Warm, Exotic Places and Modern Luxury the Focus of Celebrity Cruises' 2013-14 Winter Destination Lineup

MIAMI, March 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- There's no better time than winter to seek out sun-soaked, exotic destinations, and there's no better way to experience them than immersed in modern luxury. That's exactly what Celebrity Cruises is offering with its 2013-14 winter itinerary line-up, which will feature a multitude of ways to make the most of precious vacation time on its stunning, award-winning ships, six in the Caribbean and five around the globe in Australia and New Zealand, the Galapagos Islands, Hawaii, South America and the South Pacific. During the winter season, Celebrity Cruises' guests will visit 170 ports in 42 countries from 20 different departure ports, while enjoying open and airy onboard spaces with careful attention to detail, luxurious accommodations, fresh and innovative cuisine, and genuine and personalized service. Celebrity also will offer a variety of cruisetour vacation options, pairing a land-based experience with a cruise to create the ultimate winter getaway.

Varied itineraries expand modern luxury getaway options

Unique elements of Celebrity's 2013-14 winter destination offerings will include a 35-night circumnavigation cruise of Australia and New Zealand, departing from Auckland, New Zealand in February 2014 and ending in Sydney, Australia in March 2014. This trip of a lifetime will take place on Celebrity Solstice, the ship that introduced modern luxury style and design to the cruise industry when she debuted in 2008. Celebrity Solstice also will offer two Pacific Island cruises roundtrip from Sydney in October 2013 and April 2014, featuring stops at ports such as Lautoka and Suva, Fiji; Lifou, Loyalty Islands; and Noumea and Isles of Pines, New Caledonia.

A new offering will be four- and five-night Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida on Celebrity Constellation, which was "Solsticized" in drydock last year to include guest-favorite enhancements such as the Tuscan Grille specialty restaurant, CellarMasters wine bar and Cafe al Bacio and Gelateria, among other venues. Prior to the 2013-14 winter season, new AquaClass accommodations with exclusive access to the Mediterranean specialty restaurant, Blu, will be added to the ship. Celebrity Constellation will offer Bahamas cruises featuring stops in Key West, Florida and Nassau, Bahamas, and Western Caribbean itineraries featuring stops in Key West and Cozumel, Mexico, all roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale from December 2013 through April 2014.

Also new will be a series of cruises out of Los Angeles on Celebrity Century, for the first time since 2010. Hawaii departures and an entirely new Pacific Costal Wine Cruise itinerary which will visit the new port of Santa Barbara, California, and will include an overnight stay in San Francisco, are highlights of Celebrity Century's October 2013 to May 2014 West Coast season. While in the region, Celebrity Century will offer 15-night Hawaii sailings out of San Diego and Los Angeles, California, and 15-night Panama Canal cruises between San Diego and Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale, Florida in December 2013 and January and February 2014.

Celebrity Century's Hawaii and Panama Canal will open for booking on April 4, 2012.

Exotic destinations beckon; stylish, comfortable ships pamper

Celebrity's 2013-14 winter season will be rife with opportunities for vacationers seeking experiences in trip-of-a-lifetime destinations. Cruises and cruisetours in South America will be offered on Celebrity Infinity, which was Solsticized last year as part of Celebrity's $140-million initiative to incorporate iconic Solstice Class elements into its Millennium Class ships. From the eclectic Qsine specialty restaurant to Celebrity's first AquaClass staterooms to be added to a Millennium Class ships, among other elements that were added, Celebrity Infinity will provide a luxurious setting from which to gaze upon the majestic landscapes of South America. There, she will offer 14-night cruises between Buenos Aires, Argentina and Valpraiso, Chile during December 2013 and January and March 2014. Two 14-night Antarctica sailings roundtrip from Buenos Aires in February 2014 will offer breathtaking views as the ship sails around and through Paradise Bay, the Gerlache Strait, and Elephant Island. Two Panama Canal sailings on each end of the season will also be offered, sailing eastbound between San Diego and Miami, Florida in November 2013 and April 2014, and westbound from Miami to San Diego in November 2013 and March 2014.

Celebrity's South America cruisetours can extend a vacation, thereby offering an even richer opportunity to relax and recharge, by pairing a fully escorted land-based tour with a cruise.

• A Buenos Aires-based three-night pre- or post-cruise land tour to Iguazu Falls features one night in Buenos Aires and two nights in Iguazu Falls
• A Valparaiso-based five-night pre- or post-cruise land tour to Machu Picchu features two nights in Urubamba, located in the Sacred Valley in Peru, with access to Machu Picchu, as well as two nights in Lima, Peru and one night in Santiago, Chile.

Guests who wish to have the ultimate modern luxury South America vacation experience can book one of these cruisetours for the start of their vacation and the other to take place after their cruise.

Celebrity Solstice will sail a second consecutive Australia/New Zealand season consisting primarily of 12-night cruises between Sydney, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand, from October 2013 to April 2014. Four- and five-night fully escorted land tours can be paired with these to offer a more immersive Downunder experience; these feature destinations such as Ayers Rock, Port Douglas (with a visit to the Great Barrier Reef), and the cosmopolitan city of Sydney. The circumnavigation of Australia and cruises to the Pacific Islands will round out Celebrity Solstice's Australia/New Zealand season.

Celebrity Millennium, being Solsticized in May of this year, will offer a second consecutive Asia season, sailing a southerly route across the Pacific Ocean to Australia at the start of the season, where she will offer a 17-night cruise between Sydney and Singapore in November 2013. This itinerary will offer overnight stays in Cairns (Yorkey's Knob), Australia and Singapore. From there, Celebrity Millennium will present guests with 14-night cruises between Singapore and Hong Kong. Two 14-night Indonesia cruises roundtrip from Singapore will be offered in January 2014. These voyages will feature multiple in-port overnight stays in cities including Bangkok, Thailand; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Hanoi (Halong Bay), Vietnam; Bali, Indonesia; Singapore; Hong Kong, China; Shanghai, China; Beijing, China; and Tokyo, Japan.

A more extensive Asia vacation can be enjoyed by combining a fully escorted land tour with the cruises sailing from or ending in Hong Kong. A five-night pre- or post-cruise out of Hong Kong features two nights in Xian, where guests will visit the famed Terra Cotta Warriors, and three nights in Beijing, where guests will access the Great Wall of China, among many other highlights.

The ever-popular 92-guest mega-yacht Celebrity Xpedition will continue to offer a variety of vacation options in the Galapagos Islands, each including naturalist-led explorations and excursions throughout the region.

Celebrity's 2013-14 Australia and South America cruises will open for booking on April 4, 2012, and the Asia itineraries will open on April 18, 2012. The Galapagos Islands sailings opened for booking in March.

Easy-to-access Caribbean offers uncommon onboard luxury

In addition to Celebrity Constellation's short Caribbean cruises, voyages through the region's vibrant blue waters will be offered on four of Celebrity's five Solstice Class ships and one additional Solsticized Millennium Class ship in the winter of 2013-14. Three of these ships will offer seven-night cruises:

• Eastern Caribbean cruises roundtrip from Miami, Florida on Celebrity Reflection, currently under construction and debuting later this year with Celebrity's first-ever AquaClass Suites and the ultra-luxurious Reflection Suite and Signature Suites
• Alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises on Celebrity Silhouette – the ship that introduced the interactive Lawn Club Grill and private cabanas known as The Alcoves to vacationers – roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale
• Port-rich Southern Caribbean cruises on the recently Solsticized Celebrity Summit, roundtrip from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Two Solstice Class ships will offer longer cruises with even more ways to maximize vacation time by enjoying all that Celebrity offers onboard, along with the relaxing vibe of the Caribbean:

• Celebrity Eclipse will offer a 14-night Exotic Southern Caribbean itinerary roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale from November 2013 to April 2014.
• Celebrity Equinox will repeat her 2012-13 10- and 11-night "Ultimate Caribbean" cruises sailing roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale from December 2013 to April 2014.

Celebrity's 2013-14 Caribbean cruises will open for booking on April 11, 2012.

About Celebrity Cruises:

Celebrity Cruises' iconic "X" is the mark of modern luxury, with its cool, contemporary design and warm spaces; dining experiences where the design of the venues is as important as the cuisine; and the amazing service that only Celebrity can provide, all created to provide an unmatchable experience for vacationers' precious time. In addition to offering vacations visiting all continents, Celebrity also presents immersive cruisetour experiences in Alaska, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Europe and South America. Celebrity's fleet of 10 ships represents the newest in the premium cruise category, with an additional Solstice Class ship, Celebrity Reflection, scheduled to join the fleet this fall. Celebrity Cruises is part of global vacation company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE, OSE: RCL). For more information, dial 1-800-437-3111, visit www.celebritycruises.com, or call your travel agent. Follow the brand socially at www.facebook.com/celebritycruises.

SOURCE Celebrity Cruises