Fans of luxury cruising have reason to be excited as Celebrity Cruises, the upscale premium cruise line, officially welcomed its latest ship to the fleet. Celebrity Ascent was transitioned from the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France over to the cruise line in a welcoming ceremony this week.
Ascent marks the fourth ship in the cruise line’s Edge class (sister ships include Edge, Apex, and Beyond). This lineup marked a different path for ship design in the Celebrity fleet when it was first introduced in 2018, with a number of distinct features that make their way once again to Ascent.
This includes the Rooftop Garden area at the top of the ship, and Eden, a three-level glass enclosed bar, lounge, and entertainment space that’s roughly 12,000 square feet.
The ship also includes The Retreat, which is Celebrity’s version of a private resort-in-a-resort for those that want the exclusivity of a small ship while having the amenities of a large ship. Celebrity Ascent also sees the eye-catching return of the Magic Carpet — the cantilevered deck that sits out over the edge of the ship, providing a one-of-a-kind experience.
“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 Celebrity Cruises President Laura 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.”
All told, the ship measures 141,000 gross tons and 1,073 feet in length. It has a double occupancy of 3,260 passengers, providing a space ratio of 43. Typically a space ratio above 40 indicates a relatively spacious ship for the number of passengers.
While there is plenty of excitement about Ascent, it will still be a few weeks before passengers can sail. Celebrity is offering a couple of short preview cruises later in November, but the first “official” trip is a debut from Fort Lauderdale on December 3.
From there, the ship will sail from Florida until April before it returns to Europe, sailing Mediterranean cruises, including stops in France, Spain, Italy, and Greece.
Just how well received is this class of ship in Celebrity’s fleet? While Celebrity Ascent marks the fourth edition in the Edge class, the cruise line just announced that a fifth ship — Celebrity Xcel — is already under construction and set to debut in 2025.
Cruzely previously named Ascent one of the six best new cruise ships for 2025.
