Celebrity Cruises has officially taken ownership of Celebrity Beyond, the third in the Edge-class which will be 20 meters longer than the first two with new and re-designed spaces. Celebrity Beyond has been constructed at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard and Captain Kate McCue, America’s first female cruise ship captain, will take the helm of the vessel.
The dynamic and decorated captain will lead Celebrity Beyond into a new era of luxury travel on a ship brought to life by a dream team of icons, including multi-award-winning designer Kelly Hoppen, CBE, as well as celebrated designer Nate Berkus, Global Culinary Ambassador chef Daniel Boulud, and Well-being Advisor Gwyneth Paltrow.
During the handover ceremony, Celebrity Cruises’ President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo along with other Royal Caribbean Group executives honored the thousands of engineers, architects, designers, contractors, shipyard employees, and Celebrity Cruises teams.
“With its innovative offerings that reach far beyond expectations from some of today’s most talented designers, artists, and creative minds, we believe that Beyond speaks to the growing trend of people seeking new luxury experiences that are personalized, effortless and meaningful,” Lutoff-Perlo said.
The event included the traditional changing of the flags and a celebratory ceremony onboard Celebrity Beyond while docked in the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.
“The delivery of Celebrity Beyond today marks our ongoing commitment to growth and innovation; today, we celebrate the future of travel and its possibilities,” said Liberty.
“This incredible ship, on this long-awaited day, signifies our commitment to investing in the future of the travel industry, as well as the ship building industry in Europe,” he said.
“We are so grateful to the Chantiers de l’Atlantique team; our own Newbuild and Celebrity Cruises team; our loyal guests and trade partners; and everyone who has contributed their time, resources, creativity, and loyalty. We look forward to what’s to come as the travel industry grows to new peaks.”
The First ceremony since the shut down
While cruise ships have continued to be constructed and delivered, events have been shortened due to social distancing and travel conditions to protect everyone involved.
The delivery of Celebrity Beyond is the first in person, physical delivery event handing off a new ship from the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard to any cruise line since the industry shutdown began in March 2020.
“We could not be happier to officially welcome Celebrity Beyond into our fleet with the first physical delivery since the pandemic, celebrating this momentous occasion with our exceptional crew and partners at Chantiers de l’Atlantique,” said Lutoff-Perlo.
These live moments are what inspire the travel industry, and bringing everyone together to plan, design and build a new cruise ship is an experience worth remembering.
“Celebrity Beyond is a true new ship. We have worked hard, in a spirit of strong collaboration and even during the pandemic, to achieve this result,” said Laurent Castaing, General Manager of Chantiers de l’Atlantique. “Celebrity Beyond is one of the exceptional ships that will be remembered.”
From the Edge to Beyond
In comparison to the Edge-class sisterships Apex and Edge, Beyond is longer (20 m / 66 ft), taller (1 deck), with bigger capacity (179 more staterooms), and ~12% larger (GT 140600 tons). Celebrity Beyond also features significant design changes, with added new venues and expanded public spaces.
New venues and spaces on Celebrity Beyond include "Le Voyage by Daniel Boulud" (50-seat specialty restaurant by Daniel Boulud/celebrity chef and restaurant chain owner), redesigned Luminae (Suite-only restaurant designed by Kelly Elaine Hoppen/ South Africa-born British interior designer), redesigned Pool Deck, expanded Rooftop Garden (deck 15/with larger shaded seating areas, 2x infinity pools, bigger Rooftop Grill Bar), twice-larger Sunset Bar, larger Retreat. There are 17 spacious decks, a Sundeck that is 40% larger than on other vessels, and the return of the Magic Carpet, a cantilevered platform 13 stories above the sea, offering guests uninterrupted vistas while sipping cocktails, having dinner, or enjoying live music performances.
The ship has a double occupancy of 3,260 guests, with more than 1,400 crew members to provide outstanding, luxury service.
The ship’s maiden voyage will depart Southampton, England, on April 27, for a 10-night Western Europe cruise visiting top European ports including Bordeaux, Lisbon, Seville, Palma de Mallorca, and Barcelona.
Celebrity Beyond will then offer variety of Mediterranean sailings including the Italian Riviera, France, and Greek Isles itineraries through early October, before heading to the Caribbean for the winter season.
