If you’re a fan of Celebrity Cruises — or have wanted the opportunity to try the cruise line — then there is some good news.
Celebrity just announced a major expansion of its upcoming Caribbean sailings, including its first cruises ever from Port Canaveral. This should give anyone wanting to sail more opportunities to find a trip that will meet their schedule, budget, and now, location.
In an announcement earlier today, the cruise line shared the new offerings, which start with an increase in the number of trips from Fort Lauderdale, where it already has a significant presence.
Now Celebrity Apex will offer five new 6-7 night sailings starting late next year, which will include stops in St. Maarten, Grand Cayman, San Juan, Mexico, as well as completely new stops at Perfect Day at CocoCay — Royal Caribbean’s island destination.
The cruise line said a few weeks ago that Celebrity Reflection and Celebrity Beyond would call on the island starting next April. Now, Celebrity Apex will feature stops there as well.
In addition, Celebrity Summit will also offer five new sailings ranging from 5-9 nights in spring 2025.
The Port of Tampa Bay is also getting more cruises. Starting in early 2025, Celebrity plans to add more 6-7 night sailings aboard Celebrity Constellation, expanding the number of trips offered during the winter season and adding more options for those who prefer to sail from central Florida.
But it’s perhaps one other change that is the biggest news for passengers interested in sailing Celebrity. For the first time, Port Canaveral near Orlando will be homeport to a Celebrity ship.
Celebrity Equinox will sail 20 trips from the port starting late next year. These cruises will mostly be 7-night trips, visiting The Bahamas, Belize, Mexico, and other spots in the Caribbean, along with two sailings in March 2025 with visits to CocoCay.
“We are so excited to unveil this new program. It provides our guests with more options to experience the natural beauty of the Caribbean, which is elevated by our personalized experiences on board,” says Laura Hodges Bethge, President of Celebrity Cruises. “As part of this expansion, we are thrilled to add Port Canaveral to our list of home ports – it is a perfect market to reach a wide mix of both in- and out-of-state travelers looking for fun in the Caribbean sun.”
In total, these moves — along with the previously announced plans to cruise some shorter itineraries sailing the Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale — show that Celebrity is pushing to expand its Caribbean trips.
While the cruise line is known for luxury and visiting ports around the world, that has meant fewer options for stateside passengers who didn’t want to travel too far from home. Now, those cruisers will have plenty of chances to sail.
The new cruises are open for booking starting August 22.
