8. Celebrity Cruises Unveils its 2013 European Season

In the summer of 2013, Celebrity Cruises will bring Solstice Class style to Alaska for the first time. Six Solsitce Class ships will visit 25 countries from seven departure ports and visit a total of 88 destinations in Europe alone, six representing Celebrity firsts.

The first-time destinations include Liverpool, England; Waterford, Ireland; Torshavn, Faroe Islands; Varna, Bulgaria; Sevastopol; and Kristiansand, Norway.

Celebrity’s summer 2013 Europe portfolio:

·        Celebrity Reflection – Sails in October of this year, complete with the brand’s first “Signature Suites” and two-bedroom “Reflection Suite,” complete with a sea-view bathroom extending out over the edge of the ship, a veranda tub with rain shower, and panoramic views courtesy of the wraparound veranda. Reflection will present a full season of 10- and 11-night sailings roundtrip from Rome. The 10-night itinerary features visits to Sicily, Italy; Athens, Greece and the Greek Isles, and Kusadasi, Turkey, while the 11-night sailing also features an overnight stay in Istanbul.

·        Celebrity Silhouette – Offers a blend of 10- to 13-night roundtrip sailings from Venice, as well as voyages to and from Venice and/or Rome.

·        Celebrity Infinity – The second of four Millennium Class ships to complete Celebrity’s $140-million ‘Solsticizing’ initiative offers the Celebrity iLounge, the Qsine specialty restaurant and AquaClass accommodations with access to the Mediterranean specialty restaurant, Blu. Infinity will make her European debut in 2013, offering new 10- and 11-night British Isles, Norwegian Fjords and Iceland & Fjords itineraries roundtrip from Harwich, England. In September 2013, Celebrity Infinity will present the “Immersive Europe Wine Cruises” that premiere on Celebrity Constellation this fall during harvest season, complete with overnight stays in Paris/Normandy (Le Havre), France; Bilbao, Spain; and Bordeaux (Le Verdon), France.

·        Celebrity Constellation – From May through August 2013 will present seven Scandinavia/Russia cruises, an Arctic Circle voyage and a Norwegian Fjords sailing, all roundtrip from Amsterdam. Then, from Istanbul, the ship will set sail on two new 12-night Black Sea & Greek Isles sailings, highlighted by an overnight stay in Odessa, Ukraine; visits to Sevastopol and Yalta, Ukraine, and Celebrity’s first visit to Varna, Bulgaria. Celebrity Constellation will round out her summer season with four 12-night Greek Isles & Turkey voyages, all roundtrip from Istanbul.

·        Celebrity Equinox – Will present a full season of 12-night sailings roundtrip from Barcelona, Spain, with the majority of the cruises featuring visits to Florence (Livorno), Naples and Adriatic ports, in addition to an overnight stay in Venice. The ship’s alternating itineraries include visits to Naples, Athens, Ephesus (Kusadasi), the Greek Isles and Valletta, Malta.

·        Celebrity Eclipse – Will continue to offer a mix of 14-night Mediterranean, Scandinavia/Russia, Iceland/Norwegian Fjords and Canary Islands/Azores holidays roundtrip from Southampton. The ship’s Baltic season in 2013 will be expanded with the Iceland/Norwegian Fjords itinerary featuring an overnight stay in Reykjavik, Iceland, and a full-day visit to Akureyri, Iceland.

Celebrity’s summer Cruisetour options in Europe in 2013 range from 12 to 18 nights in length, when pairing the cruise and land-based experience, and include six tour patterns, all escorted by tour directors. Among the highlights are a new four-night Istanbul and Cappadocia, Turkey, package; Italian experiences in Lake Como, Venice, Florence and Rome; options in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain; and Northern Europe packages featuring stays in London, Paris and Amsterdam.

Celebrity’s summer 2013 Northern Europe vacations open for booking March 16, 2012, with its summer 2013 European vacations opening for booking beginning March 27, 2012.

The 2,850-guest Celebrity Solstice will become the first of its class to offer vacations in Alaska in the summer of 2013, joining Celebrity Century and Celebrity Millennium.

·        Celebrity Solstice will present seven-night Tracy Arm Fjord sailings roundtrip from Seattle, with visits to the Alaskan towns of Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, as well as Victoria, British Columbia, and transiting the Inside Passage. Preceding the Alaska season will be a nine-night “West Coast Wine Cruise” from Ensenada, Mexico, to Seattle in May, and rounding out the season will be a 10-night “America’s Cup Wine Cruise” in September.

·        Celebrity Millennium – the fourth Millennium Class ship to complete Celebrity’s Solsticizing initiative this year will reprise Celebrity’s in-demand, alternating Northbound and Southbound seven-night Alaska sailings between Vancouver and Seward, highlighted by spending several hours near the Hubbard Glacier.

·        Celebrity Century – the first ship to debut the Martini Bar will reprise her summer series of seven-night Hubbard Glacier vacations roundtrip from Vancouver from May through August, 2013. The ship’s Alaska season will be capped with an 11-night “Ultimate Alaska” voyage departing roundtrip from Vancouver Sept. 15, 2013, including visits to Prince Rupert and Victoria, British Columbia. A special 11-night Wine Cruise will be offered Sept. 26 from Vancouver, ending in San Diego.

Celebrity’s 10- to 13-night Cruisetour packages in the summer of 2013 will include 16 tour patterns associated with Celebrity Millennium’s Northbound and Southbound Alaska sailings. All Cruisetours – including the new “Alaska Family Style Cruisetour” – visit Denali National Park, with six including a two-night stay in Denali, while 15 include travel on Celebrity’s plush Wilderness Express domed railcars. All Celebrity Alaska Cruisetours are escorted by personal Tour Directors.

Rounding out Celebrity’s 2013 summer season: Bermuda and the Galapagos Islands.

·        Celebrity Summit – Will return to Cape Liberty, N.J. in 2013 to present its fourth season of Celebrity’s seven-night vacation experiences to Bermuda. The ship will cap the season with three 14-night Canada & New England vacations beginning in September, featuring to two full days in Quebec City, Quebec. Celebrity’s 2013 Bermuda bookings open April 11, 2012.

·        The 96-guest Celebrity Xpedition – Will continue to offer vacation experiences in the Galapagos Islands. Bookings are open.

For more information, visit www.celebritycruises.com.