Category Archives: Celebrity Cruises

March 30, 2017 · 4:50 pm

Celebrity Edge

by John Lane

I was recently given the opportunity to spend an afternoon at Celebrity Cruises’ Innovation Lab featuring their new ship, Celebrity Edge. The 10,000 square foot venue behind Celebrity’s headquarters in Miami offers a look at the design elements and technology that will be featured on this new ship for 2018.

The Celebrity Edge is the first ship to be 100% designed in 3-D. With special shoes and our 3-D glasses on we stood in front of a large screen where the outdoor deck appeared.

We watched as people moved about the deck and they could evaluate the space to see if there was enough space for good traffic flow. We then saw how they could move structures to make more room, change the color or even the size of any object for it to be more pleasing …all of this in 3-D!

The biggest news of the ship is the infinite verandas. They are 23% larger than Celebrity’s current verandas sailing today. From their surveys Celebrity found their guests wanted:

larger bathrooms
larger beds
more storage space
larger living area
larger veranda

With the infinite veranda guests will experience all five. This new veranda brings the outside in. Glass French doors open to the veranda which gives you more living space or they can be closed off to create a traditional veranda. A wall of glass that opens with a press of a button brings the fresh air and sunlight into your stateroom. (click photos to enlarge)

The Magic Carpet which started out as a new design for a tender platform transformed into a moveable multi purpose area that will be a luxury embarkation station on Deck Two. When on Deck Five, it becomes an extension of one of the restaurants. On Deck 14 it becomes an extension of the pool area and on Deck 16 it will host “Dinner on the Edge”.

New suites include six two-story Edge Villas offering 950 squarefeet complete with outdoor living space and plunge pool along with two Iconic Suites perched atop the bridge offering 1880 square feet of luxury along with 685 square feet of outdoor living space with Jacuzzi. These two suites along with the Penthouse, Royal, Celebrity and Sky Suites will be part of the “Retreat” offering a private lounge area, pool and dining in Luminae, the private dining venue for Retreat guests.

These are just a few of the reveals offered at this time. More amazing reveals are to come and will definitely raise the bar on cruising. Beginning December 16, 2018 it will embark on 7 night alternating Eastern/Western Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale.

Open House Sale Coming Soon

by Don McCann

We are very excited about our upcoming Open House Sale on Saturday, February 1. Why be excited? Well, it is always a treat for us to bring together our clients with some of our favorite cruise line representatives. Nothing beats personal contact and most people really enjoy being able to meet and chat with some one from these lines. They can tell you what is new, what itineraries have changed, or have been added, AND what specials we have to offer! We’ve worked with these people for a very long time and we are fortunate to have them in our office to meet with our clients (both long-time and new clients).

If you are in the Dallas Ft.Worth area, we hope you will join us, along with Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Viking Cruises on Saturday, February 1, 2014 from 11am to 2pm in our office at 14464 Midway Road, Dallas 75244.

< more details, click here >

Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Viking River

Sweet Ratings

by Don McCann

My wife recently received a gift card for Godiva, so we set out for a trip to the mall to make our selections. Talk about a kid in a candy store, how fun is it to gaze over all of those chocolate pieces of heaven and get to select some for ‘free’?! Anyway, after some careful consideration, we made our selections (she allowed me to share in the decision making process). As we exited the store, it occurred to me that any chocolate is a treat, but somehow they seem ‘rated’ and this reminded me of my own profession in the cruise business.

We’re frequently asked to ‘rate’ the different cruise lines and it occurs to me that one parent company embodies a similar rating scenario as some chocolates! Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited is the parent to three familiar cruise lines. First, you have the Hershey’s of the cruise industry – Royal Caribbean International; very popular, available to literally everyone, and always a treat. Then there is the sister line, Celebrity Cruises, or I’d say the Dove of this group; widely available, well known, but just a bit more special and a ‘step up’. Lastly, the boutique segment – Azamara Club Cruises or the Godiva of this family; definitely a special treat, a little more expensive, but well worth it, and something to savor!

OK, so maybe it’s a bit odd to make such analogies, but such enjoyable delights being compared make perfect sense to me; what do YOU think?!

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Filed under Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Our Cruise Stories, Royal Caribbean

November 16, 2011 · 10:01 pm

Review: Celebrity Silhouette

the following is from John Lane of Cruise Escapes, who was recently onboard Celebrity Silhouette…

The Celebrity Silhouette is the fourth in the series of Solstice Class ships and the newest member of the Celebrity fleet. She offers the best amenities of the Solstice Class ships along with several new features.

Lawn Club Alcove

A new feature on the Lawn Club is The Alcoves. Eight cabana style private retreats flank the green grass of the Lawn Club with sweeping views of the lawn, or the ocean. These retreats offer comfortable seating for up to four people with an A la carte food and beverage menu. The Alcoves are available for rental and Wifi is even included!

The Porch offers breakfast and lunch for a $5.00 per person surcharge. Menu items are paninis, soups and salads. This outdoor eatery on the Lawn Club seats 48 guests in an open and airy location.

The Lawn Club Grille is open for dinner only in a casual al fresco setting with a $40.00 per person sur charge. Each table can assign a “Grill Master” to grill their entrees or have one of the Chefs take over the grilling duties. Steaks, kabobs, chicken, seafood items and pizza are on the menu. Beverages feature wine, buckets of beer and pitchers of sangria. Seating is available for 56 guests.

The Art Studio also located at the Lawn Club allowsfor hands on experience and instruction from art and craft experts in drawing, painting, beading and other crafts.

Michael’s Club has always been a favorite on the Solstice class ships. However, on the Silhouette, Michael’s Club has a new décor and a wraparound bar has been added with TV screens offer the latest in sporting events. Over 50 international beer selections are available along with homemade snacks.

Other favorites onboard the Silhouette include the Library located on Deck ten with its stunning two story high wall of books. Large white leather chairs offer comfort for those wanting to spend some time reading.

The Cuvee Dining Room is much more vibrant with a splash of red accenting the chairs and the carpeting. The focal point of the dining room is the two story wine cellar. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served ordering from the daily menu.

If you are looking for something more casual Bistro on Five is a favorite offering crepes, salads and soups for lunch and dinner and breakfast crepes for early morning risers. There is a $5.00 surcharge.

So many other favorites are also located on Deck 5: Café al Bacio and Gelateria offering specialty coffees, teas, pastries and gelato is a great meeting spot for early morning or late afternoon gatherings.

Blu Dining Room

Qsine and the Tuscan Grille located at the aft end of Deck 5 are open for dinner by reservation only. Blu is a beautiful restaurant decorated in white with blue accents for the Aqua Spa guests. The Ensemble Lounge is a great meeting place for pre dinner drinks and music right outside of Murano the specialty gourmet restaurant.

Other dining options are the Seaview Café with indoor/outdoor dining buffet style. If you are looking for a hamburger or hot dog try the Mast grill overlooking the pool or for lighter fare try the Aqua Spa Café.

The Martini Bar and Cellar Masters are other hot spots onboard for drinks before or after dinner or the nightly entertainment in the Silhouette Theater.

For those that want to be pampered the Aqua Spa offers the latest in massages and other treatments along with all the

Aqua Spa’s Persian Garden

fitness equipment available for daily workout sessions. The Persian Garden with its heated stone beds is a great place to relax and let your worries float out to sea.

There is the standard assortment of staterooms available onboard with inside, outside, veranda, concierge, aqua spa and suites. 85% of the staterooms have verandas.

There is so much more on the Silhouette that I have not mentioned so you will just have to cruise on her to find out the rest. Give us call to cruise on the Silhouette or any other ship and we will be glad to help!

To view our slide show of the Celebrity Silhouette, click here>>