Celebrity Cruises Hosts Celebrity Apex Naming Ceremony

Celebrity Cruises’ new-luxury ship, Celebrity Apex, has kickstarted its inaugural Caribbean season, setting sail from Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday. Festivities celebrating the arrival of the new Celebrity ship including its official naming ceremony, led by Godmother Reshma Saujani, the founder of ground-breaking non-profit Girls Who Code and author of bestselling book ‘Brave, Not Perfect.’

Celebrity Apex’s much-anticipated arrival in the U.S. is a landmark moment for a vessel whose launch was originally planned for late March 2020. After spending a short summer season in the Greek Isles, the ship will now embark on Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries visiting the islands of Puerto Rico, St Thomas, Belize, Grand Cayman and more.

“We are elated to welcome Celebrity Apex to our family of magnificent vessels that push the boundaries of what’s possible on a cruise ship,” said Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group. “As we welcome guests back to the seas aboard the newest Edge class ship, we are excited to deliver the very best vacation experience that is the hallmark of every Celebrity cruise.

“Celebrating Celebrity Apex is certainly long overdue and it’s a day I have been waiting to celebrate for quite a long time – 581 days, to be exact. This stunning ship truly represents a new standard in new-luxury travel, and we can’t wait for our guests to finally experience it for themselves,” said Celebrity Cruises President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo. “As we say in our new brand campaign, we know guests will not only, ‘Journey WonderFULLSM,’ aboard this beautiful ship, but that she will also be the industry’s most talked about new ship.”

Reshma Saujani follows Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, the first Edge Series Godmother, who inaugurated Celebrity Edge in November 2018, and is renowned for her advocacy of educational opportunities for girls everywhere. Saujani also represents women breaking ground, having led the charge to provide opportunities for women in the traditionally male-dominated tech field.

“I can’t think of anyone better to serve as Godmother for this ship than the incredible Reshma Saujani,” continued Lutoff-Perlo. “Reshma is a visionary, leading the charge to challenge stereotypes and inspire a whole new generation of girls and women to bravely pursue tech jobs; just as Celebrity is working to close the gender gap at sea, growing our percentage of women serving as bridge officers to 30 per cent in an industry where the average is 2 per cent. It is Reshma’s game-changing spirit that makes her the perfect Godmother for a game-changing ship like Celebrity Apex.”

“It’s both thrilling and humbling to serve as the Godmother of Celebrity Apex,” said Saujani. “Similar to the mission of Girls Who Code, which is centred around closing the gender gap in tech, Celebrity is leading the way to create a more diverse future in the cruise industry. The brand’s commitment to the cause is clear not only through the leadership of its President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, but in its incorporation of onboard STEM programming. I can’t think of a more inspiring place to learn about the wonders of the maritime industry than onboard Celebrity Apex and Girls Who Code is honoured to help in this effort.”

In honour of Saujani’s work, Celebrity Cruises will offer fun, interactive beginning coding activities from the Girls Who Code curriculum as part of the cruise line’s onboard Camp at Sea programme.