CELEBRITY CRUISES INTO PHILADELPHIA FOR 17 SAILINGS IN 2005
Cruise Line Adds Four Bermuda Sailings And Extends Season Into Fall

PHILADELPHIA, August 12, 2004 – Riding the tide of a successful 2004 summer season, Celebrity Cruises and the Port of Philadelphia and Camden (PPC) have announced that the cruise line will add four additional Bermuda sailings to its 2005 schedule, up to 17 from 13 cruises in 2004. Celebrity will also spread out its season from July 2 through October 22, giving travelers the option of a spring, summer or fall cruise to Bermuda.

The increase in sailings is due to strong bookings for 2003 and 2004 and positive customer response. With the four new Celebrity sailings, the PPC will have 26 sailings to Bermuda in 2005, up from 20 in 2003. This makes the port one of the largest departure points for Bermuda in the U.S. It also represents a significant economic investment for the Philadelphia region. An increase of four sailings will give nearly 11,000 additional passengers the opportunity to visit the region.

“We’re happy that sailings to Bermuda were strong enough to warrant more cruises from Philadelphia,” said Melissa Grimm, director of the PPC. “The Delaware River Port Authority is working to make the cruise industry a vital part of the region’s tourism economy. We know that in order to make a significant impact, we have to greatly expand the business from where it is today and continue to convert cruise visitors into overnight guests in the region. This increase in investment from Celebrity goes a long way toward helping us do this.”

“The people, port facilities and attractions in Philadelphia have combined to create a wonderful embarkation market for our guests sailing to Bermuda,” said Celebrity’s Senior Vice President of Fleet Operations Dietmar Wertanzl. “We look forward to another successful season of cruising from Philadelphia next year.”

The 46,811-ton, 1,354-guest Celebrity Horizon was built in 1990 and refurbished in 1998. The ship will offer seven-night cruises to Bermuda departing Saturdays from July 2 through October 22, 2005.

For more information about cruising from Philadelphia, contact the PPC at (856) 968-2052 or visit www.cruisephilly.org. For information about travel to Philadelphia, call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676 or visit www.gophila.com.

The Philadelphia Cruise Terminal at Pier 1 is operated by The Port of Philadelphia and Camden, a department of the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA). DRPA owns and operates the Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry and Betsy Ross bridges, the PATCO Speedline and the AmeriPort Intermodal Rail Center and the RiverLink Ferry System. By virtue of a 1992 federally authorized charter amendment, the DRPA has taken a leadership role in the commercial and industrial revitalization of the Philadelphia-Camden Waterfront and in economic development projects within the Port District of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey.

Celebrity Cruises is the industry’s highest rated premium cruise brand with a taste of luxury. The cruise line has 10 ships in its fleet, which is the youngest of any major line. Celebrity sails in Alaska, Bermuda, California, the Caribbean, Europe, the Galapagos Islands, Hawaii, the Mexican Riviera, the Panama Canal and South America. For more information, travelers can contact their travel agent at 1 (800) 437-3111 or visit the Celebrity Web site at www.celebrity.com.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), Philadelphia's regional tourism marketing agency, is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to building the region's economy and positive image through tourism and destination marketing. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, call the new Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676, or visit www.gophila.com. For information about arts and cultural attractions in the region, click on the CultureFiles link.

Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit the photo gallery of gophila.com/pressroom.  

August 2004

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