The 9^th annual Miami Beach Gay Pride Parade and Festival kicked off in April, 2017, and we saw an incredible opportunity. As presenting sponsor of this nationally-renowned event, Celebrity Cruises became the first-ever cruise line to partner with Miami Beach Gay Pride.

We launched #GetOnBoard campaign across three social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter – in conjunction with the 3-day South Beach festival, which hosted a record-breaking 135,000+ attendees and culminated in the Pride Parade, boasting with over 3,000 participants. Along with our unique, title-winning float, Celebrity parade participants in the parade included more than 300 smiling employees, crew members, Captain's Club Loyalty members, past and present guests, family members, friends, and supporters. During the closing awards ceremony, we were honored with the trophy for "best float."

The overwhelmingly positive engagement and support we received following the launch of #GetOnBoard and the Pride Parade only confirmed what we already knew: we were on the right track, making leaps and bounds to combat closed-mindedness and discrimination. On June 19, 2017, in celebration of Pride Month, Celebrity once again made history, both for our brand and for the cruising industry as a whole. Every ship in our fleet converged in support of the LGBTQ community, and from their respective locations around the world, helped us launch our "Largest Pride Party at Sea (and on Social)." From Alaska to Bermuda to Rome, whether sailing international waters or docked in one of our 300+ ports of call, each of our nine award-winning ships simultaneously hosted a "silent disco" party for onboard guests. All who attended on board were encouraged to share photos and videos using #GetOnBoard. In keeping with our brand mission to open up the world, and with the intention of creating a truly global and all-inclusive event, we extended our Largest Pride Party at Sea to our social platforms as well. Followers were encouraged to participate in our worldwide pride celebration by posting their favorite pride pictures using #GetOnBoard. Guest attendance and enthusiasm on board, coupled with the incredible engagement and overwhelming outpouring of support we received on social, made this one-day global pride event an unprecedented success.

Keeping the momentum going to the end of the year, Celebrity added yet another historical "first" to our repertoire. In October, a transformative vote was passed in Malta, where a majority of our fleet is registered, announcing the legalization of same-sex marriages performed on board, and allowing fleet captains to officiate the legal ceremonies. On January 29, Celebrity made history once more when we proudly hosted Francisco Vargas and Benjamin Gray, the first same-sex couple to be legally married at sea on a major cruise line. With an intimate ceremony of family and friends, while sailing in the Caribbean on board Celebrity Equinox, the two were legally united in matrimony by Captain Dimitrios Manetas, against the backdrop of the iconic rose wall in Blu Restaurant.