In an industry first, Celebrity Cruises announced today that Greek brothers Dimitrios and Tasos Kafetzis had been named co-captains of Celebrity Ascent, the company’s fourth ship in its industry-transforming Edge Series, debuting winter 2023.
In the words of Celebrity Cruises President and CEO, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, they are “our star-powered siblings, a maritime dream team.”
The accomplished maritime brothers will usher in a new era for the cruise line, taking the helm of the brand’s newest relaxed luxury resort at sea, which has been brought to life by a team of modern lifestyle icons including multi-award-winning British designer Kelly Hoppen CBE; celebrated American designer Nate Berkus and Michelin starred chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud.
“Captain Dimitrios and Captain Tasos are our star-powered siblings, a maritime dream team. They have given so much to the Celebrity family over the years that we are like a second family,” said Lutoff-Perlo. “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”.
Captain Dimitrios has dedicated his entire maritime career, spanning more than three decades, to Celebrity Cruises, having started as an Apprentice Officer onboard Celebrity’s very first vessel, the Horizon, in 1990.
Today, he reaches the very pinnacle of the industry, being named take-out captain of this trailblazing ship. Born in Piraeus, port of Athens, Greece, Captain Dimitrios graduated from the Merchant Maritime Academy of Syros-Athens at the top of his class and has held his Master’s license since 2001. He has sailed aboard every different class of ship in Celebrity’s fleet.
Captain Tasos grew up watching his older brother Dimitrios making a career on cruise ships, and realised he wanted to follow in his footsteps. After also graduating from the Merchant Marine College, he joined Celebrity Cruises in 1998.
The brothers will alternate their time on Celebrity Ascent in a three-months on-and-off rotation.
In other Celebrity Cruises news, the company launches a new interactive consumer awareness campaign today named, ‘Find the X’, allowing consumers to search for microscopic Xs in incredible 4 billion pixel images to have the opportunity to win a luxury cruise this summer.
Celebrating Celebrity Cruises’ biggest-ever season of sailings for summer 2023, the gigapixel images will allow players to discover what a new survey has shown to be this summer’s most sought-after European destinations, which can be booked with Celebrity Cruises for a depoist. Agents can also take part in the fun and search the stunning scenery for codes to win a Celebrity Cruise.
