Celebrity Cruise Line is Turning Ships Into a Luxury Destination

Covid-19 reset the entire cruise industry. Why wouldn’t it reboot the industry’s brands as well? Celebrity Cruises, the luxury cruise brand owned by Royal Caribbean, spent much of the pandemic adrift. It paused operations in March 2020 and didn’t set sail again until late June 2021. Now it’s undergoing a brand refresh that will see its ships transform into luxury lifestyle-imbued floating destinations with wellness spas, more lounges and celebrity chef-helmed restaurants. The campaign began with changing the look of its social media accounts, starting with its Instagram page. “As the first cruise line back in service in North America, we saw an opportunity to not just reemerge, but reframe the Celebrity Cruise experience through this lens,” Celebrity Cruises president and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo said in a statement announcing the brand’s upcoming changes. Celebrity isn’t the only cruise line looking for a fresh start this year. According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) trade group, Covid-19 led to an 80.5% drop in U.S. passenger volume from 2019 to 2020. Worldwide, the pandemic erased roughly $77 billion in economic activity related to ocean liners. That figure includes 518,000 related jobs and $23 billion in cruise-specific wages. Royal Caribbean alone took a $5.8 billion net loss. A River Runs Through It: Small Cruises Are Back—But Pandemic Challenges Complicate Resurgence Sea change But the Covid-19-era business of luxury liners as floating cities for family gatherings is changing rapidly. Since launching that first Celebrity Cruise in June, Royal Caribbean has sailed 36 ships, representing 60% of the company’s capacity. By the end of the year, Royal Caribbean expects capacity will increase to 80%. Customers appear ready. Passengers put down $2.4 billion in deposits on cruises in the first six months of 2021 (though about 40% is future cruise credits from canceled pandemic itineraries). But the total is still up from $1.8 billion—a 33% gain—for all of 2020. That has the Celebrity brand team feeling optimistic as they launch the “Journey Safe, Journey Wonderful” refresh campaign. Celebrity is looking to dispel cruise stereotypes involving crowds, buffets, water slides and common spaces that may be perceived (often unfairly) as floating biohazards. In their place, Celebrity Cruises wants images of a floating hotel at its finest: wide-open deck spaces, lofted ceilings, well-kept suites lined with artwork, and lounges focused on sea views and social distancing. Earlier this year, Celebrity declared that all crew and guests over the age of 12 must be fully vaccinated in order to sail aboard its ships. While safety is certainly a part of the new brand, luxury and inclusion remain the primary focus of the 60-second ad airing during tonight’s NFL kickoff. However, Celebrity is relying on all of the above to steer it out of the pandemic and into calmer waters. “It's a luxury hotel, it's Michelin-quality dining, it's a luxury spa retreat,” said Celebrity svp and CMO Michael Scheiner. “It's seeing all four corners of the world and meeting different people from different cultures." Cruise Industry Carefully Charts Its Return to Sailing

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Celebrity Cruises Is Turning Ships Into Luxury Destinations

Royal Caribbean's upscale line touts open spaces and celebrity partners in brand refresh

Jason Notte

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Jason Notte