The ink on Royal Caribbean's purchase of Pullmantur is not even dry and
changes have already been announced. Pullmantur's BLUE DREAM (R-Class ship)
will transfer to Celebrity Cruises or should I say "Celebrity Expeditions".
She will join the existing yacht-like CELEBRITY EXPEDITION. BLUE DREAM will
be renamed CELEBRITY JOURNEY. In addition the ZENITH will depart the fleet
and be transfered to Pullmantur.
Initially CELEBRITY JOURNEY will sail the same itineraries that ZENITH was
scheduled for, and this includes Bermuda. I can't think of a ship I would
rather cruise to Bermuda on then the new CELEBRITY JOURNEY. She is the
perfect size and I was waiting for such a ship to enter the market. My
guess is that eventually she will be repositioned to more exotic itineraries
so next Summer might be your only chance to sail on her to Bermuda. BLUE
DREAM will undergo a one month refurbishment before taking on her new role
as CELEBRITY JOURNEY. It will be interesting to see just how comprehensive
the refit is. Will it be fairly substantial like Oceania has done with
their acquired R-Class ships, or purely a brush-over like the Princess
R-Class ships? Something tells me it might be a bit more comprehensive then
what Princess has done. Maybe something in-between the Princess/Oceania
make-overs?
Ernie
The full press release follows:
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Receives Antitrust Approval On Pullmantur
Purchase; Announces Celebrity Expeditions And Celebrity, Pullmantur Ship
Swap
MIAMI, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has
received antitrust approvals from Spain and Portugal on its planned purchase
of Madrid-based cruise and tour operator Pullmantur S.A. With purchase plans
on schedule, company officials also unveiled Celebrity Expeditions, an
extension of the Celebrity Cruises brand, and a ship swap involving
Pullmantur's Blue Dream and Celebrity's Celebrity Zenith.
In August, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. signed an agreement with
Pullmantur's shareholders to buy all the company's capital stock, subject to
regulatory approvals. Today's announcement eliminates the last major
requirement to finalization. The company anticipates closing in
mid-November.
"We are pleased that the Spanish and Portuguese authorities have given us
the green light on our Pullmantur acquisition," said Royal Caribbean
Chairman and CEO Richard Fain. "It allows us to move ahead with very
exciting plans for both Celebrity and Pullmantur. For Celebrity, it allows
us to build out and extend the Celebrity brand with tailored ships for
target markets -- a long- time strategy for the brand -- and, for
Pullmantur, it enables us to add needed capacity to the fleet."
Rounding out the Celebrity brand has been a strong focus for the company,
and the expansion of Celebrity Expeditions furthers that strategic
objective. When the 718-guest Blue Dream joins Celebrity's fleet, it will
formalize a small ship, destination-driven offering new to the brand, which
will operate under the banner of Celebrity Expeditions. Currently, Celebrity
has only one ship, the 100-guest Celebrity Xpedition in the Galapagos, in
this category. The line expects the concept to grow over time.
"Celebrity Expeditions will offer the best of what Celebrity is all about --
fine dining, superior service, relaxing spa treatments, engaging enrichment
programs and exceptional destinations," said Celebrity President Dan
Hanrahan. "This offshoot is a natural extension of the brand, as we move
into new markets with tailored-to-market products."
Blue Dream will be renamed Celebrity Journey, and will join Celebrity's
fleet in April, 2007, sailing Bermuda itineraries from Cape Liberty in
Bayonne, NJ, beginning May 5, 2007. Before switching brands, the ship will
undergo a one-month revitalization and drydock to incorporate many of
Celebrity's signature elements such as two specialty restaurants; expanded
spa services, including in-room offerings; expanded concierge service,
including butlers; and additional guest suites. The restyled ship will sail
the same Bermuda itineraries originally scheduled for Zenith.
"Celebrity Journey will be an ideal ship for the Bermuda market," said
Celebrity Cruises President Dan Hanrahan. "Its smaller size and upscale
style are perfect complements to premium destinations such as St. Georges
and Hamilton."
Zenith will sail regularly scheduled Caribbean itineraries from Tampa until
April 13, at which time she will sail a Caribbean and Bermuda itinerary from
Tampa to Cape Liberty. The April 13 sailing will be the ship's last sailing
as part of the Celebrity fleet before the ship redeploys to the Pullmantur
fleet in June, 2007. Before re-entering service, the ship will enter drydock
where workers will add balcony cabins, enlarge public spaces and customize
the ship for Spanish guests. Once retooled, Zenith will sail seven- night
Mediterranean cruises between Athens and Venice.
"It is gratifying to see the benefits of our new alliance come together so
quickly," said Pullmantur General Manager Alfonso Lopez Perez. "Adding
Zenith to our fleet gives us greater strength in meeting the demands of the
Spanish market, and I am confident we will realize even greater synergies as
our partnership grows."
All guests currently holding bookings on Zenith in Bermuda will be contacted
by Celebrity representatives to transfer existing reservations to similar
accommodations on Blue Dream.
Celebrity has set up a toll-free number for travel agents and guests with
questions about ship or itinerary changes. That number for group and
individual bookings is 1-888-281-9343, featuring prompts to direct callers
to areas of interest.
Celebrity Journey was constructed in France and entered service in May,
2000, as R6. The ship is 30,277-grt and has 358 staterooms. The German-built
Zenith entered service in April, 1992, as a 46,811-grt vessel with 673
staterooms.
New bookings for sailings on Celebrity Journey will be available in the next
several days. Ship itineraries for the remainder of 2007, will be announced
shortly.
Celebrity Cruises offers comfortably sophisticated, upscale cruise
experiences with highly personalized service, authentic five-star dining,
and extraordinary attention to detail. Celebrity sails in Alaska, Bermuda,
California, Caribbean, Europe, Galapagos Islands, Hawaii, Mexican Riviera,
Panama Canal and South America, and will begin sailing in Australia and New
Zealand in 2007. Noted for "The World's Best Large Ships," as voted by the
readers of Conde' Nast Traveler (February 2006 Cruise Poll), Celebrity's
current nine-ship fleet will be joined by Celebrity Solstice in 2008,
Celebrity Equinox in 2009, and a third Solstice-class ship in 2010. For more
information, call your travel agent, dial 1-800-437-3111 or visit the
Celebrity web site at www.celebritycruises.com .
SOURCE Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
-0- 10/31/2006
/CONTACT: North American Media, Lynn Martenstein, +1-305-490-6984,
European Media, Susan Hooper +44-1932-834-303, Latin American Media, Maria
Sastre, +1-305-982-2244 or +1-305-213-3025, or Investor Relations, Greg
Johnson, +1-305-213-3313, all of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd./
/Web site: http://www.royalcaribbean.com
http://www.celebritycruises.com /
(RCL)
CO: Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.; Pullmantur S.A.
ST: Florida, Spain
IN: LEI TRA
SU: TNM
WB-LA
-- CLTU052 --
2221 10/31/2006 08:42 EST http://www.prnewswire.com
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