Sarah Bretz, ContributorAfter learning earlier this week that Celebrity Cruises has sold two of its three Galapagos expedition ships, the line has given notice that it has canceled 2025 voyages on those vessels.
All sailings previously scheduled to take place on Celebrity Xpedition and Celebrity Xploration between January and December 2025 are now canceled. In an email to travel agents and booked guests, the line said “On December 28, 2024, Celebrity Xploration and Celebrity Xpedition will set sail from Baltra for their final time as part of the Celebrity Cruises fleet. We remain committed to the Galapagos Islands, offering sailings on Celebrity Flora, a ship built to sail in the archipelago year-round.”
For guests who were already booked onto one of the two ships for 2025, the cruise line has provided two alternative options.
The first option allows guests to select a new sail date aboard Celebrity Xpedition or Xploration setting sail this fall. They’ll receive a free transfer to a similar or better cabin category with the price they originally paid protected on select sailings. The original stateroom category price will either be protected or reduced to the current cruise fare rate (whichever is lower). Guests with flights booked through Celebrity will have their air automatically reaccommodated. They’ll also be reimbursed for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred up to $400 per guest.
The second option allows guests to move to a select sailing on Celebrity Flora — an all-suite ship purpose-built for the Galapagos — at the original price paid. The’ll be able to choose sailings on a like weekend or one week before or after the original departure date. Holiday cruises are excluded unless originally booked on a holiday sailing. The other terms are similar to the first option.
Celebrity Xploration and Celebrity Xpedition, which hold 16 and 48 guests respectively, have been sold to Lindblad Expeditions and are set to undergo multi-million-dollar revitalizations next year before setting sail with the line.
Now, Celebrity Cruises will have just one vessel, Celebrity Flora, in the Galapagos. The ship debuted in 2019 and can hold 100 guests and 80 crew members.
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