CELEBRITY EXTENDS 'TOP CHEF' PROGRAM

More news from Celebrity:

"Celebrity Cruises and Bravo Media have extended the popular 'Top Chef at Sea' program through 2016, and will offer 'Top Chef' fans and food lovers the opportunity to vacation with a new lineup of cheftestants on the exclusive 'Top Chef Signature Sailing' in 2015. Setting sail November 14 onboard Celebrity Reflection, the one-of-a-kind Eastern Caribbean cruise vacation will give guests an up-close-and-personal culinary experience with six former 'Top Chef' competitors, including:

CELEBRITY ROLLING OUT 18 NEW SHOWS

"It's showtime!" That's the word around Celebrity Cruises these days, as the cruise line prepares to unveil 18 shows in 18 months – all in partnership with some of today's biggest recording artists and awarding-winning theatrical and television productions. Here's more from the release:

"The 18 leading-edge shows, created exclusively for Celebrity, feature elements of drama, dance, comedy, musical theater and concert-style performances – blended in a way that has never been seen before at sea. Shows will include Elyria, an energetic, late-night production, where guests are transported to a witty, mischievous, dreamlike world. The new production will launch onboard Celebrity Constellation in April. iMagic, available onboard Celebrity Summit, is a modern luxury interpretation of the wonder of illusions, innovative, groundbreaking and uses incredible technology such as holograms, lasers and iPads, to tell the story.

"Celebrity has attracted and collaborated with some of the best names in entertainment to produce the 18 shows. These include William Baker, who has created and directed global tours and music videos for some of the biggest names in popular music; and Steve Anderson, a musical director, producer and writer for world-renowned artists.

"Celebrity will offer up to 10 engaging entertainment experiences on every ship. Side Show is an interactive and vintage circus theme party. Reigning Rocks will blend the elegance of royalty with the glam of Brit Pop, and Night of the Dragon will feature the delicate beauty of Asian culture mixed with pop music, resulting in a high-energy celebration of culture.

"All entertainment is created and perfected at 'The Studio,' Celebrity's production headquarters inside a newly built, 130,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility – a unique partnership between Florida International University (FIU) and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL), Celebrity's parent company. Located on the FIU Biscayne Bay campus, the production and rehearsal facility, which can accommodate more than 460 cast members at one time, was officially opened Friday, March 20."

CELEBRITY DEBUTING SUITE-CLASS RESTAURANT

Luminae restaurant  (Celebrity Cruises)

Celebrity's Suite Class passengers will soon be saying, "How suite it is" to have a new restaurant tailored for them. Named “Luminae,” it will be introduced onboard Celebrity’s ships beginning in April. Here's more from the release:

"Guests dining at the brand's first suite restaurant will enjoy warm hospitality, impeccable Celebrity service, and eclectic, one-of-a-kind menus that are only available in Luminae.

"Celebrity's dedicated team of chefs has created the new elegant menus for the venue’s complimentary breakfast, lunch and dinner - each menu item will only be featured once during a two-week cruise vacation. With handcrafted dishes that are made from scratch, the unique menus will also feature locally sourced regional and seasonal ingredients inspired by the destinations Celebrity sails to among the world’s seven continents.

"With special touches like tableside preparation of signature dishes and the daily presentation of a new delectable gourmet chocolates and desserts cart, the menus are complete with pairings made by the restaurant’s dedicated head sommelier. The wine list, specially designed for Luminae guests, will feature more than 400 selections, each from the most notable wine-producing countries in the world.

"For full details about Luminae, visit celebritycruises.com/luminae."

CELEBRITY ADDING TWO NEW SHIPS

We are big fans of the Celebrity Cruise experience, and that cruise line had some exciting news to announce Thursday.
They have signed on to build two new ships. The two 2,900-guest, 117,000-gross-registered-ton ships, will be developed under the project name EDGE. Here's more from their press release:

"At 984 feet long, 123 feet wide and 190 feet high, Project EDGE will deliver small ship itineraries with large ship amenities, a perfect vacation experience in step with today’s premium vacationer.

"Our new class of ship will set the standard for premium world travel and deliver the next generation of modern luxury experiences that our guests know and love,” said Michael Bayley, president and chief executive officer of Celebrity Cruises.

"These vessels also represent a significant leap forward in environmentally friendly ship design, benefiting from new technologies to drive significant fuel efficiency and an ongoing process to ensure the extensive use of sustainable materials.

"The company expects delivery of the first ship in Fall 2018, with the second vessel delivered in the early part of 2020."

CELEBRITY ENHANCES MOBILE APP

Celebrity Cruises has enhanced its mobile app, Cruise Lingo, with new features, including an industry-first: A live chat feature "for one-on-one personal interaction with a translator, available in 180 languages." Cruise Lingo’s new design and updates also include:

• Quiz Mode: Practice makes perfect – guests can test their language skills with customizable quizzes and new flashcards

• Audio Lessons: Vacationers can learn a variety of essential phrases in 10 different categories

• Tip Calculator

• Currency Converter



Check out their video for more:

CELEBRITY MARKS 10 YEARS IN GALAPAGOS

When you think about faraway ports and exotic locations, one place that comes to mind is the Galapagos Islands, off Ecuador. This year Celebrity Cruises is celebrating 10 years of providing passengers unique destination experiences. But Celebrity's commitment goes beyond that, as they detail in this latest release:

"Building on 10 years of involvement in the Galapagos Islands, Celebrity continues its commitment to supporting and empowering the communities of the region with a medical clinic, fishing and agriculture cooperatives, and a partnership with the Galapagos Conservancy, which includes a matching program to double the value of guests’ donations. Now for vacationers, Celebrity has introduced more Galapagos experiences that include:

NEW DINING OPTIONS COMING TO 'EQUINOX'

Some new additions are coming for one of Celebrity's Solstice-class ships, Equinox. After it leaves a scheduled drydock on May 8, it will debut two new dining concepts:

· Gastrobar – "A new craft beer and comfort food venue, Gastrobar will offer food and beer enthusiasts over 40 handcrafted boutique beers to choose from in addition to Celebrity's varied collection of wines and tasty cocktails with a twist, all perfectly paired with a menu of elevated bar-fare creations. Gastrobar’s upscale casual surroundings will feature inviting entertainment and music for the complete sophisticated lounge experience. Guests can find the new venue in the space formerly known as Cellar Masters."

· Slush – A frozen drinks venue that "introduces Celebrity’s curated menu of flavor-rich and fresh frozen cocktails. Slush will feature alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails with perfectly balanced ingredients ranging from fresh pressed lemon juice, raspberries, cucumbers and mint to Persian lime, Florida Valencia and Hamlin orange juice with organic agave nectar."

Other changes include: Equinox will also expand its retail offerings with "The Studio - Fine Art Photography” – a high-end portrait studio; the addition of a Michael Kors boutique and a new Internet lounge, iLounge, in the space formerly known as Online@Celebrity.

CELEBRITY ANNOUNCES 'TOP CHEF' LINEUP

Fans of Bravo's "Top Chef" are in for a treat as part of the Celebrity Cruises "Top Chef at Sea" program. Celebrity announced the latest lineup in a press release this week:

"Thirteen former chef’testants of Bravo’s Emmy Award-winning series “Top Chef” will set sail on four exclusive Celebrity Cruises vacations beginning in July 2014 as part of the “Top Chef at Sea” experience. The Celebrity Cruises and Bravo partnership gives fans the opportunity to vacation with their favorite ”Top Chef” alums and experience their dishes, including complimentary cooking demonstrations, interactive Quickfire Challenges and other activities. For a more exclusive experience, guests can choose to enjoy private cooking classes and events hosted by the chef’testants.

ENTER CELEBRITY'S WORLD TOUR CONTEST

Celebrity has a fun contest going to win three cruise vacations. It's to help kick off their World Tour 2015/2016 --"hitting every continent on the planet—and this time around, we’ll be visiting 261 ports of call in 72 countries." You can register now for a chance to win a 7-night cruise for two to Europe, a 7-night cruise for two to Alaska, Bermuda or the Caribbean (winner's choice), or the grand prize—a 14-night cruise for two to Asia. When you register, you can spin a globe and get destination details, or find out if you are an instant winner. To enter, go here. Good luck! -- Gerry

CELEBRITY UNVEILS 'SUITE CLASS' BENEFITS

Celerity is making the "suite" life even sweeter, with with new special benefits to create the "ultimate luxurious experience." Their new "Suite Class" experience will be fully introduced on their ships during April 2015. It includes a suites-only restaurant, VIP lounge, complimentary premium beverages and more.

Here are more details from Celebrity:

Private dining - A dedicated private restaurant reserved exclusively for all Suite Class guests will be available morning, noon and night. Each meal will feature unique menus that offer dishes not available anywhere else onboard. Guests can truly immerse themselves in the local culture with specially crafted menus inspired by the local destination, and enjoy the world's best ingredients. Memorable and inspiring dishes will be served, from locally caught seafood, to the freshest pasta. The Suite Class chef can provide a tailor-made experience to suite guests and prepare a dish to their liking, and the Cellar Master - Celebrity’s head sommelier - will select from more than 450 wines to provide the perfect pairing.

Premium 'all in' benefits - Premium beverages, dining across all specialty restaurants, unlimited internet access and a private bar with water, sodas and beers will all be complimentary for guests staying in Royal, Penthouse and Reflection suites.

VIP lounge - A private VIP lounge, Michael's Club, will be available to guests staying in Celebrity, Signature, Royal, Penthouse and Reflection suites. A dedicated Concierge service and unique food and beverage experiences by Celebrity's James Beard-featured chef will be provided to guests.

CELEBRITY, BRAVO TEAM FOR 'TOP CHEF AT SEA'

Here's news from one of our favorite cruise lines, Celebrity:

Celebrity Cruises and Bravo’s Top Chef invite fans on a global culinary adventure with the new “Top Chef at Sea” partnership. The premium vacation brand and the Emmy Award-winning culinary competition series unveiled an exclusive licensing partnership that offers fans custom “Top Chef” experiences onboard Celebrity’s modern luxury ships. Building on last year’s popular “Top Chef: The Cruise” charter, fans can enjoy an exclusive taste of the well-known series with enhanced culinary experiences for foodies and globetrotters alike. This marks the cruise industry’s first Top Chef-themed licensing partnership on a large scale as well as Celebrity’s first exclusive Top Chef-inspired experiences available onboard 10 Celebrity ships. For a sneak peek at “Top Chef at Sea,” visit http://www.bravotv.com/blogs/the-dish/top-chef-is-setting-sail-for-the-high-seas.

Celebrity will launch four cruises featuring former “Top Chef” contestants departing July 27, August 15, September 19 and November 15. While vacationers sail away to dream destinations, such as Bermuda, Alaska, Europe and the Caribbean, they will have the opportunity to participate in complimentary cooking demonstrations, the show’s famous, interactive Quickfire Challenges and other activities. For a more exclusive experience, guests can enjoy private cooking classes and events hosted by former chef’testants at an additional cost as part of their vacation experience.

In addition to the four exclusive cruises with “Top Chef” alums, Celebrity will also introduce Quickfire Challenges and “Top Chef”-inspired menu evenings to its modern luxury vacations onboard 10 ships for all sailings departing July 2014 – June 2015.

For more details about “Top Chef at Sea,” visit www.celebritycruises.com/topchef.

CELEBRITY TAKES CULINARY TALENT TO NYC

This month, Celebrity Cruises shifts from sea to land by participating in a series of culinary events in New York City. Those include a health food trends panel at NYC’s Michelin-starred Rouge Tomate, dinner at the legendary James Beard House, and a sponsorship of the  Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival.

On October 12, Celebrity returns to the James Beard House for “A Taste of Modern Luxury,” featuring recipes from onboard Celebrity’s ships as well as new creations, and wine pairings.

At the 2013 Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival, Celebrity will present Wine Seminars and Pairing Series Seminars hosted by FOOD & WINE. Celebrity notes, "The series will feature the world’s top sommeliers, cellar masters, wine critics, authors, James Beard Award-winning chefs, and other culinary industry leaders. Tastings will cover a wide range of insights into topics such as tips and tasting into the 'grape unknown' – unusual grape varieties, and learning the best way to taste and analyze champagne."

At the Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite, featuring all-day tastings provided by NYC’s top restaurants and chefs, Celebrity will feature the ship-inspired “Lawn Club Grill” experience, serving up "their very own take on a classic dish, soup and grilled cheese: Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup, Iberico ham, toasted Hazelnut, Sourdough Croutons and Raclette & Leek Grilled Cheese."

Having experienced the Lawn Club first-hand, we would suggest booking your trip to the Big Apple now. -- Gerry

CELEBRITY TO DEBUT 'FINALISTS AT SEA'

Celebrity Cruises is teaming with Nite Raiders Entertainment in Las Vegas to premiere a new show on its Caribbean Christmas cruises -- “Finalists at Sea,” a series of concerts, Q&A sessions and autograph signings by finalists of past seasons of the popular television show, American Idol. Here are the details from Celebrity:

Two artists will perform on each sailing. The lineup includes:

CELEBRITY ADDS CARIBBEAN SAILINGS

Credit: Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises has three new sailings that feature top destinations in the Caribbean. The two nine-night sailings and one eight-night cruise depart roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., November 29 and December 13, 2014, and January 16, 2015, respectively. Ports include:
· St. Barts, an only eight-square-mile island of volcanic rock, and home to great beaches, luxury yachts, designer boutiques and celebrities.
· St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
· St. Maarten, with 37 white-sand beaches, plus year-round carnavals and cultural events.
· San Juan, the oldest city on U.S. territory, featuring Spanish colonial architecture.
· Celebrity’s private island paradise of Labadee, on the north coast of Haiti.

CELEBRITY'S NEW IMMERSIVE APPS

Celebrity Cruises is on an app roll. Following their introduction of "Cruise Lingo" comes new apps designed to allow users to "digitally immerse themselves in the line’s modern luxury vacation experiences in all seven continents."

Free for IOS and Android, they feature:

· Videos and imagery of Celebrity’s worldwide destinations
· Authentic depictions of the modern, upscale experiences found on every Celebrity ship
· Profiles of Celebrity’s Shore Excursions, designed to make the most of every guest’s time on land in every destination
· Detailed itineraries and maps of the array of Celebrity Cruisetour vacations.
· Interactive ship deck plans with the capability to zoom in on specific suites, staterooms or venues to reveal the highlights of each.
· Must-sees, hidden gems and other tips curated exclusively for Celebrity by the editors of Travel + Leisure
· Up-to-date pricing on Celebrity vacations

Celebrity’s new vacation apps can be downloaded from celebritycruises.com/mobile.

CRUISE LINGO: DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT

Screenshots of "Cruise Lingo" (Credit: Celebrity)

"How do you say, 'Which way to the bathrooms?' " We've all been there. Foreign country. Don't speak the language. Maybe an urgent need, right? Now Celebrity Cruises has an app for that.

It's called “Cruise Lingo.” Customized from the award-winning mobile app from TripLingo, Cruise Lingo allows travelers "easy access to authentic local phrases and relevant information to enhance their destination experience. By simply speaking or typing a phrase – such as, 'Where is the nearest ATM?' – into a mobile device, the translated language of the local destination appears on-screen. An interactive book offers multiple versions of each phrase, including formal and slang options."

Other features of Cruise Lingo include voice-to-voice translation; an intelligent “flashcard” learning system, and an on-demand “crash course” in local cultures. The crash course contains information including general etiquette, safety information, doing business, country information, travel tips, dining guide, music and local pop culture.

The app is free and available for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets at www.celebritycruises.com/mobile. Included in the free version of the app are 80 standard phrases in 11 languages; 56 cruise-specific phrases; 20 free uses of the voice translator; access to 2,000 dictionary words translated into all 11 languages, and the culture crash course. Just keep your device charged and off you go! -- Gerry

COMING TO CELEBRITY: 30 NEW COCKTAILS

Credit: Celebrity Cruises

Cruising and cocktails -- is there a better combination? Not for us! As longtime fans of both the Molecular and Martini Bars onboard Celebrity ships, we especially welcome the news that Celebrity is "significantly expanding its selections of the beverage world’s favorite comeback kid – the cocktail – with a selection of 30 entirely new craft cocktails offered exclusively on Celebrity’s ships."

Here are more details from the press release:

"Celebrity’s new craft cocktail experience was developed through an alliance with artisanal cocktail developers Hawthorn Beverage Group, founded by noted cocktail creator Josh Durr.

"The new craft cocktails blend vintage-style liqueurs with fresh ingredients, organic juices and the finest artisanal spirits, resulting in a combination of new-school libations and updated old-school favorites. A new line-up of “zero-proof” (non-alcoholic) cocktails also will be introduced – ‘Sparkling Mint Lemonade’ or ‘Raspberry Fizz,’ anyone? – along with an assortment of fine wines by the glass. Celebrity’s current list of international beer selections will be expanded, too, to join Celebrity’s industry-first offering of craft beers in an even more well-rounded variety of styles, from pale ales and IPA's to Belgian ales and premium lagers.

"Celebrity’s guests will have the opportunity to indulge in the full, new craft cocktail experience across its modern luxury fleet by the end of 2013."

We hope to bring you a complete review of all 30 in the near future. -- Gerry

CRUISE INDUSTRY AMENITIES WAR HEATS UP

Celebrity Summit

By Bob and Sandy Nesoff
Members: 
American Society of Journalists and Authors
North American Travel Journalists Association
Special to Cruising Squared

Starting in 1492 the hottest route in the cruise market was across the Atlantic and the Caribbean basin. That’s pretty much the same today as it was 521 years ago.

Accommodations back then were somewhat sparse. Bunks were either wooden racks or hammocks strung between two posts. Meals -- when they were served -- gave passengers two choices: “yes or no.”

One of the most looked forward to activities was spending brief periods of the day above deck attempting to breathe in some fresh air and ward off sunlight deprivation. The activities director more often than not was a burly man with a long, leather whip who encouraged crew and passengers to swab the deck, climb the masts to adjust sails and a wonderful array of menial chores.

CELEBRITY'S LAWN CLUB COMING TO BIG APPLE

The Lawn Club Alcoves (Photo by Gerry)

One of the features that make the Celebrity cruise experience unique on their new Solstice-class ships is The Lawn Club -- thousands of square feet of real grass where you can play games, dine, even enjoy a picnic in a private alcove. This month, Celebrity is bringing that same experience -- minus the ocean -- to New York City’s Grand Central Terminal. On June 10 and 11, they are recreating "The Lawn Club Experience" in Vanderbilt Hall. They note local commuters and passersby can participate in various Lawn Club Experience activities, including:

CELEBRITY, XBOX TEAM, LAUNCH CONTEST

Celebrity has announced a new alliance with Microsoft's XBox that will integrate the gaming experience into their onboard activities. The newly “Solsticized” Celebrity Constellation is the first of their ships to introduce the complete onboard Xbox experience. 

To celebrate the launch, the Celebrity and XBox Experience Sweepstakes will offer a seven-night cruise for a family of four and an Xbox 360 prize pack as the grand prize. For a chance to win, enter online through June 18 at www.celebritycruises.com/xboxsweeps. Participants also can win four Xbox 360 prize packs, each including an Xbox 360 with Kinect and a month of Xbox Live Gold membership.

All Celebrity ships will offer Xbox 360 and Kinect for Xbox 360 this summer, and will unfold the full Xbox experience by the end of 2013. It will offer families interactive Xbox Games experiences for every age group. -- Gerry