With about two months left before the new Celebrity Flora makes her debut, Celebrity Cruises has unveiled three new partnerships that enhance how this new vessel will bring the Galapagos Islands to life for its guests through eco-friendly and Ecuadorian touches.
These partnerships include naming a well-known conservationist as the ship’s godmother, having an Ecuadorian designer create many of the furniture pieces that will be featured around the ship, and working with a university that specializes in marine and atmospheric sciences to bring unique experiences on board.
“This ship is a celebration of the Galapagos,” says Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises when introducing these new partnerships at a sneak peek event in Rotterdam, where the ship is currently under construction.
Keeping the cruise line’s eco-conscious practices in mind, especially those implemented onboard the Celebrity Flora, Celebrity Cruises chose Yolanda Kakabadse as the new ship’s godmother. Recognized as an environmental leader and a global champion of sustainable development and biodiversity preservation, Kakabadse is also a former Minister of Environment for the Republic of Ecuador and a former president of both the World Wildlife Fund International and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. As someone who is passionate about reducing the economic, social, and environmental impacts of food waste, Kakabadse’s partnership with Celebrity Cruises will help the cruise line further focus on its efforts to reduce food waste, while also imparting this passion to its guests.
Celebrity Cruises’ commitment to environmental friendliness can also be found in Celebrity Flora’s naturalist lab, which will feature oceanographic research equipment that will be used to track the water currents and weather patterns in areas where the ship will sail. This program builds on a more than 20-year relationship with University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science that benefits from a cruise ship’s consistent itinerary to create a cost-effective way for scientists to gather and measure ocean circulation dynamics. The system will track and map the region while measuring sea-surface temperatures and gathering data critical to research prediction of El Nino and La Nina. All findings gathered by Celebrity Flora will become open source data—globally accessible to research—a first for scientists around the world and anyone with a passion for this information.
“It’s a wonderful thing for our guests, but it’s also great to contribute to the scientific community,” says Lutoff-Perlo.
Keeping in line with Celebrity’s goal to bring cultural and destination immersion, along with authenticity to its guests’ experiences sailing in the Galapagos Islands, the cruise line has also partnered with Adriana Hoyos, an Ecuadorian interior and furniture designer.
“As an Ecuadorian, I am so proud and so happy to celebrate this incredible tribute to the country,” says Hoyos of her opportunity to create several of the furniture pieces that will be scattered throughout nearly every stateroom and public space on board Celebrity Flora.
Hoyos pulls inspiration from her heritage and her extensive travels and highlights sustainable materials when crafting a new collection, including the pieces she specifically designed and chose for Celebrity Flora.
For more information, visit celebritycruises.com, and for details on how you can visit Ecuador and the Galapagos on a FAM departing this summer, click here.
