Celebrity Cruises to offer first cruises in Asia

Celebrity Cruises to offer first cruises in Asia

Celebrity Cruises this week announced plans for its first season of voyages in Asia, to take place over the winter of 2012-13.

The 1,950-passenger Celebrity Millennium (slated for a major overhaul in early 2012) will sail a series of 14-night, voyages between Singapore and Hong Kong that include stops in Bangkok, Thailand (for an overnight stay); Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Halong Bay, Vietnam.

The Celebrity Millennium overhaul will bring the ship a number of new features already on the line's newer Solstice Class ships, including several new restaurants and new AquaClass spa-themed cabins. The ship's capacity, based on two people per cabin, will an additional 208 cabins for a total of 2,158.

The season also will include two 14-night sailings roundtrip from Singapore with overnight stays in Bali, Indonesia.

The company cited frequent Celebrity cruisers demand for the move.

In addition to the newly announced all-Asia sailings, the Celebrity Millennium will sail two trans-Pacific voyages to and from the region.

The westbound trans-Pacific cruise, scheduled for November 2012, notably, is being timed to coincide with a total solar eclipse that will be viewable from the ship as it sails between Fiji and New Zealand.

In April 2013, the Celebrity Millennium will reposition from Hong Kong to Shanghai on a cruise featuring overnight calls in Hong Kong and Beijing (Tianjin), China. The ship then will continue eastbound across the North Pacific to Alaska with stops in China, Japan, and Russia.

Celebrity also announced its first Asia cruisetours, which combines one of its new Asia cruises with a five-night pre- or post-cruise escorted land tour out of Hong Kong. The cruisetours will feature trips to Xian and Beijing to view the famed Terra Cotta Warriors and the Great Wall of China.

More details of the new Asia voyages and cruisetours will be available Friday Apr 8^th, when the trips open for sale.

Celebrity says members of its Captain's Club loyalty program who book one of the Asia trips by July 29 can get up to $600 in savings per cabin.