August 25, 2022 – The traditional coin ceremony of the Celebrity Ascent - the new luxury cruise ship from Celebrity Cruises took place in the French shipyard Chantiers de l'Atlantique
will set sail in early December 2023.
Celebrity Cruises celebrated the start of construction of the Celebrity Ascent with the traditional coin ceremony during the laying of the keel in the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France. As a good luck charm, Jason Liberty, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group – the parent company of Celebrity Cruises – and Laurent Castaing, General Manager of the shipyard, placed a coin under the keel of the newbuild.
Celebrity Ascent - Photo Celebrity Cruises
“Today we celebrate the incredible Celebrity Ascent, a ship name that symbolizes the rise and upward trend of both Celebrity Cruises as well as Royal Caribbean Group," said Liberty, adding, "It's exciting to have our entire fleet back in the water and moments like this give us renewed confidence in our plans for the future. We are grateful to everyone who has poured their creativity and craftsmanship into this ship.”
"Bringing another amazing Edge Class ship to life is absolutely exciting to me," said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President and CEO of Celebrity Cruises. "Innovative design, culinary excellence, thoughtful well-being experiences and our unique service - the Celebrity Ascent will be the epitome of a relaxed luxury resort at sea," promises Lutoff-Perlo.
The Celebrity Ascent: More space and more luxury on board
The Celebrity Ascent, the fourth ship in Celebrity Cruises' innovative Edge class, will once again be a marvel of technology and design. As on her sister ships Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Apex and Celebrity Beyond, guests of the Celebrity Ascent can look forward to "New Luxury" around the clock. The Celebrity Ascent will have 17 decks and be 20 meters longer than the original Celebrity Edge, offering even more space and luxury on board.
The maiden voyage
The Celebrity Ascent will be on December 3, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale embark on her maiden voyage. Her first cruise will be eight days in the Eastern Caribbean. Called at with Philipsburg (Sint Maarten) and Charlotte Amalie (Saint Thomas) initially two ports in the Lesser Antilles. Another stop will be in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.
Debut season in the Caribbean
The home port of Celebrity Ascent will be in her debut season Fort Lauderdale be. Until the beginning of April 2024, she will be offering eight-day Caribbean cruises every Sunday from the modern Celebrity Terminal 25 (Port Everglades). The program includes Nassau in the Bahamas, Cozumel in Mexico and George Town, the capital of Cayman Islands. Another route goes to San Juan (Puerto Rico), Tortola (British Virgin Islands) and Basseterre (St. Kitts & Nevis).