Celebrity Edge Named in Emotional Ceremony

Celebrity Cruises set out to shake up the cruise industry with the new Celebrity Edge. But they've also propelled a movement.

The Edge, of course, has garnered rave reviews since preview sailings began from Port Everglades right after Thanksgiving. The line's first new ship in six years is heavy on the "wow factor" features, such as glass-walled "Infinite Verandas." Then, there's the "Magic Carpet" platform that glides up and down the ship; a Rooftop Garden and Eden, the greenery-filled. three-story restaurant-lounge-performance space with near-panoramic sea views.

TravelPulse is taking them all in during this week's two-night Naming Cruise. The official Naming Ceremony itself took place late Tuesday afternoon. It was an emotional show-stopper, complete with multiple standing ovations.

Serving as the ship's godmother was Malala Yousafzai. The Pakistani activist, student and UN Messenger of Peace is the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She came to international attention with her book, "I am Malala," and a global campaign in support of education for girls. Secretly blogging as a girl of 11, by age 15 the Taliban tried to kill her.

She survived being shot, co-founded the Malala Fund and is on a trajectory to become the most prominent symbol of female empowerment of our time.

And female empowerment is the backstory of Celebrity Edge.

Celebrity Cruises president and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo spoke about the line's strides for gender equality. She herself is something of a trailblazer, as the first (and only) female CEO of a publicly-traded cruise line.

"We have just hired our third woman captain. We hired the first African woman from Ghana to ever work on the bridge of a cruise ship. We have increased the percentage of women on our bridges from five to 20 percent in just over two years. And we have a crew ratio of 30 percent women on Celebrity Edge which is 50 percent higher than any other cruise ship," said Lutoff-Perlo during the naming ceremony.

The ship's design stars were also women. Namely, Kelly Gonzalez, Celebrity's senior vice president of design; architect-designer Patricia Urquiola and interior designer Kelly Hoppen.

Celebrity is following up on its gender equality commitment with Malala Fund partnership. Proceeds from a Malala Fund merchandise collection sold aboard the Edge will support global initiatives for girls' education.

"Malala and the fund worked tirelessly for gender equality and the 130 million girls around the world who deserve a safe, free quality education in countries where education for young girls is discouraged. Malala was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for this human right. Supported by her family and encouraged by her father, she was taught that her gender should never be a barrier," noted Lutoff-Perlo.

Celebrity Edge, said Lutoff-Perlo, was "built on a foundation of purpose." That purpose being to open up the world to the enrichment that travel and encounters with other cultures can bring.

The idea of looking outward to the world is part of the Edge's overall design concept.

"Again and again, this ship invites you to look outward. From your stateroom to the Resort Deck, to the Magic Carpet, outward not inward," said Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. at the ceremony.

He added that the choice of Malala as godmother advanced key principles of the company.

"It's hard for us here in these comfortable, lovey and safe surroundings to relate back to the atmosphere of fear and oppression that were her daily life," said Fain. "Malala is rousing a generation and we are thrilled and honored that she accepted our invitation to grace our new ship with her blessing. We take her call for equal treatment of women and girls and we hope her message extends to our company, to our crew to our guests."

Speaking of the crew, it was a heartfelt video message delivered to Malala that convinced her to accept the godmother invitation. In the video, female crew members from food service to deck service emphatically bade her to "say yes" in their native languages.

"I say yes," said Malala, to rousing applause, as she began her remarks.

"Educating girls makes countries safer and healthier and it radically improves global economies," she noted. "It requires governments, companies and individuals in every sector to step up. I hope vacationing passengers will be inspired to learn more about girls' education and use their expertise to create a more equal world for us all," she added.

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