Celebrity Cruises – We Own the Future!

Last week marked the day that Marty McFly came “Back to the Future” which begged the question – How far have we come since our inception in 1989? At Celebrity Cruises talk of the future is commonplace, especially for a brand that has continuously turned out industry leading innovations. So, when we at Celebrity ask ourselves, have we fulfilled our promise to deliver vacation experiences rooted in classical elegance with a modern and contemporary twist, we can unequivocally answer, yes!

The introduction of our Solstice Class fleet was a game-changer not only for our brand, but for the entire cruise industry. Each year beginning in 2008 saw the unveiling of a new ship, culminating in 2012 with Celebrity Reflection – changing the cruising world forever.

Imagine kicking off your shoes, and feeling the soft touch of real grass beneath your feet – on a ship, in the middle of the ocean; or having the ability to pair any number of Celebrity’s 400 varietals of wine with your evening meal.

These 5 new ships offer the largest selection of wine at sea in the world, most of which are stored in an unbelievably magnificent Grand Epernay glass wine tower in each of the main dining rooms. The sheer elegance of the ships’ designs, the impeccable service of the staff, spacious staterooms, interactive state of the art technology, and the simply sexy style that Solstice Class brought to the cruising world set the bar higher than ever before.

Celebrity Cruises has only gotten BIGGER and BETTER over our 25 years of service. And here is the BEST part; we aren’t anywhere close to being done yet.

Celebrity Cruises is once again headed back to the future with a forward thinking on how to enhance our already unmatched cruise experience.  We are taking 2 of our incredible “Solsticized” Millennium Class ships and giving them a bigger, better, and bolder refresh to remind our guests, we will never stop improving. The Celebrity Infinity and Summit will both emerge from their drydocks with extraordinary enhancements that will resonate with our guests the same way the Solstice Class changed cruising forever.

So, what is changing?

Infinity entered drydock earlier this month and will emerge on October 29^th with new interior and exterior improvements in the portrait studio, the solarium, casino, and suites. The aft end of the ship will now be transformed into a “Rooftop Terrace.” Modular modern furniture made of chic whicker, private cabanas, and a metal “garden-inspired” design will lend an air of sophistication to this previously unused space, and encourage guests to relax and recharge on the rooftop during the sunny days at sea.

At sunset, the rooftop terrace will transform into a movie theater-style lounge with radiant decorative lighting. There will even be an outdoor menu offering specially curated culinary treats available for purchase and presented in distinctive serving vessels, based upon by the entertainment content, the destination, or the occasion of that evening.

Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President & CEO of Celebrity Cruises, had some wonderful words about this new addition to the Infinity and Summit. The Rooftop Terrace is a brand-new way to enjoy the great outdoors on a modern luxury vacation …. The popularity of our Lawn Club venues has shown us that some of the richest moments our guests enjoy are when relaxing in beautiful outdoor spaces. In creating the Rooftop Terrace, we wanted to create a hot spot where guests can kick back under the stars in the middle of the ocean, with amazing entertainment and food.”

Speaking of food, Celebrity Cruises offers some of the most creative culinary experiences at sea. We have over 10 specialty restaurants in our fleet, and both the Infinity and Summit will be adding the Mediterranean styled streak house, Tuscan Grille, to their list of specialty restaurant venues. Tuscan Grille transports you to the wine vaults of Italy as you walk, quite literally, inside a wine barrel on your way to the dining room.

The new Tuscan Grille will be offering fresh pasta made in-house, an Italian cocktail menu, a wine selection concentrated on the wine-growing regions of Italy, and original foods like artisanal salumi and cheeses, crispy crab arancini with lemon pepper aioli, and a grilled branzino with spinach and olive oil. And we can’t forget about the oven-roasted USDA Prime dry-aged steak.

You may ask yourself, what else could we possibly do to these 2 ships? The drydock work on both the Infinity and Summit will broaden Celebrity’s commitment to its Suite Class, with noteworthy renovations to the ships’ Penthouse and Royal Suites. Celebrity is investing $16 million in its Suite Class experience as every Penthouse and Royal Suite will receive new radiant fixtures, marble surfaces, and comfortable seats in the bathrooms. The remainder of the suites will get revitalizing touches like new carpeting, drapes, and bed linens. Even the Persian Garden will have a few new refined touches inside the spa.

Lastly, there will be an addition of an enclosed portrait studio similar to that found on Celebrity Eclipse and Celebrity Equinox. There will even be a new future cruise sales office, where guests can take advantage of special offers and book their next cruise onboard their current one. Finally there will be a refresh of the Solarium, with new furniture, new floors, and refinished pool tops.

Mark your calendars! Infinity emerges from drydock on October 29^th, and Summit will reappear from her drydock in March of 2016.

Celebrity Cruises will continue to lead the cruise industry and elevate the vacation experience of our guests. As we look toward the future of cruising, you may ask yourself – “What could conceivably come next?” Something cutting edge? Something exceptionally unordinary? You will just have to wait, patiently, and see. The BEST is yet to come! Marty McFly may have just come back to the future, but Celebrity Cruises never left.