Celebrity Cruises Reveals Spaces for New Ship, Celebrity Beyond

By Susan J. Young Apr 30, 2021 9:32am

Celebrity Cruises has revealed innovative new spaces and creative design for its third Edge-class ship, Celebrity Beyond, debuting in spring 2021. Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, the line's president and CEO, unveiled the details in a virtual media event.

Lutoff-Perlo has assembled what could be characterized as a "dream team" of modern lifestyle icons to create the ship's design, guest accommodations and public spaces:

British designer Kelly Hoppen
American designer Nate Berkus
Paris-based design firm Jouin Manku
British architect Tom Wright of WKK
Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud

The ship will also have experiences and products from Gwyneth Paltrow, CEO and founder of Goop, and Celebrity's new wellbeing advisor.

Building on Edge and Apex

Celebrity Beyond builds on the features and design of its predecessors—Celebrity Edge (launched in 2018) and Celebrity Apex (2020). Newly "reimagined" spaces and more luxurious versions of signature spaces, include:

The Retreat, an exclusive resort-within-a-resort area for suite guests, highlighted by a new two-story sundeck
Transformed accommodations, including modern, two-story villas with private plunge pools and staterooms with "infinite verandas"
An expanded Rooftop Garden and Resort Deck with cantilevered float pools
A multi-level, multi-terraced Sunset Bar redefining the ship’s aft space
The first Daniel Boulud fine-dining restaurant at sea
A redesigned Grand Plaza spanning three decks, creating an airy and open indoor space
The return of the Magic Carpet, an exterior platform cantilevered off the ship's side and giving guests views while they're sipping cocktails or having dinner

The Retreat

Hoppen has updated aspects of the design for The Retreat, the ship's exclusive resort space for suite guests, including all new suites. The new, two-story Retreat Sundeck will offer secluded cabanas, chic new seating areas, additional water features and the exclusive Retreat Bar. The Retreat Lounge will offer a stylish space for unwinding, while Hoppen has put a "new take" on the adjacent private restaurant Luminae, now at the front of the ship.

Contemporary suite accommodations will offer fresh color palettes and Hoppen's design touches. Two-story Edge Villas with outdoor plunge pools have been redesigned.

Larger Ship, More Space

Lead designer Wright of WKK—famed for his design of Dubai's Burj Al Arab Hotel—has expanded Celebrity Beyond's exterior spaces. His design both lengthens the ship by 66 feet and raises it to 17 decks high. That has allowed for changes to The Retreat, the Resort Deck and the Rooftop Garden.

The main open deck is 40 percent larger than on previous Edge-series ships. It also has an enormous living Rooftop Garden designed by Hoppen with new private nooks and more seating. A highlight of this area is Wright’s incorporation of two floating pools cantilevered six and a half feet over the side of the ship.

On the Resort Deck, guests will enjoy an asymmetrical space with a 25-yard lap pool surrounded by a terraced pool deck and new sunken seating areas, also designed by Hoppen

Wright also designed the ship's Magic Carpet, a tennis-court sized cantilevered platform that's off one side of the ship.

Berkus, who serves as Celebrity Cruises’ Edge Series design ambassador, reimagined the ship's new Sunset Bar, which his nearly twice as large as on the former Edge-class ships. It's being designed as a chic, Moroccan-inspired escape that's reminiscent of a modern-day Casablanca.

Larger Grand Plaza

Larger than the Grand Plazas on its sister Edge Series ships, Celebrity Beyond's three-deck Grand Plaza has an airier atmosphere with more room for intimate seating. It's being created by Jouin Manku—the team responsible for designing the Jules Verne restaurant in the Eiffel Tower. The added space will allow designers to move the Martini Bar into the center of the venue as a full, circular bar. The plaza's new chandelier will have hundreds of individual LED lights that cast an inviting glow at all hours—taking center stage with talented bartenders at night during their exciting and theatrical Flash Flair Fusion performance.

Connected to the Grand Plaza is Le Voyage, a new, intimate 50-seat restaurant by world-renowned chef Daniel Boulud. Le Voyage's fine dining experience will conclude with a customized sweet prepared in Daniel’s own farewell boutique.

Wellness at Sea

New to the ship are AquaClass SkySuites, offering floor-to-ceiling ocean views, private verandas, luxurious bedding and other wellness amenities,

Celebrity Beyond also sets sail with a new partnership with actress, "wellbeing expert" and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow. Guests across the entire Celebrity Cruises fleet (excluding Galapagos sailings) will be treated to onboard wellness offerings, including fitness kits from Paltrow’s modern lifestyle brand, Goop.

Paltrow and her team at Goop will also curate onboard wellness programming and participate in the line’s new "Women in Wellness" initiative.

Sailing, Sailing

Celebrity Beyond's scheduled maiden voyage is April 27, 2022 from Southampton, U.K. The 10-night western Europe cruise will call at Bordeaux, France; Lisbon, Portugal; and Seville, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona, Spain.

The ship will then offer a variety of Mediterranean journeys, including nine-night Italian Riviera and France itineraries and 10-night Greek Isles itineraries through early October. Then, the vessel repositions to the Caribbean.

Voyages are now open for sale. For information, visit www.celebritycruises.com.