Emerald Cruises Names CLIA’s Kelly Craighead As Godmother For Emerald Sakara

Kelly Craighead, president and CEO of Cruise Lines International Association and vice chair and executive director of the Cruise Industry Charitable Foundation, has been named godmother of Emerald Cruises’ newest ship, Emerald Sakara.

The ship will enter service in August and have her naming ceremony on December 2, 2023, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“The name Sakara reflects my deep personal belief that positive thoughts manifest reality, and the strong rebound of cruise from the past few years, along with our commitment to a future of sustainable cruising, demonstrates the optimism that drives this industry forward every day,” Craighead said.

CRAIGHEAD’S EFFORTS DURING THE PANDEMIC

• In 2019, Craighead joined CLIA and began leading the association of cruise lines.
• Through the pandemic, she helped ensure the continuation of cruising and the ability to return to operations once cruising was reopened safely. 

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Since her time at the CLIA, Craighead has helped the cruise industry focus on sustainable tourism and is involved in achieving carbon reduction goals for 2030 and net carbon-neutral ship operations by 2050.

“Kelly portrays perfectly what we find special about Emerald Sakara, whose translated name means “thoughts become things,” a meaning that represents both how we designed and built Emerald Sakara and how we view Kelly’s leadership and contributions to the cruise industry as she guided us through some of our most challenging times, only to emerge stronger than ever,” said Ken Muskat, managing director of Scenic Group USA.

MORE ABOUT EMERALD SAKARA

Emerald Sakara will be a sister ship to Emerald Azzurra, and the name is a Sanskrit mantra meaning “thoughts become things.” At just 100 guests, the ship stays true to Emerald’s award-winning focus on personalized service and guest satisfaction. Like her sister ship, Emerald Sakara will have 50 staterooms, 88% of which have a balcony. Other features include an infinity pool, spa, gym, and marina platform with paddleboards and snorkeling equipment.