Celebrity To Buy Galápagos’ Ocean Adventures
Celebrity Cruises has announced plans to acquire award-winning Galápagos Islands tour operator Ocean Adventures and its two ships, the 48-guest ship Eclipse and the16-guest catamaran Athala II.
The move expands Celebrity’s guest capacity in the Galápagos by 65%.
Ocean Adventures’ 64 permits will grow the Galápagos fleet capacity for Celebrity, which has operated the 100-guest Celebrity Xpedition for more than a decade.
The expanded lineup means modern luxury travellers looking to experience the Galápagos Islands will be able to choose a ship whose size and intimacy suits their personal preference.
“Our guests use the most amazing words to describe their journeys to the Galapágos Islands,” said Celebrity president Lisa Lutoff-Perlo. “They tell us the experience is ‘once in a lifetime,’ ‘awe-inspiring,’ even ‘life-changing.’ That’s why we’ve made Celebrity Xpedition such a special experience, and why we are thrilled to expand our Galápagos program with these two intimate ships. We want to make more lifetime memories.”
The unique range of ship sizes creates more opportunities for regular cruises, group bookings and custom charters. The ships’ smaller sizes – 100, 48 or 16 guests – will also present an exceptionally intimate modern luxury experience.
The new ships also make possible distinctive itineraries that feature an expanded list of destinations for Celebrity – like Puerto Villamil, Darwin Bay, Black Turtle Cove, Chinese Hat Islet and Wall of Tears.
The fleet expansion also allows Celebrity’s guests to take advantage of new packages that celebrate the most breathtaking spots in Ecuador – such as the Andes Mountains – and Peru, where Machu Picchu and Amazon packages are enduringly popular.
The two vessels will join the Celebrity fleet this spring, pending the closing of the acquisition deal. Until a January 2017 drydock, the ships will continue to offer the Ocean Adventures experience; after the refresh, the ships will sail as part of Celebrity Cruises’ fleet, and guests will enjoy Celebrity’s signature modern luxury elements. All existing Ocean Adventures’ bookings and reservation commitments will remain unchanged, both before and after the drydock.
The acquisition of Ocean Adventures is subject to customary closing conditions.
