Celebrity Cruises’ vision to take the cruise industry into the next era of luxury became a reality with the launch of its third ship in the industry-transforming Edge Series.

The new cruise ship, aptly named Celebrity Beyond, is a wonder at sea that goes beyond the expectations of guests. It is designed to give guests endless opportunities to disconnect from the world, while simultaneously reconnecting with the world that surrounds them.

Celebrity Beyond goes further than imagined possible for a cruise ship, creating a new world of wonder and luxury, says the cruise liner. 

Celebrity Cruises President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo unveiled the ship recently on her maiden voyage, a two-day VIP cruise from Southampton, United Kingdom.  Arabian Knight was part of this exclusive voyage.

From floor-to-ceiling ocean views, private verandas, luxurious bedding and other wellness amenities, Celebrity Beyond has thought of everything to nourish its guests’ mind, body, and spirit on holiday.

Lutoff-Perlo has assembled a dream team of modern lifestyle icons to bring to life extraordinary experiences that allow guests to connect with each other, the sea, and their journey.

Captained by the first American female cruise ship captain Kate McCure, who is also the first female ever to “take out” a new vessel from the shipyard, has 1,646 staterooms and about 1,400 staff members.

Celebrity Beyond showcases the design talents of multi-award-winning British designer Kelly Hoppen CBE; celebrated American designer Nate Berkus; and lauded Paris-based design firm Jouin Manku; the innovation of British architect Tom Wright; and the culinary gifts of Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud.

The ship also features experiences and products from goop CEO and Founder Gwyneth Paltrow, the brand’s new Well-Being Advisor.  

Your journey starts with downloading the Celebrity Cruise app where you upload all pre-boarding requirements including your vaccination status and health questions that make for seamless boarding. 

Once on board, with Celebrity Cruises’ all-inclusive packages, guests can stay in one of the ship’s spacious staterooms, have gourmet meals at the restaurants, enjoy numerous activities and entertainment shows, plus unlimited drinks and wi-fi. Guests can upgrade and customise the cruise packages to include premium drinks, shore excursion credits, and onboard credits too. 

Celebrity Beyond truly is a new world of luxury. Every element of the ship’s look and feel has been carefully curated with re-imagined spaces and more luxurious versions of the brand’s most popular signature spaces.

These include:

•  The Retreat, an exclusive resort-within-a-resort area for suite guests, highlighted by a new two-storey sundeck;

•  Transformed accommodations by Hoppen with fresh colour palettes and design details that blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor living, including the two-storey Edge Villas with outdoor plunge pools, and Celebrity’s famous Iconic Suites, the largest in the fleet, offering better views than the captain’s quarters;

•  A rooftop garden and stunning resort deck from Hoppen featuring unique cantilevered float pools and sunken seating areas;

•  A multi-level, multi-terraced Sunset Bar from Design Ambassador Nate Berkus, redefining the ship’s aft with its internationally-inspired beach club ambience;

•  32 distinct food and drink venues, including a first-ever Daniel Boulud fine-dining restaurant at sea, the travel-inspired Le Voyage, featuring globally-influenced flavours and a design by Jouin Manku that transports guests to the very places that inspire the legendary chef;

•  New AquaClass SkySuites, an immersive living experience designed by Hoppen that helps guests find their centre, including floor-to-ceiling ocean views, private balconies, luxurious bedding and other wellness amenities;

•  Expanded partnership with goop CEO and founder Gwyneth Paltrow as its Well-Being Advisor, offering a selection of signature retail products and well-being experiences from the brand including fitness tools for AquaClass guests, on-demand wellness classes on stateroom TVs, a custom detox smoothie and more, as well as a dedicated ‘goop at Sea’ sailing;

•  A bold Grand Plaza spanning three decks, creating an airy and open indoor space with the Martini Bar moved to the centre as a full, circular bar;

•  And cutting-edge entertainment including a host of new live show spectaculars and onboard interactive experiences that are as revolutionary, technologically mind-blowing and carefully crafted as the ship itself.

 “With its inspirational design, sensational experiences and signature personalised service, Beyond is the travel experience this market has been craving. We can’t wait for everyone to see what this incredible ship has to offer,” says Jo Rzymowska, Celebrity Cruises Managing Director, EMEA.

The staterooms range from the Edge stateroom with infinite verdana, where one has a view of the sea from anywhere in the room to beautiful appointed suites, wellness inspired Aqua Sky Suites and the Iconic  Suite, where you will have a view as good as the captain’s.

Luxury in Every Detail

The core of Celebrity Beyond’s vision of luxury is the Grand Plaza, a transformational place at the centre of the ship designed by Jouin Manku – the team responsible for designing the Jules Verne restaurant in the Eiffel Tower — and offering a different experience with every visit. Inspired by the piazzas of Italy that serve as life centres of towns where architecture and social connection become one, the Grand Plaza spans three decks at the heart of the ship. It is the place to see and be seen. 

The Grand Plaza’s iconic chandelier boasts a new, organic shape with hundreds of individual LED lights that cast an inviting glow at all hours – taking centre stage with talented bartenders at night during their exciting and theatrical Flash Flair Fusion performance.

Many more entertainment options are on board including Stagedoor, a mashup of Broadway and West End shows, the Jazz Joint to dance and acrobatics at Elements and Arte, just to name a few. 

 “Celebrity Cruises has always been an innovator at sea, and now we have challenged the status quo with a vessel that goes beyond expectations, beyond imagination,” says Lutoff-Perlo.

“With Celebrity Beyond, we saw an opportunity to take the extraordinary features of Celebrity Edge – like the focus on the connection with the ocean and the grand spaces – and really amplify them,” says Richard Fain, Chairman of Royal Caribbean Group, parent company of Celebrity Cruises.

Connecting Two Worlds

Nowhere is more rejuvenating than the open sea, and Celebrity Beyond ensures guests are able to take full advantage of both the luxurious design of the ship while soaking in the world around them.

Perhaps best known for designing the world-famous Burj Al Arab Hotel, lead architect Tom Wright of WKK has expanded the exterior spaces on Celebrity Beyond, transforming them into serene outward-facing sanctuaries leveraging endless ocean vistas and breath-taking panoramas of the extraordinary places the ship will visit.

His design both lengthens the ship by 20 m and raises the ship to 17 decks tall, allowing for the reimagination of The Retreat, the resort deck, and the rooftop garden – outdoor spaces increasingly important to today’s traveller.

On the resort deck, guests will enjoy a stunning asymmetrical space with a 25-yard lap pool surrounded by a terraced pool deck and new sunken seating areas designed by Hoppen.

Wright also designed the signature Edge Series Magic Carpet, a tennis court-sized cantilevered platform that scales the side of the ship and transforms from open-air lounge or restaurant hovering above the ocean along higher decks to a tender platform for going ashore on lower decks.  Featured on Celebrity Beyond, it debuted on Celebrity Edge in 2018 and is still considered one of the most unique design innovations ever for a cruise ship.

Rethinking Wellness at Sea

The Spa is more than a spa, it is wellness at sea. Starting with keeping fit with a state-of-the-art gym, it offers a range from fitness classes from F45, RPM classes and Peloton cycling to yoga.

There are more than 120 treatments on offer from facials to massages, all using top-of-the-line products including Elemis. These treatments go even further with the use of new technologies including groundbreaking Biotec skin therapies by a specialist doctor who can uplift your skin, get rid of pigmentations, etc. without any surgery. In addition, there is a certified acupuncturist who can help with pain management from small discomforts to chronic symptoms.  

“With its inspirational design, sensational culinary experiences and custom service for the elite, Celebrity Beyond is the cruise experience our Middle East market has been craving for. We can’t wait to have you all onboard,” says Mohamed Saeed, Celebrity Cruises Arabia Managing Director.