Celebrity Cruises named their newest ship, the Celebrity APEX, yesterday. The naming ceremony took place in Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades at around 4 p.m., where invited guests, including myself, sipped champagne while being introduced to APEX’s inspirational godmother, Reshma Sujani.
Once you get to know Celebrity Cruises’ CEO, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, who is likewise a wonderful role model, the decision to pick the bestselling author, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code makes perfect sense. Both women are pioneering their respective industries by shattering, nay, exploding through any glass ceilings that loom over their professions. For Reshma, it’s introducing young women into tech, a highly male-dominated field. Similarly, for Lisa, it’s bringing women to the forefront of the cruise industry, like Captain Kate McCue.
During the naming ceremony, before inviting Reshma to the stage, Celebrity treated guests to numerous performances, blessings, and words from Lisa Lutoff-Perlo and Richard D. Fain, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
It was an emotional evening for a variety of different reasons. For one, it took 581 days for Celebrity APEX to finally receive its naming ceremony. Something that had to be put off due to COVID-19 and the travel industry coming to a halt. You could really hear the excitement and relief in their voices with them finally being able to name the second ship in the Edge series.
For me, it was emotional because it was my first cruise in two years. Though I like to think I made it through the pandemic with just a few scratches, I can’t pretend that it hasn’t affected me mentally. I went from 2-3 weeks of travel a month to nothing overnight. I’m just grateful to be back doing what I love.
Stay tuned for more pieces from me about Celebrity APEX in the coming weeks. For now, head over to Celebrity Cruises and book your next cruise!
