A case of “Honey I Shrunk the Captain”? Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. chairman and CEO Richard D. Fain, Captain Nicholas Pagonis and Meyer Werft’s Bernard Meyer of shipbuilder Meyer Werft taking time out in the Lawn Club to celebrate the ship’s successful delivery. Image: Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises fifth Solstice-class ship, Celebrity Reflection, has been officially delivered to the cruise line by Meyer Werft shipyard following the naming of four Celebrity employees as joint-godmothers.

Jovanka Goronjic, Megan Mathie, Helen O’Connell and Rosey Rodriguez are being honoured for their impressive life achievements with two overcoming breast cancer.

Ms Goronjic is the AquaSpa manager aboard Celebrity Constellation and donated her hair for the creation of wigs for cancer patients following her mother’s diagnosis in 2005 while Ms Mathie flew home earlier this year to support both her mother and sister during their breast cancer treatment.

The glassblowing artist in the ‘Hot Glass Show’ aboard Celebrity Solstice now hosts a ‘Hot Pink Glass Show’ on every cruise where she shares her story with guests and auctions a one-of-a-kind pink glass creation with all proceeds going to BCRF.

Ms O’Connell is manages the community relations department of Celebrity Cruises and leads the company’s annual G.I.V.E. (Get Involved Volunteer Everywhere) Day and supports fundraising activities for both the Make-A-Wish Foundation and BCRF.

Before being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, she travelled to New York every weekend for three months to care for her father who was battling bone cancer.

A 17-year employee of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Ms Rodriguez is the manager of the company’s special events team and was diagnosed with stage-3 breast cancer in June this year.
She has committed to beating it for herself and her two children and has refused to let the disease interfere with her work, taking her laptop to treatments to allow her to work remotely.

 “These ladies are not only inspiring in their professional lives, but in their personal lives as well, with each of them devoted to their own and our company’s interest in doing all we can to find a cure for breast cancer,” Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard D. Fain said.

The special tribute further highlights ongoing activities by the line to support and raise funds for breast cancer awareness including an auction in Bloomingdales ‘Big Pink Book’ with a percentage of sales going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).

Celebrity Cruises’ website will also turn pink for the cause with the company donating USD$2 for every “Excite the Senses” lifestyle book sold as part of a host of fundraising activities both shore side and onboard.

“These impressive women personify the qualities we admire among our Solstice-class godmothers: remarkable strength and courage, along with optimism, warmth and genuine care for others,” Celebrity Cruises president and CEO Michael Bayley said.

Celebrity Reflection weighs in at 126,000 gross tonnes and accommodates 3,046-passengers and 1,271 crew.

She is currently sailing on an invitation only two-night cruise round-trip from Amsterdam before a series of Mediterranean itineraries and a transatlantic voyage to her new homeport of Miami.

The four godmothers will preside over her official naming ceremony in Miami on 1 December where they will be joined by the godmothers of each of Celebrity Reflection’s sister ships.

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