Celebrity Ascent is an advanced Edge® Series ship built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, for Celebrity Cruises, a cruise line based in the US and a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean.
It is the fourth ship of the Edge Series after its sister ship, Celebrity Beyond, which was delivered in April 2022.
The steel-cutting ceremony was held at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in August 2022 and the vessel was floated out of dry dock in January 2023.
Celebrity Ascent embarked on her maiden voyage from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in December 2023.
Celebrity Ascent design and features
The Celebrity Ascent spans 1,073ft (327.9m) in length, with a beam width of 128ft and a draft of 27ft. It has a gross tonnage of 140,600t and maintains a cruising speed of 22 knots.
The vessel includes a total of 17 decks and accommodates up to 3,260 guests in double occupancy. It offers the open-air Rooftop Garden where two cantilevered floating pools offer stunning views, positioned six feet beyond the ship’s edge.
Celebrity Ascent also features the Retreat®, an area with exclusive spaces and other amenities. The Retreat is a resort-within-a-resort with exclusive suite accommodations, premium drinks, Wi-Fi, and onboard credit. Guests of the Retreat also have access to an exclusive restaurant, a sundeck, and a lounge area.
An exclusive SEA Thermal Suite for adults, offers eight unique therapeutic experiences to guests, each drawing inspiration from nature. It serves as an extraordinary place for relaxation and mingling with fellow wellness enthusiasts, either before or after indulging in treatments at The Spa.
The fitness centre, Kérastase Salon, The Spa, The Barber at The Spa, The Persian Garden offering aquatherapy environments are some other wellness services available on the ship.
The cruise ship also provides accessible cruising options for customers with disabilities, including boarding assistance and accessible staterooms.
The Celebrity fleet is designed to incorporate braille for visually impaired guests in public areas and elevators. Guests can also request American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting services.
Accommodation aboard Celebrity Ascent
The Retreat offers luxurious accommodations, including the spacious Iconic suites with 1,892ft² and a 689ft² private veranda. The Penthouse suites feature 1,378ft² and a 197ft² veranda, with a primary bedroom, dressing room, living and dining areas, guest bedroom, bathroom, and private hot tub. The two-storey Edge Villas are spread across 739ft² with a 211ft² veranda, featuring a bedroom, two bathrooms, plunge pool, and whirlpool tub.
The Royal Suites cover 687ft² with a 72ft² veranda, offering separate living and dining areas, panoramic windows, a bedroom, and a bathroom with a soaking tub and double sink vanity. The Celebrity suites provide 401ft² with a 100ft² veranda, featuring a large living area with panoramic windows. Other suites include Reflection, Signature, Horizon and Sunset.
The ship offers guests the spa-inspired experience focusing on health and wellness, through AquaClass® staterooms. The package includes exclusive suites, a private veranda, eXhale bedding by Celebrity Cruises, premium bathroom amenities, unlimited access to the Persian Garden or the Adults-Only SEA Thermal suite, a personal spa concierge, and a complimentary dining at restaurant Blu.
The AquaClass includes Aqua Sky and Sky suites, measuring 319ft² and featuring a 79ft² veranda. The concierge class staterooms range from 192ft² to 243ft² with private verandas from 42ft² to 54ft², available in Edge, Millennium, and Solstice series.
The Edge stateroom features Infinite Veranda® where the entire living space seamlessly transforms into a veranda at the touch of a button, allowing guests to step directly out to the water’s edge. It provides guests with open-air access to the sea at their convenience.
Other stateroom options on Celebrity Ascent include Ocean view, Inside, and single staterooms.
Dining and bars aboard Celebrity Ascent
Celebrity Ascent offers a variety of dining options, including 32 food and beverage venues, with 14 cafes, bars, and lounges, eight speciality restaurants, four main dining restaurants, and four casual dining venues.
The ship also features two exclusive restaurants for The Retreat and AquaClass guests. Luminae at The Retreat, designed by Kelly Hoppen and CBE, offers exclusive dining for suite-class guests. Blu caters to AquaClass guests with a focus on healthy dining and sustainable wines.
The main dining venues onboard include the Cyprus restaurant, serving Mediterranean seafood, the Tuscan restaurant with Italian-inspired cuisine, the Normandie restaurant offering contemporary French dishes, and the Cosmopolitan restaurant providing a diverse dining experience.
Le Voyage is a signature restaurant by Chef Daniel Boulud, which offers a world-class culinary experience and wine collection to the guests at sea.
Speciality dining venues feature the Fine Cut Steakhouse, Le Grand Bistro with classic French cuisine, Le Petit Chef offering a unique 3D table animation experience, and Raw on 5 showcasing a variety of seafood options. The Eden Restaurant offers menus inspired by global cuisines.
The Magic Carpet is a unique cantilevered dining and entertainment venue on the starboard side of the ship. It moves up and down and offers different experiences to the guests, such as live music performances and a full bar, depending on the deck.
Cafes and bars onboard include Café al Bacio, Pool Bar, multi-deck and multi-terraced Sunset Bar at the aft, the Martini Bar, and the Craft Social Bar serving wine, cocktails, and craft beer curated by a certified cicerone.
The Grand Plaza aboard the Celebrity Ascent is a three-storey, open-air venue featuring a tiered LED chandelier suspended above the Martini Bar. It is designed to offer different experiences with every visit.
Entertainment offerings on Celebrity Ascent
The ship’s entertainment options include a nightlife experience on the Resort Deck, six new live shows, interactive gaming experiences, live performances in various venues, signature Edge Series onboard programming, and more.
The nightlife experience on the Resort Deck includes an open-air deck party called Ascent After Dark: Shine the Night, which features high-energy live performances, a prism light show, and a DJ.
The theatre productions showcase cutting-edge technology, incorporating kinetic lighting, lasers, and IMAG to project real-time live performances on a colossal LED screen.
In addition to the main theatre, the ship offers a three-storey architectural marvel located at the rear called Eden. The venue showcases acrobatics, vocal performances, and choreography. Furthermore, in the Club area, Ascent debuts an immersive new show titled Smoke & Ivories, featuring a nostalgic Hollywood club ambience with a contemporary edge.
The vessel features a casino gaming floor, with a design characterised by rich tones of deep reds and golds. Additionally, it introduced state-of-the-art slot machines equipped with cutting-edge technology.