Celebrity Cruises takes delivery of Celebrity Ascent

Celebrity Cruises has taken delivery of new ship Celebrity Ascent.

The fourth ship in the line’s Edge class was welcomed into the fleet by Royal Caribbean Group president and chief executive Jason Liberty, Celebrity Cruises President Laura Hodges Bethge, general manager of Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard Laurent Castain and  captains Dimitrios and Tasos Kafetzi.

To mark the occasion, several maritime traditions were completed, including the signing ceremony and the changing of flags onboard the ship.

More: Celebrity Cruises unveils Celebrity Ascent entertainment offering

The 3,260-passenger ship will be officially named during a ceremony in Fort Lauderdale on December 1, after which it will depart on its seven-night maiden voyage in the Caribbean.

“Celebrity Ascent is yet another example of innovation driving our mission to provide the best vacations responsibly,” said Liberty.

“The ship continues Celebrity’s ambition to redefine premium travel and take it to new heights.

“I want to thank and congratulate the Chantiers de l’Atlantique team, our newbuild and Celebrity Cruises teams and their partners for the vision, craftmanship and passion that went into bringing this spectacular ship to life.

Hodges Bethge said: “Celebrity Ascent features all the innovative and award winning Edge-series signature experiences that launched a new era in cruise ship design, plus a few new enhancements, and I can’t wait to welcome our guests aboard.

“It is a true honour to welcome this ship to our fleet and I am so grateful to everyone involved with all that goes into launching a new ship.”