roux, a unique thing for a cruise line at the time.<ref name=":5" /> Quoted by then chairman John Chandris, "We will feature comfort and quality, not glitz and glitter."<ref name=":5" />
First new-builds: Horizon and Zenith
Celebrity Cruise's second ship Horizon, which had been ordered in 1988 as a replacement for Template:SS in the Chandris Fantasy fleet, was transferred to Celebrity Cruises fleet, entering service in May 1990.<ref name="Plowman" /><ref name="Horizon">Template:Cite web, retrieved 29. 11. 2007</ref> It would be the line's first purpose-built new build.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In late 1990 Celebrity Cruises placed an order for a sister ship of the Horizon, delivered in 1992 as Template:MV.<ref name="Plowman" /><ref name="FoF">Template:Cite web</ref>
Century class debut
Celebrity ordered a trio of newbuilds at Meyer Werft, known as the Century class, with the first ship, the Century debuting in 1996, followed by the Galaxy and Mercury.<ref name="FoF" /> These would be the last ships designed under the Chandris family management.
Royal Caribbean Group (1997–present)
In 1997, the Chandris family sold its interests in Celebrity Cruises to Royal Caribbean Cruise Line,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> leading to the formation of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (later Royal Caribbean Group) as a holding company to keep both brands separate and the renaming of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line to Royal Caribbean International.<ref name="Plowman" /> Following the delivery of the Mercury, the lines first ship, the Meridian, was sold to Singapore-based Sun Cruises.
Millennium class debut
Between 2000 and 2002, Celebrity took delivery of a quartet of new ships, the first gas turbine-powered cruise ships, and aptly named Millennium-class ships Template:Ship, Template:Ship, Template:Ship and Template:Ship.<ref name="FoF" /> The new class of ship introduced a new hull livery, with dark blue hull, gold stripes, and red accents on the mast and funnel. The livery was short Iived, and after a few years, would revert to Celebrity's original white hull, dark blue stripe color scheme.<ref name="Plowman" />
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The Celebrity Expeditions sub-brand was launched in 2001 with the acquisition of Template:Ship, a small boutique ship offering specialized cruises around the Galápagos Islands.<ref>Ward, Douglas: Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships 2006, page 237. Berlitz Publishing 2006. Template:ISBN</ref> In 2005, the Horizon was transferred to the fleet of Royal Caribbean's United Kingdom-based subsidiary Island Cruises.<ref name="Horizon" /> In the same year, the first ship of what was to be named Solstice class was ordered from Meyer Werft.<ref>Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. press release: Celebrity Cruises Orders New Cruise Ship, Launches Innovative New Class Template:Webarchive, retrieved 29. 11. 2007</ref> By 2007, three more ships of this class were on order.<ref name="Solstice">Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. press release: Celebrity Cruises Announces Fourth Solstice-Class Ship Template:Webarchive, retrieved 29. 11. 2007</ref>
In 2006, plans were made to transfer Template:MS and Template:MS 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,<ref name="Pullmantur">Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. press release: Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Receives Antitrust Approval On Pullmantur Purchase; Announces Celebrity Expeditions And Celebrity, Pullmantur Ship SwapTemplate:Dead link, retrieved 29. 11. 2007</ref><ref>Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. press release: Celebrity Cruises Expands 'Celebrity Expeditions'; Adds Celebrity Quest to Exotic Brand ExtensionTemplate:Dead link, retrieved 29. 11. 2007</ref> but in the end the decision was made to form an entirely new line, Azamara Cruises, to operate these ships in 2007.<ref>Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. press release: Celebrity Cruises Presents New, Deluxe Cruise Line: Azamara Cruises, retrieved 29. 11. 2007</ref> Also, in 2007, the Zenith was transferred to Pullmantur Cruises 'in exchange' for the Azamara ships.<ref name="Pullmantur" /> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In April 2010, The Celebrity Summit began to reposition yearly to New Jersey to offer cruises to Bermuda.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2007–2008, all Celebrity Cruises' ships were renamed with a "Celebrity" prefix added to the pre-existing ship names.<ref name="FoF" /><ref name=Ward>Template:Cite book</ref>
Solstice class debut
Template:Ship, the first ship in the new Solstice class, was delivered to Celebrity on 24 October 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In May 2009 Galaxy was transferred to the fleet of TUI Cruises, a joint venture between Celebrity Cruises' owner Royal Caribbean Group and TUI AG and renamed as Mein Schiff.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Two more Solstice-class ships entered service – the Template:Ship in 2009 and the Template:Ship in 2010.
In 2011, Template:Ship was sold by Celebrity fleet to become Mein Schiff 2 for TUI Cruises.<ref name="cruiseindustrynews.com">Celebrity Mercury to Become Second Ship in TUI Cruises Fleet. Cruise Industry News. Retrieved on 10 December 2011.</ref> The fourth Solstice-class ship the Template:Ship entered service in 2011. The Template:Ship was delivered in 2012.
In 2014, Celebrity Cruises launched a blog called "Catalyst," which covered travel, fashion, and culture.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In April 2015, Celebrity's oldest ship, the Template:Ship, departed the fleet.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Edge class debut
On 4 December 2014, Celebrity Cruises signed a letter of intent for a new class of vessels. The two 2,900-guest, 117,000 GT ships would be developed under the project name EDGE and will build upon the brand's Millennium-class and Solstice-class vessels. The company took delivery of the first Edge-class vessel, the Template:Ship, on 31 October 2018,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> followed by the Template:Ship in 2020, and enlarged stretched Edge-class Template:Ship in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Edge class introduced a new livery for the brand, with blue painted hulls that would be incorporated on the rest of the fleet as part of the Celebrity revolution initiative.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In December 2014, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, a 32-year veteran of Celebrity Cruises, was promoted to president and chief executive officer.
On 14 March 2016, Celebrity Cruises announced the planned acquisition of the Galápagos Islands tour operator Ocean Adventures and its two ships, the 48-guest MV Eclipse (now Celebrity Xperience) and the 16-guest catamaran MC Athala II (now Celebrity Xploration). The move expanded Celebrity's guest capacity in the Galápagos by 65 percent.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
Celebrity Cruises announced on 11 October 2017, that it would 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In July 2018, the company announced its intention to invest more than $500 million to refurbish all Millennium-class and Solstice-class ships in its fleet between 2019 and 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2020, due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, sailings were suspended on various dates in various regions. On 12 January 2021, a report indicated that sailings were suspended worldwide "through April 30, including the May 1 transatlantic cruise on Celebrity Apex". Between May and October 2021, "Europe and transatlantic cruises on Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Constellation will also be suspended May through Oct. 2021".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On 19 March 2021, Celebrity Cruises announced that it would be resuming its North American cruises in June, sailing out of St. Maarten and that to board all adults, including crew, will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Children were allowed to show evidence of a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 26 June, Celebrity Edge became the first cruise ship to leave the United States with ticketed passengers since March 2020. It set sail from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Project Nirvana
In November 2024, it was announced by Celebrity president Laura Hodges Bethge that the line was working on a new class design titled "Project Nirvana", with a potential debut in 2030.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In January 2025, Celebrity announced that they ordered a 6th Edge Class ship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Celebrity River Cruises
On January 28, 2025, Celebrity announced Celebrity River Cruises with an order of 10 transformative ships that with an "elevated design and sophistication of the Edge Series".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The ships are being built at the TeamCo Shipyard, the Netherlands,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with the first ships debuting in 2027 sailing on the Rhine and Danube.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":6">Template:Cite web</ref>
In September 2025, it was announced the names of the first two new river ships to be Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker as part of an official press release showing itineraries, deck plans, and the first images of the new ships.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Fleet
Current fleet
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Future fleet
A new class named Nirvana is planned,<ref name=":7">Template:Cite web</ref> and Celebrity has announced they are building ships for the river cruising market,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> expected to start service in 2027:
| Ship | Class | Shipyard | Enters service with Celebrity |
Capacity | Gross tonnage | Flag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celebrity Xcite<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Edge | Chantiers de l'Atlantique, France | 2028 | 3,200 | Template:GT | Template:Flag | Sister ship to Celebrity Xcel<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Steel cutting October 23, 2025 |
| TBA | Project Nirvana | TBA | 2030 | TBA | TBA | Template:Flag | New Class of ship<ref name=":7" /> |
River Fleet
| Ship | Class | Shipyard | Enters service with Celebrity<ref name=":6" /> |
Capacity | Gross tonnage | Flag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celebrity Compass | "River Class" | TeamCo Shipyard, Netherlands<ref name=":8">Template:Cite web</ref> | 2027 | 180<ref name=":6" /> | TBA | TBA | New river class of ship. |
| Celebrity Seeker | "River Class" | TeamCo Shipyard, Netherlands<ref name=":8" /> | 2027 | 180<ref name=":6" /> | TBA | TBA | |
| TBA | "River Class" | TeamCo Shipyard, Netherlands<ref name=":8" /> | 2028 | 180<ref name=":6" /> | TBA | TBA | |
| TBA | "River Class" | TeamCo Shipyard, Netherlands<ref name=":8" /> | 2028 | 180<ref name=":6" /> | TBA | TBA | |
| TBA | "River Class" | TeamCo Shipyard, Netherlands<ref name=":8" /> | 2028 | 180<ref name=":6" /> | TBA | TBA | |
| TBA | "River Class" | TeamCo Shipyard, Netherlands<ref name=":8" /> | 2028 | 180<ref name=":6" /> | TBA | TBA | |
| TBA | "River Class" | TeamCo Shipyard, Netherlands<ref name=":8" /> | 2029 | 180<ref name=":6" /> | TBA | TBA | |
| TBA | "River Class" | TeamCo Shipyard, Netherlands<ref name=":8" /> | 2029 | 180<ref name=":6" /> | TBA | TBA | |
| TBA | "River Class" | TeamCo Shipyard, Netherlands<ref name=":8" /> | 2029 | 180<ref name=":6" /> | TBA | TBA | |
| TBA | "River Class" | TeamCo Shipyard, Netherlands<ref name=":8" /> | 2029 | 180<ref name=":6" /> | TBA | TBA |
Former fleet
| Ship | Class | Years in service | Tonnage* | Status after Celebrity | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meridian | 1990–1997 | Template:GRT | From 1997 to 1999, Sun Vista for Sun Cruises. Burned and sank in the Straits of Malacca in May 1999.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
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| Template:MV | Horizon class | 1990–2005 | Template:GT | From 2005 to 2009, Island Star for Island Cruises. From 2009 to 2012, Horizon for Pullmantur Cruises. From 2012 to 2017, L'Horizon for CDF Croisières de France.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From 2017 to 2020, Horizon for Pullmantur Cruises. Scrapped at Aliağa in 2022 as Ori. |
File:MV Horizon Bermuda 1.jpg |
| Template:MV | Horizon class | 1992–2007 | Template:GT | From 2007 to 2014, Zenith for Pullmantur Cruises. From 2014 to 2017, Zenith for CDF Croisières de France.<ref>Template:Csr</ref> From 2017 to 2020, Zenith for Pullmantur Cruises. From 2020 to 2022, The Zenith for Peace Boat. From 2022 to 2022, TSM Singapore. Scrapped at Alang in 2022 as Singa. |
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| Celebrity Galaxy | Century class | 1996–2009 | Template:GT | Galaxy from 1996 to 2008. From 2009 to 2010, Mein Schiff for TUI Cruises.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Renamed Mein Schiff 1 in 2010 and operated for TUI until 2018. From 2018 onwards, Marella Explorer for Marella Cruises. |
File:Celebrity galaxy ship.jpeg |
| Template:MV | Century class | 1997–2011 | Template:GT | Mercury from 1997 to 2008 From 2011 to 2019, Mein Schiff 2 for TUI Cruises.<ref name="cruiseindustrynews.com"/> Renamed Mein Schiff Herz in 2019. From 2023 onwards, Marella Voyager for Marella Cruises<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
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| Celebrity Century | Century class | 1995–2015 | Template:GT | Century from 1995 to 2008 From 2015 to 2019, SkySea Golden Era for Sky Sea Cruise Line. From 2019 onwards, Marella Explorer 2 for Marella Cruises. |
File:CelebrityCruises Century.jpg |
| Celebrity Xperience | 2017–2019 | Template:GT | Operated as Eclipse for Ocean Adventures until 2016.<ref name=":4" /> Integrated into Celebrity's fleet in March 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> First reported to likely be sold in November 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Replaced by Celebrity Xpedition in 2019 following XpeditionTemplate:'s re-entry into service.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> |
||
| Celebrity Xpedition | 2001–2025 | Template:GT | Capacity reduced from 100 to 48 in 2019 to meet Ecuador permit requirements.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Sold to Lindblad Expeditions in early 2025 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (National Geographic Gemini)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
File:Xpedition Galapagos.jpg | |
| Celebrity Xploration | 2017–2025 | Template:GT | Operated as Athala II for Ocean Adventures until 2016.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Sold to Lindblad Expeditions in early 2025 (National Geographic Delfina)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
References
External links
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