Celebrity Ships Get Solsticized
May 12, 2010

Celebrity Cruises' Millennium class ships becoming "Solsticized" by receiving Solstice-class upgrades

The introduction of a brand new ship is always exciting to the cruise community - especially when it is the first of new class of ships featuring a revolutionary new design. with cutting edge features like Ice Bars and grass lawns.

Royal Caribbean International, in particular, is the master at building revolutionary ships. The new Oasis of the Seas and the Solstice-class from Celebrity both feature designs elements never seen before, and in many cases, in cruise ship terms, never even conceived before. Such new ships always command higher cruise fares, even though the slow economy has dampened that enthusiasm somewhat.

But there is a drawback to introducing new ships - they make the older ships in the same fleet less attractive by comparison. This was especially true when Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas came out, making the highly popular Freedom-class into just another mega-ship overnight.

The Solstice-class introduced by Celebrity just 18 months ago is a huge hit with the cruise community, but with three new ships in this class already in service and two more ready to debut in under two years the line will have added some 15,000 new berths to fill every week.

And suddenly the four older ships of the Celebrity Millennium class, state of the art for Celebrity just 18 months ago, are now definitely last year's model, while the much older Century and Mercury, built in the 1990s, are antiques.

So Celebrity has just announced a new project to "Solsticize" the Millennium class ships. The idea is to install some of the most popular features of the new Solstice class aboard the older Millennium-class ships.

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Celebrity Constellation, originally introduced in 2002, is already the first of these ships to receive the "Solsticize" treatment having just emerged from a 15-day dry dock where the upgrades were completed. Celebrity Infinity and Celebrity Summit are scheduled to follow in 2011, with Celebrity Millennium scheduled for 2012.

The new additions include the Tuscan Grill restaurant, a popular Italian dining room on Solstice ($25 per person cover charge). Another upgrade garnering rave reviews from Solstice cruisers is Bistro on Five, a casual creperie with open seating located near the atrium. To top off the dining experience they added the Café al Bacio and Gelateria, an Italian café with espresso coffees, pastry and sumptuous gelato.

The Bistro on Five creperie will offer sea views to complement its mouthwatering menu.

For oenophiles there is Cellarmasters, a wine bar where guests can sample fine and rare wines one glass or just one sip at a time. This is a fun way to try expensive vintages in a manner that won't break the bank. You use a state-of-the-art serving system known as "Enomatics." This machine dispenses wine in servings that are just enough for a taste (you decide how many milliliters you want to buy) from a selection of a dozen different bottles priced anywhere from $4.00 to $35 per sip, depending on the vintage. The fun part is that you get to try several different varieties of very rare wines for a minimum cost.

After your wine tasting you can move on to the new Martini Bar - another idea directly from the Solstice class. The top of the bar is stainless steel cooled to a freezing temperature and covered with a veneer of frost. Set your drink glasses on this bar and the ice never melts. It is also fun for drawing pictures with your fingertips.

Workers carefully craft the nuances of the stylish Martini Bar

These new public rooms will make the Millennium class onboard experience much more exciting, but no ship upgrade is complete without extensive attention to the staterooms.

All of the staterooms onboard receive new carpet, flat-screen televisions, new furniture upholstery and bedding with color schemes that are reflective of the stylish, modern design of the Solstice Class. The suites are now especially sumptuous with all new furniture added to the flat-screen televisions, new upholstery, bedding and carpet.

This new, modern décor is not limited to the staterooms or just the new rooms, however. The new look applies to the ship's entire interior with new upholstery and carpet throughout.

The tantalizing Tuscan Grille steakhouse awaits finishing touches.

How much do these upgrade programs cost? Competitor Holland America announced a $220-million effort to upgrade its older ships five years ago called "Signature of Excellence." That program is still underway, with new features being added all the time, and now surpassed a $550 million investment.

Celebrity Cruises estimates its Solsticization program budget will be $200 million.

Ship statistics for the Millennium class ships:

• 91,000 tons
  
  
• Passengers: 1,950
  
  
• 999 crew
  
  
• 964 feet in length
  
  
• 105 feet wide
  
  
• 11 passenger decks
  
  
• Cruising speed: 24 knots
  
  
• Built in St. Nazaire, France
  
  
• Registry: Bahamas