Celebrity Cruises Teams Up With AmEx

Travel, style and culinary luminaries will enhance guest experience; 

Travel + Leisure to offer exclusive insider tips and “must sees” in key destinations

MIAMI – April 10, 2013 – Uncovering authentic local finds and having experiences that make you feel like you’ve really connected with a place are important elements in making a vacation extraordinary. Giving travelers the knowledge to make their journeys even better is the inspiration behind a breakthrough collaboration between modern luxury brand Celebrity Cruises and American Express Publishing’s influential brands, Travel + Leisure®, Departures® and Food & Wine®.
The collaboration of the premium brands – all recognized for their commitment to enabling consumers to enjoy outstanding, authentic vacation experiences – includes the formation of “Celebrity’s Global Insiders, powered by Travel + Leisure,” a distinguished group of travel experts, style luminaries, top epicureans, and prominent writers and editors who will help Celebrity’s guests uncover unique and memorable experiences in key destinations on the modern luxury line’s vacations in all seven continents, as well as a series of Destination Guides created by the editors of Travel + Leisure with insider tips and not-to-be-missed spots in 150 of Celebrity’s destinations.
Celebrity’s Global Insiders, powered by Travel + Leisure, are:

• Kate Betts, an award-winning magazine editor and the author of Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style. Betts is a contributing editor at Travel + Leisure and Time and was previously the editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, and the fashion news director of Vogue.
• Julia Dimon, a journalist, TV correspondent for Outside Today, and nationally syndicated columnist. Dimon has been featured as a travel expert on ABC, NBC, MSNBC and in The New York Times, among other publications.
• Jack Ezon, president of Ovation Vacations, a company specializing in luxury travel experiences. He appears on the Travel + Leisure A-List and is one of the  most influential travel advisors in the U.S.
• Marc Murphy, executive chef and owner of Benchmarc Restaurants, Landmarc and Ditch Plains, as well as Benchmarc Events by Marc Murphy. Murphy also is a judge on Food Network’s top-rated show, Chopped.
• Alisa Ng, founder and CEO of L-atitude.com, a curated online marketplace for travel and fashion enthusiasts. Ng launched the site in 2010, and it has since become an e-commerce partner for Travel + Leisure, and was included in “Best of the Web” features in InStyle, Departures and Town & Country.
• Adam Sachs, a freewheeling travel, food and lifestyle writer. Sachs is a contributing editor for Travel + Leisure and Bon Appetit, and also writes for GQ, Details, and T, among other publications.

Celebrity’s Global Insiders will help Celebrity deliver a 360-degree modern luxury vacation experience by infusing the cruise experience with the Insiders’ unique insights in fashion, food, technology and travel in all seven continents.
The Destination Guides created by Travel + Leisure editors for 150 of Celebrity Cruises’ ports of call will include insider tips, local hidden gems, and “must see” experiences in each destination. Celebrity will feature the content on its website, www.celebrity.com, in brochures, and onboard.
“Throughout the year, our Global Insiders will get together to experience Celebrity Cruises first-hand, and to share their insights on everything from the destinations we visit, to the experiences we offer on land and at sea,” said Celebrity Cruises VP of Marketing Lisa Kauffman. “We recognize how precious vacation time is for our guests, which drives us to continuously find ways to make it outstanding and memorable. We’re confident this collaboration will do exactly that.”
Steven DeLuca, senior vice president and publishing director of Travel + Leisure, said, “We’re thrilled to team up with Celebrity Cruises on this exciting new program that gives us the opportunity to bring our expertise and connections to their modern luxury experience. The goal is to make travel better, and this is a great pairing to achieve that.”

About Celebrity Cruises:
Celebrity Cruises’ iconic “X” is the mark of modern luxury, with its cool, contemporary design and warm spaces; dining experiences where the design of the venues is as important as the cuisine; and the amazing service that only Celebrity can provide, all created to provide an unmatchable experience for vacationers’ precious time. Celebrity Cruises' 11 ships offer modern luxury vacations visiting all seven continents. Celebrity also presents immersive cruisetour experiences in Alaska, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Europe and South America. Celebrity is one of five cruise brands operated by global cruise vacation company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE, OSE: RCL). For more information, dial 1-800-437-3111, visit www.celebritycruises.com, or call your travel agent.

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