IT will be a family affair aboard Celebrity Cruises’ fourth Edge-class ship Celebrity Ascent, with brothers Tasos and Dimitrios Kafetzis (pictured) named co-captains of the vessel. The industry first will see the Greek brothers jointly take the helm of Ascent, when she debuts in Dec. The brothers will alternate their...
IT will be a family affair aboard Celebrity Cruises’ fourth Edge-class ship Celebrity Ascent, with brothers Tasos and Dimitrios Kafetzis (pictured) named co-captains of the vessel.
The industry first will see the Greek brothers jointly take the helm of Ascent, when she debuts in Dec.
The brothers will alternate their time on Ascent in a three-months on-and-off rotation.
The older Captain Dimitrios started his career as an Apprentice Officer on board Celebrity’s first vessel Horizon in 1990.
Since then, he has sailed aboard every different class of ship in Celebrity’s fleet, including joining the inaugural teams of Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Infinity, Celebrity Silhouette, and Celebrity Apex, the latter of which he was also the “take out” Captain.
The younger brother, Captain Tasos, has been involved in the opening of Celebrity Summit, Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Equinox, and Celebrity Reflection.
Captain Tasos is highly familiar with Celebrity’s Edge-class, having most recently served as skipper of the series’ namesake ship Celebrity Edge.
President & Chief Executive Officer Lisa Lutoff-Perlo described the pair as Celebrity’s “star-powered siblings” and “a maritime dream team”.
“They have given so much to the Celebrity family over the years that we are like a second family,” she said.
“Seeing their emotional reaction to this appointment and understanding what it means to share this pinnacle of their career together was something I didn’t expect and will never forget.”
Celebrity recently celebrated Ascent’s float out milestone, as the ship officially touched water at her shipyard Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire (CW 25 Jan).
Ascent will include an outward-facing Resort Deck with cabanas, infinity-edge plunge pools, two-storey Martini-shaped hot tubs, an elevated running track, Infinite Veranda staterooms that transform into open-air verandas, two-storey Edge Villa staterooms with direct access to The Retreat Sun Deck, a Sunset Bar, and more than 30 food and beverage options, including the fully-immersive Le Petit Chef.
