Dazzling debut for Celebrity Solstice
July 11, 2008 - Celebrity Solstice has added another first to its series of exceptional offerings: a 10-sided diamond cut for the first time, aptly named the Solstice Diamond.
The patented gem's 86 facets, which create a visible, distinguishing star pattern even more sparkling than the familiar 58-facet brilliant-cut diamond, has been created by UK-based Harding Brothers, who will manage the retail shops onboard. Mounted in hand-created settings and in varying sizes for rings, pendants and earrings, no two pieces will be alike.
The diamonds will be available in Celebrity Solstice's luxurious ''Boutique C'', one of 18 shops spanning three decks and 6,500 square feet on the ship.
More about shopping on Solstice.

Solstice ahead of the game
June 6, 2008 - Celebrity's new ship, the 122,000-ton Solstice, is kicking off her inaugural season three weeks ahead of shcedule. Three additional sailings have been added, including the rearrangement of her maiden voyage.
Solstice will now enter service with a Thanksgiving cruise on November 23, three weeks prior to its previously announced date of December 14, followed by two additional seven-night Caribbean cruises.
Each new seven-night cruise - November 23 and 30 and December 7 - will offer the same itinerary, departing roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale with visits to San Juan, Puerto Rico; Philipsburg, St Maarten; and Basseterre, St Kitts.
Guests booked on the original maiden voyage on December 14 have been given until June 12 to switch to the new maiden voyage if they want to.
More about the new Solstice.

Galaxy is first in TUI fleet
May 2, 2008 - Celebrity Cruises' Galaxy will become the first ship of TUI Cruises, a new joint venture between Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and TUI AG catering for German-speaking guests wanting a premium cruise experience.
Galaxy will complete her scheduled sailings until March next year before entering service for TUI two months later, with a new name, sailing in the Baltic in the summer and the Caribbean in the winter.
The 77,713-ton ship, built at the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, joined the Celebrity fleet in December 1996. The line's president Dan Hanrahan described her as "a treasured member of our family of ships".
TUI Cruises' CEO Richard Vogel: added: "We are very pleased to have Celebrity Galaxy become the first ship in the new TUI Cruises fleet and we look forward to customising the ship for our German customer base, growing our brand, and providing our guests with an incredible vacation experience."

Captains to help tie the knot at sea
March 17, 2008 - Guests can now get married at sea by captains onboard Celebrity and Azamara ships. The captain-led wedding ceremonies have been launched to complement the existing vow renewal and in-port wedding offerings.
Celebrity, in partnership with The Wedding Experience, has previously offered onboard vow renewals at sea and in-port wedding ceremonies, and with the recent re-registration of seven of its eight ships in Malta, where Azamara's two ships are also registered, government regulations have changed to allow Captains to perform legal marriages at sea.
Guests being married at sea by Celebrity and Azamaracaptains will be offered a variety of packages that include private receptions in their ship's specialty restaurant to cake and champagne. Basic captain-performed wedding packages cost from £1,350.
More about captains tying the knot.

Equinox to debut in Southampton
March 4, 2008 - Celebrity Equinox, the second of Celebrity's new Solstice-class ships, is to make her maiden voyage from Southampton next year.
The vessel will enter service on August 8, 2009, with a ten-night voyage to Rome. This will be followed by a series of six 13 and 14-night Eastern Mediterranean itineraries, with Haifa and Ashdod in Israel as new ports of call.
Equinox will then transfer to Fort Lauderdale to sail a winter season of aternating 10 and 11-night Caribbean cruises.

Solstice heralds cool cruise era
November 27, 2007 - Celebrity Cruises will present a stellar line-up of nightclubs and lounges on the line's new Celebrity Solstice, scheduled to launch in December 2008.
From an intimate wine cellar to a vibrant club that transforms with each night's dance theme, the 2,850-guest ship will offer travellers some of the most stylish and varied public spaces at sea.
Says Celebrity Cruises president Dan Hanrahan: "Our Solstice-class fleet will present several entirely new venues, along with creative twists on some of our guests' longtime favourites. We think our guests will find the design and style in every space not only inviting, but also absolutely stunning."
More about the cool Celebrity Solstice

Pamper yourself with AquaClass
Juy 27, 2007 - Spa holiday enthusiasts can now pamper themselves to the full in Celebrity Cruises' new AquaClass staterooms on Celebrity Solstice .
From December 2008 Solstice will offer seven-night cruises in the Caribbean, providing guests with the opportunity to discover this new level of personal pampering.
More about Aquaclass

Equinox is on its way
Celebrity Cruises has officially launched the production of Celebrity Equinox, the second 122,000-ton ship in the line's four-ship Solstice-class fleet.
Richard Fain, CEO of Celebrity Cruise's parent company, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, last week pressed the button of the plasma torch at shipbuilder Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany.
Like its sister ships, Celebrity Equinox will have larger standard staterooms, 90 per cent of which will be outside, and 85 per cent of all staterooms will have verandas. The 2,850-guest vessels each will have an exceptional range of guest-inspired services and amenities, 1,425 staterooms, and will measure 1,033ft in length and 121ft in width.

08/09 Caribbean unveiled
April 27, 2007 - Celebrity Cruises' 2008 and 2009 Caribbean cruise programme, already for for sale, features a five-night Western Caribbean itinerary roundtrip from Miami on December 24, 2008, with stops in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and George Town, Grand Cayman, and on December 29 out of Miami, another five-night sailing that will call on Key West and George Town.
Celebrity Century will sail alternating four-night and two different five-night Western Caribbean voyages roundtrip from Miami from December 2008 to April 2009.
More about the Caribbean in 2008-09

Remote check-in smooths the way home
Celebrity guests can complete the airline and luggage check-in process for their flights home even before they step off the ship.
The new service enables guests to bypass the traditional airport check-in, adding convenience and reducing wait time by an estimated 45 minutes to two hours.