CRUISE NEWS
Celebrity Eclipse will sail from Southampton in 2010 to Med and northern Europe
Ex-UK Celebrity ship
is set to double sales
Jane Archer
Celebrity Cruises aims to
double its UK sales as a result
of the cruiseline’s decision to
offer ex-UK cruises for the fi rst
time in 2010.
Celebrity Eclipse will be
based in Southampton for
summer 2010, offering voyages
to the Mediterranean and
northern Europe, as well as
short taster cruises.
The ex-UK cruises were
unveiled to 75 top-selling UK
cruise agents attending the
launch of new ship Celebrity
Solstice in Fort Lauderdale.
Celebrity Cruises vice-president
and managing director
UK and Ireland Robin Shaw
said the move will mark a step
change for the company.
He said: “It will do for
Celebrity in the UK what
Legend of the Seas did for Royal
Caribbean International when
we fi rst launched cruises from
Southampton in 2005.
“The trade and consumers
could see Royal Caribbean was
serious about the UK market,
and the same will happen with
Celebrity.”
Shaw said sales for Royal
Caribbean are about four times
higher than for Celebrity, but
added: “We can start to close
the gap in the fi rst season,
from July to November 2010.
By the close of 2011, after a full
10 | Travel Weekly | November 21 2008
The ex-UK cruises were announced at Celebrity Solstice’s naming ceremony in Fort Lauderdale
season ex-UK, we should at
least have doubled volumes
for Celebrity.”
Celebrity Cruises associate
vice-president and general
manager UK and Ireland Jo
Rzymowska said the UK offi ce
has been pushing to get a Celebrity
ship ex-UK, but admitted
she never expected head
offi ce to allocate a new vessel.
Celebrity Eclipse will be the
third of fi ve Solstice-class
ships. The fi rst, Celebrity Solstice,
was named in Fort Lauderdale
on November 14. It
will be followed in July 2009
Solstice is all about ‘luxury and indulgence’
The launch of Celebrity Solstice
marks the end of a six-year
break in new ship building for
Celebrity Cruises.
At 122,000 tons and with
capacity for 2,850 passengers,
the vessel is the largest in the
Celebrity fl eet – 31,000 tons
bigger than the cruiseline’s
Millennium-class ships.
Celebrity Cruises’ associate
vice-president and general
manager UK and Ireland Jo
Rzymowska said: “There was a
fear among agents that Solstice
would be too big, but it’s just
not the case. Royal Caribbean
is all about families and activities;
this is for clients who want
luxury and indulgence.”
Celebrity Solstice is the fi rst
Travel Counsellors on board Celebrity Solstice at its launch in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s
Michael English (centre, front row)
“After a full season
ex-UK [end of
2011], we should
at least have
doubled volumes
for Celebrity”
by Celebrity Equinox, which
will be named in Southampton
after a week of ship visits by
thousands of UK agents.
Celebrity Eclipse will sail
from the shipyard in Germany
to Southampton in July 2010.
Another two Solstice-class
Read
Jane Archer’s
blog at
www.travelweekly.
co.uk/cruiselines
8
ships launch in 2011 and 2012.
Rzymowska said: “People
who know Celebrity love it, but
not enough people know it. We
are growing the cruise market
with Royal Caribbean and this
is the right time to have a
luxury ship like this sailing
from the UK. This is a vote of
confi dence for the market.”
Itineraries for Celebrity
Eclipse will be announced in
January and go on sale in March
2009. A Celebrity Solstice module
will go live on the company’s
Cruising for Excellence training
programme early next year.
cruise ship in the world to have
real grass on the top deck
where passengers can play
croquet or French boules. It
also has a glass-blowing studio
where there will be live demonstrations
and is the fi rst Celebrity
ship to have spa cabins.
Passengers in AquaClass
cabins, positioned near the
spa, get more luxurious towels
and bathrobes, and exclusive
access to the Persian Garden
thermal suite and Blu restaurant,
which serves a healthy
range of food.
As well as Murano’s speciality
restaurant, which is on
other Celebrity ships, there are
three other places to eat away
from the main dining room.
WHAT THE
AGENTS SAID
“This ship is
a star above
the rest of the
Celebrity fl eet.
It’s light and
airy and every
nook and cranny has been
well designed. They’ve not
missed anything. The
restaurant designs are the
best. The food and service is
also better than on other
Celebrity ships. Our clients
will love this.”
Chas Simmons,
marketing manager, Cruise
Finders, Bournemouth
“This is my
fi rst time on
a Celebrity
ship and I’m
impressed.
The food and
service are good – it’s the
right balance between
friendly and getting the job
done. Service is a little more
reserved than on other cruise
ships, but that will suit the
UK market. There are a lot of
unique features that make it
a great experience.”
Mark Dowling, sales and
marketing manager, Bath
Travel, Bournemouth
“Celebrity is
one of our
top-selling
cruiselines
so I’ve been
on lots of
Celebrity ships, but this
exceeds expectations. It’s
so elegant. It will be well
received with existing
British clients and new-tocruise
customers concerned
about being on a ship with
a lot of other people because
it feels so spacious.”
Joann Kennedy,
franchisee, GoCruise,
Preston, Lancashire
“Celebrity is
big business
for us. I’ve
been on
Celebrity
Century but
this is on another level.
The use of space is spot-on
and everything fl ows well,
especially the speciality
restaurant area. Food and
service has been fi ve-star. I
like the way they have taken
the trays out of the buff et so
it doesn’t feel like a canteen.”
Mike Davies, head of
commercial, Gill’s Cruise
Centre, Cardiff
www.travelweekly.co.uk
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