Friday, June 14, 2024 Today marks a significant milestone in the world of elevated sea travel as Celebrity Cruises commences construction on its latest vessel, Celebrity Xcel. The keel laying ceremony at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, celebrated this momentous occasion for the newest and most advanced addition to Celebrity’s award-winning Edge Series ships. Scheduled to set sail in the fall of 2025, Celebrity Xcel will offer guests an unprecedented connection to the breathtaking world around them, featuring innovative experiences and several new, yet-to-be-revealed offerings for an unparalleled premium vacation.
At the ceremony, Jason Liberty, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, Laura Hodges Bethge, President of Celebrity Cruises, and Laurent Castaing, General Manager of Chantiers de l’Atlantique, ceremoniously lowered the first 739-ton steel block for the new ship into the dry dock. In line with maritime tradition, executives from the cruise company and the shipyard placed newly minted coins on the first piece of steel to bestow good luck on the ship during construction and future sailings. The coin design, nodding to the brand’s Edge Series innovations, commemorated NASA’s Saturn V rocket, symbolizing a new caliber of excellence.
“Today, we not only mark the start of construction, but we are laying the foundation on which countless memories will be created,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group..
