Celebrity Cruises

Initially, Chandris Fantasy Cruises focused on the budget cruise market, operating second-hand ships. That changed in 1988, when Home Lines (one of the world’s leading premium cruise lines at the time) was sold to Holland America Line. Home Lines held two of the five coveted contracts from the Government of Bermuda, which granted priority berthing and unrestricted sailing access to Bermuda from April through October each year. Despite the high value of these contracts, Holland America Line opted to withdraw Home Lines’ ships from Bermuda service, creating a rare opportunity for new cruise lines to fill the gap.

Chandris was eager to acquire these contracts, but the Bermuda Government was only willing to grant them to premium cruise lines, something Chandris Fantasy Cruises was not considered to be. To meet the government’s standards, Chandris established a new brand: Celebrity Cruises. Negotiations with Bermuda began in April 1988, and Celebrity was awarded a five-year contract for two ships, beginning in 1990. From that point on, Celebrity positioned itself exclusively in the premium market segment.

In 1997, Celebrity Cruises merged with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, which subsequently rebranded as Royal Caribbean International, forming the foundation of today’s Royal Caribbean Group.

Celebrity Cruises’ signature logo is the Greek letter “Χ” (Chi), prominently displayed on the funnels of its ships, paying tribute to the brand’s Greek heritage and the Chandris name.