Century Goes Down..........Under

[lurkster]

Celebrity Cruises announced plans to return to Australia/New Zealand 2011-12, with sailings on Celebrity Century. President and ceo Dan Hanrahan said customers and travel agents were behind the decision to return to the region after a two-year absence.

The new itineraries replace the previously announced series of 12-night Caribbean cruises from Baltimore on Celebrity Century.

Celebrity joins an increasingly crowded field Down Under, with lines like Princess and Holland America also boosting their presence. As recently as April, Hanrahan in a cover story interview told Seatrade Cruise Review a return to Australia/New Zealand remained an opportunity down the road, ‘but we don’t want to spread ourselves too thin.’

The program is bookended with Hawaii cruises. Ten itineraries are planned, with departures from Australia’s Sydney and Perth (Fremantle) and New Zealand’s Auckland, as well as Honolulu, San Diego and Mexico’s Ensenada.

The new series begins Oct. 2, 2011, with two consecutive 15-night Hawaii sailings from San Diego, followed by a 10-night Hawaii cruise from Ensenada to Honolulu. An 18-night ‘Pacific Jewels’ voyage departs Honolulu Nov. 11, followed by five 12- and 13-night New Zealand cruises between Sydney and Auckland, including a holiday sailing departing Sydney Dec. 24.

Celebrity said its program gives a more destination-rich experience than that of some competitors, with three days at sea versus five.

The brand will also offer a 36-night circumnavigation, its first, by combining a pair of 18-night voyages. One will sail around the southern portion of Australia, featuring an overnight stay in Sydney and transits through three sounds—Milford, Doubtful and Dusky—in New Zealand’s World Heritage-designated Fiordland National Park. The second takes cruisers around Australia’s northern coast and features Celebrity’s maiden call at Bali.

The new series also includes a pair of 18-night trans-Pacific voyages visiting French Polynesia and Hawaii.

Among the ports Celebrity will visit for the first time are Geraldton, Broome, Darwin, Cairns, Brisbane, Adelaide, Albany, Bunbury, Perth and Burnie (Tasmania), in addition to Bali.

[BonnieVA]

S*cks for us here in the mid-Atlantic :(.

[pattibacon]

I'm excited. Wondering, though, will it leave again after the 2012 season? I'm glad they're going back -- now I'll plan on going!

[DrKoob]

This is GREAT news. Great news. We were days from booking HAL down under because that is THE next destination we wanted to sail. Being X Elite, she is always our first choice (or Azamara which we love as well) but nothing until this. YAHOO!!! Can't wait to see the actual itineraries show up on the website. I have a current cruise booked that we will immediately move to one of these. And on Century too! One of our favorite ships. X, you have made one of your biggest fans happy again.

 

Can't wait to start a roll call! Get those dates up. :D

 

Jim

[dixieva]

I just verified this information with Celebrity customer service. I asked if they planned to put another ship in Baltimore and they said no plans right now.

 

That's a real bummer. I really wanted to try Celebrity and Baltimore is so close for us.

[DrKoob]

I just verified this information with Celebrity customer service. I asked if they planned to put another ship in Baltimore and they said no plans right now.

 

That's a real bummer. I really wanted to try Celebrity and Baltimore is so close for us.

 

If you think it's bad in Baltimore (or anywhere on the East coast) think again! You should live over here on the West coast. There is a limit of how many times you can go to Alaska. X and RCCL have either pulled out or all pulling out of Mexican Riviera, Azmara doesn't even sail here, Europe is twice as far away.

 

You guys can always hop a cheap flight down to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami and get a RCCL, X or even Azamara ship any old time. And Europe is only six hours away...for us, closer to 11.

 

Be happy you aren't over here and thanks again X for going down under.

[Chichi]

I just verified this information with Celebrity customer service. I asked if they planned to put another ship in Baltimore and they said no plans right now.

 

That's a real bummer. I really wanted to try Celebrity and Baltimore is so close for us.

 

 

I'm hoping that Celebrity will return to Norfolk, VA in 2012.

Bob

[Woobstr112G]

I'm glad X is returning to Aus/NZ. When we were there last year, We had the Infinity following us when we hit NZ. DW and I loved the itinerary so much that we will definetely return. This might just be the perfect itinerary for a return to a cruise wioth Celebrity.....:):):)

 

Bob

[wwcruisers]

I feel badly for the folks who had cruises booked, only to have them disappear -- been there, and it's no fun. :(

Was very glad to see that the Hawaii r/t cruises are still in place, "bookending" the season in Aus/NZ. Really wish I had the resources to fly "down under" and sail Century back up to Hawaii and S.D. -- what a repo cruise that's going to be!! :p

[The_Big_M]

Welcome back, Celebrity!

 

Sorry for those folks who've had cancellations, unfortunately we went through that when they left here last time. It'd be good if Australia can be made a more long-lasting itinerary choice this time.