July 16, posted by Dave Beers.

My trip to Southampton for the Celebrity Equinox naming ceremony is just a few days away, and it really hit home when I learned Celebrity has taken delivery of the ship from the builder, Meyer Werft. The press release follows:

The number of ships in Celebrity Cruises’ fleet just grew by one as line officially took delivery of Celebrity Equinox at a ceremony in Emshaven, Netherlands. This marks the official transfer from shipbuilder Meyer Werft to Celebrity Cruises.

Following inspections, Celebrity Equinox will host a series of promotional activities from Southampton, England, for press, travel agents and other audiences. The ship will be formally named in ceremonies July 29, and will enter service service July 31 on an 8-night Norwegian Fjords cruise.

Equinox is the first sister ship to Celebrity Solstice - a widely acclaimed new class of ship for Celebrity that was introduced last November 2008. The ship is a close copy of the original with all of the best attributes in place, the industry’s first Lawn Club, a half-acre of real grass; 10 dining venues featuring menus by noted chef Jacques Van Staden; AquaClass, the line’s spa-inspired staterooms offering exclusive access to the Mediterranean-influenced specialty restaurant, “Blu”; the industry’s first Hot Glass Show at sea, presented in collaboration with The Corning Museum of Glass; larger, more intuitive staterooms influenced by a panel of five “boomer” women with unique travel and hospitality insights, and widely varied entertainment, including spectacular new shows in partnership with Poet Theatricals.

Following the Norwegian Fjords cruise, Celebrity Equinox will depart Southampton August 8 on a 10-night “Best of Europe” itinerary to Rome, calling on ports in France, Spain, Portugal and Italy, as well Gibraltar, UK. The ship then will sail a series of 13- and 14-night “Ancient Empires” cruises through October, featuring two new ports of call: Haifa and Ashdod, Israel. These voyages also include an overnight stay in Alexandria, Egypt.

On November 5, the ship will sail a transatlantic voyage to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she will begin a series of alternating 10- and 11-night “Ultimate Caribbean” voyages through April 2010. The 11-night voyages will stop in George Town, Grand Cayman; Cartagena, Colombia; Colon, Panama; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; Roatan, Honduras; and Cozumel, Mexico. The 10-night sailings include calls on Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Basseterre, St. Kitts; Bridgetown, Barbados; Roseau, Dominica; Philipsburg, St. Maarten.

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