When you think of cruise innovation, it is easy to picture only the newest, shiniest ship. Celebrity’s leadership is gently pushing back on that idea, spelling out a plan where older and newer vessels are all part of the same creative loop. Rather than letting legacy ships drift into the background, the line is talking about keeping every hull in the conversation, from Solstice class favourites to the very latest hardware.
Celebrity Cruises is leaning into a long term Celebrity Cruises innovation strategy across its entire fleet, with Chief Marketing & Product Officer Michael Scheiner and Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty confirming that older ships such as the Solstice class will receive brand new concepts in upcoming dry docks, while each vessel’s upgrades are tailored to its layout and regional deployment rather than copying features in a watered down form.
Celebrity is being unusually direct about what innovation should look like in practice. Instead of treating it as a buzzword, leaders are talking about budget, dry docks, and the reality of working with ships of different shapes and sizes. That honesty is helpful if you are trying to decide whether to book one of the brand’s newest vessels or a long-loved classic.
At the centre of the message is the idea that every ship deserves proper attention from the product and innovation teams. The goal is not to chase novelty for its own sake; it is to keep the fleet feeling genuinely up to date, whether you sail in the Caribbean, Asia, Europe, or beyond.
Michael Scheiner is refreshingly blunt about the gap between saying the word “innovation” and actually paying for it. He notes that many companies talk about new ideas, but fewer are willing to commit to serious investment. Celebrity, he argues, does put money and people behind its plans, from design studios to dry dock schedules.
For guests, that means Celebrity Cruises' innovation is likely to show up as real changes you can see and feel, not just in marketing headlines. New concepts, refreshed venues, and different ways of using space are all part of that shift from talk to action.
Scheiner has also stressed that Celebrity does not want to be the kind of brand that forgets about its older ships while new builds steal all the oxygen. Instead, there is a clear intent to give those ships regular, thoughtful updates, rather than simply bringing them “up to code” and stopping there.
That matters if you are attached to a certain class or layout. You do not have to abandon your favourite ship to enjoy modern touches. Over time, the plan is for innovation to move through the existing fleet, so guests can enjoy a familiar environment that still evolves.
From a traveller’s perspective, this approach offers something simple but valuable: more confidence that your chosen ship will feel current, regardless of its launch year. It also encourages you to think beyond age alone when comparing options. A refreshed Solstice class ship with new concepts might feel just as exciting as a brand new vessel, depending on your preferences and itinerary.
For repeat guests, it also makes things more interesting. Each time you return to the brand, you can expect to see at least some changes, which keeps even well-known ships feeling like there is something new to discover.
The clearest example of this strategy lies with the Solstice class ships, which are heading into dry dock. Rather than simply matching them to newer vessels, Celebrity is talking about introducing concepts that do not exist anywhere else in the fleet. That is a strong signal that the brand sees these ships as platforms for fresh thinking, not just candidates for standard upgrades.
For many long-time Celebrity fans, the Solstice class is the hardware that defined the brand’s modern identity. Hearing that these ships will receive bespoke ideas instead of generic refits suggests the line understands their importance and is willing to invest accordingly.
Dry dock can mean anything from technical maintenance to a full interior reimagining. The language coming from the Celebrity implies the latter is closer to the mark here. We are not just talking about new carpets and a coat of paint; we are talking about “brand new concepts” that will give returning guests something genuinely different to explore.
That might include reworked public spaces, new bars or dining settings, or fresh entertainment formats designed to suit the ship’s existing footprint. While the exact details are yet to be seen, the promise alone is enough to make post-dry-dock sailings very interesting to watch.
What will make these updates particularly appealing is the notion that some features will be unique to the Solstice class, not copied from the newest ships. That moves these vessels out of the shadow of the latest builds and gives them their own role in the story.
If you enjoy collecting different classes, this approach means there will still be compelling reasons to sail the Solstice class even once you have tried the Edge or Xcel class hardware. Each style of ship becomes a different expression of the Celebrity personality.
At the same time, there is an obvious need to protect what guests already love about these ships. Solstice class has a very loyal following, and part of the art of innovation here lies in changing enough to feel fresh while leaving enough in place to feel like “home”.
Done thoughtfully, this balance can make stepping back on a refitted ship feel like visiting a friend who has redecorated. You recognise the bones of the place, but new corners, venues, and design touches give your days onboard a subtly different rhythm.
Jason Liberty adds another layer to the story by talking about practical constraints. Not every idea works on every ship. Different hulls have different shapes and internal volumes, and guests have different expectations depending on where in the world they are sailing.
Celebrity is acknowledging that reality instead of forcing identical experiences across the board. In other words, the brand would rather design something that fits a particular ship and route than squeeze in a compromised version of a popular feature just to tick a box.
Liberty is clear that you need the physical space to implement a new concept properly. If the footprint is not there, trying to cram in a feature that worked beautifully elsewhere can result in something cramped, awkward, or underused.
By choosing not to do that, the team is protecting the guest experience. It is better to say “this particular venue lives on certain ships only” than to create an inferior copy that looks good in a brochure but feels disappointing in person.
One of Liberty’s more striking comments is that the company will not “roll stuff back” to the point where a feature is marginalised. That tells you the bar for implementation is set reasonably high. If a new idea cannot be delivered in a way that feels authentic and generous, it will not be forced into a ship where it does not belong.
For you, this may mean accepting that not every vessel has every shiny concept. In return, you get a cleaner, more coherent onboard environment, where the features that are present have room to breathe.
Region also plays a big part in how innovation shows up. Liberty notes that guests on port-heavy schedules in Asia or Europe want different onboard experiences compared with travellers on more sea day-focused routes. When you spend long hours ashore, you come back to the ship looking for rest, good food, and a comfortable evening, not necessarily a packed slate of daytime activities.
By tuning each ship’s offering to its deployment, Celebrity can allocate resources more intelligently. In port-intensive regions, you might see more emphasis on evening venues and recovery spaces, while sea-day-rich routes may prioritise daytime entertainment and open-air features.
All of this talk about fleet strategy is interesting, but it becomes truly useful when you are sitting down to choose a holiday. The key takeaway is that age alone is no longer a simple guide to how “modern” a ship will feel. You need to look at where that vessel sits in Celebrity’s innovation cycle, and what kind of upgrades it has received or is about to receive.
It also encourages you to think about how you like to spend your time on board. If you prefer long, leisurely sea days filled with activities, you might prioritise routes and ships that are set up for that rhythm. If your focus is on intensive port exploration in Asia or Europe, you may find more value in hardware tailored to those patterns, regardless of launch year.
When you see references to dry dock work, new concepts, or refreshed venues in ship descriptions, it is worth pausing to absorb what that means. A post-refit Solstice-class ship might feel quite different from a pre-refit one, even if the headline name is unchanged.
Looking at deployment can also give you clues about how the onboard experience has been tuned. Ships spending a lot of time in port, heavy regions are likely to have a slightly different emphasis than those cruising itineraries with long ocean stretches.
It helps to be honest about what you want from your days at sea. Do you value quiet corners and good evening entertainment because you plan to be off the ship most days? Or are you someone who sees the ship as the main destination and wants a constant flow of activities, venues, and experiences?
Once you have that clarity, you can read Celebrity’s innovation moves with your own preferences in mind. A refreshed ship with carefully chosen changes might be exactly what you are after, even if it is not the newest name in the fleet.
Finally, the information about upcoming dry docks gives you an opportunity to plan ahead. Booking a sailing after scheduled work has taken place can be a smart way to experience both familiarity and novelty in one go. You get the comfort of a known layout combined with the pleasure of exploring new venues and ideas.
For frequent cruisers, tracking this cycle can become part of the fun. Each trip becomes a snapshot of where the brand’s creativity is at that moment, whether you are boarding a brand-new ship or revisiting a trusted classic.
If you are starting to imagine how all of this might fit into your own travel plans, it is useful to see actual routes and ships side by side. Celebrity’s deployment spans the Caribbean, Alaska, Asia, Europe, and more, and the balance between new builds and refreshed favourites will vary by season and region. Comparing those options against your preferred timing and style is the best way to find a good match.
A practical next step is to explore upcoming Celebrity sailings using S.W. Black Travel’s online Cruise Finder. You can filter by ship, region, and date, then look more closely at which vessels have dry docks or new concepts in their near future, helping you choose an itinerary where the innovation you have been reading about will be ready and waiting.
When you are ready to move from ideas to concrete plans, having someone keep an eye on the details for you makes a real difference. Matching ships, refit timelines, regions, and your own calendar is a bit of a puzzle, especially if you are trying to coordinate multiple travellers or work around school terms and public holidays. Talking it through with a specialist who follows the brand closely can save you time and give you more confidence in your final choice.
You do not need to track every dry dock or deployment shift yourself. Instead, you can speak with our cruise travel advisers about the Celebrity ships and seasons that interest you most, and we can help you line up a voyage that reflects the best of the line’s current thinking. With the right guidance, the innovation happening behind the scenes becomes something you feel in better flow on board, smarter itineraries, and a ship that genuinely fits the way you like to travel.