Celebrity acquiring ships to expand Galapagos cruising

Celebrity Cruises will expand its Celebrity Xpedition brand in the Galapagos islands by acquiring Ocean Adventures.

Founded in 1999, Ocean Adventures has two vessels: the 48-passenger Eclipse and the 16-guest catamaran Athala II. The expansion gives Celebrity more capacity in the Galapagos, where the government requires ships to carry 100 passengers or less.

Celebrity has sailed in the Galapagos since 2004 when it created the Celebrity Xpedition brand for the destination. It has operated a single ship, the Xpedition, in the Galapagos until now.

After the acquisition, the two Ocean Adventure ships will continue to offer their current onboard experience until a scheduled drydock in January 2017, after which they will offer Celebrity’s service, food and amenities. All existing Ocean Adventures bookings and block space commitments will be honored and will remain unchanged, regardless of the date of sailing, Celebrity said.

The Xpedition accommodates 98 passengers. It sailed from 2001 to 2004 for Sun Bay Cruises under the name Sun Bay 1.