The Celebrity Ascent cruise ship is one step closer to being built.
At the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard, Celebrity Cruises celebrated a milestone on Wednesday as it welded a ceremonial coin to a massive steel docking block forming the ship’s keel, officially marking the beginning of construction on the fourth ship in the Edge Class - Celebrity Ascent.
The forming of the ship’s keel officially marks the beginning of construction on the fourth ship.
Celebrity Ascent will join the other three Edge Class ships. Ascent comes in at 17 decks tall and 20 meters longer than the original Celebrity Edge, Ascent will also feature more space and more luxury onboard.
Read more: Comparing Celebrity Edge and Apex Cruise Ships
Placing the coin in this time-honored maritime ceremony were Jason Liberty, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of Celebrity Cruises; and Laurent Castaing, General Manager of Chantiers de l’Atlantique. According to the legend – and a tradition that has spanned centuries – the laying of the coin is thought to bless and bring good fortune to the ship.
“Today, we celebrate the incredible Celebrity Ascent, a ship name that fittingly represents the climb, the rise and, ultimately, the upward trajectory of both Celebrity Cruises and the Royal Caribbean Group,” said Liberty. “It’s exciting to have our entire fleet back in the water, again, and moments like this reaffirm our bright future. We are grateful to all who have and will continue to lend their creativity and craftsmanship to this ship, as we work together to reach new heights in our industry.”
“Bringing another magnificent Celebrity Edge Series ship to life is absolutely thrilling for me and another wonderFULL development for our guests,” said Celebrity Cruises President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo. “While exploring the wonders of the world, our guests will be surrounded by the wonders of our Celebrity world - forward-thinking design, culinary excellence, thoughtful well-being experiences, and our uniquely intuitive service. Celebrity Ascent will be the epitome of a relaxed luxury resort at sea.”
Celebrity Ascent will debut in Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades on December 3, 2023 for her inaugural Caribbean season of alternating 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. Bookings are now open.
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Matt Hochberg
Matt loves to cruise, and started Cruise.Blog as a place to share different cruise experiences, advice, and what to know before going on a cruise.
He lives in Florida with his wife and two daughters, where he can be found on any given day trying to convince his wife they "need" to book another cruise.
