| European restart for Celebrity, RCI

ROYAL Caribbean Group overnight announced new cruises in the Europe, where it will homeport Celebrity Cruises’ brand new Celebrity Apex (pictured) out of Athens and Royal Caribbean International’s (RCI) Jewel of the Seas in Limassol, marking the European restart for the two cruise lines.

The series of week-long voyages, starting from 19 Jun, will cruise to Mykonos, Rhodes and Santorini in the Greek Islands as well as Limassol, Haifa and Jerusalem, marking Celebrity Apex’s global debut.

The deployment of the newbuild out of Athens is particularly appropriate, with the brand having been founded in Greece by the Chandris family, before later becoming part of the Royal Caribbean Group.

The company said Celebrity was still “rooted in its Greek origins today,” with 70% of marine officers across the fleet having Greek heritage.

“This is a very special homecoming for Celebrity Cruises and is made possible with the strong collaboration of the Greek Government,” said Celebrity Cruises Chief Executive Officer Lisa Lutoff-Perlo.

RCI’s Jewel of the Seas will operate seven-night voyages from Cyprus to most of the same Greek Islands as the Celebrity ship, with the addition of Crete.

Both operators have recently announced deployments in Haifa, Nassau, and St Maarten, with all crew members on both ships to be vaccinated against coronavirus, and they will only accept adult passengers who have also been vaccinated, as well as children who present a negative COVID test performed within 72 hours of sailing.

RCI Chief Executive Officer Michael Bayley said the line was “thankful to the Cypriot government for their support and enthusiasm in making these incredible itineraries possible.”

Both Celebrity and RCI’s seasons go on sale shortly.