Tag Archives: Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity building the Flora, a small ship for Galapagos cruises

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The Celebrity Flora will debut in May 2019.FORT LAUDERDALE — Celebrity Cruises has designed a new ship for use in the Galapagos, a rare newbuild in the market and at 100 passengers the smallest ship parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has ever built.

Celebrity president Lisa Lutoff-Perlo said that only in a market with such high demand and limited supply would the economics of building a ship of that size make sense for a brand like Celebrity.

“On a per-berth basis, it’s really hard to get a return on these ships,” Lutoff-Perlo said. “The Galapagos is different.”

The Vista will be the Flora's top-deck area.
The Vista will be Flora’s top-deck area.

The number of ships that can operate in the Galapagos is restricted by the Ecuadoran government and the size is limited to 100 passengers or less, so prices tend to be relatively high.

A seven-night Galapagos cruises on the Celebrity Xpedition is listed on Celebrity’s website starting at $4,399 per person.

The news was announced at CruiseWorld, Travel Weekly’s conference here.

The new ship, named Celebrity Flora, will be built in a Dutch shipyard and debut in May 2019. Lutoff-Perlo declined to say how much it will cost but said it is a fraction of Celebrity’s bigger ships.

The Celebrity Flora will take over itineraries now offered on the 100-passenger Xpedition, which will take on itineraries of two smaller ships, the 48-passenger Celebrity Xperience and the 16-passenger Celebrity Xploration. The two small ships will likely be sold, Lutoff-Perlo said.

A rendering of the Darwin Deck Bar on the Celebrity Flora.
A rendering of the Darwin Deck Bar on the Celebrity Flora.

Although it will carry the same number of passengers, the Flora will be twice the size of the Xpedition, allowing for more features. “We’re able to do more outdoor spaces and more public space for our guests,” Lutoff-Perlo said.

It will have a small pool, which Xpedition does not, and two restaurants and two lounges, where Xpedition has one each. There will be more crew space so the Flora will have one naturalist for every 12 guests, up from a 1:16 ratio on Xpedition.

Opting for a new ship enabled Celebrity to design storage space in the hull for three Zodiac boats that are stored on deck on the Xpedition. The Flora’s two 1,288-square-foot Penthouse suites will be the largest in the Galapagos.

The design of the ship will be consistent with the new Celebrity Edge and other larger Celebrity ships, but with an emphasis on the neutral, natural and organic, Lutoff-Perlo said. Lounges, suites and restaurants will have floor-to-ceiling windows to facilitate wildlife viewing.

The Flora will be the smallest ship ever built by Celebrity parent RCCL.
The Flora will be the smallest ship ever built by Celebrity parent RCCL.

About 50% of the accommodations will incorporate the virtual balcony concept that will debut on the Celebrity Edge.

Celebrity’s emphasis on facing out toward the ocean will be reflected in all beds being positioned to face a window.

The top deck will have four stick-style cabanas that will be available for day rental and for sleeping out on deck under the stars.

Celebrity Flora will sail year-round from Baltra Island. Bookings open today.

STX France’s groundbreaking collaboration with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Edge

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STX France’s groundbreaking collaboration with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Edge

STX France has launched an ongoing monitoring services programme with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Edge

STX France and Royal Caribbean have launched a partnership that allows ongoing monitoring by the shipyard to ensure energy efficient solutions are in optimal use on Harmony of the Seas. This is also to be rolled out to the Celebrity Cruises’ Edge-class vessels being built by the shipyard, and other ships in Royal Caribbean Cruises’ fleet.

The groundbreaking collaboration on Harmony of the Seas – which has not been carried out between a shipyard and cruise ship operator before – has led to 5% fuel savings on the cruise ship, which was delivered last year. The monitoring agenda has its foundations in STX France’s Ecorizon, a research and development programme launched in 2007 to create more environmentally friendly and energy efficient ships.

STX France Ecorizon R&D project manager and energy efficiency manager for Harmony of the Seas and Celebrity Edge-class, Arnaud Jacques told Passenger Ship Technology “We took this approach to help Royal Caribbean reach the best energy efficiency level possible. Normally the work of a shipyard stops after delivery but we believe that it is very crucial to share all this knowledge and expertise we have built up.”

He said this is what propelled STX France to go further than the usual scope of shipbuilder to deliver not just a ship that was “designed well but one designed to operate well”.

The monitoring services sees STX France following the ship year after year and see what works, what does not work as expected and looking at what can be improved (in terms of energy efficiency). A very important part of it is to train the crew how to check equipment and maintain the level of knowledge about how the ship works and maintain best practice. This is especially important as crews change frequently. The training takes place twice a year. STX France also gives Royal Caribbean weekly updates and analysis on the back of its monitoring services.

Mr Jacques said “We plan to continue co-operation with Royal Caribbean next year following other ships; they want to have a great benchmark for their fleet and make sure the ships run at an optimal energy performance.” He wasn’t able to say at this stage which ships these would be.

Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Edge will also undergo the same monitoring services when it is delivered at the end of 2018.

Celebrity’s sleep-focused spa treatments are long overdue

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Image result for celebrity equinox cruise ship
Celebrity Equinox

Anyone who isn’t sleeping well, or sleeping at all, knows that there’s nothing more important than a good night’s rest. And who hasn’t had problems getting to sleep at some point, or suffered along with a partner who couldn’t sleep?

So the new Celebrity Cruises wellness program that focuses on sleep is a fantastic idea and long overdue in the cruise industry.

Celebrity launched its “Mindful Dreams” program on the Celebrity Equinox and the Celebrity Summit this month, with the rest of the fleet to follow in September.

The program was developed in partnership with Canyon Ranch, which has been Celebrity’s spa concessionaire since 2014.

How many spa treatments have the potential to change your life more than one that improves the amount and quality of sleep you get?  How many would affect so many people?

According to the American Sleep Association, 50-70 million US adults have a sleep disorder of some kind. About 10% of adults report chronic insomnia. Nearly half the population has problems with snoring.

When unable to sleep, far too many people turn to pharmaceutical solutions as a first option, rather than a last. A 2013 study from the National Institutes of Health found that 4.1% of Americans use a prescription sleep aid, with the number rising to at least 5.5% for those aged 50 and over.

“Mindful Dreams” instead offers a combination of a relaxation treatment, massage and meditation, and access to expert lectures and classes on a “holistic approach to mindful sleep both on land and at sea.”

There is also a nutrition component.

While many cruise lines promote the relaxing quality of the mattresses and beds onboard, that relaxation lasts only as long as the cruise. This program could have an impact long after the cruise is over.