Celebrity Revelation Beyond Expectations

 

Introducing Celebrity Beyond

 
April 29, 2021 Celebrity Cruises revealed their newest ship in the Edge class - Celebrity Beyond. Their name for this ship is perfect as they have really gone beyond our expectations with this ship. Known for modern luxury and innovation, they've taken a winner with Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Apex and, if you can imagine, improved on that design. Just like one might do in their own home, after living in it for awhile, you know what you love and what you could improve.  They have done just that.

Celebrity added length and height to this new design, allowing for expansion of some of the popular venues onboard, such as the Rooftop Garden and Sunset Bar. Taking advantage of multiple decks there and in the Resort Deck, guests can relax and socialize in style while not missing a view of the ocean and their surroundings. 

Words alone can't express the amazing transformation, so watch these videos to learn more about the reveal.  Enjoy ...

Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President of Celebrity Cruises, talks with Royal Caribbean executives, designers, and architects that had the inspiration for Celebrity Beyond. The ship will have her debut in Europe next year. Whether you are new to cruising or a seasoned cruiser, you will fall in love with this marvelous creation from their design team.

  (Updated 10/21/21)
More space. More luxury. More connected. Celebrity Beyond℠. 
Welcome to a place where you can escape and experience all the things you’ve been missing for so long. Only now, those things are even better than you’ve imagined. This is a place where the everyday gives way to the extraordinary. A place with more space to lose yourself in and more luxury to love. Where the possibilities are as endless as the views. Where you can disconnect entirely while you reconnect with each other—and the world. 
This place is Celebrity Beyond.

 
View Celebrity Beyond YouTube Playlist

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Where is Chris - Long Church

Continuing our churches around the world theme, today on Holy Wednesday, we visit a modern church built with the "long church" style.   Can you guess where I am?

Children can help you search on the web to see if you can solve today's challenge.  They might also design their own church building.  #KeepTheKidsEngaged

We hope you are enjoying this series of  "Where is Chris" posts.  We'd love your feedback on our social media.

Where is Chris?

Where is Chris (scroll over image)     Learn More (Click)

Here is today's post: See if you can guess where I am. 

As promised, we've updated yesterday's post, Stained Glass Windows, with the answer to the puzzle.  Revisit that post and just scroll over the image to reveal the answer.  You can also click on the link below the picture to read more.    

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If you can't wait for tomorrow for the answer, you can take my quiz in my Instagram story.

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Norwegian Breakaway Hull Artwork

Norwegian Breakaway artwork courtesy NCL

Norwegian Breakaway

Design by Peter Max

Norwegian Breakaway’s signature hull artwork designed by pop icon and America’s most popular living artist, Peter Max!

Norwegian Cruise Line has just unveiled the hull artwork for their latest ship, Norwegian Breakaway. The line has previously indicated that the ship's homeport will be New York, so the artwork is very fitting.

The Statue of Liberty's crown and New York skyline are the central figures in the design.  The rest of the design includes a sunburst, musical notes, planets and stars.  Max’s signature artwork will cover approximately 40,000 square feet of Norwegian Breakaway’s hull!

Norwegian president and CEO Kevin Sheehan said "The Big Apple is known for its love of art and its many galleries -- and now, Norwegian Breakaway becomes a floating piece of that art that will cruise in and dock every Saturday on New York's West Side."

Peter Max commented, "While it has been an honor to have my art exhibited in museums and galleries, I have also enjoyed creating giant 'canvases' for public view, including my 600 ft. Woodstock stage, a giant World's Fair mural, the body of a Continental 777 super jet, and now, the hull of Norwegian Breakaway," said Peter Max from his New York studio. "The artwork is a composite of New York City and cosmic imagery? the Statue of Liberty, the Manhattan skyline, a giant sunburst, planets, stars, and musical notes. That's my New York! And now Norwegian Breakaway is my New York cruise ship 'canvas.'" 

Read More Blog Posts:     

Official Press Release:

09/04/2012
Norwegian Breakaway's Hull Artwork By Legendary Iconic Artist Peter Max Unveiled

View Norwegian Breakaway Itineraries (click here)   

Rebirth of an Era

Titanic II

Deck Plans Revealed

On April 20th, Blue Star (owned by Australian mining magnate Professor Clive Palmer) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CSC Jinling to build Titanic II.  This announcement comes just over 100 years after the sinking of the original Titanic which was built by White Star Line.

On July 17, 2012, Professor Clive Palmer released preliminary plans and drawings for the Titanic II project devised by international ship design and engineering company, Finnish-based Deltamarin.

Assuming construction is completed on time, Titanic II will have its maiden voyage in 2016

Why Build Titanic II?

 

According to recent press releases, “This magnificent vessel is being constructed in memory of the heroic people who served on the first ship, as well as the passengers who sadly shared their fate.

“We also want to recognise the artists and artisans whose skill, creativity and dexterity has never been fully recognised because of the ship’s limited service.”

Following Original Plans

The Titanic II will follow the original plans as closely as possible, but with the addition of modern conveniences such as elevators and air-conditioning, as well as required safety features, such as sufficient life-boats and other safety improvements.  This is the reason why Deltamarin is involved in the project.  You might recognize them from other significant ship-builds such as Oasis of the Seas, Celebrity Solstice, and Celebrity Equinox.


The Titanic II Preliminary General Arrangement Plan and Preliminary Midship Section Drawing depicts nine decks complete with first, second and third class, officer and crew accommodation as well as the insertion of a new ‘Safety Deck’.

Rebirth of Passenger Classes

Modern cruise lines offer passengers choice of cabin categories.   The price of the cabin varies, just like it did in the days of the original Titanic, based on location and deck. Cabins located mid-ship bring a premium  over similar accommodations located in the aft or bow sections of the ship.  Of course, there are now different classifications of cabins, such as interior, outside, balcony, and suite.  Specking of the Oasis of the Seas, it has about 37 different cabin categories.

So, first, second, and third class accommodations are definitely much simpler to comprehend than modern classifications.   Just like with rail travel in Europe, the class of service dictates where the passenger has access.   One would assume the more affluent traveler would purchase the premium accommodations and thus have access and service commensurate to the fare.

Speaking at a press conference in Brisbane, Professor Palmer indicated that pensioners and anyone traveling in steerage (the term for the lowest class) would not be allowed in the casino in an attempt to prevent them from over-spending.   

While we might applaud his desire to look out for his guests, he might be missing out on revenue and offending some of his guests.   While passengers can afford higher accommodations, they sometimes choose lesser cabin categories for various reasons, including conserving their funds for gambling.  On modern vessels, there is no restriction to the casino based on your cabin type.

We will continue to follow the construction of Titanic II, providing updates here and on our Facebook page. 

Freestyle Bathrooms on Norwegian Epic

Norwegian Cruise Line

Latest Innovations

The picture to the left was taken aboard Norwegian Epic during a pre-inaugural cruise.  At first glance you might think this is the inside of a large bathroom.  Is that a flat screen television in the bathroom?   

Well,  I hate to disappoint you, but no, it's a sink inside the sleeping area of the cabin.  Above the sink is the storage area for towels and toiletries. 

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is known for innovations in their ship designs.   Ten years ago the cruise line introduced Freestyle Dining and built the first ship, Norwegian Sun, designed to facilitate the new concept.    Many cruise lines have since introduced similar alternative dining venues, but none have done so to the same scale as NCL.

NCL's newest ship, Norwegian Epic, introduces what I'm calling "Freestyle Bathrooms".    With Freestyle Dining, one can dine when you want and where you want.   With "Freestyle Bathrooms" one guest can wash their face or shave while another one takes a shower while another one ... well, you know.   All guests can get ready for their day at sea or in port at the same time.

At first, the concept sounds appealing, especially for guests in triple and quad occupancy cabins.   Married couples traveling together probably won't have an issue with privacy in the bathroom arrangement, but we're not certain guests traveling with friends will feel the same way.   Even families with children might have issues with this freestyle design.

In a typical bathroom on other cruise ships, you would open the shower door and grab a towel from the rack inside the enclosure.  Notice that the towel "rack" is a hook on the outside of the shower door on the Epic.   There is a privacy curtain that can be pulled to hide you from others in the cabin however if someone is using the toilet, you'll want to time your exit from the shower properly.

The bathroom area is the first thing you'll see as you enter the cabin.  Besides the privacy issues discussed above, there are other issues with this design.   The sink basin is very shallow and guests have reported that water splashes onto the cabin floor every time they use the sink.   Some guests report that they eventually find out how to control the water flow so that they don't drench the floor, but that usually occurs after a day or so.

What happens when you take a hot shower at home?   Steam billows out from the shower when you open the door.    The same thing happens on a ship too.   In a typical ship bathroom, that isn't an issue since you are still within a confined room.  On the Epic, you are in the main cabin area and sensors which keep you safe from fire could be tripped.   So much for privacy as you hear a knock on the door as a ship's crew member makes sure there isn't a problem.   Steam rises as you know, so the cabin ceiling will now become wet and unless properly cleaned on a regular basis, could lead to a build up of mold in the cabin area.

Norwegian Cruise Line has already announced that the sink situation will be reviewed and it may be necessary to replace them with a different model that won't splash onto the floor.  It is common for new ships to have some "kinks" that need to be ironed out.   In many cases, the problems don't surface until the first passengers set sail on a pre-inaugural cruise.   We are certain there will be changes on the Epic, but in the meantime, guests need to be aware of the current situation so that they can plan accordingly.

Getting to the bathroom at night could become a challenge in some of the cabins since it is necessary to get past the sleeper sofa or the main bed, depending on the room's arrangement.  The wavy wall design may impact the amount of room for navigation in some cabins.

Looking back ten years, there were "kinks" in Freestyle Dining which have since been ironed out.  In fact, onboard the Epic there are 21 dining options, some of which are first time offerings.   So, to be fair, we need to give "Freestyle Bathrooms" a chance.   Perhaps the benefits will outweigh the drawbacks - time will tell.

One thing is for certain, the Norwegian Epic's design is a conversation starter.   Right now the bathrooms are definitely the talk of the town.   We'll keep an eye on this story as time goes on to see what changes are made.

Learn more about Epic in Related Blog Posts

Celebrity Cruises Announces Recent Awards

Celebrity Cruises, a premium cruise line, has one of the youngest and most innovative fleets of any major line. Since Celebrity's first sailing in 1990, it has been recognized as an industry leader, praised for providing friendly and engaging service, exotic Elemis Spa facilities, award-winning gourmet cuisine, and an overall atmosphere of easy elegance. Purchased by Royal Caribbean International in the late 1990's, Celebrity has grown its fleet significantly while maintaining its Premium niche.

Celebrity Cruises is sweeping up a slate of awards in prestigious readers’ polls and publications, most recently being named the cruise line with the highest customer satisfaction in TravelAge West magazine’s annual awards gala June 4.

"We’re elated with the phenomenal response our new Celebrity Solstice and the entire fleet continue to receive for their style and design, but the most meaningful honors are those that recognize the service of our outstanding crew," said Celebrity Cruises President & CEO Dan Hanrahan. "We’re grateful to our guests and travel agent partners around the world who continue to recognize our brand in such a meaningful way."

Among the honors bestowed on Celebrity Cruises thus far this year are:

Cruise line with the Highest Customer Satisfaction among ships with capacity of 1,100+ guests TravelAge West magazine, June

Second on Readers’ Choice Platinum List of Top 5 Large Resort Ships Celebrated Living magazine, Summer edition

Celebrity Solstice awarded for Best Cruise Interiors ShipPax Information (Sweden)

Celebrity Solstice honored for Best Cruise Technology ShipPax Information (Sweden)

"Celebrity’s Solstice Class has become the new benchmark in the industry." International Interior Design Association (IIDA) - New York Chapter

Every Millennium-class ship in the Celebrity fleet ranked among the top 10 in the large-ship category (Celebrity Solstice entered service after the poll was conducted in 2008) Condé Nast Traveler’s annual "Best Cruise Ships" readers’ poll, February

Celebrity Solstice is the only cruise ship named one of the "Best New Hotels for Romance" About.com, Honeymoons/Romantic Travel

Celebrity Solstice is named "Ship of the Year 2008" Presented to Meyer Werft by HANSA International Maritim Journal, March 2009

Celebrity Cruises is named Best Cruise Line in its Category (Premium) Cruise News (Spain), February

More Information about Celebrity Cruises, their ships, and itineraries

For an insider look at Celebrity Solstice, Read my Past Blog Posts

As an Elite Travel Partner with Celebrity Cruises, we can offer you an experience aboard a Celebrity ship where you become a star. Contact me for more information.