Beyond will sail its maiden voyage on 27 April during a 10-night Western Europe cruise, before homeporting out of Barcelona and later heading in October to Fort Lauderdale to sail the Caribbean.
Revealing the first look of the ship on Wednesday (28 April), Celebrity president and chief executive, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, said despite its Southampton launch the line was "not planning to name her in the UK".
“The ship is beyond anything anyone is going to expect, and will change a lot of people’s minds who have never been on a ship," she said. "Today is a special day for the official debut, one year from when Celebrity Beyond will do her first cruise with guests in Europe.”
Beyond, which has 179 extra cabins than its sister vessels, will feature several new and adapted areas and experiences.
They include a partnership with Gwyneth Paltrow in her role as Celebrity’s new "wellbeing advisor" and the first restaurant at sea from Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud, Le Voyage.
Kelly Hoppen has taken an expanded design role for Beyond, overseeing a number of areas including the Retreat Sundeck, which will be 40% larger than previous Edge ships.
Fellow designer Nate Berkus has created Beyond’s Sunset Bar - nearly twice as large as other Edge vessels - and featuring a Moroccan-inspired look.
Beyond will also boast new AquaClass SkySuites, which offer "floor-to-ceiling ocean views", private verandas and wellness amenities - including "goop kits" curated by Paltrow’s wellbeing brand.
Her team will curate onboard wellness programming onboard and participate in Celebrity’s new Women in Wellness initiative.
Beyond will be 20m longer and a deck taller than Edge and Apex, which Royal Caribbean Group chief Richard Fain called "an expansion, rather than a stretching".
"This is a great day. We are taking something that was already extraordinary with Edge; our mantra is continuous improvement. There were already mind-boggling features on Edge vessels and Beyond will take them even further," he said.
“Celebrity Cruises has always been an innovator at sea, and now we have challenged the status quo with a vessel that goes beyond expectations, beyond imagination,” added Lutoff-Perlo.
“Celebrity Beyond shatters any and every preconceived notion of the cruising experience. This exquisite ship offers a journey at the intersection of elegance and approachability filled with what’s important to our guests today: forward-thinking design, culinary excellence, unparalleled well-being and incomparable service.”
Celebrity said Beyond’s maiden voyage from Southampton “underlines the brand’s commitment to the UK market” and its “confidence in trusted travel partners”.
Among a number of trade initiatives launched to support the reveal of Beyond are agent webinars - taking place this week – a new training module on its Celebrity Passport e-learning site and the chance to earn Celebrity Rewards points of up to £20 on every booking.
A range of new marketing materials for agents to share with customers including a brochure, social assets, videos and flyers – are available through its Celebrity Central platform and a special Celebrity Beyond episode of the line’s podcast, Conversations with Celebrity, will be released on 7 May.
