Celebrity Cruises Swaps Out Troubled Waters For Wine & A Bonus Free Sailing

Inspired by guest interest, and to continue to offer the best vacation experiences in Europe (not to mention avoiding areas of possible future conflict), Celebrity Cruises has modified a portion of its European lineup for 2012 to offer a series of new and distinct vacations designed to appeal to wine enthusiasts, as well as those who simply love the beauty and culture of the top-producing wine regions in Europe.

With six of its 11 ships (including the 2012 debut of Celebrity Reflection) sailing in Europe next year, Celebrity will have the newest hardware in the region, and the line’s already extensive itinerary portfolio in Europe—with new Venice homeport offerings and first-time Iceland and Fjords sailings—now will include seven exceptional wine-themed sailings, replacing several of the line’s previously announced Holy Land and Greek Isles/Turkey sailings from Istanbul in 2012.

From Sept 7 through Nov 18, 2012, Celebrity Constellation—which completed a $40-million “Solsticizing” renovation just last year—will present entirely new “Immersive Europe Wine Cruises” from Southampton, England. The new sailings opened for booking last Friday, Oct 14, 2011.

Here's The Bonus Freebie...
Celebrity Cruises’ unique Free 2-Night Constellation Cruise Fare Offer* invites guests to embark on a journey through the English Channel on a free* 2-night sailing departing Sept 5, 2012. On board Celebrity Constellation, guests will sail the historical English Channel as they cruise from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Southampton, England. In order to participate, travelers must simply book either Celebrity’s 12-night Scandinavia and Russia Cruise departing Aug 24, 2012 or the 12-night Immersive Europe Wine Cruise departing Sept 7, 2012. Travelers have the choice of sailing before or after the English Channel cruise. To take advantage of this offer, bookings must be made by Dec 16, 2011.

Now, back to the itinerary changes...designed to offer rich experiences in the classic wine countries of France, Spain, and Portugal, the new itineraries feature overnight stays in Le Havre (for Paris/Normandy) and Le Verdon (for Bordeaux), France, as well as Bilbao, Spain, allowing passengers ample time to enjoy tours and tastings at some of the region’s most renowned wineries, grape harvesting experiences, and gain in-person insight into how Port wine is blended and aged in Porto, Portugal. Celebrity’s onboard experience will reflect the flair and flavor of the region, too, with activities developed in partnership with local wineries, including Rioja tastings, Champagne brunches, Bordeaux samplings featuring up to five wines from well-known Chateaus, Port and food pairing dinners. Also included will be events in the ship’s Cellar Masters bar, complete with its “Enomatic” by-the-glass wine serving system. A seasonal wine package featuring special selections from the region will be added to Celebrity’s package offerings.

After departing from Southampton, Celebrity Constellation’s new wine-themed 12-night itineraries begin with three consecutive overnight stays: one each in Paris (Le Havre) and Bordeaux (Le Verdon), France, and Bilbao, Spain, and also feature visits to Vigo, Spain and Porto, Portugal. The sailings depart roundtrip from Southampton Sept 7 and 19; Oct 1, 13 and 25; and Nov 6 and 18, 2012. The ship’s 15-night transatlantic voyage from Europe to the U.S. now will depart Southampton Nov 30, 2012, with visits to Paris/Normandy (LeHavre), France; Lisbon, Portugal, and Tenerife, Canary Islands, ending in Miami, Florida.

At the same time, Celebrity is enhancing its presence in the Mediterranean on two of its Solstice Class ships—the new Celebrity Silhouette and flagship Celebrity Solstice—to offer more appealing experiences, with more ports in both Italy and Croatia.

Five previously announced Holy Land sailings on Celebrity Silhouette in 2012 have been modified to the following:

• 13-night Eastern Mediterranean and Greek Isles cruise departing Civitavecchia (for Rome) Aug 22, with calls on Naples/Capri and Catania, Sicily, Italy; Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, Chania (Souda), Crete and Athens (Piraeus), Greece, and Valletta, Malta, ending with an overnight stay in Venice
• 13-night Italy and Croatia cruise departing roundtrip from Venice Sept 4, with visits to Koper, Slovenia; Split and Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; Corfu, Greece; Valletta, Malta; and Sicily (Messina), Bari and Ravenna, Italy, ending with an overnight stay in Venice
• 12-night Adriatic cruise beginning Sept 17 with an overnight in Venice, and visits to Koper, Slovenia; Split and Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; Valletta, Malta; and Ravenna, Bari, Catania, Sicily, and Naples/Capri, ending in Rome (Civitavecchia)
• 12-night Italy and Croatia cruise departing Rome (Civitavecchia) Oct 11, with an overnight stay in Naples/Capri, in addition to visits to Bari, Ravenna and Catania, Sicily, Italy; Corfu, Greece; Dubrovnik and Split, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; and Koper, Slovenia, ending with an overnight stay in Venice
• 11-night Adriatic cruise beginning Oct 23 with an overnight stay in Venice, and including another overnight stay in Naples/Capri, with visits to Ravenna and Catania, Sicily, Italy; Split and Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; and Valletta, Malta, ending in Rome (Civitavecchia)

Four previously announced Mediterranean cruises on Celebrity Solstice in 2012, roundtrip from Barcelona, Spain, also have been modified, to offer more ports in the Western Mediterranean, as well as an overnight stay in romantic Venice, as follows:

• 12-night Mediterranean departing May 11, with visits to Dubrovnik, Croatia; Ajaccio, Corsica; Provence (Toulon), France; Naples/Capri, Rome (Civitavecchia) and Florence/Pisa (La Spezia), in addition to the overnight in Venice, Italy
• 12-night Mediterranean departing June 28, with visits to Cannes/Monte Carlo, France; Kotor, Montenegro; Dubrovnik, Florence/Pisa, Naples/Capri and Rome, in addition to the overnight stay in Venice
• 12-night Mediterranean departing Aug 15, and Oct 2, with visits to Kotor, Dubrovnik, Naples/Capri, Rome (Civitavecchia), and Malta, in addition to the overnight stay in Venice

With an eye on rewarding its most loyal guests, Celebrity is presenting an offer exclusively to Captain’s Club members: From Oct 14 to Dec 16, 2011, members who book any 9-night or longer Celebrity cruise vacation on any of the line’s six ships sailing in Europe in 2012 will receive an onboard credit of $400 per suite, $225 for each AquaClass or ConciergeClass stateroom, $175 for each veranda stateroom, and $125 for each inside or oceanview stateroom. Non-members get join in on the special offer, as well. In recognition of National Cruise Vacation Week, consumers who book any 9-night or longer Celebrity Europe vacation from Oct 14-23, 2011, will receive an onboard credit of $250 per suite, $200 per AquaClass or ConciergeClass stateroom, $150 per veranda stateroom, and $100 for inside or oceanview accommodations.

Guests with bookings on the newly modified European itineraries are being notified and have the option to retain their reservation on the modified sailing, move to another like sailing in a like category of accommodations, or cancel with a full refund. Guests with questions about the itinerary modifications also are welcome to contact Celebrity at 1-888-281-9343.

*Free 2-Night Constellation Cruise Fare Offer includes complimentary cruise fare only for the 2-night cruise; government taxes and fees are additional; standard gratuities apply. Full terms and conditions available here.

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