By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Celebrity Cruises returned to St. Maarten on Tuesday with the arrival of Celebrity Equinox, the latest cruise line to relaunch on the island in the wake of Hurricane Irma.

Celebrity is set to bring more than 119,000 passengers to the shores of St. Maarten in 2018, according to Port St Maarten.

Following the call by Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Eclipse will call on February 7, followed by Celebrity Silhouette on February 15.

The three vessels are part of Celebrity’s Solstice Class, which are the first in the industry to utilize solar technology.

This class of ship holds anywhere from 2,800 to 3,000 guests.

Celebrity Cruises’ 12 ships offer modern luxury vacations – five of which will visit St. Maarten throughout 2018.

“The island has shown the cruise lines how committed we are in assuring great and memorable experiences to passengers as we recover from hurricane Irma damages,” Port St. Maarten representatives said in a statement. “The cruise lines expect all of us to step up to the plate and offer the true St. Maarten experience, which we have been doing, and must continue throughout the year.”

“Port St. Maarten will continue communicating with all key stakeholders throughout this process to share the feedback with cruise executives,” officials said. “As a destination, we have a great relationship with the cruise industry and will listen to their feedback to assure we maintain our status as a marquee port of call.”