New Celebrity Beyond cruise ship has wellness experiences from Gwyneth Paltrow and Michelin-starred food

The ship’s first voyage will be next spring

The new resort deck, designed by Kelly Hoppen (Celebrity Cruises)

As UK cruising gets ready to restart next month, one cruise line has unveiled what could be the most luxurious ship ever to set sail.

Celebrity Beyond, the latest ship from Royal Caribbean-owned Celebrity Cruises, wants to “take the cruise industry into the next era of luxury”.

Cruising is currently banned in the UK and has been given the tentative nod to restart from 17 May, the same date that international travel can resume. Sailings will be limited to 1,000 passengers (all of whom must be British) and take place in UK waters only.

Celebrity Beyond will depart for her maiden voyage on 27 April 2022 from Southampton, on a 10-night Western Europe cruise visiting cities including Bordeaux, Lisbon and Seville.

Guests on Celebrity Beyond will find a host of new design and hospitality features.

Gwyneth Paltrow is the brand’s wellbeing advisor (Getty Images)

Firstly, the accommodation has been kicked up a notch. Onboard is The Retreat, a “resort-within-a-resort” all-suite area; plus new two-storey villas with private plunge pools.

The exterior spaces on Celebrity Beyond have been designed by Tom Wright, of architect firm WKK, who designed Dubai’s seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel.

A new rooftop garden and resort deck with cantilevered pools has been designed by British designer Kelly Hoppen. Plus, there’s a new multi-level Sunset Bar; a “Grand Plaza” atrium inside, inspired by Italian piazzas; and the “Magic Carpet”, a cantilevered platform 13 storeys up, for drinks and food.

Fine dining is helmed by restaurateur Daniel Boulud, whose eponymous restaurant in Manhattan has two Michelin stars.

Wellness experiences and products come from goop’s Gwyneth Paltrow, the brand’s newly appointed wellbeing advisor, who will “curate onboard wellness programming”. In January 2020, the cruise line announced a Goop wellness workshop onboard Celebrity Apex, which was cancelled due to Covid travel restrictions.

“Celebrity Beyond shatters any and every preconceived notion of the cruising experience,” says Celebrity Cruises’ president and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo.

“This exquisite ship offers a journey at the intersection of elegance and approachability filled with what’s important to our guests today: forward-thinking design, culinary excellence, unparalleled well-being and incomparable service.”

Celebrity Cruises has a fleet of 14 ships.