Celebrity Solstice to Enter Service Three Weeks Early

Surprise, Celebrity fans: The much-awaited Celebrity Solstice is arriving three weeks early.

The line announced that construction of the 2,850-passenger ship -- the first of a new series -- is running ahead of schedule and the vessel will debut on Nov. 23 instead of in December.

As a result of the change Celebrity now has three additional cruises to sell. The week-long voyages, departing on Nov. 23, Nov. 30 and Dec. 7, all will follow the same itinerary out of Fort Lauderdale to San Juan, Puerto Rico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten, and Basseterre, St. Kitts.

The change also means that the maiden voyage of the ship, long planned for Dec. 14, will now occur on Nov. 23. The line says passengers who booked the Dec. 14 sailing so they could be on the maiden voyage can switch to the new maiden voyage without penalty. The line has established a two-week rebooking window for such passengers through June 12, and it says they will be able to reserve the same cabin that they originally booked, at the original fare. The line adds that passengers encountering air-change fees as a result of opting to switch will be reimbursed up to $100 per person (proof of the change fees must be submitted).

The Solstice is the first of five Solstice class ships that the line plans, and it will boast several first-in-the-industry features including a half-acre Lawn Club with real grass and a glassblowing studio developed with The Corning Museum of Glass. Also of note: The ship's cabins will be 15% larger, on average, than those on previous Celebrity ships, and 85% of all cabins will have verandas.