Asia’s richest centibillionaire, Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries, worth $114 billion, and his family are back in the news. It is not for the wedding of his youngest son Anant Ambani to fiancée Radhika Merchant but for the second installation of their pre-wedding festivities. The world is still reeling from the extravagant after-effects of the first pre-wedding celebrations earlier this year at Jamnagar, in the Indian state of Gujarat, which made international headlines. Giving an entirely new spin to destination weddings is one of Asia’s richest clans, the Ambanis, not with a superyacht or a five-star hotel but an entire mammoth cruise ship for their pre-wedding parties.
Why do they need a 1,073-foot cruise liner? According to Indian media sources, the affluent Ambanis have invited the who’s who of not just Indian business and Bollywood circles but may get global greats aboard the well-known Celebrity Ascent, one of Celebrity Cruises’ Edge-class ships built in 2023.
For their three-day extravaganza at Jamnagar, including guests like Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Melinda Gates, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Morgan Stanley’s Ted Pick, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Disney CEO Bob Iger, and more, the family left no stone unturned.
From ultra-luxury tents, five-star-level retreats, and themes like ‘An Evening in Everland,’ ‘A Walk on the Wildside,’ and ‘Mela Rouge,’ it was a larger-than-life affair. The second leg of the pre-wedding event will take place between May 29 and June 1 in Italy and France before the couple ties the knot in July this year. “La Vita E Un Viaggio” meaning ‘Life is a journey’ is the theme for the celebrations aboard the luxury cruise liner Celebrity Ascent.
In addition to Bollywood royalty, the media is rife with speculations of Hollywood A-listers and business bigwigs making an appearance yet again. Guests who toured Vantara, a sanctuary for rescued animals four times the size of New York’s famous Central Park, will not indulge in star gazing, city tours, or toga parties.
The ship with 16 passenger decks will accommodate at least 600 guests of the Ambani family and sail them to Cannes and Portofino, all while having round-the-clock soirees, themed bashes, and even star-gazing shindigs. When it comes to Ambanis and their events, the days cannot be complete without themes. The days are lined with dress codes like classic cruise, western formal, and tourist chic. There is even a black-tie masquerade event at Cannes on May 31, followed by a ‘pardon my French’ after-party that will continue into the wee hours. The spectacle will be one that will be remembered for years to come. And this isn’t even the main wedding event.
Celebrity Ascent: Where luxury is the environment
The venue, a pièce de résistance—Celebrity Ascent, was built in 2023 and is part of Celebrity Cruises’ Edge-class ships. It is equipped to accommodate nearly 4,000 guests serviced by a crew of 1,400. With the richest people partying aboard, it is obvious they would occupy the best suites and staterooms, such as AquaClass SkySuites and the Iconic Suite, offering access to the ship’s Thermal Spa and its own clean-cuisine restaurant Blu.
There are opulent two-deck Edge Villas, with living spaces and tubs on the first deck and bedrooms on the second. There are a whopping 18 restaurants aboard, but knowing the Ambanis and their flair for flamboyance, they would fly in Michelin-star chefs from around the globe to cook up a storm. Amenities include a world-class spa, The Club, and a nightclub space adjacent to The Theatre. Finally, Ascent boasts an all-new gaming floor with slot machines featuring the latest technology.
