Celebrity Cruises and Pullmantur will
engage in a ship swap that will expand Celebrity's Expeditions
brand, Royal Caribbean Cruises said.
RCCL said that it
received antitrust approval from Spain and Portugal for its
purchase of Madrid-based cruise and tour operator Pullmantur. It
will now move Pullmantur's ship the Blue Dream to the Expeditions
fleet, renaming it the Celebrity Journey, and send Celebrity's
Zenith to Pullmantur
"We believe we will
get much higher revenues out of the Celebrity Journey tan we did
out of the Zenith," said Celebrity President Dan Hanrahan during
RCCL's third-quarter conference call.
RCCL said that
rounding out the Celebrity brand has been a strong focus for the
company, and the expansion of Celebrity Expeditions furthers that
strategic objective.
The 718-guest Blue
Dream will join Celebrity's fleet in April 2007, sailing Bermuda
itineraries from Bayonne, NJ, beginning May 5.
Before the switch,
the ship will undergo a one-month revitalization and drydock to
incorporate Celebrity's signature elements such as two specialty
restaurants; expanded spa services, including in-room offerings;
expanded concierge service, including butlers; and additional guest
suites.
The ship will sail
the same Bermuda itineraries originally scheduled for Zenith, RCCL
said.
The Zenith will
redeploy to Pullmantur in June, 2007.
Before re-entering
service, it will enter drydock to receive balcony cabins, enlarged
public spaces and to be customized for Spanish guests.
The Zenith will
sail seven-night Mediterranean cruises between Athens and Venice.
It will operate Caribbean itineraries until mid-April from Tampa,
Fla., at which time it will operate a final Caribbean and Bermuda
itinerary from Tampa to Cape Liberty in Bayonne.
All guests
currently holding bookings on the Zenith to Bermuda will be
contacted by Celebrity representatives to transfer existing
reservations to similar accommodations on the Celebrity Journey,
RCCL said.
To
contact reporter Johanna Jainchill, send e-mail to [email protected].