Celebrity Cruises Ships by Size, Age and Class (2022)
Celebrity Cruises has an active fleet of fifteen ships currently with two further ships on order (Celebrity Ascent and another Edge-class ship, currently unnamed).
In this guide, we will cover all the different ships in the Celebrity Cruises fleet and how they compare to each other.
Introduction to Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Cruises was actually founded in 1988 in Greece, by the shipping company Chandris Group. Originally they were conducting upmarket cruises to Bermuda.
In 1997, Royal Caribbean International acquired Celebrity Cruises and during the same year, the five ships became six with the addition of Celebrity Mercury.
By 2000, the start of the brand new fleet was beginning to arrive – this was the Millennium Class ships, which began with Celebrity Millennium in 2000 and was followed by three additional ships (Celebrity Infinity, Celebrity Summit and Celebrity Constellation).
After that, Celebrity created the Solstice-class, which consisted of five ships. These proved extremely popular and Celebrity actually went back and ‘Solsticized’ the rest of their fleet to bring the other ships up to the same passenger experience.
In 2018, Celebrity Edge debuted with a non-traditional cruise ship bow (a Parabolic Ultra-Bow, if you may!) and The Magic Carpet (an open-air dining experience attached to the side of the ship that can move from the bottom to the top of the ship if needed and act as a platform during tender operations)
Celebrity Cruises’ Ships Frequently Asked Questions
Celebrity Cruises Ships by Size (from largest to smallest)
| Ship Name | Tonnage (GRT) | Passengers (Max) | Length (Metres) | Decks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celebrity Beyond | 140,600 | 3,260 | 327 | 17 |
| Celebrity Edge | 129,500 | 2,918 | 306 | 16 |
| Celebrity Apex | 129,500 | 2,910 | 306 | 16 |
| Celebrity Reflection | 126,000 | 3,030 | 319 | 13 |
| Celebrity Silhouette | 122,000 | 2,902 | 319 | 13 |
| Celebrity Eclipse | 122,000 | 2,850 | 317 | 13 |
| Celebrity Equinox | 122,000 | 2,852 | 317 | 13 |
| Celebrity Solstice | 122,000 | 2,850 | 315 | 13 |
| Celebrity Constellation | 91,000 | 2,184 | 294 | 11 |
| Celebrity Millennium | 90,940 | 2,218 | 294 | 11 |
| Celebrity Infinity | 90,940 | 2,170 | 294 | 11 |
| Celebrity Summit | 90,940 | 2,158 | 294 | 11 |
| Celebrity Flora | 5,739 | 100 | 102 | 6 |
| Celebrity Xpedition | 2,842 | 48 | 90 | 4 |
| Celebrity Xploration | 319 | 16 | 30 | 3 |
What does ‘Tonnage (GRT)’ mean?
GRT (Gross Registered Tonnage) is a term used to calculate the volume inside a ship. It is a measure of cubic capacity and is calculated by the total volume from inside the hull and decks of the ship. 1 GRT = 100 cubic feet of space. In essence, the bigger the GRT – the more ‘space’ the ship has for passengers, cargo, etc.
How are ‘Passengers (Max)’ calculated?
You’ll see multiple numbers for passengers on ships – this is because many ships include extra beds in cabins (such as the sofa/couch can convert to a pull-out bed) – but the majority of cabins usually have 2 people in them. the ‘Max’ number is if every cabin used their additional pull-out bed, etc. This number is unlikely to be reached very frequently.
Celebrity Cruises Ships by Age (from newest to oldest)
| Ship Name | Built |
|---|---|
| Celebrity Ascent | Due 2023 |
| Celebrity Beyond | 2022 |
| Celebrity Apex | 2020 |
| Celebrity Flora | 2019 |
| Celebrity Edge | 2018 |
| Celebrity Xploration | 2017 |
| Celebrity Reflection | 2012 |
| Celebrity Silhouette | 2011 |
| Celebrity Eclipse | 2010 |
| Celebrity Equinox | 2009 |
| Celebrity Solstice | 2008 |
| Celebrity Constellation | 2002 |
| Celebrity Xpedition | 2001 |
| Celebrity Infinity | 2001 |
| Celebrity Summit | 2001 |
| Celebrity Millennium | 2000 |
Are all Celebrity Cruises’ ships new builds?
Just two of the Celebrity’s ships were built and owned by other cruise lines before being acquired by Celebrity Cruises.
The two ships are Celebrity Xpedition (previously Sun Bay for Sun Bay Cruises) and Celebrity Xploration (previously Athala II for Ocean Adventures)
Both of these are quite different ships from your usual cruise ships, they are expedition ships. This means they are much smaller and have very different passenger and operational needs because they operate in much shallower, confined waters and must adhere to even stricter environmental laws in these regions.
Celebrity Cruises Ships by Class (from newest to oldest)
| Ship Name | Class |
|---|---|
| Celebrity Ascent | Edge-class |
| Celebrity Beyond | Edge-class |
| Celebrity Apex | Edge-class |
| Celebrity Edge | Edge-class |
| Celebrity Millennium | Millennium-class |
| Celebrity Infinity | Millennium-class |
| Celebrity Summit | Millennium-class |
| Celebrity Constellation | Millennium-class |
| Celebrity Solstice | Solstice-class |
| Celebrity Equinox | Solstice-class |
| Celebrity Eclipse | Solstice-class |
| Celebrity Silhouette | Solstice-class |
| Celebrity Reflection | Solstice-class |
| Celebrity Xpedition | Xpedition-class (Custom) |
| Celebrity Xploration | Xpedition-class (Custom) |
| Celebrity Flora | Xpedition-class (Custom) |
What is the difference between the Edge-class ships?
Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Apex are both identical ships. However, Celebrity Beyond is an extra 20 meters longer and has one additional deck. This brings 179 more suites and staterooms to the ship, a bigger (40%) sundeck at The Retreat and the Sunset Bar is 180% larger.
Celebrity Ascent is due to match Celebrity Beyond in terms of size and capacity.
What is the difference between the Xpedition-class ships?
The three Xpedition-class ships that Celebrity Cruises own are all custom-built ships, with Celebrity Xploration previously operating as Athala II for Ocean Adventures.
- Celebrity Xpedition is 90m long and carries 48 passengers
- Celebrity Xploration is 30m long and carries 16 passengers
- Celebrity Flora is 102m long and carries 100 passengers
Celebrity Xpedition had its capacity reduced from 100 passengers to just 48 passengers when Celebrity Flora launched. This is to meet the Ecuador permit requirements for cruising in the Galapagos region as Celebrity Cruises only has a permit to carry 164 passengers at any one time in the Galapagos region.
Celebrity Flora is the newest of the Xpedition-class and offers just forty suites – all of which have a private balcony. The ship has six decks and has a max cruising speed of just 12 knots.
Final Thoughts
Celebrity Cruises are known for its stylish cruise ships and fantastic service. A more premium version of parent company Royal Caribbean’s offerings some would say, Celebrity aim to make cruising trendy for those who would never consider cruising.
Their Edge-class ships, with famous designers and celebrity tie-ins, aim to break to entice those that enjoy luxury hotels and travel but are yet to experience a cruise and those that like both!
If you enjoyed this article you may like our other articles that compare MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Holland America Line and Cunard Line ships.
