Celebrity Millennium is the first of eight of the brand's vessels that will resume service in summer 2021
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Celebrity Cruises has returned to service for the first time in 15 months after Celebrity Millennium embarked on a seven-night voyage from the port of Philipsburg in St. Maarten on 5 June.
This marks the first time Celebrity Cruises has homeported in St. Maarten, as well as the start of a series of Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, which will be offered until the end of August. Celebrity Millennium’s first cruise will take guests to the islands of Aruba, Barbados and Curacao.
“This is such a significant moment for our company, our industry and the Caribbean. That this day has finally arrived for our guests and our crew is truly special – beyond words, really," said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises. "I am so happy to have our crew back onboard doing what they love and providing amazing vacations and service to our guests. I also am extremely grateful to the leadership of the St. Maarten government for their vision and support to make this moment happen.”
Celebrity Cruises has implemented enhanced health and safety protocols onboard Celebrity Millennium, all of which have been developed in collaboration with public health authorities, government agencies and parent company Royal Caribbean Group’s Healthy Sail Panel.
Some of the new measures include reduced onboard capacity, staggered arrivals and departures at terminals, face coverings for all guests aged two and above in terminals, and an advanced mobile application that powers contactless transactions, expedited boarding processes and a new eMuster experience, as well as access to menus and dining and shore excursion reservations. In addition, all crew members and at least 95 per cent of guests on each sailing will be vaccinated. Celebrity’s full safety measures can be found here CelebrityCruises.com/healthy-at-sea.
"We couldn't be more excited to welcome our guests back to relax and start enjoying the travel experiences they've been craving all this time. Once onboard, they will discover reimagined accommodation, spa and entertainment offerings, along with considered and thoughtful health and safety measures," said Brian Abel, senior vice president of hotel operations at Celebrity Cruises. “The end result of all that we have implemented will make cruises one of the safest ways to explore the world, while enjoying a wonderful and uncompromised vacation experience.”
Seven of Celebrity Cruises’ other ships will soon restart service. Celebrity Apex will begin cruising in the Aegean on 19 June, Celebrity Edge will start offering Caribbean itineraries from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on 26 June, Celebrity Silhouette will provide UK coastal voyages from 3 July, and Alaska sailings from Seattle will resume on 23 July. In addition, Celebrity Flora, Celebrity Xpedition and Celebrity Xploration will return to the Galapagos on 3 July, 24 July and 18 September respectively.