From Grass to Glass

Your sea day onboard Celebrity Solstice is off to a good start. You've just completed a round of lawn bowling at The Lawn Club and are looking for some other activity to keep you occupied. How about watching a glassblowing demonstration? I can safely assume that you've never seen a demonstration while at sea before, since Celebrity is the first cruise line to introduce this feature.

Celebrity Cruises, in collaboration with Corning Museum of Glass, is introducing a very unique enrichment experience on Celebrity Solstice. The captivating art of glassblowing moves to sea when the Museum’s “Hot Glass Show sm” debuts on Celebrity Solstice in December 2008.

The Hot Glass Show will provide live demonstrations and a narrated performance of glassblowing, designed to entertain while enriching cruisers about the art, history, and science of glass. Since 2001, the Musuem has traveled the Hot Glass Show to musuems, art fairs and public festivals around the world, extending the glassblowing experience beyone the walls of the Museum. Commenting on the alliance, the Museum said “This collaboration with Celebrity Cruises allows our Museum to dramatically expand our outreach across the world.”

A custom-designed, outdoor glassmaking studio is the setting for the Hot Glass Show which will present the history and craft of glassblowing, from its ancient origins to its current countless uses. Three resident “gaffers”—highly skilled glassblowing artists—will educate and entertain cruisers with live glassmaking shows, lectures and workshops.

Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International (parent company) have a history of raising the bar and bringing innovation to their modern cruise ships. Once again, they have enhanced the cruising experience for those fortunate enough to sail on the Solstice. I can't wait to see this new show when I sail on the Solstice this fall. It is always exciting sailing on a ship during it's inaugural year. I suggest adding an inaugural year sailing to your list of must-do cruise vacations.