Enter Celebrity Cruises' "Eclipse of a Lifetime" Sweepstakes

Today Celebrity Cruises launched its "Eclipse of a Lifetime" sweepstakes, which runs through January 14, 2010. Ten winners and their guests will win a trip to Dusseldorf, Germany, where they will spend some time before heading to the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg on March 13, 2010. From there, winners will board the brand new Solstice-class ship Celebrity Eclipse for the "conveyance" of the ship on the narrow River Ems to Emshaven, Netherlands. Sweepstakes is only open to residents of the United States and Canada.

What's unique about this?

• You'll be the first passengers aboard the ship, excluding Celebrity staff and crew.
• You'll be one of few people who have experienced a conveyance where the ship actually navigates backwards down the River Ems.
• You'll experience the Meyer Werft shipyard, one of the most modern facilities in the world.
• You'll meet Celebrity's President and CEO, Dan Hanrahan, who will personally lead you on a tour of the ship.
• You'll enjoy AquaClass staterooms and enjoy creative menus developed by Chef Jacques Van Staden, Celebrity's VP of Culinary Operations.
• You'll mix and mingle with the ship's senior officers.

Here's some more information about the conveyance from Celebrity:

During the "conveyance" through Germany's River Ems, more than 75,000 residents are expected to line the river banks - in cars, on bikes, on horseback and in RVs—to watch and cheer as one of the largest ships ever to transit the river meanders past charming villages and quaint farmlands. An indisputable rarity in cruising, the conveyance takes the ship along a truly challenging course: At its tightest points along the way, there will be as few as two feet between each side of the 1,040-ft-long, 121-ft-wide Celebrity Eclipse and the locks. The depth of the river and the draft of the ship allow for mere inches—or less—beneath the ship. Celebrity and shipbuilder Meyer Werft have essentially created a science all their own, to closely and carefully monitor the position of the moon and tidal conditions to pinpoint the precise moment when the depth of the river is ideal for the ship to depart the shipyard.

"The science and precision of the process is actually more complex than transiting the Panama Canal," said Hanrahan. A railway bridge must be completely dismantled, and normal train schedules adjusted, to allow for the ship's passage at one point on the course, among other narrow passages. The journey will take between 12 to 15 hours to complete, and is likely to be the most challenging ride the ship will encounter in its life. Only one captain in the world—who sweepstakes winners will have the exclusive opportunity to meet—is licensed and qualified to take the helm during the conveyance. The limited space available for navigation, the nature of sailing in reverse, and the number of narrow passages and bridges to transit are factors cruise ship captains normally don't have to deal with; but, it provides the chance for them to test the ship's maneuverability at slow speeds."

Enter Celebrity Cruises' "Eclipse of Lifetime" sweepstakes. Winners will be announced on January 28, 2010.

For more information about Celebrity Cruises, talk with your travel agent or contact Celebrity at 1-(800) 437-3111.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com