EQUINOX DEBUTS AT PORT CANAVERAL, MAKING CELEBRITY SEVENTH CRUISE LINE TO BASE SHIPS THERE

Celebrity Cruises officially joined Port Canaveral's expanding cruise lineup early Tuesday, as the Equinox sailed into the port for the first time in the pre-dawn darkness.

The Equinox will offer 20 sailings out of Port Canaveral, with seasonal service from now through April 19.

Celebrity is the seventh cruise line to base one or more ships at Port Canaveral. It joins longtime Port Canaveral cruise lines Carnival, Disney, MSC, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, as well as Princess, which started sailing from Port Canaveral last week. Celebrity is considered one of the more upscale cruise lines sailing from U.S. ports.

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The Equinox's itineraries out of Port Canaveral will include sailings to the Bahamas; Belize; Grand Cayman; Mexico; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and St. Maarten. Some of the sailings will visit the private island of Perfect Day at Coco Cay, which features an adults-only Hideaway Beach area. Most of the sailings out of Port Canaveral will span seven nights, with Saturday departures and returns.

The Equinox is relatively small, compared with some of the mega-ships based at Port Canaveral. The Equinox has 13 guest decks, 1,426 staterooms, a double-occupancy capacity of 2,852 passenger, a full capacity of 3,148 and a crew of 1,290. It has 10 dining venues; 13 bars and lounges; a 1,113-seat theater for Broadway-style shows; a casino; swimming pools; hot tubs; spa facilities; a fitness centers; a jogging track; and a basketball court. The Equinox went into service in 2009 and was renovated in 2019.

In coming years, Celebrity has scheduled seven-night sailings of the Celebrity Apex out of Port Canaveral from November 2025 through April 2026, as well as from November 2026 through April 2027. The Apex is slightly larger than the Equinox, and is newer, having gone into service in 2020.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Celebrity Cruises as our newest cruise partner and excited to have Celebrity Equinox sailing from our port,” Port Canaveral CEO John Murray said. “The addition of this impressive ship, coupled with Celebrity Cruises' brand loyalty, continues to expand the number of attractive and enticing options to sail from our port. We are proud of our growth and the collective success we continue to bring to the Central Florida region.”

Celebrity is owned by the Royal Caribbean Group, but is a separate brand from Royal Caribbean International, similar to Princess Cruises being owned by Carnival Corp., but being a separate brand from Carnival Cruise Line.

More 'intimate' cruise experience

The Equinox is sized to give cruise passengers a more "intimate" experience than some of the larger Carnival and Royal Caribbean ships, which have capacities of more than 6,000 passengers. Celebrity Cruises President Laura Hodges Bethge has described it as "resort travel at sea."

According to Hodges Bethge, Celebrity customers have expressed the desire for more Caribbean options, especially from domestic ports that are closer to home, so they can enjoy more frequent, year-round vacations.

Port Canaveral offers many benefits for reaching a wide and new audience for Celebrity, including its location that is easily accessible worldwide by flying into Orlando International Airport; it also is easily accessible through major highways; and it is the closest port to the Central Florida theme park and attractions.

"Bringing Celebrity Cruises to Port Canaveral will allow us to better serve a wide-range of travelers, from in-state cruisers to out-of-state travelers, and especially families and groups," Hodges Bethge said when discussing the cruise line's decision to base a ship at Port Canaveral. "We have had our eye on Port Canaveral for a while, and we are so excited to now bring Celebrity Equinox to the area."

The Equinox sailed into a nearly deserted port at 4 a.m. Tuesday, with the only other activity being charter fishermen preparing to go out to sea.

Celebrity also is sailing from two other Florida ports — Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale and Port Tampa Bay — in the winter 2024-25 season.

Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at [email protected], on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Equinox debuts at Port Canaveral, making Celebrity seventh cruise line to base ships there

2024-12-03T14:14:07Z