FORT LAUDERDALE -- Celebrity Cruises is on the Edge of something new.
With its final Edge-class ship scheduled to arrive next November, Celebrity Cruises is in the "dreaming stage" for its next class of ships, brand president Laura Hodges Bethge told CruiseWorld attendees Thursday.
Celebrity has chosen a dreamy name for the undertaking: Project Nirvana. And when will Celebrity reach Nirvana? Possibly around 2029 or 2030, but nothing's official.
"For those who have been doing this for a long time, you know you go from the dreaming stage to the receiving stage in five-ish years," said Bethge, who was on the Royal Caribbean Group Presidents Panel, moderated by Travel Weekly editor in chief Arnie Weissmann. "We're excited about what's next for the brand."
Meanwhile, the Celebrity Xcel, the brand's fifth and final Edge-class ship, is due to enter service next November, and Celebrity will start revealing that ship's features in the spring, Bethge said. The ship will be different than its sisters, as has been previously reported: There will be seven new products and experiences, according to Bethge.
Laura Hodges Bethge, center, on the Presidents Panel at CruiseWorld with other Royal Caribbean Group presidents and CEOs. Photo Credit: Andrea Zelinski
Celebrity also is planning the revitalization of its Solstice-class ships.
"Those five beautiful ships are at what we call internally their half-life. Ships last around 30 years, and they're about 15 years old, so right now we're dreaming up what's going to happen with the modernization of the Solstice ships," Bethge said.
The Celebrity Solstice, which will turn 16 later this month, will enter an extended drydock in spring 2026. Bethge said Celebrity will start talking about the Solstice's changes in the middle of next year.
"There's three different areas of the ship where we'll be paying a lot of attention," she hinted.