Apex – which will be the first Edge-class ship to sail out of Southampton – will replace Celebrity Silhouette and offer four- to-13-night sailings from May through November 2024.
Itineraries include a 12-night Norwegian Fjords and Arctic Circle cruise, as well as sailings to Ibiza and the Mediterranean.
Following feedback from its travel partners, the line has announced its UK deployment two weeks in advance of the launch date for the first time, to allow agents to pre-register interest from guests.
To support the trade in selling the vessel, the line will host 600 agents onboard Apex in 2023, across a range of ship visits and seminars.
Agents will also have access to a suite of training and marketing tools via Celebrity Central, including webinars; digital "Be the first to book" banners; fact sheets; talking points; itinerary flyers; and print adverts.
New training modules featuring Apex will also be available on Celebrity Passport. Agents selling Apex can also earn up to £20 per booking on all 2024 bookings via Celebrity Rewards.
From 1 November to 5 December 2022, agents can earn up to £50 Celebrity Rewards points per booking on all 2023 sailings, across all stateroom categories.
Lisa Lutoff Perlo, president and chief executive of Celebrity Cruises, said: "Having one of our award-winning Edge Series ships sailing from Southampton will offer an experience like no other from the UK.
"Celebrity Cruises continues to redefine cruising, taking our guests to the world’s best places on the world’s best places."
The line’s vice-president and managing director EMEA, Jo Rzymowska, said the UK "has always been integral to the success" of the company, and homeporting Apex from Southampton "underlines our commitment to this market".
"There is huge appetite from UK guests who share our curiosity for people, places and cultures, and our passion for opening up the world through a love of travel.
"We invest a lot in the training of our travel partners, because what’s really important to us, is that they can talk about what makes Celebrity different and what makes us unique, therefore they’re not just selling a big white ship. And that is really important.
"I’m looking forward to welcoming even more of our guests onboard Celebrity Apex when she raises the bar for cruising from Southampton in 2024."
