Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Ascent made its inaugural berth at the Port of Bridgetown today, carrying 3,232 passengers and 1,423 crew members.
During a plaque exchange ceremony onboard the vessel, the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Andrea Franklin, welcomed Captain Anastasios ‘Tasos’ Kafetzis, his crew and guests to the island.
The CEO noted that the Ascent will make 11 port calls during the 2025/2026 cruise season. “We are very pleased to welcome the Celebrity Ascent, a new edge-class vessel. This ship is scheduled to make 11 calls this season, and along with your sister ship, the Reflection. Barbados is one of the valued partners of Celebrity Cruises, and we are grateful for the continued partnership that we’ve established over the years and through your other brands, as well as Royal Caribbean. We look forward to the continued relationship,” Ms. Franklin said.
Captain Kafetzis stated that his crew loves the island and recalled the repatriation assistance given by Barbados during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“On behalf of all the guests and the crew on board, we love Barbados. It’s one of the crew’s favourite ports. It has been for many years, and you have a good reputation…. As a crew member who was stuck during the pandemic, Barbados was one of the kindest islands to all the crew members, offering assistance to those being repatriated….
“It was one of the few places in the world that opened their hearts and say we will help you do what you need to do for your well-being. So, we’re highly grateful for that,” Captain Kafetzis stated.
The Celebrity Ascent is the fourth Edge-class cruise ship from Celebrity Cruises, which entered into service in November 2023. Homeporting from Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, Florida, it offers а 10-day round-trip ultimate Southern Caribbean cruise. It arrived in Barbados from Roseau, Dominica, and its next stop will be St. John’s, Antigua.
The Port of Bridgetown saw over 10,000 passengers arriving on various vessels today, including AIDAperla, Jewel of the Seas, Marella Discovery 2 and Norwegian Epic.
Author: Sheena Forde-Craigg