Exclusive Captains Club Newsletter September 2019

The Reunion Cruise is Back

You’ve been asking for the return of the popular Reunion Cruise and we heard you, so we’re bringing it back. On May 28, 2020, you can mingle with your fellow Captain’s Club members on the 9-night Maine and Canada Cruise sailing from Cape Liberty, New Jersey. You’ll visit beautiful Bar Harbor, Maine; Saint John, Bay of Fundy; Sydney and Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Portland, Maine.

Best of all, the Reunion Cruise takes place on the recently revolutionized Celebrity Summit®. As always, you’ll enjoy onboard events exclusively for members, special events not available on any other sailing, plus parties and commemorative gifts.

Plus, take advantage of an exclusive offer just for members. Book a veranda stateroom or higher and receive $200 per stateroom* to spend on board however you choose. Book by October 2 and combine that with our current offer to get up to $500 in savings per person plus 50% off third and fourth guests.

Can’t make it to the 2020 Reunion Cruise but still want to sail in this beautiful area of the world? Check out other sailings to Canada and New England.

The Making of a Ship Captain

Imagine getting the biggest promotion of your career in a surprise announcement right in front of your own father. We talked to the new Captain of Celebrity Summit, Matthaios P. Karandreas, to get his intriguing story.

Born in Athens, Greece, family from both his mother’s and father’s sides all worked in the shipping industry. While they hoped he would join them in the shipping business, Matthaios had other ideas. He didn’t want to work in the shipping industry. Or, even be a ship captain. He was intensely interested in sports and wanted to be a sportscaster doing the play-by-play. Now that was exciting!

Well, sometimes life takes a turn toward the unexpected, and he began a career with Celebrity Cruises as a cadet 20 years ago aboard Celebrity Century. He found he truly loved working on a cruise line and ultimately, he decided he wanted to captain a cruise ship. Along the way to his goal, he had two sons, made his home base in Prague, and was eventually promoted again and again, making it to Staff Captain (second in command) for our newest ship, Celebrity Edge^®.

Throughout the years, Captain Karandreas always tried to convince his father to join him on a cruise. His father repeatedly refused, saying that he would come on board only when his son became a Captain. Matthaios never gave up on the idea. He persisted and his father finally agreed to join him on an Edge sailing earlier this year.

It was on this cruise that the Staff Captain proudly brought his father to see the bridge of Celebrity Edge. It just so happens that Celebrity Cruises had a special announcement to make right at that moment. In front of his dad, Captain Karandreas was officially promoted to Captain of Celebrity Summit. Naturally, emotions ran high and everyone ending up crying over the poignant way the announcement played out. It couldn’t have been any better.

His first sailing as Summit’s Captain left Cape Liberty, New Jersey, on August 18. Sailing on that cruise was Mr. and Mrs. Machin, a couple who became fast friends with the captain years and years ago. As a matter of fact, they were devoted Royal Caribbean cruisers until they met the captain. They then switched to Celebrity after meeting him and made it a point to be present on his first sailing as Captain.

When asked about the best part of his job, Captain Karandreas said “Every day is something different. Even if you’re going to the same place. It keeps you excited. I get to meet thousands of people every week.”

Captain Karandreas will be guiding the ship on four itineraries to Canada and a repositioning cruise to the Caribbean, and then taking a much-needed vacation for himself.

A Place This Extraordinary Doesn’t Require a Zip Code

TIME magazine has selected Celebrity Edge as one of the World’s Greatest Places to visit in 2019 and we couldn’t be prouder. We share this honor with Hearst Castle, the TWA Hotel in NYC, the Newseum in Washington, D.C., the Macallan Distillery, and more.

According to TIME, for this year’s search, they were looking for “something that many travelers aspire to experience: the sense that one has stumbled upon the extraordinary.”

To compile their second annual list of the World’s Greatest Places, TIME solicited nominations across a variety of categories—including museums, parks, restaurants, and hotels—from their editors and correspondents around the world, as well as industry experts. Then they evaluated each one based on key factors, including quality, originality, sustainability, innovation, and influence. The result: 100 new and newly noteworthy destinations to experience right now. Celebrity Edge is honored to be one of them.

Time Worlds Greatest Places

Happy Anniversary Indeed

Reaching a milestone like a 50th Wedding Anniversary is an amazing achievement in itself. But celebrating the way Jean and Jan Wahlin did in Alaska is incredible.

These Zenith members from Hutchinson Island, Florida have enjoyed a total of 53 cruises with Celebrity throughout the years. Yet what happened on Celebrity Millennium last July was truly a dream achieved for the couple. It was there they got together with their four children and spouses, and seven grandchildren, to celebrate their Golden Anniversary. Everyone in the family was included, and they did it in a big way. Just how Jean and Jan wanted it.

Let’s start at the beginning. For Christmas last year, Jean and Jan gave each of their kids and their families the gift of binoculars. Attached to those binoculars were personal invitations to join them on a cruise to Alaska—one of Jean and Jan’s favorite places to visit. They both knew how spectacular the area is. Jean said, “You could go there again and again and never see the same thing twice. Alaska is so large, and each region has its own special personality.” In fact, Jean and Jan have been there three times in the past five years. Two of those were Cruisetours which took them inland to explore so much more of Alaska.

Maureen Shaughnessey Edge's First Top Cruiser

All family members were thrilled to help plan and join Jan and Jean on their anniversary celebration. Jean credits the crew on board for going over-the-top in all their efforts. Family and crew worked together to create a personal celebration.

For the celebration, Jean and Jan had reserved the Penthouse. They booked each of their kids’ families in a Royal Suite. But, Jean said, “You don’t have to be booked in a suite to be treated well on board. The staff is friendly and helpful always. And everywhere.”

“I told our family we didn’t have to do everything together every single day on the cruise,” said Jean. But it turns out that’s exactly what they did. “I expected everyone to have a good time doing what they loved to do, and it turns out we all had a great time together,” Jean said.

One of the highlights of their Alaska cruise was they got to enjoy viewing glaciers from their private balcony. The day they cruised Hubbard Glacier was the climax of the trip as the glacier was beautiful and very active that day—lots of calving and noise. They enjoyed many shore excursions, too. Their daughter climbed a glacier. Others panned for gold. And the 6-year-old animal-lover in their group just about melted down when she met the dog sled team.

Maureen Shaughnessey Edge's First Top Cruiser

Celebrity’s crew IS stellar. The butlers and room stewards loved being involved in planning the anniversary celebration. They helped the grandkids organize, decorate, and arrange events. Their oldest granddaughter wrote them a beautiful poem she read aloud. The kids sang to them as a group. They made souvenir bracelets for everyone to wear. They even wrote Jean and Jan renewal vows that included Jean promising to make Jan his favorite Swedish coffee bread every Christmas morning to come!

This couple said they were treated so very special that their own family members and the crew turned into one big family. Even the Captain joined in on the celebration. And then the party of 17 was invited up to the Bridge for a personal tour and fun photos with the crew.

Jean said, “I’ve got to thank Ronald and Kirwin, our butlers for the amazing job they did. And the hotel director, Vedran Jelavic, was so personable with the kids it was easy to see he was an experienced parent, too. Our Retreat Concierge, Houssain, made us special coffees and helped the kids create fun activities for our group.” Both Jean and Jan consider it “the best cruise of our lives.”

The only downside of the anniversary cruise? Now, their youngest grandson expects that filet mignon is a regular thing for dinner every night. Just like he had on the cruise.

_{* To qualify for the Loyalty Onboard Credit (“OBC), cruise must be booked 09/15/19 – 10/31/19.}

_{Full deposit must be paid by deposit payment required due date. Standard full deposit penalty is applied if booking is cancelled within final payment period; see Celebrity’s cancellation policy for details.}

_{Non-Refundable Deposit: To qualify for the lowest available cruise fare, guest must choose a non-refundable deposit. Non-refundable deposit booking (“NRDB”) cancelled prior to final payment due date will receive a future cruise credit in the amount of the deposit minus a $100 per person service fee. FCC is non-transferable and expires after 12-months from issue date. $100 per person service fee applies to changes to NRDB ship or sail date. Applicable to groups at prevailing rates. Not applicable to incentive, contract, or charter groups. Nonrefundable deposit offers are not applicable to sailings within final payment.}

_{Loyalty Onboard Credit (“OBC”) Offer: OBC amount is $200 per stateroom for a veranda stateroom or higher. Enter Promo Code: CANADAPLUSNRD}

_{Cruise Fare Savings: Savings amounts are per stateroom and vary by stateroom category: $400 for inside, ocean view, veranda, Concierge Class, and Aqua Class staterooms, $500 for Suites. Offer applies to first two guests in the stateroom. Cruise must be booked by 10/2/2019.}

_{50% Off Savings: Savings applies to the cruise fare of the third and fourth passengers booked in any stateroom category type. Cruise must be booked by 10/2/2019.}

_{Perks Included Offers: Each of the first two guests in a Veranda through AquaClass stateroom are eligible to receive two amenities with the choice of a “Two Perks Included” rate or four amenities with the choice of an “Four Perks Included” rate. Each of the first two guests in a suite receive four amenities (beverage package upgraded to Premium Package). Onboard credit is not redeemable for cash and expires on final night of the cruise. Offer applies to new individual bookings and to staterooms in non-contracted group bookings, is non-transferable, and not combinable with any other offer. Changes to booking may result in removal of Offer. Offers and prices are subject to availability, cancellation and change without notice at any time.}

Featured

Galapagos Expedition Series

The Reunion Cruise is Back

Celebrity Summit 9-Night Maine & Canada

Follow the new captain

The Making of a Ship Captain

Celebrity Edge : Time's World's Greatest Places 2019

A Place This Extraordinary Doesn’t Require a Zip Code

Meet The Wahlin's

Happy Anniversary Indeed