Celebrity Ascent^SM has officially joined our fleet of award-winning ships redefining premium travel. The fourth ship in our innovative Edge® Series, the ship continues to shatter expectations with its forward-thinking design by the world’s leading architects and interior designers; culinary excellence from our Michelin-starred chef; wellness woven throughout the experience; exciting onboard entertainment throughout the ship,
and more. The ship will make its official debut in Fort Lauderdale on December 3, with a 7-night Eastern Caribbean sailing visiting St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and the Dominican Republic.

Welcoming the ship to the Celebrity Cruises family were Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty, Celebrity Cruises President Laura Hodges Bethge, and Laurent Castaing, General Manager, Chantiers de l'Atlantique. Captains Dimitrios Kafetzis and Tasos Kafetzis, the first brothers to captain a ship for us, were also on-hand for the celebration, along with 1,400 Celebrity Ascent crew members. “Celebrity Ascent features all the innovative and award-winning Edge Series signature experiences that launched a new era in cruise ship design, plus a few new enhancements, and I can’t wait to welcome our guests aboard,” said Hodges-Bethge. “It is a true honor to welcome this ship to our fleet and I am so grateful to everyone involved with all that goes into launching a new ship.”

Celebrity Ascent joins a series of ships without comparison, and is a sister ship to Celebrity Beyond^SM which debuted to great acclaim last year. Distinctive ship features and new experiences include:

• The Retreat®, an exclusive guest experience including suites, personalized service, and a private, two-story sundeck.
• Accommodations for modern tastes—from two-story villas with private plunge pools to Infinite Veranda® staterooms—blurring the boundaries between indoor and outdoor living.
• An expanded Rooftop Garden and stunning Resort Deck, featuring unique cantilevered float pools.
• A multi-level, multi-terraced Sunset Bar at the ship’s aft.
• An expanded onboard entertainment program, featuring a transformative nightlife experience on the Resort Deck, six new live productions, interactive gaming experiences, and more.
• A redesigned casino floor and brand-new games.
• A new outdoor dining terrace at Blu, the brand’s clean cuisine restaurant for AquaClass® guests, available for al fresco daytime dining.
• A newly designed Le Voyage^SM by Chef Daniel Boulud.
• The return of the Magic Carpet®, a cantilevered engineering feat soaring above the sea, offering guests uninterrupted vistas while sipping cocktails or having dinner.

Following Celebrity Ascent’s maiden voyage, the ship will offer alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean vacations through late April, followed by summer in the Mediterranean featuring sailings from Barcelona and Rome:

• 7-Night Bahamas, Mexico and Grand Cayman itinerary or the 7-Night San Juan, Tortola and St. Kitts itinerary from mid-December 2023 to early April 2024.
• 7-Night Bahamas, Mexico and Grand Cayman Holiday Cruise departing on December 24, 2023.
• New Year’s cruise departing on December 31, 2023, for 7 nights and visiting San Juan, Tortola and St. Kitts.
• Kick off the summer with the ultimate Mediterranean getaway on the 9-Night Italian Riviera and France itinerary.
• Take Rome, Naples, Mykonos, and Santorini off your bucket-list during the 12-Night Best of Greece and Italy sailing.

In our final episode of our Get Ready with Us series, we give a world-class welcome to the world-class crew of Celebrity Ascent. Watch as our dedicated team arrives to their new home at sea, and prepares to deliver the best vacations anywhere. Next stop: The Caribbean—and you.

We hope you’ve enjoyed watching our Get Ready with Us video series as much as we’ve enjoyed making it. If you’ve missed an episode, or just want to binge watch them all, you can view the entire series here.

The countdown is on, and the future of elevated travel at sea is officially on its way. Construction has begun on Celebrity Xcel^SM, the fifth ship in our award-winning Edge® Series. The reveal was made at Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, as executives from both Royal Caribbean Group, Celebrity Cruises, and the shipyard cut the first piece of steel for the new ship.

 “The Edge Series has elevated expectations of what cruising can be, and I am thrilled to announce our next bold step as a brand with Celebrity Xcel,” said Celebrity Cruises’ President Laura Hodges Bethge. “True to her name, this next ship will ‘Xcel’ beyond her sister ships with entirely new experiences, yet to be revealed, but that will change the game all over again.”

Celebrity Xcel will make her debut in November 2025 in the Caribbean, sailing her inaugural winter season from Fort Lauderdale, on 7-night itineraries alternating between the Bahamas, Mexico and the Cayman Islands, and Puerto Plata, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. The sailings are now open for sale.

Our 2025/2026 season of sailings takes world travel to new heights of excitement, featuring everything you love about vacations—a game-changing new ship, Celebrity Xcel^SM, new itineraries that visit even more countries and destinations than ever before, new destinations we’ve never been to, and overnight stays in more than 25 captivating cities. 

Our new sailings feature carefully crafted itineraries we know will appeal to the dreamer in you. We’ll be going to more than 285 destinations in 70 countries on all seven continents, including new cities we’ve never visited before, such as Bar, Montenegro and Djupivogur, Iceland. Plus, we’re excited to sail round-trip itineraries from Iceland, giving you even more opportunities to explore this stunning bucket-list destination.

Our 2025/2026 itineraries have something for everyone—from in-depth South America and Antarctica journeys to more overnight stays in Europe, giving you extended time to experience a host of amazing cities like a local. We’ll also have two ships sailing to the most exotic locations in Asia, along with Celebrity Edge® returning to the Land Down Under with immersive itineraries to Australia and New Zealand. We’re also sailing to Alaska with three incredible ships, including Celebrity Edge®. Want more of our groundbreaking new ships? We’ll have four Edge Series ships sailing the Caribbean from Florida, with our first Edge Series ship sailing from Miami year-round. For the cherry on top of your tropical getaway, we’re also returning to the Caribbean’s most exclusive destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s award-winning private island destination. 

Our 2025/2026 season is shaping up to be one of our best. Get the stateroom you want, and book your sailings today. And keep an eye on your email—even more amazing sailings will be announced before the end of the year.

Do you have a story from a Celebrity cruise that makes you glow just thinking about? Well, here’s your chance to share it with your fellow members. Tell us about your special sailings, celebrations, excursions, and moments, and what made them unforgettable, and if selected, you’ll be featured in a future Captain’s Club newsletter. Just fill in the survey linked below and tell us all about why your cruise was the best. We can’t wait to read the responses.