Celebrity Cruises held the shipbuilding industry’s traditional coin ceremony for Celebrity Beyond, the next ship in the line’s award-winning Edge Series, signifying an important milestone in the innovative ship’s construction.
An honoured tradition, the coin ceremony is meant to bring the ship good fortune and coincided with the laying of a keel block for Celebrity Beyond. Celebrity, a brand known for its efforts to close the gender gap in the maritime industry, fittingly chose a coin from the American Innovation dollar series honouring Annie Jump Cannon, the daughter of an American shipbuilder, a suffragist and a pioneering astronomer credited with the development of contemporary stellar classification.
“In a year that has continuously tested the strength of our industry, it is encouraging that we move forward with building Celebrity Beyond,” explained Richard Fain, Chairman of the Royal Caribbean Group, parent company of Celebrity Cruises. “Celebrity Beyond signals that as we prepare to return to service, we do so confidently and with great optimism about the future.
“This is a proud and exciting moment because Celebrity Beyond will continue to elevate an already incredibly innovative and transformative Series of ships for our brand – and the industry,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President and CEO of Celebrity Cruises.
“I thank all of my amazing colleagues and our incredible partners at the shipyard for moving us one step closer to bringing Celebrity Beyond to life. We have some special surprises planned with Celebrity Beyond and I really can’t wait to share her with the world.
“This event is a new milestone in the success story we have been sharing for decades with Royal Caribbean Group and Celebrity Cruises,” stated Laurent Castaing, General Manager of Chantiers de l’Atlantique. “Together, once again, we will be striving for excellence, to add a third gem to the prestigious Celebrity Edge Series.”
Tobias King, Project Manager for Celebrity Cruises, and Sébastien Le Boulluec, Project Manager Edge Series at Chantiers de l’Atlantique, had the honour of placing the ceremonial coin.
Celebrity Beyond joins two beautiful Edge Series ships: the highly-lauded Celebrity Edge, named to TIME Magazine’s 2019 World’s Greatest Places list for its cutting-edge design and numerous innovations like the cantilevered Magic Carpet; and Celebrity Apex, described as a “perfection doubled” sister-ship with new culinary, wellness and entertainment offerings taking the onboard experience to new heights.
