Celebrity Cruises promises "same...

Top deck likely to be area of focus, says President

Celebrity Cruises will bring “more innovation” to its new ocean and river ships, according to the cruise line’s President, Laura Hodges Bethge.

During a webcast with Connecting Travel's sister publication Travel Weekly, Hodges Bethge said: “We think the top deck is an area ripe for innovation on a river ship.

“We want to find a way to really exploit that in a way no one else has, and being part of Royal Caribbean Group, the ships we bring out on ocean are exceptionally innovative and people should expect that same level of innovation on river.”

She added more announcements would come in the next few months ahead of the line’s river cruises opening for sale later this year.

With Celebrity Xcel also due to launch in November 2025, Hodges Bethge said out of seven surprise features to the new ocean ship, there will be one kept secret until launch, which means there will be four more announcements to come following news about the new Bazaar space for festivals and 'Date Night, All Day Long' concept aimed at giving couples things to do throughout the day and night.

She hinted at the introduction of new ships following the Edge Class series, as older ships in the fleet will be hitting retirement age.

“We’re planning for the future as ships tend to retire between 30 and 40 years old, so we need to be ready to have additional capacity,” she said.

Hodges Bethge was optimistic about the line’s future growth, adding: “Overall things are very good. We continue to see guests wanting to spend on wonderful experiences and cruise is a great value in that place, so we don’t see anything slowing down in terms of how our guests are spending, and we’re the beneficiaries of that.”

Giles Hawke, Vice-President of International at Celebrity Cruises, added that they had seen an early booking trend, which he attributed to a combination of itineraries going on sale earlier and some passengers not getting the cruises they wanted.

“Agents are doing a really good job of explaining to customers to book now and not wait for a late deal,” he said, commenting on the change in behaviour in 2025.

To book Celebrity Cruises sailings, call UAE +971 4 331 4299, KSA 800 897 1419, email book@rccl.ae or visit www.celebritycruises.ae

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