History of Celebrity...

**Ally** · 08-28-2006, 07:30 AM

Celebrity Cruises was founded in 1989 with the objective of fulfilling the travel industry's need for a high-quality, premium cruise product at an intelligent price. The company was determined to set a new, worldwide standard for cruising, and to create a distinctive expression of superior quality, grand style, attentive service, spacious accommodations, and exceptional cuisine.

Believing that the dining experience is an essential part of a quality cruise vacation, Celebrity custom-built galleys to create the finest gourmet cuisine at sea, preparing everything from scratch, using only the finest, freshest ingredients. Celebrity established then, and maintains today, a vital relationship with renowned Master Chef Michel Roux, who has served as the line's revered culinary and wine consultant since its founding. Roux designs the line's menus and culinary program, and supervises training of the fleet's executive restaurant staff. His award-winning culinary expertise and contributions quickly established Celebrity as a leader in offering guests an extraordinary dining experience at sea.

The first ships introduced to the Celebrity fleet -

Along with the launch of the Century-class fleet in 1995, Celebrity created another industry first: a luxurious spa experience within the environment of a cruise ship, with the introduction of the AquaSpa® by Elemis.
In 1997, Celebrity Cruises merged with Royal Caribbean International, bringing together two extraordinary cruise brands within one corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The company today has a combined total of 29 ships in service and one under construction.

In the year 2000, Celebrity launched the appropriately named Millennium featuring the industry's first application of gas turbine engines, which reduce exhaust emissions by up to 95 percent over traditional propulsion systems. Millennium and her sister ships - Infinity, Summit and Constellation - nearly doubled the line's capacity in just two years (2000-2002), with each ship offering guests an unmatched dining experience in distinctive, intimate specialty restaurants. Millennium's "Olympic,"Infinity's "S.S. United States,"Summit's "Normandie"and Constellation's "Ocean Liners"each boast original paneling and artifacts from the famed transatlantic luxury liners after which they are named ("Ocean Liners'"includes paneling from the Ile de France), and feature dramatic tableside cooking, carving and flambé in the true French style.

Royal Celebrity Tours was introduced in 2001, building on the strengths of both the Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises brands, to offer truly unique vacations in Alaska, Canada and Europe, pairing outstanding cruise experiences with incredible pre- or post-cruise land tour packages now known as "cruisetours."

More than 100 brand enhancements and new "tastes of luxury" were unveiled across the fleet in 2003, including welcome champagne and mimosas, cold towels and fresh sorbet poolside, expanded options in dining, including Sushi Cafes and pasta/pizza bars, sunset yoga and Pilates classes, and more. During the same year, Celebrity introduced "ConciergeClass," an enhanced level of accommodations featuring new amenities and priority services, and introduced "Acupuncture at Sea," another undisputed industry first.

In 2004, the line launched "Celebrity Xpeditions," a series of highly unique events and excursions designed to offer savvy travelers once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to be treated famously in new environments. The one-of-a-kind program gives guests the premium experiences they have come to expect from Celebrity, in new and exotic settings, including cruises in the enchanting Galapagos Islands on a luxurious megayacht, Celebrity Xpedition, and a series of premium excursion options on select itineraries.

That same year, Celebrity Cruises and world-renowned entertainment enterprise Cirque du Soleil took a bold move, entering into an exclusive partnership, introducing an exclusive and unique entertainment concept onboard select ships, offering guests one-of-a-kind pre- and post-cruise experiences, capitalizing on a variety of cross-marketing opportunities, and including sponsorship of Cirque du Soleil touring shows in North America and Europe.

Celebrity continues to reap stellar rewards - including sweeping Conde Nast Traveler's "World's Greatest Ships" readers' survey (February 2003), which deemed seven Celebrity ships among the top 10 large ships. The line will continue to grow its customer base by offering the ultimate premium cruise experience with a taste of luxury across its 10-ship fleet-while also seeking innovative and unexpected ways to treat guests famously.