Today, we will continue our review of Premium Cruise Lines by exploring Celebrity Cruise Lines. Voted the Best Premium Cruise Line by Travel Weekly’s Readers’ Choice Award for 13 consecutive years, Celebrity Cruises has many things that set them out as different than other Cruise Lines. I’ll be detailing those differences in a little bit.
When you book a Celebrity Cruise, you will be surprised by what is “Always Included” in their standard fare. Unlike many Mainstream and Premium cruise lines, they include their Alcohol Package, Gratuities and Wi-Fi. Most cruise lines charge extra for all these things. They also include destination enrichment, which includes the most port overnights of any premium Cruise Line with European Itineraries. With a Passenger to Crew ratio of 2 to 1, you will receive superior service on the ship, sometimes wondering how the crew ‘read your mind’ and anticipated what you want before you even ask. In addition, they have over 200 Sommeliers across the fleet that will assist you with pairing wines with your dinner selection.
From the moment you step on board, you will see some of the differences that set Celebrity apart. Their Décor is a Contemporary Modern design. The modern touch is visible in the architecture, the furniture and the artwork. It even flows into the cabins with that same feel, especially the cabins with the Infinity Balconies that allow you to just open your entire cabin to the outside, including the sea breezes.
Another difference is the Magic Carpet that is on w of their ships, the Edge and the Apex. As Celebrity was designing these ships, they were trying to think outside the box to solve a problem that most Cruise Ships have experienced. When Cruise Ships don’t have a dock, they have to use Tenders to move the passengers to shore. These Tenders can hold up to 200 passengers. All those passengers line up inside the ship, then have to carefully step from a hatch in the side of the ship onto the tender. With the waves rocking the ship and the Tender, this can be a slow, tedious process. Enter the idea of the Magic Carpet. Once they are ready to Tender, the Magic Carpet is lowered to Sea Level. This allows 100+ passengers to easily step out of the ship onto the platform. Then multiple tenders can load/unload at the same time, thus making the process of getting to shore much easier and quicker.
When the Magic Carpet is not in use for Tendering, it now can serve multiple purposes. Because it can be raised to multiple levels, it can change uses during the day. Sometimes it is a Bar that provides excellent views of the ocean. Other times, it is a restaurant with seating under the stars. Other times, it will provide a space for live music performances. Don’t miss this attraction on the Edge and Apex, and soon to be on the Beyond and the Ascent.
One of the Itineraries that are unique to Celebrity is their cruises to Galapagos Island. They have created 3 specialty vessels that go to this pristine island and allow you to explore this rare place of nature. For seven glorious days, you'll follow in the footsteps of Darwin, viewing this realm through the eyes of certified naturalists, making discoveries on shore excursions—two per day included—in small groups of travelers who share your interests. Each evening, you'll come home to one of three vessels as extraordinary as the islands—the luxurious, 100-guest, all-suites Celebrity Flora; the popular 48-guest Celebrity Xpedition; or the intimate 16-guest Celebrity Xploration.
The newest Edge Class Ships have been designated by Time Magazine as “World’s Greatest Places” , typically designed for destinations or resorts. Celebrity as the only ships with this reward. So now you can See the world’s greatest places onboard one of the World’s Greatest Places.