Company Overview:
When
John Chandris, scion of one of Greece's
mightiest shipping family, launched Celebrity
Cruises in 1989, it was with the promise that
the line would "exceed expectations." Celebrity
kept that promise for the duration of Chandris'
reign.
Starting out with two ships,
Horizon and Zenith, immediately identifiable by
the big blue italic "X" alongside the
smokestacks, the focus of Celebrity was on
modern European elegance such as cigar and
martini bars and hand-picked modern art by John
Chandris' wife. The line gained a small but
loyal following with experienced cruisers, but
remained the "brand X" of the cruise industry to
people not "in the know" about the company.
Then, with three gorgeous new ships added in the
mid-'90s, Celebrity became the first mid-price
cruise line to lean towards luxury at a
reasonable price point. Then, Celebrity offered
Michelin three-star cuisine by renowned London
Chef Michel Roux, suites with butlers, the
biggest spas at sea, a remarkable private art
collection, large staterooms in all categories,
and (favourites of more sophisticated voyagers)
piano lounges, champagne and martini bars, and
magnificent alternative dining restaurants.
In 1997, Celebrity Cruises was acquired by Royal
Caribbean International, parent company to Royal
Caribbean Cruise Lines, and it now operates as a
sister company under the RCI umbrella. While the
acquisition was something of a disappointment
for the Celebrity employees and their fans, it
did keep Celebrity ships on their keels and has
kept the line going strongly.
In mid-
2000, Celebrity launched the first of its four
91,000-ton "Project Millennium" ships ( four
sister ships; Millennium, Infinity, Summit and
Constellation), intended to establish Celebrity
as a credible competitor to Crystal, but for a
rather younger clientele. These ships signaled
the beginning of a new era of technologically
sophisticated cruise ships, including
innovative, more environmentally friendly, gas
turbine propulsion systems and pod propulsion
systems that make a ship far more manueverable.
Unfortunately, time moves on and things like
gas-turbine engines have become too expensive to
run in today's high fuel pricing environment.
And the propulsion pods on these ships have been
known to require maintenance on several
occasions spawning a lawsuit between the cruise
line and the maker. When a pod goes bad a ship
must usually be dry-docked for a repair
requiring canceling a cruise.
Internally,
the most striking features about the Millennium
class of ships are three-deck atriums and
gigantic 25,000 sq.ft. spas, including a
solarium and health club. There are full-service
floral conservatories created by the noted
Parisian floral designer, Emilio Robba, on board
-- the first living flower gardens at sea.
Exterior glass elevators provide panoramic ocean
views.
Innovative alternative restaurants
on each of the ships pays homage to celebrated
ocean liners of the past. Originally, these
hugely popular restaurants offered custom
designed menus by noted chef Michel Roux
featuring authentic recipes from the grand era
of shipboard oceanic transversal. It should be
noted, however, that as of January, 2007,
Celebrity has ended it 15-year relationship with
Michel Roux as executive chef, with no
replacement announced. The line still boasts a
superior culinary claim, however, and with its
galleys designed for optimum freshness in
preparation and serving, and the cost per
passenger for food services remaining roughly
the same as before, so far it does not appear
that much has been lost.
Newly boarded
passengers are greeted with a "welcome aboard"
mimosa or a glass of sparkling wine. During
their cruises they'll find an array of tempting
shops in the Emporium complex, a spa café dining
option with the focus on healthier, low-fat
ingredients, poolside fashion shows and wine
tasting, a revamped sports deck, extensive golf
programs, and the innovative Acupuncture at Sea
program. They'll enjoy the singing of roving a
cappella groups, and will be offered a seminar
or two on such topics as astronomy, photography,
personal investing, or history.
Millennium-class ships feature some of the the
largest suites at sea; over half the staterooms
have private verandas, including six
disabled-access suites with balconies.
Celebrity's "signature" features include the
piano bar/martini bar known as Michael's Club,
the elegant Cova Cafe of Milan for coffee, and
the AquaSpa, which, be assured, richly merits
attention. Art-lovers will revel in the line's
remarkable collection.
In January 2004,
Celebrity unveiled Celebrity Xpeditions,
offering small-ship adventure cruising in the
Galapagos Islands aboard the program's
2,842-ton, 98-passenger namesake. These casual,
10-night Galapagos sailings include unique and
active shore excursions such as snorkeling and
hiking, as well as a pre and post-cruise stay in
Quito, Ecuador.
In 2006 Celebrity put
the Celebrity Century in dry-dock for $55
million refurbishment including the addition of
new suites and many features found on the
Millennium-class vessels. Details are in the
individual review for Century. Mercury is slated
to receive the same treatment in the first half
of 2007.
A new class of vessels known as
the Solstice Class will be emerging beginning in
the Fall of 2008. Three vessels are already on
order to be delivered approximately one year
apart. The sister ships; number one to be named
Celebrity Solstice, number two; Celebrity
Equinox, and number three; Celebrity Eclipse,
will be 118,000 gross tons and will carry 2850
guests. They will be 1033 feet long and 121 feet
wide. Their added size will allow Celebrity to
offer larger standard staterooms, a higher
percentage of balconies and an exceptional range
of guest-inspired services and amenities.
In furtherance to the concept of the 2004
Celebrity Xpeditions line, the company is also
bringing online two 710-passenger vessels
designed to cater to the market for unusual
destinations and experiences. These two vessels
were acquired from Spanish Cruise Line
Pulmantur, and are named Celebrity Quest and
Celebrity Journey. Celebrity Journey begins its
journeys in May of 2007 with seven-night Bermuda
cruises from May through October 2007, then will
present a series of 12- to 18-night cruises in
remote areas of Antarctica, Brazil, the Chilean
Fjords and other faraway regions of South
America, from October 2007 through April 2008.
Celebrity Quest begins its quests on April 12,
2008 with a series of itineraries in Europe.
If it's luxury without pomposity at a reasonable
price you're after, Celebrity may well be your
cruise line.
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Celebrity Cruises Experience:
While
the line's adherence to a traditional dress code
(two formal and two informal nights on a
seven-night cruise), music library, dedicated
chess area, floral conservatory, and subdued
décor might suggest otherwise, these are
actually quite upbeat ships, with eagerly
frequented casinos, floor shows, cabaret
lounges, and piano bars. Honestly, with so many
Greek staff members, especially officers, how
could the line be pompous? This, after all, is a
cruise line, that offers delivery of pizza right
to your cabin.
These ships'
technologically advanced interactive television
systems enable you to order wine for dinner,
book shore excursion, or play games of chance
without even leaving your cabin. Cabins are
spacious, and include such goodies as hair
dryers, in-cabin massages, and in-cabin dining
from the restaurant menus, including full
breakfast service. Suite amenities are
conspicuously superior to most mid-market
lines', with butlers serving meals in-suite and
assisting with unpacking and packing.
Celebrity's new Concierge Class offers premium
oceanview staterooms with plusher furnishings
and service-related perks like priority
check-in. Originally available only on
Millennium-class ships, the program has proved
so popular that it is now available fleetwide,
and continues to be expanded.
Celebrity's entertainment isn't up to
the level of Royal Caribbean's or Carnival's.
But the most glorious spas afloat take some of
the sting out of that.
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Fellow Passengers
On
one-week Caribbean and Alaska cruises most
passengers will be well into their 40's and
50's. During vacation and holiday periods, of
course, a lot more families are evident. On
longer cruises, including Europe and South
America itineraries, retired seniors
predominate. While children do cruise during
vacations, some Alaska cruises and aboard
Century's Caribbean cruises, these ships are
unapologetically primarily for adults.
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Taking Kids:
While Celebrity is
frankly adult-oriented, their Club X program
offers excellent activities for children
year-round. Youth activities are arranged by age
groups, which vary between high and low seasons:
Shipmates, 3-6, Celebrity Cadets, 7-9, Ensigns,
10-12 and Admiral T's, 13-15 and 16-17. 18 year
olds are welcome to use the teen facilities. The
youth program maintains the same hours whether
in port or at sea: 9 a.m. to noon; 2 to 5:30
p.m.; and 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. Group babysitting
is available in the youth room for children ages
three to 12, from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., at a fee of
$6 per hour per child. Private babysitting is
available in your stateroom for $8 per hour per
child, with a maximum of two. When Mother and
Pop are scheduled to dine formally, "Parents'
Nights Out," are declared, and youth counselors
take children to a pizza party, at no extra
charge.
Caribbean and New York/Bermuda
seem to be family favourites, with more and more
families heading for Alaska too. Century,
Galaxy, and Mercury have separate teen discos
and more extensive facilities than the line's
newer Millennium, Infinity, Summit and
Constellation.
Theme Cruises and Special
Programs: Celebrity offers unique Acupuncture at
Sea and holistic healing "wellness at sea"
programs. Special cruises to focus on
photography and culinary gourmands are offered
semi-regularly. Some ships have special designed
and set entertainment by Cirque du Soleil.
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Shore Excursions:
The
Xpedition series offers unique, and sometimes
even extreme, experiences in Celebrity's ports
of call, such as the Galapagos Islands or the
ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru. Options in other
parts of the world include a visit to the
Kremlin in Moscow, exploration of Easter Island,
marlin fishing in Mexico, zodiac and helicopter
tours in British Columbia, bear-watching in
Alaska, and a private tour of the NASA space
center in Houston. "The Outer Limits of
Siberia", new to the lineup in 2006, is a
six-night adventure that travels from Anchorage
to the Kamchatka Peninsula, an area so remote it
has been called "Siberia's Siberia," and
includes hiking, rafting, off-roading, and
wildlife-spotting.
Described in detail
on the line's Web site, www.celebrity.com, these
excursions can be booked online up to ten days
before sailing. Obviously, some of these
adventures go beyond the usual four-hour bus
tour, but well-planned and efficiency optimized,
you find them to be on par with the luxury
cruise lines in terms of quality and price.
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Repeat Passenger Programs:
Celebrity's
"Captain's Club", a triple-tiered program
offering a range of benefits based on how many
of their cruises you've been on, sponsors four
Captain's Club reunion cruises each year. Other
loyalty rewards include complimentary
one-category upgrades on selected cruises; a
cruise video; priority embarkation and
debarkation; a newsletter; complimentary wine
tasting, and a cocktail party. For further
information call 1-800-760-0654 or
1-316-554-5961.
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