Launch celebration delayed to aid stranded air passengers
LONDON – New cruise ship Celebrity Eclipse has cancelled the first leg of her launch celebrations – scheduled to begin this week – in order to assist UK holidaymakers whose return from their Easter break has been halted due to the impact of ash clouds from the eruption of the Eyjafjallajoekull volcano in Iceland.
Cruise ships, coaches and ferries will be used also by Thomson and First Choice parent TUI Travel to bring stranded holidaymakers home.
TUI aims to transport home 5,000 out of 40,000 passengers stuck abroad due to the volcanic ash cloud which has closed UK airspace since Thursday.
Celebrity Cruises is working with UK tour operators to collect stranded holidaymakers affected by the airport closures and subsequent flight cancellations that have affected travellers in Northern Europe.
Celebrity Eclipse will arrive in Southampton as scheduled at 9:00 a.m.UK time today, and will depart this evening to Bilbao, Spain, where she is scheduled to arrive in the early hours of Thursday, April 22.
Stranded holidaymakers will embark the ship which will return to Southampton, arriving late on Friday evening.
This sailing will replace the activities planned during the two-night, round-trip launch celebration cruise from Southampton.
On its new operation, Eclipse will collect delayed holidaymakers – some by up to seven days – who were on package holidays with major UK tour operators. Over 2,000 travellers are currently expected to join Celebrity Eclipse in Bilbao.
Said Richard Fain, chairman of Celebrity Cruises and chairman and CEO of its parent company, Royal Caribbean Cruises, “The events affecting air travel are completely unprecedented, and it is in times like these that the global travel industry needs to pull together.
“Collecting stranded British and Irish holidaymakers is a fitting first mission for new ship Celebrity Eclipse – what better way for a ship dedicated to the UK to mark her arrival?
“We hope that guests initially invited to join the launch celebrations on April 22 will understand the change of plan, and we look forward to welcoming as many of them as possible to the naming ceremony on April 24 instead.â€
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Skyscanner reveals major travel trends 2026 at ITB Asia
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists