Celebrity Solstice Takes First Step Toward Launch

Celebrity Cruises has taken its first major step toward physically launching Celebrity Solstice in Fall 2008. The line's President Dan Hanrahan ceremoniously pressed the start button Wednesday for the plasma cutter at shipbuilder Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, creating the ship's first steel plate. The first in a class of three ships, Celebrity Solstice will be a 2,850-guest vessel measuring 1,033 feet in length and 121 feet in width, and will feature larger standard staterooms, a higher percentage of verandas, and an exceptional range of guest-inspired services and amenities.