Celebrity Equinox to launch early

The construction of Celebrity Cruises sister ship to Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Equinox, is proceeding so well that there will be a ‘soft’ launch prior to the ships maiden voyage on 8 August.

The much anticipated Celebrity Equinox is set to depart from Southampton on 31 July on a roundtrip through the beautiful Norwegian Fjords. Celebrity Cruises are offering guests booked on Celebrity Equinox’s inaugural sailing the opportunity to combine their 10 night ‘Best of Europe’ cruise with the 8 night ‘soft’ launch, making for an incredible 18 night voyage.

The 8 night Norwegian Fjords cruise features ports of call at Stavenger, Flam, Geiranger and Oslo whilst the 10 night maiden voyage will visit Paris/Normandy (via Le Havre) and Cherbourg, France; Vigo, Cartagena and Barcelona, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal, and Gibraltar, UK, ending in Rome (via Civitavecchia), Italy.

Celebrity Solstice best sundeck in top ten list

Celebrity Cruises amazing new ship Celebrity Solstice has certainly made an impact since its debut, topping a list of the best cruise ship sundecks.

The list was compiled by review site Cruise Critic, who named Celebrity Solstice as having the best sundeck with a fantastic range of facilities including butler service around the pool and secluded areas where guests can enjoy a relaxing massage. Celebrity Cruises newest ship is home to a staggering array of amenities and even features a lawn club, complete with real live grass.

Other ships making the sundeck top ten include MSC Cruises Fantasia, which boasts a fully retractable roof that allows guests to enjoy the top deck even in less sunnier climates. Norwegian Gem also featured with sun loungers with chilled towels and Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Independence of the Seas with its own surf simulator.

Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor-in-chief of the website, said: "This list represents not only the best of what’s on offer on today's cruise ships, it also demonstrates how much the sun deck has progressed from a humble collection of deck chairs on the stern deck to a fully integrated leisure and relaxation environment."

Celebrity Cruises unveil Celebrity Solstice Godmother

Celebrity Cruises have announced who the Godmother of Celebrity Solstice will be and unusually she is not a star of stage and screen. In fact, she is star of the oceans. Professor Sharon L. Smith, the first ocean scientist ever to serve as Godmother of a cruise ship, will join Celebrity Cruises executives to name the company’s newest and most luxurious addition to the fleet, in formal ceremonies at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

"We are genuinely privileged to have such a remarkable woman serve as Godmother of this remarkable ship," said Richard D. Fain, Chairman of Celebrity Cruises and Chairman and CEO of parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "Sharon Smith is exceptional in ways well beyond her academic achievements."

A magna cum laude graduate of Colorado College, Smith earned a Ph.D. in Zoology from Duke University, holds two additional honorary doctorate degrees, and a master’s degree from the University of Auckland, where she also was a Fulbright fellow. Smith has traveled the world working as a biological oceanographer in research expeditions ranging from the Polar Regions to the Arabian Sea.

Smith’s career includes 15 years at the prestigious Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, New York, where she studied coastal ocean environments and the impact of nuclear energy projects. In 1993 she joined the faculty of the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science as a Professor of Marine Biology and Fisheries. Most recently she was named Dean of the Undergraduate Program in Marine Science, and also co-directs the university's Oceans and Human Health Center.

Not only does Smith have incredible professional achievements behind her but she has also overcome cancer twice, in 1993 and again in 1996.

"Women should not feel secure just because there is no family history of the disease," said Smith. "You have to be your own best advocate and insist on what's right for you, because you have to live with the possibility of the disease forever."

Celebrity Solstice is set to embark on its inaugural season on the 23 November, with a series of seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruises. Celebrity Cruises beautiful new ship will make a selection of 10 and 11 night romantic Mediterranean cruises from Rome in spring 2009.

Celebrity Sostile sets sail for first time

The world’s most eagerly anticipated ship, Celebrity Solstice, departed Meyer Werft shipyard yesterday in Papenburgh, Germany. Celebrity Solstice is the largest ship ever to be built by the shipyard and in a milestone event marked as ‘The Conveyance’, the 2,850 guest ship made its way down the River Eems, with tens of thousands of cheering residents watching its progress.

"This is a very momentous occasion for Celebrity Cruises," said the brand's President and CEO Dan Hanrahan. "Celebrity Solstice is the perfect manifestation of what the Celebrity brand is all about: extraordinary service, spectacular dining, and fabulous style and design. And as the first in a series of five Solstice-class ships, it’s a vivid example of the growth and momentum of the Celebrity brand, and our commitment to meet our guests' and travel agent partners’ demands for more vacation options with Celebrity."

"There also is the intangible attribute which is consistent across the Celebrity fleet, and that's the extraordinary, anticipatory service our phenomenal staff offer our guests every day," said Hanrahan.

Celebrity Solstice will feature a wealth of fabulous amenities, including:

• The first Lawn Club at sea, a lush, half-acre recreation area with real grass

• Hot Glass show, demonstrating live glassblowing sessions

• Larger staterooms, with design inspirations offered by a panel of five women, hand-picked for their unique travel and hospitality insights.

• 10 restaurants, ranging from the dramatic, two-level “Grand Epernay” main dining room with a sweeping wine tower, to four exquisite specialty restaurants, to several stylish, casual venues

• A new category of staterooms, AquaClass, designed to offer a spa vacation experience at sea

Celebrity Solstice will be berthed in Eemshaven, Netherlands, from 29 September to 24 October, with two separate sea trials set to occur in the period. The crew will also be arriving during this time and there will be trainng, provisioning and finishing work taking place. Set to depart from Eemshaven on 24 October on a transatlantic voyage, Celebrity Solstice will arrive in Fort Lauderdale early November.

There will be a number of promotional cruises for invited travel agents, press and other dignitaries. The formal naming ceremony will take place on the 14 November and the ship will begin its official maiden season 23 November, with a series of alternating 7 night Caribbean cruises.

Celebrity Solstice floats out

Celebrity Cruises newest addition to the fleet Celebrity Solstice has reached another landmark in its constructed process, successfully completing its float out at Germany’s Meyer Werft shipyard. Celebrity Solstice will now be docked at the pier where further work will be carried out.

Celebrity Solstice is due to begin its first sailings in the Caribbean in December 2008. Celebrity Solstice is the first of a new class of Celebrity Cruises ship, with a least a further four new ships in the pipeline. The second ship will be called Celebrity Equinox. Each of the ships will carry 2,850 guests and will feature Celebrity Cruises new style of accommodation, style and indulgent amenities.

Celebrity Solstice will also introduce a new contemporary class of balcony staterooms called AquaClass.

No Smoking on Celebrity Balconies

As of October 2008 guests on Celebrity Cruises ships will not be allowed to smoke in staterooms and on the balconies of staterooms. Celebrity Cruises are responding to the requests of their patrons, with 90% of their cruisers being non-smokers.

These stricter non-smoking policies will be implemented across the Celebrity Cruises fleet and will affect passengers travelling onboard Celebrity Infinity, Celebrity Galaxy, Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Summit, Celebrity Constellation, Celebrity Mercury, Celebrity Century, Celebrity Equinox and Celebrity Solstice.

These policies are being implemented following a poll that revealed cruisers prefer cleaner air and so there will also be a reduction in the number of public areas available for smokers from October onwards.

There are still designated areas onboard where guests will be able to smoke, these being the port side of one lounge per ship and an area inside the slot machine zone of ship casinos.

Smoking will also be permitted outside on the port side of the pool deck and sundecks on Celebrity Cruises ships; however Celebrity Solstice’s Lawn Club and Sunset Bar at the Lawn Club will not allow smoking.

"We pay careful attention to what our guests have to say, and approximately 90 per cent of them have told us they are non-smokers. By increasing the number of smoke-free areas onboard while still designating areas for those who smoke, our aim is to make the onboard experience as pleasant as possible for all of our guests," commented president of Celebrity Cruises Dan Hanrahan

Celebrity Cruises Top 10 dining aboard Celebrity Solstice

This December Celebrity Cruises launches their new ship Celebrity Solstice. Onboard this ship is expected to be 10 of the hottest new restaurants you are likely to ever find in one location. Celebrity Cruises have partnered with some of the world’s best designers in the hospitality business to create the new restaurants on board Celebrity Solstice. Among them was Adam Tihany who has created such famous restaurants as Montes, Mandarin Bar at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London, Per Se, Jean Georges, Le Cirque in New York and Aureole, Bouchon and Seablue in Las Vegas.

Celebrity Solstice features a dramatic two-level dining room to be named the Grand Epernay, a classic steakhouse Tuscan Grill and the casual yet stylish Oceanview Café and Grill on the lido deck. Celebrity’s Vice President of Food & Beverage Jacuqes Van Staden, Celebrity’s consultant Blau & Associates, together with Celebrity’s highly experienced Food and Beverage team are busy creating menus for each restaurant. Based on thorough studies of guest’s culinary preferences and the latest dining trends around the world the menus are sure to fantastic. The team will take their creations into test kitchens later this month to ensure each meets the standards of culinary excellence required for Celebrity’s guests.

The Grand Epernay is set to be an epitome of old Hollywood glamour meeting with stunning contemporary design, with a breathtaking two-storey glass wine tower. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, serving such mouth watering courses such as peppered bison fillet with red onion preserve and smoked fillet with lentil stew, sultana caper and beef jus.

The Tuscan Grill is traditional old world charm of Italy, entering through an archway it will give guests the impression of a fine Napa Valley wine cellar. There guest can enjoy Caesar salads prepared table side, antipasti bar, Kobe beef and a selection of steaks. Pair this with one of their full flavoured Italian wines and guests will feel they are truly enjoying a taste of the Riviera.
Silk Harvest is a contemporary, exotic Asian themed restaurant with a casual atmosphere. The menu will be a fusion of hot and cold, spicy and mild Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese and Indian selections. All served with Asian-influenced Martinis and beers, cocktails with ginger root and acai berries.

This is just a taste of some of the culinary delights that can be found on Celebrity Cruises new Celebrity Solstice ship, for more information about cruising on this amazing new ship contact Jetline Cruises.