Feeling Terra-Firma Under Your Feet

Passengers on board cruise ships who like to feel terra-firma under their feet, long to glimpse green grass or simply love the smell of a freshly mown lawn can have the best of both worlds on Celebrity Solstice cruise ship.

Celebrity Cruises are renowned for innovative design features to keep their guests content whilst on board and have managed to incorporate real grass, we're not talking synthetic astro-turf, on board Celebrity Solstice. The Lawn Club covers approximately half an acre and is sited under huge canvas shades.

The original concept was to use synthetic grass, however after different real grasses where tested for strength, durability, wind and sea exposure and a series of growing mediums, filters and irrigation systems they managed to have a 'live' lawn growing on deck!

The Lawn Club is much like a country club on a reduced scale, the lawn is mowed every two or three days and kept to a height of approximately 10-15 millimetres. The gentle pass times of croquet and putting are actively encouraged, however, high heels, deck furniture and towels are strictly forbidden in order to preserve and managed the lawn appropriately, as neither Celebrity Solstice crew or cruise passengers would hardly likely to see it looking like a ploughed field!

Tempt Your Taste Buds And Dine In Style On Celebrity Eclipse

First class restaurants in the cosmopolitan capitals of the world are the usual places to find the world's finest dining, however for food lovers the place to be is on board Celebrity Cruises Solstice Class Fleet ship Celebrity Eclipse.

Their new restaurant 'Qsine' is the inspiration of Chef Jacques Van Staden, Celebrity’s Vice President. 'Qsine' will serve passengers with an unexpected yet modern approach to familiar gastronomic delights from around the world.

Van Staden said 'Our guests love new and different dining experiences, and we’ve designed Qsine to deliver that in a big way, Qsine is designed to offer a globally-influenced blend of nostalgic and contemporary favorites, artfully presented with elements of surprise.'

He also believes that Qsine will confirm that Celebrity’s premier position in offering world class dining experiences as already seen in their Solstice ships speciality restaurants.

Even the menu design has been designed to show that Qsine is a different place to be, with wording and phrases to engage passengers in a new dinging experience. Most of the cuisine has fun and unusual names to entice and enthral guests.
So if you want to get your taste buds tingling and try 'Sushi Lollipops', 'Meatball Trilogy' or 'Popcorn Fish and Chips', Celebrity Eclipse's new dining experience 'Qsine' is where you're have to be!

Celebrity Eclipse was designed with a distinctive style and design which embraces the current and emerging trends within Celebrity Cruises Solstice Class travel for the most discerning of passengers who love the finer things in life, including exquisite cruise and dining experiences.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Provides Humanitarian Help To Haiti

Royal Caribbean Cruises has been one of Haiti's largest foreign investors for nearly thirty years, as such they have announced plans to provide much needed humanitarian help to the people of Haiti in response to the devastating earthquake.

Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, Richard D. Fain has said 'The effect of the earthquake on Haiti has been catastrophic, leaving the country in need of not only immediate support, but assistance in their long-term recovery, Royal Caribbean wants to do its part to help out not only the general response, but also our hundreds of Haitian employees and their families through this disaster.'

Partnering charitable organisations which include Food for the Poor, Pan American Development Foundation, as well as the company's foundation, Solano Foundation, Royal Caribbean will delivering supplies to Haiti via their cruise ships.

Fain added 'In addition to our financial contribution, Royal Caribbean will continue to provide economic support through the continuous business we bring to Labadee.'
The aid began with Royal Caribbean International's Independence of the Seas arriving at Labadee with supplies which included powered milk, dried beans, water and rice which were loaded onto the ship during its stop at San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Over the next two weeks Royal Caribbean's ships which were scheduled to call at Labadee will also take extra supplies beginning with Navigator of the Seas on 18th January and Liberty of the Seas the following day, 19th January, and Celebrity Soltice on 22nd January.

Passengers on board Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises will be able to make donations Food for the Poor's Haiti Relief Fund, via a charge to their on board account. Royal Caribbean has more than 200 Haitian crew members, as such a portion of the $1 million donation will placed in the company's Crew Relief Fund which will enable the crew members to draw from in these desperate times.

Source information: Royal Caribbean Cruises

'Designed for You' - Celebrity Cruises Celebrate Their 20th Anniversary

2010 is the 20th anniversary for Celebrity Cruises, as such they have announced the launch of a brand new platform 'Designed for You'. This new platform has cost in the region of $200 million investment and includes the enhancement of the Millennium Class ships along with the new Celebrity Life on board experience.

Celebrity Cruise's President and CEO Dan Hanrahan has said that the new concept revolves around the existing ethos that everything Celebrity does is designed with guests foremost in their minds.

Hanrahan said 'Everything we’ve offered over the course of 20 years, and everything we’ll offer in the future, is designed for discerning cruisers, from our contemporary, new Celebrity Life on-board experiences, to the world-class cuisine of Chef Jacques Van Staden, to our enhanced Captain’s Club loyalty program. So, we’ve summed up our long-time commitment to understanding them and delivering what they want with a new brand platform: ‘Designed for You.’'

After six months of exploring the needs of cruisers, which includes a market survey of 10,000 international cruise passengers, focus group sessions along with a host of in-home interviews, Celebrity Cruises believe they have revitalised the cruise industry with further plans to 'Solsticize' their four Millennium Class ships. Celebrity Constellation will be the first of the ships to receive the new enhancements and rejuvenation during its scheduled dry-dock in April.

Celebrity sail to over 170 worldwide destinations and boasts an impressive 5 out of 10 of Condé Nast’s ‘Best Cruise Ships in the World’. Their ethos of designing cruises which offer top class facilities for the most discerning of cruise passengers goes hand in hand with their reputation of offering the best of everything, including the award-winning Elemis AquaSpa, extensive dining to tantalise the taste buds and a whole host of on-board luxury facilities to meet the needs of seasoned and novice cruisers. The age of refinement and elegance is apparent whichever of the Celebrity ships you select to sail on, which will be further enhanced with their latest 'Designed for You' concept.

A Review Of Maiden Voyages In 2009

Despite the recession and the downturn in the economic climate 2009 saw the launch of a number of new cruise ships, each bringing unique levels of luxury for passengers.

Costa Cruises:
The maiden voyage of 1,130 cabin Luminosa set sail on 5th May during the summer touring Northern Europe, along with touring the Canary Islands, Spain and Morocco in the autumn. The Luminosa has the latest high-tech 4D cinema which uses scent as well as sound and vision to treat passenger's senses with new and exciting experiences!

Celebrity Cruises:
Celebrity Equinox had its maiden voyage through the Mediterranean and then headed off to the Caribbean. The Equinox holds 2,850 passengers and is part of Celebrity's new Solstice Class. Along with a whole host of on-board activities the Equinox has a lawn Club deck which has genuine grass, should passenger's have the need to step on terra-ferma! Glass blowing demonstrations is another of Equinox's new entertainment highlights.

Royal Caribbean Cruises:
The world's largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, set sail from Fort Lauderdale to Haiti on its maiden voyage in December. The ship has the capacity to carry 6,360 passengers on its sixteen decks. Oasis of the Seas has a wide and varied entertainment and activities itinerary, including rock-climbing, zip-lining and surfing for passengers who like the adventure of new challenges. The ship also has an Aqua-theatre which is used as a swimming pool during the day before transforming into a aqua-theatre at night to host synchronized swimming, water baller and spectacular fountain shows by night.

P&O Cruises:
P&O Cruises launched their latest ship the Pacific Jewel with an extravaganza ceremony in Sydney which showcased their on board circus, 3 storey atrium foyer and a 1,330 square meter spa. The Pacific Jewel's maiden voyage set sail on 13th December and will be operating cruises from Sydney all year round.