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Celebrity Cruises announced the planned
acquisition of Galápagos Islands tour operator Ocean Adventures and its two
ships, the 48-guest ship
M/V Eclipse
and the 16-guest catamaran M/C Athala II. The move expands Celebrity's guest
capacity in the Galápagos by 65 percent.
 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 travelers 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 Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President & CEO, Celebrity Cruises.
“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 two vessels will join the Celebrity Cruises fleet in the spring of 2016,
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.
Ben Dod, President of Ocean Adventures, said, “After 16 years of building Ocean
Adventures into the one of the leading operators in the Galapagos Islands, we
are proud to have caught the attention of a world-class cruise company like
Celebrity and proud to be part of their ambitious plans to expand in the region.
The MV Eclipse and MC Athala II are the best
vessels in their class and we are delighted that both ships will continue to
deliver an unequalled level of service and experience to guests.” |
