Ctrip.com International, Ltd announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Celebrity Century, a 1,814-passenger cruise ship.

Ctrip.com International, Ltd announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Celebrity Century, a 1,814-passenger cruise ship, from Royal Caribbean Cruises and who will continue to operate Celebrity Century until April 2015.

Exquisite is a wholly owned subsidiary of Skyseas Holding International Ltd, ("Skyseas"), a co-founded company by Ctrip and other investors, which targets to provide Chinese customers the world-class and tailor-made cruise products.

Ctrip has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. to form a joint venture to manage the operations of the acquired cruise ship and potentially broaden the relationship.

"China is becoming one of the largest cruise markets in the world," said Min Fan, Vice Chairman of the Board and President of Ctrip. "As the largest cruise agency in China, Ctrip has sent over 120,000 guests to cruise trips so far and acquired more than 10% of market share in China. We are excited about the strong growth of the cruise industry and strive to strengthen our leadership in this market."

"We are thrilled about our acquisition of Celebrity Century, which is one of the top-tier vessels in the world," Min Fan continued," Century will be renovated to provide an outstanding cruise experience to China's leisure travelers, including premium hotel services, diversified dining options, exciting on-board facilities, varieties of entertainments, and inspiring excursions and tours. Ctrip will capitalize on our strong brand, large customer base, and superior service quality, as well as our partner's extensive cruise operating experience to generate great value to our customers and shareholders.