Celebrity Cruises offers a range of kid-friendly amenities distinctive from other cruise lines. From flexible eating times to diverse youth programs to an expansive grass lawn on the highest deck, there's something for every family member. Celebrity also provides a personalized experience where staff members address you by name and personal concierges attend to your every need.
Ship Specifics
Celebrity was founded and marketed as a big-ship operator in 1989 by the Chandris Group in Greece. In 1997, the cruise line was acquired by Royal Caribbean and now operates as a sister company. With 10 ships in total, the former small-ship cruise line continues to offer personalized service on their new, larger ships. Since 2008, Celebrity has produced ships that weigh 122,000 tons -- larger than all of Carnival's fleet, except Carnival Dream. These ships carry 2,850 passengers, while others in the fleet offer less than 2,000 spaces. Due to its interior designing, even ships occupied to full capacity feel half empty. Passengers rarely experience lines or excessive crowding.
Celebrity spans the whole gamut of ships. Celebrity Xpedition is in class of itself. It is a smaller ship of 2,329 tons that holds only 98 passengers. Recently, Celebrity Century, one of the first ships, was rereleased from a major renovation that included the addition of 314 verandahs, 14 suits and 10 staterooms. Celebrity Silhouette is expected in fall 2011 and Celebrity Reflection in 2012.
Ports and Destinations
A worldwide cruise line, Celebrity has 190 ports across the globe. The only place Celebrity does not venture, as of yet, is Asia. Itineraries include Europe, Alaska, the Panama Canal, South America, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Canada and New England. Antarctica "drive-bys" are also available. Homeports in the U.S. are in New York, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Honolulu, San Diego and Seattle. Canada also has a main port in Vancouver.
Caribbean tours are most popular among families, and are shorter in length, usually running between four to seven days. In the Caribbean, Celebrity stops at over 35 ports, including Shangri-La, Antigua and Paradise Beach in Cozumel Island. Forty-two itineraries offer a wide variety of trips that you can tailor with specific excursions. At port, families can snorkel with stingrays, parasail above the beaches, sail in glass-bottom kayaks or simply make sandcastles. The top ships going to the Caribbean are Celebrity Solstice, Silhouette, Equinox, Eclipse and Millennium.
Another family favorite, Alaska's Inside Passage is best seen by cruise ship. Sailing the Prince William Sound offers striking views of the glaciers. Cruises stop at Denali State Park and Brooke Falls to get passengers up close and personal with bears and bald eagles. Passengers receive ample time on land with a tour director that explains the natural wonders of the state. Celebrity Century, Infinity and Millennium travel to Alaska between May and September. Normally, cruises depart from the west coast, namely Seattle or Vancouver.
The Celebrity Xpedition ship offers a remarkable Galapagos Island tours. Celebrity is the only big-ship line to run trips to the islands year round. Transatlantic voyages also travel to Israel via Celebrity Equinox. Celebrity is one of the few cruise lines to travel to these two exotic destinations.
For more on Celebrity Cruise Line, visit our sister site Cruise Critic.
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