Montrealer's Peter Kerr
interviews Dino Bassanese, Online Manager aboard the
"Celebrity Solstice"
 Click to watch the video
|
Celebrity Solstice – the flagship
sets a new standard of elegance
“StarringYou!”
is more than a slogan for Celebrity Cruises; it’s an entire
philosophy of guest-centred service
Celebrity Solstice is
the first of a new family of ships for the company that is part of the
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. Celebrity Cruises has a solid reputation
for elegant ships and service that is above industry standards; and the
Solstice ships will strengthen and enhance the company’s
leadership position for providing affordable luxury. The Solstice is a
lovely ship, designed to maximize the number of ever-popular balcony
staterooms and provide public areas that have a European sophistication
and urbane elegance.
| We were impressed with
the
large number of repeat Celebrity customers onboard the Solstice. A
family from Windsor, Ontario were enjoying their 27th Celebrity cruise
– sailing exclusively with Celebrity every November and March
Break. On
their first cruise, a waiter walked the floor with the
couple’s then 3
month-old daughter so that the young couple could enjoy their main
course in relative peace. |
Fine
French cuisine and old-world elegance
combine for a memorable dinner in Murano |
That kind of caring
service is what has
brought them back twice yearly for the past 13 years.
Montrealers
Brian and Eileen Perron have sailed on 60 cruises; and in their
opinion, Celebrity Solstice is ranked at the top of their extensive
list of ships and cruise lines. “In addition to the superior
décor of
the ship, we find the level of service to be ‘just that much
better’
than the other lines we’ve sailed with,” noted
Eileen. It is a fair
statement to note that the staff and officers are all very proud of the
fleet’s new flagship, and are anxious to show her off to
their guests.
The décor
of The Solstice is similar to the contemporary
elegance of a luxurious European hotel. The central atrium, soaring
from deck three all the way to a huge skylight on deck fourteen is the
ship’s focal point. Glass walled elevators afford a
spectacular view of
the atrium, dominated by a huge decorative Ficus tree that seems to
float in space in its Japanese ornamental planter. The well-stocked
library, popular card room and Internet Café all open out
dramatically
into the atrium’s open space.
While Solstice is the
largest
ship in the Celebrity fleet, the architects have been careful to create
a number of smaller spaces to provide a feeling of comfortable
intimacy. The result is the availability of a wide variety of lounges,
cafes and bars. |
Evening
festivities begin in the
Grand Epernay dining room |
The décor
of Cellar Masters wine bar (where guests can
sample premium wines) features dark mahogany panelling, comfortable
wing chairs and intimate seating nooks. The Ensemble Lounge has a
similar traditional flair of private club old-world opulence. By
contrast, The Martini Bar has an urban chic décor and is
action central
with a vast menu of Martinis; mixed and served by bartenders who must
have graduated from juggling school!
| The Boulevard is home
to
onboard shopping and is conveniently located adjacent to Fortunes
Casino, with its traditional Monte Carlo furnishings. After
you’ve won,
you can step across and purchase everything from a souvenir golf shirt,
to duty free liquor, one-of-a-kind jewellery and objects created by
on-board artisans, original diamond designs for Celebrity guests at
Boutique C; and everything else from suntan lotion to women’s
and men’s
fashions. |
Montrealers
Brian and Eileen Perron give
Celebrity Solstice top marks; “Just that much better”
than the other 60 cruises they’ve sailed |
Celebrity is famous
for the high quality and variety
of the entertainment offered, and Solstice has been designed to make
the performers accessible, in part by bringing the performers to the
guests. For example, the Entertainment Court is located just outside
the Solstice Theatre, and guests are encouraged to linger and
appreciate the performers at close range. One night it’s the
Oceans
Four, an A Capella vocal group; another evening a string quartet or a
magician. Adjacent is Celebrity Central, an intimate theatre - ideal
for late-night comedy, enrichment classes and lectures, films and other
special events.
| The Solstice Theatre
is home to the big
production shows, and they are varied and fantastic. You’ll
enjoy Ghost
Light a Broadway-style show with the all the favourite songs, costumes
and dance choreography, but with a fresh interpretation. However, the
performance that really had the audience jumping out of their seats is
the Cirque du Soleil inspired Solstice Show. |
Half
an acre of natural grass! |
This extravaganza
pulls
out all the stops in every aspect of theatrics; fantastic costumes,
stirring music, and magnificent “flying”
performances of aerial ballet
and acrobatics.
The multimillion dollar theatre is equipped
with aerial apparatus so the performers literally are flying around the
theatre directly over the audience, turning summersaults and other
gymnastic feats. A dance couple using brightly coloured silks flies out
over the audience, relying solely on his strength for their support.
The grand finale has half the cast up in the air, including four
dancers-turned-gymnasts working simultaneously on a giant trapeze. At
the show’s conclusion the audience quite literally jumped to
their feet
to give an extended ovation for the remarkable performance.
One
of the most important parts of a ship is your stateroom –
your onboard
home.
| Solstice
accommodations are decorated in a soothing mixture of
earth tones, with crisp white bed linens. They’re 15% larger
than other
ships, with larger bathrooms, an abundance of storage space and
spacious balconies – ideal for watching the sunrise, sunset,
or a quiet
moment listening to sound of the ship gliding through the
ocean. |
“The
Leading Ladies” played a major
design role for the comfortable staterooms |
Room
stewards make up your stateroom twice a day, ensuring that
it’s always
fresh.
Celebrity designers enlisted the advice of 5 women with
extensive travel and cruising experience to assist in the layout of the
staterooms. Advice from the “Leading Ladies”
resulted in curved walls
to allow more space between the foot of the bed and the wall; and
rounded bed corners to make it easier to move around. Toronto-based
world traveler Shelly Black suggested natural colours instead of
traditional cruise-ship floral patterns. Just in case you’re
thinking
it’s all about the ladies – each stateroom has a
32” flat panel TV
Screen – ideal for those important sporting events! The
result is an
environment, reminiscent of a luxury boutique hotel.
As nice
as they are – you’re not on board Celebrity
Solstice to stay in your
room. Each day brings a varied list of activities that will take you
throughout the ship. Something completely different is the Corning
Glass Museum, which includes a fully functional glass blowing workshop
located on the top deck. Demonstrations are several times a day,
including during the evenings. Large screen TV screens afford a
detailed view of the procedures, including a camera located inside the
2,500 degree oven!
| Another cruise ship
first is located
adjacent to the glass-blowing atelier – The Lawn Club. Guests
have a
hard time believing that they’re walking on a half-acre of
real grass.
It’s a combination of engineering and horticultural design
magic that
enables the maintenance of the first real grass putting green at sea.
|
Sheltered
pool area is the hub of daytime activities |
There’s
enough room for croquet, bocce ball and other lawn games. On
our first day at sea, some guests were simply enjoying walking on the
grass with bare feet – with somewhat silly smiles.
Moving
down a deck, you’ll find a vast pool area amidships and
sheltered from
the wind. Lounge chairs are available on two decks, in large groups,
small seating clusters, and in quiet areas away from the two outdoor
pools. Solstice also has a large Solarium and indoor pool, ideal for
folks who are careful about the sun.
The Sky Observation
Lounge is located forward, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows that
actually continue to form part of the ceiling as well. White furniture
enhances the sensation of space. This is a favourite “quiet
spot” for
some guests during the day, although by night it’s a popular
gathering
spot to enjoy the entertainment and dancing with a vast ocean panorama
opening up before you; as the four 25,000 horsepower Solstice engines
propel the giant ship through The Caribbean Sea. It’s another
world…
We
quickly discovered another reason why so many Celebrity passengers keep
coming back – the food. It is sooooo good! The Grand Epernay
Dining
Room is a fine example of combining a contemporary design while
maintaining elegance. Epernay is the capital city of the province of
Champagne in France, and champagne is the operative colour in the
room’s décor. The two storey dining room with
surrounding balcony is
where the evening festivities begin. The chefs offer a varied menu,
with several choices for a variety of preferences.
| Solstice
has alternative dining options, and we asked veteran cruisers Brian and
Eileen Peron for their opinion. “Our favourite is probably
the Tuscan
Grill” explains Brian. “They offer Italian or
steaks, and I’d say their
Filet Mignon is as good as I’ve ever had.” Eileen adds;
“The
floor-to-ceiling windows really create a dramatic view of the ocean and
the night sky. |
Guests can sample premium wines in the
cozy Cellar Master Wine Bar
|
The night we sailed
Brian and I saw the space shuttle
take off!” While even Celebrity can’t arrange for a
weekly space craft
launch, the views are still inspiring.
Brian continues; “Murano
is a French restaurant style, complete with French service at your
table. It’s an intimate restaurant with a classical European
décor.”
Eileen comments; “I tried mushroom bisque with cappuccino
froth – it
was delicious. And the phylo dough pear pie for dessert was - well, you
have to try it –it’s that good.”
Silk Harvest features Asian
cuisine. “We’re not too familiar with Asian food,
but our waiter was
very knowledgeable about the dishes and portions; and he gave us very
good advice.” Continuing, Brian states;
“It’s like having an explosion
of tastes.”
We tried lunch at the Bistro on Five, a
restaurant specializing in crepes. We noticed that several officers and
senior ship executives were also dining here, and that is a good sign.
If anybody knows what’s interesting onboard it’s
the ship’s officers.
We thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Across the way, you’ll find
the very
Italian Café Al Bacio coffee house; with pressed-tin
ceiling,
comfortable wing chairs and banquettes. What Italian café
doesn’t serve
gelato or ice cream? You won’t be disappointed –
the adjacent Gelateria
has a huge selection of Italian ice creams.
Celebrity offers
onboard enrichment classes, whether it be a lecture from an expert in a
particular field, an author, or a course in glass blowing or Photoshop
on your computer, you’ll find something to pique your
interest. Whether
it’s Bingo or an indulgent spa treatment, it’s
available on Solstice.
Solstice
sets a whole new standard for environmental standards for the cruise
industry. From recycling the water used to irrigate The Lawn Club, to
the energy efficient diesel engines that use considerably less fuel, to
the hull design and coating that reduce fuel consumption by a further 8
per cent. The folks at Celebrity understand that green business is also
good business, because it saves money and increases profitability. The
onboard Environmental Officer occupies a senior position as a
ship’s
officer, and he is continually developing and improving on
“best
practices”. For example, the water that Celebrity Solstice
puts back
into the ocean is cleaner than the sea water taken into the
ship’s
desalination plants to produce fresh water.
We now understand
why the travel professionals we deal with are so enthusiastic about the
Solstice, which has established a new ship class for Celebrity. Simply
put: “It’s just that much better.” Bon
Voyage!
| Travel Planner |
| Celebrity
Solstice will be moving to The Mediterranean for the spring and summer
season, returning to the Caribbean for the fall and winter season of
2009/2010. Solstice will have a sister ship - The Equinox - the next of
the five Solstice-class ships will be launched this summer. For
information about itineraries, contact your travel agent (the folks at
CruiseShipCenters sell more Celebrity cruises than anyone in Canada!);
or visit: www.celebritycruises.com |
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