Celebrity Summit to Launch Tampa Winter Cruises Oct. 18
Before reaching Tampa, Celebrity Summit is scheduled to call in Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica, transit the Panama Canal, then visit Cartagena, Ocho Rios and George Town.
Celebrity Summit departed Los Angeles on October 1, 2026, for a 17-night repositioning cruise to Tampa, its homeport for the winter season. The Celebrity Cruises ship is scheduled to begin its Tampa program on October 18.
The winter deployment centers on seven-night itineraries to the Bahamas, Florida and the Western Caribbean. It also includes a jazz-themed charter with a call at New Orleans.
On the repositioning voyage, Summit is scheduled to visit Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica before making a full Panama Canal transit. The Caribbean portion then includes Cartagena, Colombia; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and George Town in the Cayman Islands before the ship reaches Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Winter itineraries from Tampa
The first Tampa departure will call at Bimini, Nassau and Key West. Subsequent Western Caribbean sailings include Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico, along with Belize City. Other destinations across the winter schedule include Progreso, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; Falmouth and Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and George Town.
The jazz charter is scheduled for January 2027. Celebrity did not issue an executive statement with the deployment details.
Port Tampa Bay expects approximately 1.8 million cruise passengers and 394 calls in 2026, compared with its record 1.66 million passengers and 370 calls in 2025. The port also anticipates roughly 53 days with three ships alongside, occupying all three cruise terminals simultaneously.
Where Summit has been and where it’s headed
Built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, Summit was delivered on August 31, 2001, as the third Millennium-class vessel. The ship measures 91,003 gross tons and carries 2,218 passengers at double occupancy with a crew of 1,027, according to Celebrity.
The ship began passenger service from Fort Lauderdale on October 1, 2001, initially operating 10- and 11-night Caribbean cruises from Port Everglades. Summit first deployed to the West Coast in 2002, offering Panama Canal and Hawaii voyages before spending the summer in Alaska.
Summit underwent an extensive renovation in 2019 under the Celebrity Revolution modernization program. That work redesigned staterooms and restaurants and upgraded bars and lounges. Celebrity lists the vessel’s most recent refurbishment as 2022.
The ship is scheduled to leave the region in April 2027 on a repositioning voyage to the West Coast ahead of an Alaska summer season. In 2028, Summit is due to return to Europe for two months of Iceland cruises sailing roundtrip from Reykjavik.
See current Celebrity Summit fares and itineraries on Cruise Lookup.
