Hi Laura! Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. Last May, you took on the role of president of Celebrity Cruises. What vision do you have for the brand under your leadership, and what are the key priorities you’re focusing on for the coming years?
Our ambition is to deliver the ultimate vacation experiences, responsibly. The foundation when stepping into the role was a listening tour to understand our guests and travel partners’ needs to be able to the exceed their expectations of what a premium vacation experience can be. Since then, we have been maniacally focused on our customer, they are truly our ‘North Star’. Insights from our guests have driven customer-focused innovation for the brand.
Celebrity Cruises is known for elevating the guest experience. What recent enhancements or upcoming features can guests look forward to that make Celebrity?
One of the first changes we made as a leadership team was to optimize deployment. We made a conscious decision to shift our capacity to where our guests are telling us they want to go, positioning our Edge Series ships in our four key regions for the first time ever: Alaska, Europe, the Caribbean, and Australia. We are also continuing growth with our newest hardware in the places that our guests are telling us they want to go, with a focus on the Caribbean, Europe and Alaska.
We have a lot going on in the Caribbean, with new, year-round, short Caribbean sailings and we began visiting Perfect Day at CocoCay back in April last year – our highest-rated destination in the Caribbean – with Celebrity Reflection and Celebrity Beyond both calling there. We expanded our Caribbean home ports; in addition to sailings from Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa, in December last year, we began sailing from Port Canaveral outside of Orlando for the first time ever.
We also have new, non-Caribbean choices for our guests wishing to experience destinations at different times than we have traditionally called, including Summer in Japan, new for 2025, and Winter in Europe.
In April last year, we launched our “Nothing Comes Close” campaign, and I still get excited every time I see the creative. When I did my listening tour after becoming president, what I heard over and over again from our trade partners and guests alike is that Celebrity vacations are unparalleled, from the thoughtfulness of the crew to our onboard entertainment and activities to the way we make our guests feel. The new campaign really brings this experience to life, taking a very genuine, authentic perspective of the Celebrity Cruises vacation experience.
Travellers today have diverse and evolving expectations. How are Celebrity Cruises adapting to cater to new demographics and interests, especially among younger travellers and those looking for more personalised experiences?
Across the travel industry, generally, we're seeing a tailoring of experiences towards special interest groups; passionate hobbyists looking for elevated experiences and ways to expand their knowledge, those who prioritise wellness in their everyday lives and want to ensure their holiday provides opportunities to rest and restore and those who want to explore new interest areas and try a variety of experiences on a holiday that they might then choose to pick up when they return.
Celebrity ships offer a huge variety of activities and ways to stay, from our AquaClass staterooms that provide a fully immersive, next-level wellness experience, to the premium Spa facilities and treatment rooms, well equipped gym facilities and classes led by experienced instructors and even a running track onboard.
For those with a love of fine food, wines and spirits, we offer behind the scenes restaurant tours and onboard cooking classes led by experts who are also passionately obsessive enthusiasts themselves.
Our exclusive whiskey & wine-tasting experiences are a big hit. New partner Rabbit Hole launched onboard Celebrity Ascent in December 2023, marking the first partnership of this kind for the Kentucky whiskey distillery. When it comes to fine wines, our exclusive tasting experiences include Shafer Vineyards, who have added their wines across our beverage menus and partnered with us on an exclusive bottling and private label - 2022 EXCELLENCE.
How is Celebrity Cruises blending ship and shore to create unique holidays that provide the best of both worlds?
At Celebrity Cruises we actively seek out ways to blur the lines between ship and shore. Our Edge Series ships changed the possibilities of what cruising could be. They offer truly unique spaces at sea, and innovative design features, that bring the outside world in to create a closer connection to destinations. This includes floor-to-ceiling windows in many of the common areas and Infinite Veranda staterooms that transform the entire living space into a veranda at the touch of a button.
In destination, we elevate experiences, striving to become the preferred choice for travellers not only in terms of the journey but also the destination itself. Guests can choose anything from joining a small group kayaking or RIB riding experience in the UNESCO World Heritage site in the Geirangerfjord to having a hands-on sailing lesson in the Caribbean onboard St. Lucia’s only 40-foot sailing yacht, to discovering the shimmering coast of Hvar, Croatia by Luxury Speed Boat.
Onboard our ships, we’ve designed experiences that complement the destinations included in the itineraries.
The menus and dishes across our wide selection of onboard dining venues are inspired by, and sourced from, the places we visit, you’ll explore world flavours without leaving your table.
Onboard experiences have also been designed to bring the destination guests are sailing in to life and include World Wine Tours hosted by our knowledgeable sommeliers for an expertly guided wine tasting from six of the best wine regions around the world, showcasing our awarded wine collection at sea and workshops that allow guests to master the art of preparing sushi under the guidance of our expert sushi masters.
Celebrity Xcel, the fifth ship in the Edge Series, is set to debut in 2025 and promises to bring something fresh and innovative to the fleet. Can you share what new experiences or features Celebrity Xcel will introduce and how it will build upon the groundbreaking design elements of the previous Edge Series ships?
I am so excited for Celebrity Xcel, the fifth ship in our game-changing Edge Series. While I can't disclose too many details yet, I can reveal that Celebrity Xcel will introduce seven new experiences that live up to her name in every way. We've designed these with our guests in mind, offering experiences unlike any other at sea.
When we launched Celebrity Ascent in 2023, we brought guests more onboard entertainment options than ever before, and the programming is receiving rave reviews. We’ve been listening carefully to guest feedback to ensure we deliver even more of what guests love on Celebrity Xcel.
Celebrity Xcel will make her debut in November 2025 in the Caribbean, sailing her inaugural season from Fort Lauderdale, on seven-night itineraries alternating between the Bahamas, Mexico and the Cayman Islands; and Puerto Plata, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. In 2026, Celebrity Xcel, will sail her inaugural season in Europe offering an unmatched Mediterranean vacation and Celebrity’s first overnights in Madeira, Portugal. The sailings are now open for booking.
