CELEBRITY SUMMIT
April 9, 2006 | Los Angeles, California
Summit (Celebrity Cruises), now known as Celebrity Summit, departs Los Angeles Harbor on April 9, 2006. Built in France and introduced in 2001, the Millennium-class cruise ship was still sailing under her original name when these photographs were taken.
Summit, now known as Celebrity Summit, departs Los Angeles Harbor on April 9, 2006, under clear Southern California skies. At the time of these photographs, the ship was only about five years into her career with Celebrity Cruises and still carried her original name. The “Celebrity” prefix would be added in 2008.
Built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, Summit entered service in 2001 as the third member of Celebrity Cruises’ Millennium class. The series represented an important generation for Celebrity, combining a comparatively sleek exterior profile with new propulsion technology and a strong emphasis on dining, public spaces and contemporary design.
The April 2006 departure from Los Angeles came during a period when Summit regularly appeared on the West Coast. Celebrity had begun positioning the ship to the region in 2002 for itineraries that included Hawaii, the Panama Canal and Alaska, making Los Angeles one of the ports associated with the ship’s early deployment history.
Information List
Name in 2006: Summit
Current Name: Celebrity Summit
Operator: Celebrity Cruises
Class: Millennium class
Builder: Chantiers de l’Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire, France
Launched: March 9, 2001
Entered Celebrity Service: 2001
Inaugural Sailing: October 1, 2001
Gross Tonnage: Approximately 91,000 GT
Length: 965 feet / 294 meters
Beam: Approximately 105 feet / 32 meters
Cruising Speed: Approximately 24 knots
Original Double-Occupancy Capacity: Approximately 1,950 passengers
Current Double-Occupancy Capacity: Approximately 2,218 passengers
Propulsion: Gas turbines with azimuthing propulsion
Major Modernization: 2019
Gallery Date: April 9, 2006
Gallery Location: Los Angeles, California
History and Features
Construction and Entry into Service:
Summit was built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire, France.
She was launched on March 9, 2001 and joined Celebrity Cruises later that year.
Her inaugural passenger sailing began on October 1, 2001.
She was the third ship of Celebrity’s Millennium class, following Millennium and Infinity and preceding Constellation.
The four ships established a recognizable generation of Celebrity vessels that remained central to the fleet well into the twenty-first century.
Millennium-Class Design:
The Millennium class was developed around a long, relatively narrow hull suitable for a wide range of international itineraries.
Summit measures approximately 965 feet long and 105 feet wide.
One of the class’s important technical distinctions was the use of gas-turbine machinery rather than a conventional diesel installation.
Electrical power from the machinery supported azimuthing propulsion units, eliminating the need for a traditional fixed propeller and rudder arrangement.
The ship was designed for a cruising speed of approximately 24 knots.
Celebrity Cruises Service:
Summit began her inaugural season from Fort Lauderdale in October 2001.
Her early deployment included Caribbean itineraries before Celebrity repositioned her to the West Coast in 2002.
West Coast operations included Hawaii, Panama Canal and Alaska voyages.
This deployment pattern brought the ship to Pacific ports including Los Angeles during the period represented by this gallery.
The ship later expanded into additional regions including Europe, Bermuda, Canada and New England.
April 9, 2006 – Los Angeles:
These photographs show Summit departing Los Angeles Harbor on April 9, 2006.
The ship was still sailing under the simple name Summit, making the gallery a record of her appearance during the first phase of her career.
Her original dark-blue Celebrity hull, white superstructure and distinctive Millennium-class profile are visible as she heads out of the harbor.
The clear conditions provide broad views of the ship as she moves away from the Los Angeles waterfront.
Celebrity’s West Coast deployment during this period made Los Angeles an important gateway for several of the ship’s longer itineraries.
From Summit to Celebrity Summit:
Celebrity Cruises later standardized the names of its ships by emphasizing the Celebrity brand.
In 2008, Summit became Celebrity Summit.
The name change did not represent a new ship, but it provides useful historical context when identifying photographs from different periods of her career.
Images from 2006 therefore document the vessel before the Celebrity prefix became part of her official name.
Normandie Connections:
Summit also incorporated decorative material associated with the celebrated French liner Normandie.
Among the best-known pieces was the bronze figure La Normandie, which was displayed aboard the Celebrity ship.
Historical decorative elements helped connect a modern cruise ship with an earlier era of passenger-ship design.
Some of these features were later removed as the ship’s interiors changed through successive renovations.
Modernization:
Celebrity Summit underwent several refurbishments as Celebrity updated the Millennium-class ships.
A substantial renovation in 2012 introduced features influenced by the newer Solstice-class ships.
Further work followed in 2016.
In March 2019, Celebrity Summit completed an extensive transformation under the Celebrity Revolution modernization program.
The project redesigned staterooms and suites and substantially updated restaurants, bars, lounges and other public areas.
The Retreat was introduced for suite guests as part of the modernization.
Although her interior experience changed considerably, the basic Millennium-class exterior visible in the 2006 photographs remains recognizable.
Legacy:
Celebrity Summit has remained in service for more than two decades, considerably longer than many passenger ships from earlier generations.
Her career reflects the evolution of modern cruising from the rapid fleet expansion of the early 2000s through repeated modernization intended to extend the useful lives of established ships.
The April 9, 2006 Los Angeles gallery documents the ship early in that career, before the Celebrity prefix and long before her major 2019 transformation.
The photographs therefore preserve not only a Los Angeles departure but also Summit during a distinct period in the development of Celebrity Cruises’ Millennium-class fleet.
OLP Social: During her early West Coast deployment, the ship still carried her original Summit name. The Celebrity prefix was added in 2008, two years after this departure.
