Horizon after Bermuda 2005?

[MortgageChick]

Where will the Horizon be sailing after Bermuda 2005? I see that itineraries are non existent for this ship on several on line sites

[venicecruiser]

According to what people have posted, she is leaving the X fleet........

[chessbriar]

She is being transferred to Island Cruise, a joint opperation with RCI and First Choice Holidays. If you lover her sail her now.

[roscoesdream]

Is the x fleet just going to have 1 less ship? Or are there some new ships coming to take its place?

[chessbriar]

Nothing has been annouced yet, rumors are flying around about a new build or two, but I don't believe them. It doesn't fit with what X has been doing. I am hoping they are purchasing a slightly used ship or two. They are so speard out this year with scheduling, I'd hate to see what they do with one less ship. They could use two ships and soon.

[Andy]

Nothing has been annouced yet, rumors are flying around about a new build or two, but I don't believe them. It doesn't fit with what X has been doing. I am hoping they are purchasing a slightly used ship or two. They are so speard out this year with scheduling, I'd hate to see what they do with one less ship. They could use two ships and soon.

 

Hi Rick !

 

How are you ? I hope all is well.

 

I just got off Summit TODAY... Absolutely wonderful Cruise. One of my best Celebrity Cruises Ever !

 

I will try to post a review in the next few days, once things get settled at work.

 

Rumors are all over the ship, that Celebrity will soon be ordering Two 110,000 ton ships, with a "Possible" Option for another Two more ships of the same size.

 

I want to stress that this is nothing more than rumor, and I have always found that much of the information from the ship, usually turns out not to be as planned, so take it with a HUGE grain of salt :)

 

Regards,

Andy

[hdawson]

Andy. Every time (except once) you get off a Celebrity cruise you say it was one of your best. Seems like Celebrity just gets better and better.

Welcome home.

[Richard Stein]

I will miss the Horizon and have already booked a CC cabin for her 10/31/05 final Celebrity voyage to Bermuda. Have sailed her to Bermuda 3 times and enjouyed each one. We will miss her.

[Lois R]

Andy...welcome home:) and I am glad you had such a wonderful time....I want to reach out and touch your shoulder....LOL will give me the good vibes for a wonderful sailing on the Constellation this SATURDAY:D

[Texed]

Andy,

 

I heard (from a pretty reliable source) that the new ships were going to be 120,000GRT.

[chessbriar]

I grabbed the following news from cruiseserver.net.

 

"While there has been no official announcement yet, industry sources tell us that Celebrity's Horizon, which entered service in 1990, will leave the fleet in the fall of 2005 and be converted into a "club ship" before being transferred to sister company Island Cruises. Island Cruises was started as a joint venture between Celebrity parent company Royal Caribbean and First Choice Holidays in 2002 and currently has one ship in its fleet, Island Escape (formerly Royal Caribbean's Viking Serenade).

Island Cruises targets the young, active British cruising market and promotes it's product as "relaxed and informal" cruising where an "ad-lib" dining approach allows passengers to eat when and where they want to. Horizon is expected to undergo an extensive refit at the Lisnave Shipyard in Lisbon, Portugal before embarking on a series of South America summer season itineraries for Island Cruises."

 

This fits well with the end of Horizon's schedule at the end of October.

[NJ Cruisers]

We just go off the Horizon and heard conflicting rumors from the staff. The first is that Horizon will be refurbished; the second that she is being sold. It is a shame since the Horizon and Zenith are our two favorites; we love the smaller ships.

 

We spoke with the captain at one of the cocktail parties and he seems to think the ship will no longer be part of Celebrity's fleet though he had not had any official word yet.

[chessbriar]

They are not conflicting at all. Horzon will be refurbished and then transfered to Island Cruises. A joint cruise company owned by Royal Caribbean and First Choice Holidays. There she will join the former Viking Serenade in serving the British market.

[jsea]

Well, for a while there it did appear as if Celebrity was planning on refurbishing H & Z with balconies, new (really nice-looking) staterooms with new furnishings and fixtures, and an overhaul of the public spaces (and perhaps more). Some photos of a partially refitted stateroom were posted on this board.

 

My guess is that management determined it would be more economically beneficial to acquire new tonnage as opposed to refitting nearly 15-year-old metal.

 

I for one hope this new tonnage is of the new build variety, as I don't think there are many ships out there that fit Celebrity's profile. And from what the photos showed of the refitted stateroom on Horizon, it looks like Celebrity has a lot of great ideas.