Celebrity Cruises announced its new cruise offerings for 2024-25 and there’s plenty to entice. Now’s an ideal time to plan vacations not only for next year but beyond and you’re sure to find the right cruise for you with Celebrity. Whether you want to relax and recharge, see multiple destinations on the same trip without needing to repack and change hotels, or just want a convenient all-in-one holiday, check out what’s new with this luxury line.
With 15—soon to be 16—ships, Celebrity Cruises sails all over the world, including to Antarctica.
Celebrity Edge.
Celebrity has four types of ships. The newest is the Edge series with industry innovations like the Magic Carpet. Edge class ships carry between 2,910 and 3,260 passengers. Next are Solstice class ships known for their top deck lawns with real grass and overall shipboard offerings that make them a favorite amongst those who like to cruise. Celebrity Reflection, for example, has a capacity of 3,046 passengers. Celebrity’s Millennium class ships, recently overhauled, are about 30% smaller with about 2,560 passengers and a more intimate feel.
Celebrity also has three ships that sail the Galapagos islands—Celebrity Flora with 100 passengers, Celebrity Xpedition for 48 guests, and the catamaran Celebrity Xploration for just 16 passengers. It’s advantageous to sail with known brands on stable ships in the Galapagos, so that you’re confident of the quality of ship you’ll be on and because the waters between these equatorial islands can be rough.
Blue-footed boobies, Galapagos, Ecuador.
On Celebrity’s ships outside the Galapagos (though high-end, the focus there is exploring and learning about the islands), life on board is luxurious and relaxing. There’s plenty of outdoor spaces, many fine dining restaurants including dishes by Daniel Boulud, plus what would be called destination spas if they were on land. If you want an even more exclusive holiday, look for the ships with The Retreat, a resort within a resort with special perks and amenities including the private restaurant Luminae.
Families love Celebrity Cruises too. Kids have four different camps at sea just for them—art, culinary, and recreation, plus S.T.E.M. at Sea (aboard Celebrity Equinox and Celebrity Edge) for kids interested in science, tech, engineering and math. There’s also a Teen Club for guests aged 13 to 17.
The newest of Celebrity Cruises’ ships will be Celebrity Ascent, set to launch in late 2023. It’s the fourth ship in the Edge class series, joining the first, Celebrity Edge, plus Celebrity Apex and Celebrity Beyond. Celebrity Ascent will spend her inaugural 2024 season in Europe.
The Magic Carpet aboard Celebrity Cruises’ Edge Class ships.
Innovative Celebrity Edge ships each have a Magic Carpet—a deck extension that can be raised and lowered between decks 2 and 16 to transform into different venues, such as a raw bar, late-night party spot, and a more private venue for a special dinner. When on deck 2, the Magic Carpet makes for easy access to the ship’s tenders, eliminating the need for stair-access.
Edge series ships also have rooftop gardens, a two-level resort deck that almost feels like an on-land resort, the spiral-terraced three-level Eden with a 20-foot-tall living wall of plants (sprigs of which you might find in your cocktail), two hot tubs that resemble coupe Champagne glasses that are raised above the main pool deck, an expanded spa with float room, infrared saunas, and rainfall therapy, as well as private plunge pools in the two-story Edge Villa suites.
Celebrity Cruises will have almost 500 sailings during the 2024-25 season to all seven continents and 70 different countries—certain to make you lament that you don’t have more vacation days. Some epic examples:
Celebrity Eclipse, Aurlandsfjord, Norway.
An Edge Series ship is making an Alaska debut. The Celebrity Edge will sail roundtrip from Seattle on seven-night itineraries to see Victoria, British Columbia, along BC’s coast where you might spot whales, plus Alaskan sites like Dawes Glacier, Endicott Arm Fjord and Ketchikan.
During the southern hemisphere’s summer from October 2024 to April 2025, Celebrity Edge will be in Australia, its second season there. You could choose a roundtrip three-night cruise from Sydney and visit Eden on Australia’s Sapphire Coast or perhaps 14 nights to Australian ports like Brisbane, Airlie Beach, Cairns (Yorkey’s Knob) and Darwin before stopping in Bali, Indonesia and ending your cruise in Singapore (the most epic trip will add a stay at Bawah Reserve, in Indonesia’s Riau Archipelago and accessible from Singapore).
The Sphinx at Giza, Egypt.
Curated culturally-driven itineraries are new for 2024 at Celebrity Cruises. Aboard Celebrity Infinity, for example, sail roundtrip from Athens (Piraeus) to visit Haifa and Jerusalem (Ashdod) in Israel and Alexandria in Egypt, with opportunities to go south to Giza to see the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx as well as the new Grand Egyptian Museum (which is expected to open in 2023).
Or, perhaps it’s the new-for-2024 12-night Spice Route cruise that appeals. It’s aboard Celebrity Millennium and cruises between Mumbai and Singapore. Ports include the islands of Penang in Malaysia and Phuket in Thailand, stops in Hambantota and Colombo in Sri Lanka, plus Cochin, India. There are four relaxing days at sea to make sure your holiday is both immersive and relaxing.
Phuket and Phang Nga Bay, Thailand.
A cruise is an ideal introduction to Japan. Celebrity Millennium’s homeport from April to October 2024 will be Tokyo (Yokohama) and will sail 12-night cruises in Japan to see Mount Fuji, Kobe, Kyoto and Osaka.
Just part of Iguazu Falls.
South America should be on your must-see list too—the continent is home to some of the most spectacular landscapes on the planet, from the fjords and mountains of Patagonia to the 275 waterfalls at Iguazú Falls on the border between Argentina and Brazil. Celebrity Equinix will spend her first season in South America, including calling at Uruguay’s pretty capital of Montevideo.
Celebrity Apex in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
For more traditional destinations, Celebrity has lots on offer too with seven different ships sailing European waters. New ports of call in Europe include Italy’s Brindisi and Trieste, Greece’s Kavala and Volos, and Pauillac (near Bordeaux) in France. The new Celebrity Apex will sail Scandinavian itineraries for part of the year.
There’s also plenty of choice in the Caribbean, with several Celebrity ships sailing various itineraries between the islands, including Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Beyond and the brand new Celebrity Ascent. Three-night quick getaway mini-cruises from Tampa make for an easy long weekend or choose week-long or—even more relaxing—a 12-night cruise vacation. Caribbean ports include St. George in Grenada (be sure to pick up ultra-fine Grenadian L’esterre Estate Organics chocolate), Bimini in the Bahamas, St. Kitts & Nevis, Grand Cayman, plus visiting the Panama Canal.