Celebrity Cruises’ 2012 programme will feature an extended series of overnight port stays to meet increasing demand from customers to spend more time on shore.
The programme will include extended stays in eight new ports including Klaksvik (Faroe Islands), Akureyri (Iceland), Bari, Catania and Ravenna (Italy), Skijolden (Norway), Koper (Slovenia) and Fuerteventura (Canary Islands).
The premium line in the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines family will dedicate four of its newest Solstice-class ships to Europe next year with Celebrity Constellation, which has had Solstice features added, completing the deployment.
In a first for Celebrity the next Solstice-class ship, Celebrity Silhouette, which will launch this summer, will sail out of the Italian port of Venice with a selection of round-trip and open jaw Rome cruises ranging from 11-13 nights from May to August 2012. In mid-August, Silhouette will offer eight Holy Land itineraries from Rome, ranging from 11-14 nights.
Southampton-based Celebrity Eclipse will sail a selection of four 14-night itineraries in the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and Russia, Iceland and Fjords, and Canary Islands and Azores. A new and expanded Baltic season will include cruises to Iceland and the Norwegian Fjords, with an overnight stay in Reykjavik.
Constellation will be based in Amsterdam and will sail cruises to Scandinavia and Russia, the Arctic Circle, and the Norwegian Fjords. Greece and Turkey, and Holy Land cruises complete its programme. Celebrity Solstice, and sister ship Celebrity Equinox will be based in Barcelona and Rome respectively.
As well as extended port stays Celebrity is offering a selection of cruisetour escorted tour packages combining cruises with three- to five-night land-stays in the Mediterranean and northern Europe.
Ports where these are available include Amsterdam, Venice, Paris, the Italian Lakes, Florence, Madrid, London and Cappadiocia, Turkey.
For the fifth consecutive year, Celebrity Century, Celebrity Infinity, and Celebrity Millennium will return to Alaska in the summer of 2012.
A total of 20 Alaska cruisetour packages are on offer including the 18-night “Ultimate Cruisetour,” which includes a six-night pre-cruise Canadian Rockies land tour, a seven-night cruise on Celebrity Millennium from Vancouver to Seward, and a five-night post-cruise escorted Alaska land tour.
Celebrity Summit will return to Bermuda in the summer for a third consecutive season and in September will reposition to offer three 14-night Canada and New England sailings.