At Sea with Doug Newman

Celebrity Cruises has unveiled further details of Celebrity Solstice, the 122,000 GT, 2,850 berth ship currently under construction at Myer Werft for a December 2008 debut.

The ship’s dedicated web site now includes renderings of a wide range of cabins and public areas; this is the first time many of the latter have been named. Celebrity favorites like Michael’s Club and the Maritini Bar return, along with new spaces like the Sky Observation Lounge, Quasar Night Club, Ensemble Lounge and Passport Bar.

The new renderings demonstrate a sleek, modern decor (except for a few selected spaces like Michael’s Club) which can be seen as the next evolution of the largely similar decor seen on the Century-class and Millennium-class ships. New and renovated spaces (e.g. Hemispheres, the Martini Bar and the cabins and suites) from the 2006 refit of Century bear a close resemblance to some of the Solstice renderings, implying that they are a preview of Celebrity’s future design direction.

Of the six major large-ship, North American market cruise brands, Celebrity, founded in 1989, is the newest and smallest, and after a very impressive 1990s, some have felt that it’s lost its way in recent years. However, parent Royal Caribbean’s order for four Solstice-class ships demonstrates a renewed commitment to the brand and the while my taste runs towards much smaller ships, the Solstice renderings are very impressive. I can’t wait to see more, as well as complete deck plans (the current ones show the layout of cabins and suites only, with virtually no public rooms, including the ones seen in the new renderings).

Click here to go to the Celebrity Solstice web site or here to go directly to the gallery with the renderings.