The Celebrity Cruise Lines ship Horizon , which is berthed in Hamilton this week, is to be replaced next season by her newer sister ship, Zenith .

Horizon , whose inaugural cruise was to Bermuda in 1990 and has sailed weekly to the Island from New York each summer since then, is moving to Alaska in 1996, Tourism Director Mr. Gary Phillips told The Royal Gazette .

Zenith , launched in 1992, is moving to Bermuda from the Caribbean, Mr.

Phillips said.

A new Celebrity ship, Century , is to begin sailing in the Caribbean next year, he said.

Celebrity "has always been very committed to Bermuda,'' and wants the Island to have a newer vessel for the weekly cruises from New York, Mr. Phillips said.

Zenith and Horizon are sister ships, and both carry about 1,300 passengers when full.

Celebrity withdrew Horizon from service for 11 days last July, following isolated cases of Legionnaires' disease among passengers bound for Bermuda.

But Mr. Phillips said there was no reason to connect the Legionnaires' incident and the pending withdrawal of Horizon from Bermuda service.

That problem was "well behind Celebrity,'' he said. "If there is anything residual about that, it is the excellent manner in which the cruise line handled that situation.

"They made sure every single person was fully compensated. It cost them a tremendous amount of money to do that, but it was felt that was the best thing to do to re-establish themselves very, very quickly.''