November 9, 2023 - Celebrity Cruises, part of the Royal Caribbean Group, took over its new flagship Celebrity Ascent from the French shipyard Chantiers de l'Atlantique. Also in attendance were executives from both cruise companies and the shipyard, the two captains and around 1.400 crew members.
The Celebrity Ascent is the fourth new build in the Edge class. With the Celebrity Xcel, the first steel cutting was celebrated yesterday, another cruise ship of this class is under construction. The Edge class offers numerous innovations compared to the other celebrity ships. Leading designers, architects and interior designers are responsible for the design of the new building. In addition to the extraordinary appearance, culinary excellence characterized by Michelin-star chefs, extensive on-board entertainment, many wellness amenities and first-class art installations await the premiere guests.
Celebrity Ascent - Photo © Celebrity Cruises
This is what the Celebrity Ascent offers its guests in addition
● an expanded entertainment program including a new open-air night show on the Resort Deck, six newly developed live show productions, interactive gaming experiences and more;
● a new outdoor terrace at Blu, the clean cuisine restaurant for Aqua Class guests;
● the “Cosmopolitan” restaurant with a new look (new American cuisine is offered here);
● a redesigned “Le Voyage”, Daniel Bouluds gourmet restaurant (Daniel Bouluds earned two Michelin stars with his restaurant Daniel in New York);
● The Retreat, an exclusive resort-within-a-resort area for suite guests, with a two-story sundeck;
● State of the art accommodations, from contemporary two-story villas with private plunge pools to cabins with infinite verandas that dissolve the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces;
● an expanded rooftop garden and new resort deck with unique cantilevered pools;
● a multi-level sunset bar with terraces that redefines the stern of the ship;
● the Magic Carpet, the free-floating platform on the starboard side of the ship, which provides additional space on the resort deck as a bar during the day and serves as an extension of a specialty restaurant in the evening.
Celebrity Ascent - Cosmopolitan Restaurant - Photo © Celebrity Cruises
In the winter in the Caribbean, in the summer in the Mediterranean
The Celebrity Ascent starts on December 3rd from Fort Lauderdale on her official maiden voyage. Her first cruise will take her eight days through the Eastern Caribbean with stops in Sint Maarten, Saint Thomas and the Dominican Republic. Until mid-April 2024, the Celebrity Ascent will undertake eight-day Caribbean cruises from its home port of Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) on Sundays. The Bahamas, Mexico, etc. are visited, among others Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, Tortola and St. Kitts in the Lesser Antilles.
On April 14, 2024, the Celebrity Ascent will move to Europe. From April 27, 2024, she will be traveling in Europe for the first time and offering Barcelona, Civitavecchia (Rome) or Piraeus (Athens) eight, ten and thirteen day cruises through the western and eastern Mediterranean.