Celebrity Cruises has decided to axe planned programme of Celebrity Constellation in the Arabian Gulf and Far East and the ship is to cruise in the Caribbean in the winter 2019-20 instead.

The ship had been due to sail from Civitavecchia in Italy on 18 November for a 15 night cruise to Dubai. From there, it had been scheduled to operate 15 night cruises to Singapore, from where the itinerary would work in reverse order on 15 night cruises back to Dubai.

These cruises, which would have required a passage through the Straits of Hormuz in each direction had been intended to operate until March 2020, when the ship would have sailed to Civitavecchia from Dubai.

P&O Cruises, which is part of the Carnival group, recently cancelled a series of winter 2019-20 cruises of Oceana in Arabian Gulf from Dubai, citing security considerations in the area as the reason. The ship will operate from Southampton in the UK instead.

Celebrity Constellation will operate a series of 10 and 11 night Caribbean cruises from Tampa. “Our guests and travel advisors have been asking us to return to Tampa since our last call there in 2007,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President and CEO, Celebrity Cruises, in a statement. The company is part of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) group.

Recent construction and development in Tampa Bay aims to create a truly dynamic, urban lifestyle for workers, residents and visitors alike. The city’s downtown waterfront is currently being transformed through the $3 billion Water Street project. The 50-acre district will feature retail, offices, homes, hotels, culture and education.

Transformation of Tampa’s urban core was enhanced by the completion of the Tampa Riverwalk, an area now seeing hundreds of millions of dollars in private investments. In addition, historic Ybor’s City’s revitalization further adds to Tampa’s uniqueness as a robust and desirable world-class destination.