Celebrity Cruises' Summit has quietly clocked up 25 years at sea. Delivered to the line on August 31, 2001, the 91,000-ton ship was the third of the Millennium class, built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in St. Nazaire, France. It arrived into a very different world: after a guest-free transatlantic crossing, its first full season kicked off from Fort Lauderdale on October 1, 2001, with an 11-night Western Caribbean and Florida sailing calling at Key West, Cozumel, Puerto Limón, Colón and Grand Cayman.
That first year set the template. Sailing roundtrip from Port Everglades, the 1,950-passenger Summit ran 10- and 11-night itineraries through the Western Caribbean and further east too, with stops in St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Kitts and St. Thomas.
The ship has been a serial repositioner ever since. In 2002 it headed west for Panama Canal and Hawaii sailings, then spent a summer in Alaska — a pattern it stuck with until 2008, when Europe finally got a look in with a Mediterranean season. Bermuda, Canada, New England and the Bahamas have all featured on its route map at various points.
Its most significant recent chapter came in 2019, when the Summit went through Celebrity's fleet-wide Revolution refurbishment. The project brought redesigned staterooms, reworked restaurants and upgraded bars and lounges, so anyone sailing it today is getting a noticeably more modern ship than the one that launched in 2001.
Since returning to Alaska in 2021, the Summit has mostly stuck to North American waters, the Caribbean and Bermuda. The immediate future looks similar: Tampa homeporting for the 2026-27 winter season, then back to Alaska for summer 2027 — good news for travellers who like warm-weather short escapes in winter and glacier scenery in summer.
Why should this matter to a holidaymaker? Because a 25-year-old ship in a major line's fleet is no longer a relic — it's a proven, recently modernised mid-size option. At under 2,000 passengers, the Summit offers a calmer onboard experience than today's mega-ships, while still carrying the refurbished dining and lounge venues from the 2019 refit. If you're eyeing a Tampa Caribbean week or an Alaskan summer cruise, it's one of the more seasoned ships you can book.