Celebrity cruises are nothing new, and neither is Celebrity Cruises.
If you’re confused, that’s completely understandable. We’ll clear it up.
A celebrity cruise is any cruise ship that is oriented around a well-known figure or musical artist. It’s a chance for their fans to gather as community, mingle, meet new friends, maybe meet one of their favorite personalities or comedians, and maybe watch some musical performances.
Basketball legend Shaquile O’Neal is Carnival's (CCL) first Chief Fun Officer, and he’s been onboard several cruises where he’s coached several onboard basketball games, in which passengers won a free cruise.
Oprah Winfrey, the Queen of All Media, has been the “celebrity godmother” to Holland America since 2017, and she’s been onboard O, The Oprah Magazine-inspired sailings that features cooking and medication.
Classic rock groups such as Kiss and younger artists like Paramore have also had their own cruise ships, as have, wildly, the bookish indie rockers Belle and Sebastian. And superstar DJs such as Armand Van Helden and Zedd have dropped the bass on the Holy Ship cruise.
These sort of excursions can help the cruise industry draw in a different crowd, especially ones that are younger and might be included to think of cruising as something their parents do.
Then, there is Celebrity Cruises, which is a Miami-based cruise line owned by Royal Caribbean (RCL). It focus on modern, trend-conscious expeditions, rather than on the more family-oriented trips that their parent company is known for. They’re usually a bit more expensive than the industry average, as the company bills itself as a premium experience, with Michelin-starred restaurants and luxury suites.
Now, Celebrity Cruises don’t necessarily tend to feature an actual celebrity, which is admittedly confusing.
But now, is has announced a partnership with a very well-known celebrity, and their somewhat controversial lifestyle brand.
Who Is Celebrity Cruises Partnering With?
Celebrity Cruises has announced that it will partner with actress Gwyneth Paltrow and their somewhat controversial lifestyle brand goop.
The actress’s lifestyle brand first partnered with the cruise line January 2020, curating fitness kits, on-demand wellness classes on stateroom TVs and a custom smoothie, and Paltrow became the Celebrity's Well-being Advisor in April 2021.
Obviously, COVID-19 got in the way of any plans the parties may have had. But now, some of goop’s most high-profile wellness-experts will set sail for a series of four Caribbean outings for what’s being called goop at Sea, starting with a voyage from Barcelona to the French Rivera onboard the Celebrity Beyond this fall.
The ships will feature workshops from goop’s army of wellness experts and personal trainers, and Paltrow will be interviewing wellness experts onstage and take questions on the inaugural outing.
There will also be tastings, product trials, on-demand fitness classes, massages, and Goop curated gifts and “surprises.”
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Vanity Fair/TS
What Are The Other Cruises?
In addition to the Celebrity Beyond maiden voyage, there are four other ships taking part in the goop at sea program.
- Celebrity Summit will sail out of Miami on October 9 for a 5-night cruise
- Celebrity Apex - will depart Fort Lauderdale, FL on October 24
- Celebrity Edge will leave Fort Lauderdale, FL on Oct 30, 2022
- Celebrity Millennium will conclude the program, sailing out on Fort Lauderdale, FL on December 13 on a 10-Night Eastern Caribbean cruise.
Why Is goop controversial?
The wellness movement has helped people center themselves and get healthier, but there are always people who are going to roll their eyes at that sort of thing.
In particular, goop has been criticized for recommending wildly expensive products that make the brand come off as elitist, such as a $4,700 juicer or a $12,000 vase.
The company has also been lambasted for selling products that some experts have deemed unsafe. Notoriously, several years ago the company offered "Jade Egg" meant to increase sexual health for women. Doctors recommended using the products, and the company had to settle for $145,000 when those claims were proved untrue.
