Celebrity Constellation to be redeployed from Dubai to Tampa Bay for winter 2020

The soon-to-be “revolutionised” ship will offer guests more island time than ever before, Celebrity said, with three alternating 10- and 11-night round-trip sailings.

In the meantime, though, Constellation will return to Dubai for its winter 2019 season.

Celebrity confirmed it would honour agents’ base commission on Dubai 2020 bookings but hoped most passengers would be rebooked.

The line added the redeployment was unrelated to external factors.

P&O Cruises announced last week it had cancelled its winter 2019/20 Dubai and Arabian Gulf programme in light of rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and chief executive, Celebrity Cruises, said: “Our guests and travel advisors have been asking us to return to Tampa since our last call there in 2007.

“While Celebrity Cruises’ fleet is undergoing a massive modernisation with The Celebrity Revolution, the beautiful City of Tampa is also experiencing quite a renaissance.”

The city’s downtown waterfront is currently being transformed through the $3 billion Water Street project. The 50-acre district will feature retail, offices, homes, hotels, culture and education.

Following a 14-night transatlantic crossing out of Barcelona, Constellation will begin offering three itineraries including a 10-night Eastern Caribbean escape, calling at San Juan, Puerto Rico; Basseterre, St Kitts & Nevis; Philipsburg, St Maarten; Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas; and Samana, Dominican Republic.

There is also an 11-night Southern Caribbean trek with visits to Key West, Florida; Kralendijk, Bonaire; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; and George Town, Grand Cayman; as well as a new 11-night “Touch Canal” itinerary, sailing to Cozumel, Mexico; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; the Panama Canal; Colon, Panama; Cartagena, Colombia; and George Town, Grand Cayman.

Constellation is currently scheduled to undergo its modernisation in May 2020. The line’s $500 million investment in ship-wide upgrades and “reimagined spaces” aims to make the fleet more aligned to Edge class.