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Celebrity Eclipse – Brand New For 2010
Celebrity Eclipse is the newest ship from the much heralded fleet of 5* cruise line Celebrity Cruises. After the success of the first in its class the Solstice, the Celebrity Eclipse is the 3rd in this new class of ship. When the Solstice was launched in November it won rave reviews from both the trade and the consumer alike.

So why cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse

The Celebrity Eclipse is like no ship you have seen out of the UK waters. During in its maiden season she is going to be home ported in Southampton and offers a series of mix night cruises to the Med, Baltic and Fjords regions. In our opinion the destinations are not why you should cruise. The main reason is the ship. She just blows the socks off everything else which competes against her. This celebrity cruises ship is the most thought out ship ever. It is classy meet New York style boutique hotel. The ship has a flow and positive vibe all through the ship and the attention to detail is mind blowing. Take the cabin for example, the basic balcony is larger than any other in its class. The bath room is 25% larger and has lovely little touches. The mirror is full length, the hair dryer does what it is designed to do and dry hair. There are cotton buds, ear buds and even a bar for the ladies to rest their legs when they shave them in the shower. The rooms have state of the art entertainment systems in where the TV doubles up as an Ipod.

Dining on the Celebrity Eclipse

There are many speciality restaurants on the Celebrity Eclipse. The clever thing about this is, they are all situated in the same place. Outside the restaurants there is a lovely bar for pre cocktail drinks. Your choices include Blu, which is a healthy eating option. Passenegers in the Aqua Class cabins get first option but when space is available anyone can reserve a table for a small cover charge of $10 per person. There are other restaurants the most noticeable is Silk Harvest where it serves Asian/oriental and Muranos

02 Sep 2009

It’s being reported that many luxury cruise lines are reducing their prices to try and attract holidaymakers as the recession hits hard. The current economic climate is putting many people off taking this sort of a holiday, but in actual fact it may be a better time to go on a cruise than previously.

While many people are spurning Caribbean cruises or Mediterranean cruises this year as a result of a conscious effort to spend less money, those who are still interested in luxury cruises are finding they can upgrade to grander accommodation for the same price they would usually pay for something quite functional.

By the same token, people who have never previously considered a cruise ship for their holidays are finding they are far more affordable, meaning they now have the chance to tour the Caribbean or wherever, just as they’d always wished.

28 Aug 2009

27 Aug 2009

28 Aug 2009

28 Aug 2009

26 Aug 2009

Celebrity Cruises has cancelled a series of four and five-night cruises from Miami on Celebrity Century between May and October next year and will be bringing the ship to the Mediterranean instead.

Celebrity Century will be based in Barcelona and sail 12-night cruises calling at France, Italy, Turkey, Greece and Croatia.

The ship will also be offering two 14-night transatlantic voyages, one from Miami to Barcelona departing on May 20 and calling at Ponta Delgada in the Azores, Lisbon, Seville and Malaga in Spain; the other is from Barcelona to Miami departing on October 25 and visiting Malaga in Spain, Madeira, Tenerife and La Palma in the Canary Islands.

"Discussions with our travel partners and guests in North America and Europe indicated strong demand for the ship in Europe next summer," said Celebrity Cruises president Dan Hanrahan.

Prices for the new Mediterranean cruises will be available tomorrow (August 27), when the itineraries go on sale.

Clients booked on the four and five-night Miami cruises have the option to switch to a seven-night Caribbean cruise on Celebrity Solstice from Fort Lauderdale at no additional cost for the same grade cabin, or have a full refund.

24 Aug 2009
SOUTHAMPTON will reap a £8.5m cash windfall when nine of the world’s largest cruise ships arrive in the city later this month.

In what promises to be a spectacular sight South-ampton will witness the arrival and departure of the most number of passenger ships during a 48-hour period in recent times.

To coincide with the hectic bank holiday weekend, the port of Southampton is to throw open its gates on Saturday and Sunday to free, open-top bus tours of the docks for a close-up view of the vessels.

In excess of 45,500 passengers, more than the total population of the city of Salisbury, will embark and disembark ships in the docks during the weekend, sparking a busy time for Southampton’s hotels, airport, shops, coach companies and taxi drivers.

A report for Southampton City Council says each passenger joining a cruise in the port generates on average £380 for the local economy.

Among the ships on view will be Cunard’s huge, 151,400 ton, Queen Mary 2, Independence of the Seas, the biggest cruise ship now in service, and the imposing Grand Princess, with her distinctive shape, featuring a night-club suspended 200 feet over the water at the stern.

Southampton’s port director, Doug Morrison, said: “The port is an integral part of the city of Southampton and a significant economic driver.

“We are delighted to once again offer residents the opportunity to see the operation of our busy port.’’ First ship to arrive on Saturday, August 29 will be Royal Caribbean International’s Independence of the Seas at the City Cruise Terminal, followed by P&O Cruises’ Oceana, docking at the Ocean Terminal. Next in will be Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ Black Watch at berth 104, QM2 will be alongside 38/9 berth and finally, Grand Princess will be at the Mayflower Cruise Terminal.

Black Watch is due to depart at 4.30pm while the other ships are due to leave port about 30 minutes later.

P&O Cruises’ Oriana is the first ship to arrive on Sunday, August 30 at 38/9 berth followed by another of the company’s vessels, Ventura at the Ocean Terminal.

Cunard’s Queen Victoria is set to berth at the Mayflower Terminal while P&O Cruises’ Aurora will be at the City Cruise Terminal. Ventura and Queen Victoria are scheduled to leave at 5pm while Oriana and Aurora should depart one hour later.

16 Aug 2009

Royal Caribbean International has selected award-winning chef Keriann Von Raesfeld to head 150 Central Park restaurant on the Oasis of the Seas, which is slated to set sailing in December.

Royal Caribbean discovered Von Raesfeld at the 2008 World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) Congress in Dubai, where she was the first American and the first woman to win the honor of “Best Young Cook in the World.” She also led Team USA to a first gold medal at the Scothot Competition in Scotland and was part of Team USA’s regional team that won the first-ever gold medal at the Culinary Olympics held in Germany.

“Keriann Von Raesfeld’s incredible talent and innovative vision for 150 Central Park is the perfect fit within the constellation of culinary offerings aboard Oasis of the Seas,” says Frank Weber, vice president of food and beverage operations for Royal Caribbean International. “Rather than partner with a traditional celebrity chef to lend a name to our signature restaurant, we found one that is a true star in her own right.”

Von Raesfeld received formal training from the Professional Culinary Institute and her signature dishes include spicy “hot” gazpacho and a Kobe steak entree served with shitake “bacon” and a celery root puree, and an acclaimed banana split which requires a day-and-a-half of preparation.