Celebrity Cruises marked its 30th birthday on Tuesday and created a video looking back at its history to celebrate.
The line was established in 1990 by the Greece-based Chandris Group, became part of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in 1997, and now has a fleet of 14 ships and thousands of staff from more than 60 countries.
Celebrity used it’s anniversary to look back on it industry firsts, including introducing specialty dining in 2000; the first solar panels at sea in 2008; the first American female captain of a cruise ship In 2015; the ‘Magic Carpet’, the first cantilevered dining venue on a cruise ship in 2018; becoming the first ship to replace plastic water bottles in 2018; and having the first all-female bridge and leadership team to command a cruise ship this year.
Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises, said: “Having recently celebrated my 35th anniversary with the company, my time at RCL predates the acquisition of Celebrity Cruises, giving me a unique perspective in watching Celebrity grow from day one.
“I was a district sales manager in New England, at the time, and Celebrity was a formidable competitor that really started to change the complexion of premium cruising. For me, Celebrity’s legacy will be setting modern luxury cruising standards that are Celebrity’s to own, and then resetting and raising the bar, again and again. It is that spirit of pioneering that continues to take the brand and our guest experiences to new heights – and I’m not just talking about the view from the Magic Carpet.
“As we look ahead to the post-pandemic world we will sail in, there is more progress to be made in our industry. I am confident Celebrity – and the entire RCL family – will continue to lead every step of the way. Our next 30 years will be even more incredible thanks to the ongoing support of our travel partners, our loyal guests, our captains and crew, and our shoreside team members.”
Since joining the RCL family, Celebrity Cruises has sailed to all seven continents and launched three series of ships; the Celebrity Millennium series In 2000, the Celebrity Solstice series In 2008 and the Celebrity Edge series In 2018. The line has also begun operating three smaller expedition ships that sail the Galapagos Islands, including the 2019 debut of Celebrity Flora, which was purpose-built ship for the natural beauty spot.