Celebrity Cruises will operate its first ever season in East Asia during the winter of 2012-13, when the newly-refurbished Celebrity Millennium comes to the region.
During the 2012-13 winter season, Celebrity Millennium will visit nine countries new to the brand, including Vietnam, Thailand and China. Celebrity’s inaugural Asia season will consist of a series of 14-night open-jaw cruises between Singapore and Hong Kong, including overnight stays in ports like Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Halong Bay and Hong Kong. The season also will include two 14-night sailings roundtrip from Singapore with overnight stays in Bali in January 2013.
Bookending Celebrity Millennium’s Asia season will be two trans-Pacific voyages. The westbound cruise will coincide with the total solar eclipse in November 2012. Guests will be able to view the eclipse while at sea, when sailing from Fiji to New Zealand. In April 2013,
Celebrity Millennium will reposition from Hong Kong to Shanghai on a cruise featuring overnight calls in Hong Kong and Beijing (Tianjin). The ship will then continue eastbound across the North Pacific to Alaska, calling at various ports in China, Japan, and Russia.
Guests can also take advantage of one of Celebrity’s cruise tours, which combine a cruise with a five-night pre- or post-cruise escorted land package out of Hong Kong. These include trips to Xi’an and Beijing to view the Terracotta Warriors and the Great Wall of China. All of these packages are escorted by a local tour director and include hotel accommodation, transport, select activities, breakfasts and some additional meals.
A number of overnight stays in port during the Asia cruises will offer two- or three-day excursions. Examples of these include a two-night/three-day overland trip from Bangkok to Siem Reap to visit Angkor Wat, while the stop in Halong Bay can include an overnight shore excursion to Hanoi.
“Visiting the Far East for the first time is the result of constantly listening to consumers, who have told us they’re eager to vacation in the region with Celebrity,” said Dan Hanrahan, President & CEO of Celebrity Cruises. “We know that vacationers’ time is precious, and by delivering a destination as culturally rich and compelling as Asia, with a luxurious shipboard environment that offers truly extraordinary accommodations, service, cuisine and activities, we are offering them the opportunity to experience a deeply rewarding, memorable holiday.”
During a drydock period scheduled for April 2012, 70 of the Celebrity Millennium’s existing Concierge Class staterooms will be converted to Celebrity’s spa-inspired AquaClass staterooms, while an additional 37 will be built, increasing the total number of available staterooms to 1,079.
Meanwhile, Celebrity also announced additional expansion in the Eastern Hemisphere, when the 2,850-guest Celebrity Solstice sails a full winter season in Australia and New Zealand in 2012-13.
Celebrity’s new 2012-13 Asia itineraries open for sale today.
Comments are closed.