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One of the world's biggest cruisee operators – is to deploy a luxury vessel from its Celebrity Cruisees fleet in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital on a homeport basis from November 2016.
Celebrity Constellation will be the premium brand's first ship to make the Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal its home strengthening the emirate's world cruise destination ambitions.
Celebrity Constellation - a 295-metre, 91,000-ton vessel with a capacity for 2,170 guests in 975 staterooms on 13 decks – willl sail nine-, 12- 14- and 15-night cruises covering five ports-of-call between November 2016 and the end of January 2017. During the three-month season, Celebrity will attract approximately 15,000 guests to Abu Dhabi on six luxury cruises of the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean.
The modern luxury cruise vacations, also calling at Dubai, Muscat in Oman and the west coast of India, are expected to appeal to visitors primarily from the USA, UK, Germany as well as guests from Scandinavia, Southern Africa, China and the Far East. With Spices & the City of Gold and Arabian Coast Immersion regional itineraries departing Abu Dhabi from November 28th 2016, Celebrity Constellation will sail around the Arabian Gulf peninsula to Muscat, before heading east to the west coast of India. It will then sail to Dubai, before returning to Abu Dhabi.
The move follows extensive negotiations between Celebrity Cruises, Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) and Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi).
This is a landmark decision for our cruise tourism ambitions reflecting a new horizon for Abu Dhabi's sector development, said HE Jasem Al Darmaki, Acting Director General, TCA Abu Dhabi. It is a clear statement that a joined-up partnership approach to infrastructure and product development delivers rewards. The Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal, currently under construction at Mina (Port) Zayed, is already proving to be a catalyst to the destination's cruise sector, according to Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO, ADPC.
Celebrity Cruise's decision to base a vessel in Zayed Port demonstrates that the new Cruise Terminal and the Abu Dhabi Cruise Development Committee's work, really is delivering results. The cruise industry is already delivering significant benefits for businesses in the city and across the Emirate. The Committee will continue to work together to meet the requirements of the cruise lines and to differentiate the city from the other cruise locations, so that the cruise operators can increase the vessel calls and develop new exciting itineraries around this region, said Capt. Al Shamisi.
The Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal's building concept the result of an international design competition with ongoing input from a range of industry stakeholders - is due to be completed ahead of the start of Celebrity Constellation's homeport stay.
The dedicated cruise terminal - able to accommodate up to three mega cruise ships simultaneously - increases the port's capacity and is tailored for home-porting, a significant factor for the decision to select Abu Dhabi, explained Helen Beck, Regional Director, International Representatives, EMEA, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises.
Celebrity Cruises will add more glamour and culture to Abu Dhabi's cruise portfolio, and we feel the emirates world-class attractions and experiences will add their own flair and excitement for our guests. I have been impressed that the new terminal has been designed to incorporate our feedback to ensure it meets our guests and operational needs in the most effective ways.
RCCL's brands – especially Celebrity Cruises - source its high-end guuests globally, and I have been overwhelmed by the collaboration in the region to encourage us to expand our operations, with the shared objective of making this inaugural Celebrity Constellation 2016 -17 season a success, she added.
In line with our strategy of strengthening our already strong position within the region and specifically increase awareness about the modern luxury style of Celebrity Cruises, we have appointed Travel Matrix, owned and operated by Lakshmi Durai, as the dedicated International Representative for Celebrity Cruises in the Middle East and Levant region.
The appeal of Abu Dhabi's extensive shore excursion (shorex) opportunities and the UAE capital's ease of access was a clear factor in Celebrity Cruises decision, according to Sultan Al Dhaheri, TCA Abu Dhabi's Acting Executive Director Tourism.
We are confident that an array of pre- and post- cruise excursions, including visits to our new cultural attractions on Saadiyat Island, will encourage passengers to extend their cruise experience and we will work hand-in-hand with our airline and tour operator partners to package engaging tours to the cultural sites of our heritage heartland of Al Ain and of the stunning deserts of our western region, explained Al Dhaheri.
The UAE's new multiple entry visa, costing just US $55, will introduce the concept of Arabian Gulf cruising to a wider pool of international travellers, and this, aligned with our collaborative efforts to boost the region's cruising potential and Celebrity Cruises ambitious marketing and sales plan are expected to attract visitors from around the world.
TCA Abu Dhabi and Celebrity Cruises will jointly mount a two-year-long promotional and publicity campaign in more than 10 target markets to promote Celebrity Constellation's maiden season in the Gulf.
Further initiatives which are expected to boost the emirates cruise appeal include the development of the region's first beach stopover in the western region, and continued joint promotional efforts under a Cruise Arabia alliance with partners in Dubai and Oman.
Celebrity Cruises is the premium brand within the RCL stable offering upscale cruise vacations visiting the world's seven continents, and has been voted Best Premium Cruise Line six years in a row by Travel Weekly's Readersâ Choice Awards. Guests can expect magnificent show lounges, a variety of award-winning restaurants, and the new Canyon Ranch SpaClub spa.
Celebrity Constellation also hosts extensive family amenities, with some of the most expansive children's facilities in the Celebrity fleet, including X-Club for teens - with the newest gaming consoles and sports activities – and Fun Factory activities for childrren including games, sports, crafts, music, karaoke, treasure hunts, theme parties, movies and much more.
Visitors to the Volvo Ocean Race Destination Village on Abu Dhabi's Corniche Breakwater between December 12, 2014 and January 3, 2015 can see a scale model of the Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal and enter a competition for a chance to win a voucher towards an Arabian Gulf cruise courtesy of Royal Caribbean International.
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