Why does Celebrity use an X as its Logo?

A photo of a celebrity ship with a finger pointing at the X on the funnel with text that reads: Why does Celebrity use an X as its Logo?

Introduction

As I prepare to embark on my first Celebrity cruise post-Covid, I’ve been refamiliarizing myself with everything I love about the line and researching what’s changed since my last Celebrity cruises in late 2019 (that none of my numerous post-Covid cruises have been on Celebrity was in no way intentional – I book cruises based on a combination of cost, timing, and itinerary, not ship or line). I love Celebrity and I’m eager to be back onboard!

Stay tuned for my upcoming Celebrity blog series where I’ll cover my experience onboard the Solstice, dining and bar options and associated menus, and what makes the line unique. In the meantime, I thought I’d tackle one of the most common questions of new cruisers to the line, or bystanders who catch a glimpse of a Celebrity ship docked at port or at sea: What the heck does the X stand for?

The Celebrity Apex.

What Celebrity’s X doesn’t Stand for

First, what the X doesn’t stand for:

  • 1/3 a porn
  • Marking the spot
  • Eliminating something from contention

So now that we have that cleared up, here’s what the X does stand for:

What does Celebrity’s X Stand for?

“X” is the symbol for the Greek letter “Chi.”

Okay, but why was it chosen as Celebrity’s logo?

Let’s hop in the Delorean and travel back in time to 1989. While I was begging my mom to crimp my hair for church only to mess it up by falling asleep on her giant shoulder pads Velcroed to the inside of a bold-print neon blouse, the Greece-based Chandris Group, named for the Chandris family, was launching a new cruise line. They selected the “X” as their logo because it’s the first letter in the Greek spelling of “Chandris.”

An Enduring Symbol

34 year later, my hair is straight, the shoulder pads are gone, and neon is only seen at theme parties and on strip club signs. But the X endures. And, for me, will always symbolize a slightly understated, but high quality vacation at sea. And with that…

Class Dismissed!

Homework (10 points): Share to the comments the things you love most about Celebrity in 2023.

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    2 Responses

    1. Christina Kapperman says:

      You are so hilarious! Love all of your content ❤ and i always learn something everytime you post….like the X in Celebrity cruises, who knew! Thanks for taking the time to post everything you do, much appreciated 🙂

      • Prof. Cruise says:

        Thank you so much for the kind, generous words. We must share the same weird sense of humor. LOL! Happy cruising!