More Celebrity ships sail, for total of eight now cruising

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Celebrity Millennium is scheduled for 11 weeklong Alaska cruises during this abbreviated season
Celebrity Cruises continued its comeback over the weekend, with Celebrity Millennium embarking for Alaska, Celebrity Xpedition in the Galápagos and Celebrity Eclipse bound for the Caribbean.

This makes a total of eight ships from the 14-member Celebrity fleet resuming service in an eight-week stretch.

Alaska, Galápagos, Caribbean

Celebrity Millennium departed the Port of Seattle Friday on its first of 11 weekly Alaska round-trips through early October. The itinerary includes Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Icy Strait Point, with scenic cruising of Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier.

Saturday it was Celebrity Xpedition's turn in the Galápagos.

And, on Sunday, Celebrity Equinox embarked for the western Caribbean from Port Everglades. Destinations include St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Nassau. The vessel will alternate western and eastern routes.

'With each new ship that goes in the water, I’m overwhelmed by the palpable sense of reconnection on board for both our guests and our crew — with each other, their families and the world,' Celebrity Cruises President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo said. 'Being together, again, and absorbing the beauty around us is what we’ve all dreamt about for over a year, and now it’s really wonderful to be a part of our guests’ aspirations to travel again.'

'Herculean effort'

'Bringing a large cruise ship back into service isn’t as easy as turning the ignition key,' added Celebrity's Brian Abel, SVP hotel operations. 'It’s a multi-dimensional process that involves moving and training crew, large-scale procurement, mechanical adjustments, destination outreach, port availability, sales and marketing and so much more.'

Abel added: 'We were ready and we successfully executed this herculean effort with finesse to welcome our guests back on board for the Celebrity experience they know and love.'

Recap of ships operating

Celebrity Millennium had returned to service June 5 from St. Maarten. In early July, Celebrity Summit took over the program, allowing Celebrity Millennium to reposition for the Alaska season.

The new Celebrity Apex made its world debut in Piraeus on June 19, while sister Celebrity Edge on June 26 made history as the first oceangoing cruise ship to depart from a US port in over a year.

On July 3, Celebrity Silhouette began carrying British passengers from Southampton on UK coastal cruises. In the Galápagos, Celebrity Flora set off July 4.

Vaccination policy

All Celebrity ships are sailing with crew fully vaccinated for COVID-19. US passengers 16 and older must be fully vaccinated and, as of Aug. 1, that drops to ages 12 and up. In Florida, vaccinations are strongly recommended. The requirement for UK travelers on Celebrity Silhouette is for those 18 and older. Rules for non-US travelers vary.