6 0 PL ANNER PERSPECTI VE Opening up the world Elizabeth Oates outlines to Richard Humphreys how Celebrity Cruises builds its itineraries and decided the destinations its fleet is sailing to in 2023 With a 15-ship fleet that visits all seven continents and over 330 destinations, Celebrity Cruises has long been successful in opening up the world to its guests. This mantra is being upheld for 2023, with the cruise line once again taking travellers to both popular and new locations around the world. “Our objective at Celebrity Cruises is to create dynamic itineraries with a focus on destinations that are globally renowned, culturally rich and appeal to a wide range of consumers,” says Elizabeth Oates, vice president of strategy and innovation at Celebrity Cruises. “We also consider destinations that provide the best guest experience and are aligned with our brand strategy. “Our process combines both creative innovation and robust data and consumer insights. This includes gathering feedback from our guests about their destination experiences.” Celebrity Cruises 2023 itineraries include voyages to regions such as Alaska, the Mexican Riviera, Iceland and Greenland, South America, Canada and New England, Bermuda, the Galapagos islands, and the Caribbean. “Every single one of our summer 2023 Europe itineraries are so exceptional that they give me ‘fear of missing out’ vibes, because I don’t have time to experience them all,” says Oates. “Celebrity Edge will take travellers through Spain, France, and Italy, while Celebrity Beyond will transport vacationers to Greece, Turkey, Italy, Croatia and Montenegro. “In addition, Celebrity Apex, which will be sailing from Amsterdam, will provide adventure-seekers with a thrilling escape to the Norwegian fjords. Additionally, we are operating a Europe programme in the winter for the first time with Celebrity Infinity. The ship will offer a limited programme of sailings that go to the Canary Islands and Morocco from Barcelona, before repositioning to Athens to offer Holy Land sailings in early 2024.” It’s not just the European itineraries that Oates is excited about, with the Asian-Pacific region now reopening fully for cruising. “Looking ahead to winter 2023-2024, we will return to the Asia-Pacific region
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