Celebrity Apex to make debut from Athens

Celebrity Cruises is making a return to sailing in Europe this summer in the eastern Mediterranean.

New ship Celebrity Apex will make its debut with seven-night sailings from Athens.

The cruises start on June 19 and run until September with bookings opening on March 30.

Two itineraries include Mykonos, Rhodes and Santorini; Limassol in Cyprus; and Haifa and Ashdod for Jerusalem in Israel.

The first covers the Greek islands and Cyprus with the second combining the Greek islands with Israel.

Celebrity Apex will sail with all crew and guests above the age of 18 vaccinated against Covid-19, and those under the age of 18 with negative PCR test results.

The new deployment comes just days after the company announced its Caribbean comeback with seven-night summer cruises from St Maarten in June.

Celebrity Apex was due to be named in Southampton in March last year but the ceremony was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It would have been the first time Celebrity Cruises named a ship in the UK for ten years.

The line’s president and chief executive Lisa Lutoff-Perlo said: “Celebrity Apex is such an exquisite ship and for her to finally begin sailing in the beautiful Aegean, where it all began for our fleet, and after so long away, is incredibly meaningful.

“I actually can’t wait to finally experience Apex and the Greek Isles this September during my rescheduled 30th wedding anniversary cruise.

“This is a very special homecoming for Celebrity Cruises made possible with the strong collaboration of the Greek government.”

EMEA vice president and chief executive Jo Rzymowska added: “I can’t imagine a more perfect setting to finally launch our beautiful Celebrity Apex than the birthplace of the brand and with such stunning itineraries.

“Whilst British holidaymakers will have to wait a while longer to experience our flagship until international travel opens back up, we hope to welcome them on board later in the season.”

Greek tourism minister Haris Theocharis said: “I am proud to be welcoming Celebrity Cruises back to its Greek roots on this special occasion of our country’s independence bicentennial and am eager for travellers to return to the unforgettable experiences of all of our destinations on one of the world’s newest ships.

“The positive economic impact that tourism brings to our country cannot be underestimated and I am very happy Celebrity Cruises is playing an important role in rebuilding this important economic pillar.”