Celebrity Cruises Lays Keel For Celebrity Beyond

The construction of new Celebrity Cruises ship, Celebrity Beyond, reached a major milestone last week with the traditional coin ceremony and official keel laying at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.

The event in Saint-Nazaire saw Tobias King, Project Manager for Celebrity Cruises, and Sébastien Le Boulluec, Project Manager for the Edge Series, place the ceremonial coin that to be welded into the hull during construction as a symbol of good luck.

The coin chosen for Celebrity Beyond pays tribute to suffragist and astronomer Annie Jump Cannon, who was credited with the development of contemporary stellar classification.

In a statement, Royal Caribbean chairman, Richard Fain, said: “In a year that has continuously tested the strength of our industry, it is encouraging that we move forward with building Celebrity Beyond.”

He continued: “Celebrity Beyond signals that as we prepare to return to service, we do so confidently and with great optimism about the future.”

Meanwhile, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President and CEO of Celebrity Cruises, shared her own excitement for the future of the cruise industry: “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.”

“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.”

Celebrity Beyond is set to become the third Celebrity Edge Class ship in the fleet, joining Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Apex. Delivery is scheduled for spring 2022.