Starboard Cruise Services has unveiled its innovative immersive lifestyle shopping experience onboard the brand new Celebrity Ascent, the fourth ship in the cruise line’s Edge Series, which embarked on its inaugural sailings last week.
The highly curated vacation retail offerings feature a selection of renowned brands that resonate with Celebrity’s brand pillars of premium vacations and bringing destinations to life onboard.
Catering to the modern traveler, Celebrity Ascent will also provide first-at-sea retail concept launches and cutting-edge digital activations that enable personalized gift-giving.
“Starboard has consistently been at the forefront of supporting Celebrity Cruises in its mission to launch the most sought-after ships,” says Lisa Bauer, Starboard President and CEO. “Our long-time partnership has boasted multiple groundbreaking concepts that have taken the creation of enduring memories to a whole new level. And we can’t wait for guests to experience them aboard Celebrity Ascent.”
Celebrity Ascent reintroduces signature labels complemented by many new brands across the fragrance, jewelry and watches, apparel and spirits categories.
The shopping area spans a total of 8,966 square feet across two decks; the Luxury District on Deck 5 as well as beauty, fashion, resort/ Caribbean lifestyle, Swiss time pieces, spirits, and Celebrity branded offerings on Deck 4. Each distinct zone offers a diverse selection, from apparel, accessories, Swiss time pieces, jewelry, watches cosmetics and eco-friendly products to destination mementos, and much more.
“Starboard, our long-time partner, has created an exceptional retail experience for our revolutionary Edge Series, aligning seamlessly with our innovation and refinement of the fleet. The results and positive feedback from our guests have truly exceeded our expectations,” states Keith Lane Senior Vice President, Hotel Operations for Celebrity Cruises.
First-at-Sea Launches
Celebrity Ascent will debut fragrances for women, men, and for the home from luxury brand Loewe.
The chic Sunset Collection curated by Nate Berkus and inspired by his design aesthetic for The Sunset Bar will feature a sophisticated array of travel and home accessories that are launch-ing exclusively on Celebrity Ascent and Celebrity Beyond.
Celebrity Ascent taps into Star-board’s “Beauty for All” concept expanding categories with a diverse range of hair care offerings with first-at-sea brand, Olaplex as well as Moroccan Oil Tools, along with body care assortments from Mario Badescu and L’Occitane.
Celebrating resort-style fashion as well as purpose driven brands, Coradorables, a woman-founded, family-run Hawaiian brand made in Honolulu with hand-selected tex-tiles and custom patterns celebra-ting local culture, is another first-at-sea onboard the Ascent.
Refined Luxury
The world’s newest Piaget boutique will debut on Ascent with fine jewelry and watch collections, alongside Richemont sister-brand Cartier showcasing its iconic Swiss-made watches.
Bvlgari continues its presence on Celebrity ships with a stand-alone lifestyle boutique offering jewelry, watches, handbags and accessories.
The Time is Now boutique carries Swiss timepiece brands – Tag Heuer, Hublot and Breitling. Guests will be able to enhance their purchase with a personalized message printed on satin ribbon, available in English, Spanish, or French.
John Hardy unveils its first revamped store at sea, illustrating a modern design spearheaded by the brand’s Creative Chair, Reed Krakoff. The shop will showcase exclusive jewelry, the new Spear Collection and engage guests through an interactive chain-weaving installation.
Catering to the discerning male guests, the Mankind boutique on Deck 5 delivers a dynamic brand lineup in various categories from watches and jewelry, grooming essentials, accessories to the latest in fashion for men.
In the Attraction boutique, the N1 Skincare Collection by Chanel will inaugurate a fully immersive range of unique collections, personalized experiences, and top-tier services. Complementing this milestone, an extended makeup selection from Chanel and Dior will be showcased.
The extended makeup selections will be elevated by dedicated Beauty Specialists, allowing guests to receive comprehensive consultations and engaging seminars focused on skincare aspirations. Additionally, guests will be able to enhance their purchased fragrance gift with a personalized onsite bottle engraving.
Multisensory Spirited Exploration
The Spirited shop aboard the Celebrity Ascent has introduced a fully immersive experience blend-ing digital elements, personalized tastings, and engagement.
In partnership with Diageo, the Celebrity Ascent will feature the “What’s Your Whiskey” inter-active experience. Guests take a short quiz and will discover whether they lean towards smoky, spicy, fruity or sweet whiskeys.
The shop’s offerings have been expanded with a range of wines including limited production vintages.
Innocenti, Fahlo, Tagua, Mary Frances, and Les Iles du Monde
These brands are destinations within themselves with inspiring founder stories as well as artisanal goods that resonate with Celebrity Ascent’s itineraries, enriching the overall cruise experience.
Inside the Sense of Self boutique, guests will also discover woman-founded brand Farm Rio debuting on Celebrity, featuring its vibrant clothing line made in Brazil that embodies the feminine spirit and vibrant colors of Rio.
The shop also offers an expansive collection of vintage luxury designer handbags and accessories from What Goes Around Comes Around.
Celebrity Ascent embarked on her inaugural Caribbean season, commencing November 26, 2023, departing from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale from December 2023 to April 2024.
For the 2023-2024 Caribbean season, the Ascent will sail the Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico, and the British Virgin Islands. Afterwards, Celebrity Ascent will set sail for Europe, offering a summer of Mediterranean cruises in Greece, Italy, Turkey, Spain, and France.
