The Celebrity Beyond has completed its first year in service.
After being built by the Chantiers de l’Atlantique Shipyard in France, the Edge-Class vessel was delivered to Celebrity Cruises on April 6, 2022.
The Beyond then entered service later that month, offering its maiden voyage in Western Europe.
Sailing from England’s Southampton, the ten-night repositioning voyage featured visits to Bordeaux, France; Lisbon, Portugal; and Seville, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona, Spain.
Following a summer program offering seven- to ten-night cruises in the Mediterranean and the Greek Islands, the Beyond repositioned to the United States in late October.
A few days later, the 140,000-ton ship was christened in Fort Lauderdale, during an event that was attended by over 2,500 guests and media.
Simone Biles, a 19-time World Champion, seven-time Olympic Medalist and the most decorated American gymnast in history, served as the ship’s godmother during the ceremony, which also included a live performance from singer and songwriter, Leona Lewis.
“It is an honor to be selected as Beyond’s Godmother and to join such a distinguished group of strong, barrier-breaking women who have been named as Celebrity’s Godmothers before me,” Biles said at the time.
Following the ceremony, the vessel kicked off its maiden season in North America, offering seven-night cruises to both Western and Eastern Caribbean.
As the third ship of Celebrity Cruises’ Edge series, the Celebrity Beyond introduced several new features, such as the travel-inspired Le Voyage specialty restaurant and a redesigned Sunset Bar.
The 3,260-guest vessel also brought back most of unique amenities of its sister ships, including the Magic Carpet.
The cantilevered, floating platform reaches heights of 13 stories above sea level and assumes different functions depending on the deck where it’s located – it may serve, for instance, as a specialty restaurant, an extension of the ship’s pool deck or a boarding platform for tender boats.