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Editorial Cruise Ship Wiki's take on Celebrity Ascent
Celebrity Ascent is the fourth and final ship of the Edge class, handed over by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in November 2023 at about 140,600 gross tons and roughly 3,260 guests at double occupancy. The decision that defines her is that Celebrity treated the last hull as a revision rather than a repeat, feeding comment on Edge, Apex and Beyond back into the drawings. The Sunset Bar was rebuilt in a Moroccan idiom with a regional menu, the Rooftop Garden gained a plunge pool on either side, the Cosmopolitan main dining room was redrawn in a more ornate style, Le Voyage by Daniel Boulud picked up a private dining room, a bookable karaoke and simulated sports room called The Annex was added, and solo cabins were roughly doubled against the first ship of the class. She is presently based at Civitavecchia for Rome on Eastern Mediterranean and Adriatic itineraries, repositioning at the end of October 2026 to Fort Lauderdale for the Caribbean winter.
What she does well she does consistently. Eden is still the most interesting room in this fleet, working as lounge, restaurant and performance space across three decks. The four main dining rooms, Tuscan, Normandie, Cyprus and Cosmopolitan, spread the crowd sensibly, while Blu serves AquaClass, Luminae serves the suites and Le Voyage and Le Grand Bistro cover the paid end. Drinking is a genuine strength, from the Martini Bar in Grand Plaza to the World Class Bar and Craft Social, and the cantilevered Magic Carpet still earns its keep.
Published reviews are warm rather than uncritical. Cruise Critic's editors score her 4.5 out of 5, yet flag the difficulty of finding anywhere quiet, with music playing loudly indoors and out, and single out cabins on decks three and four by the Martini Bar. The Points Guy found The Club too small for the shows it hosts and the golf simulator temperamental. The Infinite Veranda remains the class controversy: reviewers repeatedly describe it as a large window rather than a veranda, note that the air conditioning cuts out when the pane is lowered, and report humid air seeping past the bi-fold doors.
She suits couples, solo travellers and adults travelling with grown children. Celebrity is a premium line priced above Royal Caribbean, comfortably so on like for like Caribbean weeks, and the atmosphere is adult leaning, with fewer families and a bias toward guests in their fifties and sixties. Families wanting waterslides and constant activity should look elsewhere.
Cabin choice matters more here than on most ships. The Infinite Veranda trade is real: you gain about a quarter more usable interior and a room that works in bad weather, but you lose the step outside, and genuine open balconies are largely a suite privilege within The Retreat, which adds Luminae, a private lounge and its own sundeck and pool. AquaClass Sky Suites are the cheapest route into that. Avoid deck three near the public rooms and anything beside the lifts. Our per cabin quiet and convenience scores are not yet published for this ship.
Read the deck plan before you book, not after.
Sources
This is Cruise Ship Wiki's own editorial summary of published reviews and reference sources. It is not a guest review and does not describe a stay aboard. Member reviews appear separately below.
Photo: ND44, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Celebrity Ascent is the fourth ship of Celebrity Cruises' Edge class, delivered in 2023 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire, France, at a cost of roughly US$900 million. Built to the enlarged sixteen-deck profile introduced with her immediate predecessor Celebrity Beyond, she rounded out the initial Edge-class quartet and carries the full complement of the class's defining features refined over five years of production.
Ascent retains the hallmarks that made the Edge class distinctive: the Magic Carpet, the cantilevered platform suspended off the starboard side that rides up and down the hull to serve as a specialty restaurant, bar, pool-deck extension, or tender platform; and the Infinite Veranda staterooms, in which bi-fold windows lower to turn the cabin into an open-air veranda. Inside, the ship carries the multi-deck Eden venue with its glass-walled lounge, the Grand Plaza with its illuminated chandelier, and Le Voyage, the fine-dining restaurant created by Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud.
Her godmother is Captain Sandy Yawn, the veteran yacht captain widely known from the television series Below Deck Mediterranean, a choice that again reflected Celebrity's practice of honoring accomplished women in maritime and public life. Ascent entered service in late 2023.
Celebrity Ascent divides her year between the Caribbean, sailing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the Mediterranean, with itineraries from Rome (Civitavecchia). Registered at Valletta, Malta, and sailing under the call sign 9HA5731, she remains in active service with Celebrity Cruises as the youngest of the original Edge-class sisters and a direct forerunner of the further-evolved Xcel.
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Onboard Highlights
Signature attractions, dining, bars and entertainment aboard Celebrity Ascent.
Top attractions
- Rooftop Garden
Open-air venue featuring two cantilevered floating pools that extend six feet over the ship's edge with breathtaking views. - Infinite Veranda staterooms
Revolutionary staterooms that bring guests to the water's edge. - The Spa and Fitness Center
Indulgent escape offering spa and fitness amenities for relaxation and wellness.
Specialty dining
- Le Voyage by Chef Daniel Boulud
Newly designed specialty restaurant featuring cuisine from renowned chef Daniel Boulud.
Bars and lounges
- Sunset Bar
Multi-deck bar designed by Edge Series Travel Ambassador Nate Berkus.
Where She Sails
Ports of call on Celebrity Ascent itineraries, with a signature highlight at each.
Specifications
| Status | In service |
|---|---|
| Entered service | 2023 |
| Cruise line | Celebrity Cruises |
| Class | Edge class |
| Gross tonnage | 140,600 GT |
| Guests (double occupancy) | 3,260 |
| Guests (maximum) | 3,950 |
| Crew | 1,400 |
| Est. annual guests | ≈ 170,000 / year (estimated) |
| Length | 327 m (1,073 ft) |
| Beam | 39 m (128 ft) moulded |
| Draught | 8.4 m (28 ft) |
| Decks | 16 |
| Staterooms | 1,652 |
| Shipyard | Chantiers de l'Atlantique (Saint-Nazaire, France) |
| Build cost | ≈ US$900 million |
| Christened by | Captain Sandy Yawn |
| Flag | Malta |
| Port of registry | Valletta, Malta |
| IMO number | 9838400 |
| Call sign | 9HA5731 |
| Home port | Fort Lauderdale |
| Region | Mediterranean / Caribbean |
About the Edge class
Celebrity's flagship "E-class" ships, known for the cantilevered Magic Carpet, the Infinite Veranda, and a resort-style outward-facing design.
Ownership & loyalty
Part of Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL).
Sister brands: Royal Caribbean International, Silversea Cruises, TUI Cruises, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.
Loyalty status match - members keep an equivalent tier across the group's brands:
- Crown & Anchor Society (Royal Caribbean International) ↔ Captain's Club (Celebrity Cruises)
One-for-one tier status match across Royal Caribbean Group brands: Gold <-> Classic, Platinum/Emerald <-> Select, Diamond <-> Elite, Diamond Plus <-> Elite Plus, Pinnacle Club <-> Zenith. - Crown & Anchor Society (Royal Caribbean International) ↔ Venetian Society (Silversea Cruises)
One-for-one status match with Silversea Venetian Society: Gold <-> 1 day, Platinum/Emerald <-> 100 days, Diamond <-> 250 days, Diamond Plus <-> 350 days, Pinnacle Club <-> 500 days.
References
Descriptions on Cruise Ship Wiki are original write-ups paraphrased from public sources; facts are compiled from the references below and cross-checked. How we source our information.
- Photograph by ND44 (CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons - Primary ship photograph