Celebrity Cruises Sends Ship To Spain To Rescue Stranded Vacationers

Celebrity Cruises is dispatching its newest ship, the Celebrity Eclipse, to Spain to rescue more than 2,000 British vacationers stranded by the ash-caused shutdown of flights across Europe.

The Miami-based line says it is canceling the first leg of inaugural celebrations for the 2,850-passenger vessel, scheduled to begin Thursday in Southampton, England, so the ship can take part in what is becoming a Continent-wide effort to repatriate thousands of waylaid citizens of various countries to their homes.

Celebrity says it is working with U.K. tour operators to arrange the repatriation. Some of the British vacationers the ship will pick up, on package holidays in Spain, have been stuck in the country since last Thursday.

Celebrity says the Eclipse, which arrived as scheduled in Southampton this morning, is immediately turning around to sail for Bilbao, Spain, where it will arrive early Thursday. After collecting the UK traveler, it will return to Southampton, arriving late Friday evening.

Still, the line says that for now, at least, it plans to go ahead with the naming ceremony for the Eclipse planned for Saturday in Southampton.