Celebrity Cruises celebrates its highly anticipated return to Australian and New Zealand waters, marking a new beginning for the cruise line.

On Saturday, Celebrity Eclipse set sail from Sydney on a 12-night itinerary exploring the wilderness of New Zealand. This voyage is the first of 17 sailings departing from Sydney and Auckland through April 2023, and the first for Celebrity Eclipse in Australian, New Zealand and South Pacific waters.

“The return Down Under has been long-awaited but someday has finally arrived! Celebrity Eclipse is the first Celebrity ship to sail this region for 930 days – a momentous occasion for the brand and our team members who have worked so hard to get to this point; and the first of many WonderFULL sailings ahead,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises.

“Returning to this region is another significant milestone in the industry’s global recovery, as we sail forward into a bright future.”

Celebrity Cruises vice president and managing director of Australia and APAC, Tim Jones, added: “We’ve been patiently waiting for this moment for so long, and to finally see the freshly painted blue hull of Celebrity Eclipse slice through the waters of Sydney Harbour didn’t disappoint.

“We were one of the remaining major cruise markets to return to service, and we are really proud to be contributing to the tourism industries of Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific once more, alongside…