By
Rebecca Gibson |
Celebrity Cruises is to acquire Galápagos Islands tour operator Ocean Adventures and its two ships, the 48-guest ship Eclipse and the 16-guest catamaran Athala II, to expand its guest capacity in the Galápagos by 65%.
Set to be acquired this spring, Eclipse and Athala II will continue to offer the Ocean Adventures experience until January 2017 when they will be refreshed and join Celebrity’s fleet. All existing Ocean Adventures' bookings and reservation commitments will remain unchanged, both before and after the drydock.
“After 16 years of building Ocean Adventures into the one of the leading operators in the Galapagos Islands, we are proud to have caught the attention of a world-class cruise company like Celebrity and proud to be part of its ambitious plans to expand in the region,” said Ben Dod, president of Ocean Adventures. “Eclipse and Athala II are the best vessels in their class and we are delighted that both ships will continue to deliver an unequalled level of service and experience to guests.”
The two vessels will operate alongside Celebrity’s 100-guest Celebrity Xpedition, creating more opportunities for Celebrity to offer regular cruises, group bookings and custom charters in the Galapágos.
They will also enable Celebrity to visit more destinations, such as Puerto Villamil, Darwin Bay, Black Turtle Cove, Chinese Hat Islet and Wall of Tears, and offer new shore excursions. These will include opportunities to meet local residents, head to the Andes Mountains in Ecuador, visit Machu Picchu or the Amazon in Peru, and see giant tortoises, prehistoric iguanas, blue-footed boobies and more.
“Our guests use the most amazing words to describe their journeys to the Galapágos Islands,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises. “They tell us the experience is ‘once in a lifetime,’ ‘awe-inspiring,’ even ‘life-changing’. That’s why we’ve made Celebrity Xpedition such a special experience, and why we are thrilled to expand our Galápagos programme with these two intimate ships. We want to make more lifetime memories. Our unique Galapagos fleet will offer an up-close look at the region's breathtaking natural beauty, paired with Celebrity's highly intuitive service and award-winning cuisine.”