Known for comfortable sophistication, five star dining experiences and attention to detail, Celebrity
Cruises takes it up a notch with a classy new ship featuring some exciting “firsts” in the cruise category.
As you well know, it’s Food and Libations that “float my boat” so I perked up to learn that there will be 10 exciting restaurants aboard ship. Celebrity has teamed up with top talent Adam Tihany, the interior design maven noted for such restaurant stunners as Per Se, Jean George, Le Cirque in NYC, plus Aureole, Bouchon and
Seablue in Las Vegas.
For his maiden voyage cruise ship gig Tihany designed the Solstice’s glamourous, two-level Grand Epernay dining room complete with a two story wine tower, the casually chic Oceanview Cafe and Grill, and the Sonoma-meets-Venerable Italy “Tuscan Grille” for steak aficionados. These, along with the ship’s seven other dining venues and 23 Bars should satisfy the palates of even the most jaded cruise guests.
Conde Nast Traveler readers rated Celebrity Cruises “The World’s Best Large Ships” in their February 2007 cruise poll. Still, not content to rest on their seaworthy laurels, the smart gang at Celebrity headquarters engaged the services of the Panel of Five, ( all women.) A frequent cruiser, a travel agent, a travel writer, a hotelier, and a cruiser wannabe spent four months addressing the Solstice’s cabin design. Their combined “wish lists” resulted in staterooms in the deluxe ocean view verandas a full 15% larger, with nifty technological updates, sophisticated furnishings in soft colors, and more efficient space utilization.
The Solstice will launch December 2008, in a stylish collaboration with the Corning Museum of Glass to bring the mesmerizing art of glassblowing to sea.
Check out the website to view some of the Grand Epernay Hollywood Glam Pics!
Website
Unfortunately, I think this “too large ship” has missed the boat on some of the more intimate details.
Our friends at Cruise Critic did a good job of nailing down what you won’t find:
* Family staterooms: They still don’t have bathtubs (or even half baths) which makes it tricky for little ones who hate showering.
* Stateroom size: At 170 sq ft, they’re not as big as we expected for a ship this size.
* Cruising itineraries: Not much new here with the first cruises out the gate being 7-nighters with one stopping at St. Kitts, St. Maarten and San Juan and the other at San Juan, St. Maarten, Tortola and Labadee, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity’s private beach in Haiti.
You can see more here: http://www.gogirlfriend.com/reviews/celebrity-solstice-embraces-its-feminine-side-3280
I just don’t get the allure of cruising on a large ship with thousands of people you don’t know. It doesn’t float my boat!
the soltice will be our 3rd cruise with celebrity in april .love celebrity cruise will update when i return cant wait!! celebrity will float my boat again whole family is coming also