I’ve just had a taste of a new cruise experience to be offered from the UK for the first time next summer – and it’s one not to be missed.
Celebrity Cruises – the premium sister brand of Royal Caribbean International – will be operating from Southampton in 2010 with the still to be built Celebrity Eclipse.
And as a preview of what to expect in less than 12 month’s time, the US line has been showing off $800 million sister ship Celebrity Equinox to 5,000 travel agents and prospective passengers over eight days.
Overall, the company will have a hard to beat double act next summer with Celebrity Eclipse joining one of Royal Caribbean’s monster ships Independence of the Seas offering a varied range of sailings from Southampton from April 2010.
The new Celebrity ship and Independence of the Seas are forecast to carry more than 100,000 passengers between them from the south coast port next summer alone.
Celebrity Eclipse is being touted as providing a fresh alternative to both Cunard Line and P&O Cruises from Southampton.
Aimed at experienced cruise passengers who want to try a new cruise experience, Celebrity aims to provide aggressive competition in 2010, not least to P&O Cruises’ new launch Azura next April.
The large scale new Solstice-class Celebrity ships are a cut above in terms of quality yet the cost of the cruises is astonishingly good value at present – at around £1,500 per person for a 13-night fly cruise in the Med on Equinox at the end of August.
That kind of rate for a five-star cruise experience compares extremely favourably with those of a lesser standard who will remain nameless.
As Celebrity’s president and CEO Dan Hanrahan said, it has never been a better time to go cruising as cruise lines seek to draw passengers with exceptionally low prices as they chart their way through the global economic downturn.
I’ve previously flagged up the spa holiday ambience offered by Equinox and can now say from personal experience that the facilities on board for the likes of anti-ageing facials through to a ‘boot camp’ exercise regime are going to be tough for other lines to match. The downside is that the cost of treatments can be steep, so you’ll need to go prepared with deep pockets.
But don’t opt for Celebrity if you are used to the traditions and heritage of the likes of the UK’s cruise line stalwarts, for Equinox is ultra-modern both in look and style.
There’s a lot of steel and light with leather seating and even large silver pods hung from the ceiling in the Quasar night club – great fun when the ship’s cutting through a swell a across the Bay of Biscay.
You will find crepes being freshly made in the Bistro and fabulous ice cream from the European-styled Café al Bacio and Gelateria.
The ship is trying for a stylish country club feel on a massive scale with a club area and wine tasting bar as well as the hugely impressive Lawn Club Bar adjacent to the ship’s grass lawn.
Three restaurants carry cover charges – European-style Murano at $30 a head, steakhouse Tuscan Grille at $25 and Asian eatery Silk Harvest, $20.
However, those on a set budget have ample choice of the Silhouette main restaurant, where the food is of a superbly high standard, the casual Oceanview Cafe or outdoors at the Mast Grill. That’s before considering the 12 bars, lounges and other places to sample anything from Boddingtons to vodka and caviar.
Alternatively, you could always try working your way through the 2,000 bottles of wine – top price $7,000 – which make up a two storey wine tower as the centrepiece of the impressive Silhouette dining room.
But don’t just take my word for it – Celebrity has created a high quality yet different take on cruising which I confidently predict will prove to be a huge success.
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