PONY Branch 60th Anniversary Cruise on the CELEBRITY SUMMIT
Event summary and photos by Stuart Gewirtzman.
The CELEBRITY SUMMIT at Key West, Florida.
The year 2025 marks 60 years since the founding of the World Ship Society – Port of New York Branch. To commemorate this milestone, 19 PONY Branch members and guests headed to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to embark on a five-night 60th Anniversary cruise on board the CELEBRITY SUMMIT. The festivities began on Sunday, October 12th, 2025, one day prior to sailing, when many in the group traveled by Brightline train to Miami to visit The Wolfsonian museum, a division of Florida International University. After a reception graciously sponsored by the museum’s Treasurer and PONY Branch member Tom Ragan, attendees were treated to a private tour led by Chief Librarian Frank Luca. The museum’s Director, Michael Hughes, was also in attendance for our special museum visit. A highlight of the tour was a chance to examine a curated sample of the museum’s extensive collection of ocean liner and cruise ship memorabilia that was put on display for our visit.
The following day the group set sail on the CELEBRITY SUMMIT for Key West, Florida, and Nassau in the Bahamas. The SUMMIT, a 90,940 GT, 2,218 passenger, Millennium-class cruise ship, originally entered service for Celebrity Cruises in 2001 and appeared to be in excellent condition after a month-long refit in a shipyard in the Bahamas earlier in the year. In addition to enjoying the fine food and entertainment on the ship, those attending were treated to two engaging presentations by Captain Terry Tilton, U.S.N. (Ret); the first focusing on over 100 years of maritime disasters as reflected in over 20 ships represented in Terry’s personal builders’ plate collection; and the second on the storied history of Ingalls Shipbuilding. The group was also treated to a private reception in the SUMMIT’s Rendezvous Lounge on each of the two sea days during the cruise. Sunny weather followed us to Key West and to Nassau, where the SUMMIT was joined in port by MSC SEASCAPE, DISNEY DREAM, DISNEY MAGIC and the MV LOGOS HOPE, originally built in 1973 as the car ferry GUSTAV VASA and now serving as a floating book fair and community outreach platform.
The World Ship Society – PONY Branch 60th Anniversary Cruise attendees sincerely thank Frank Luca, Michael Hughes, Tom Ragan and Astrid Rotemberg from The Wolfsonian-FIU. We also thank the wonderful crew of the CELEBRITY SUMMIT including our excellent Group Concierge, Jana. Thanks too to Captain Terry Tilton, for his excellent presentations and to our PONY Branch Vice Chairman and Special Programs Chairman, Pat Dacey, who expertly and seamlessly organized the week’s cruise and the many events enjoyed by our members in the company of fellow ship enthusiasts.
Photo credits: Denise Dacey, Stuart Gewirtzman, Marjorieann Matuszek, Ellen Meshnick, Matt Rihl and Rich Turnwald
