Celebrity Eclipse Naming Ceremony and Talking with the President of Celebrity Cruises

The primary motivation for my recent sojourn to Europe and the UK was to attend the naming ceremony for Celebrity Eclipse. Eclipse is the third ship in Celebrity Cruises’ Solstice class and based upon my experiences on her two predecessors, Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Equinox, I was very pleased to have been invited to witness Eclipse’s entry into service. Although quite a few adjectives have been used to describe the Solstice class ships, to my mind they can be summed up by saying that everything is really well-done. The ships are visually interesting, the food is excellent and the entertainment and enrichment program are stimulating.

The naming ceremony took place in Southampton, England. Eclipse is going to be based in Southampton and is being directed at the British and Irish markets. This is something of a bold move. When sister company Royal Caribbean International first decided to test the British market, it did so by deploying one of its smaller Vision class ships to Southampton. When this was well-received, it substitutes a larger Voyager class ship. When that ship was a success, it brought in a bigger Freedom class ship and now Independence of the Seas is calling Southampton home all year.

While various Celebrity ships have called in or sailed out of British ports on an occasional basis for some time, Celebrity is using one of its top-of-the-line ships for its first real foray into the British market. UK passengers who have tried Celebrity have rated the experience well. Also, sister company RCI is now well-known in the UK. The latter fact is a bit of a two-edged sword as the Celebrity style of cruising is much different than the RCI style. Nonetheless, I think that Eclipse should do well in the UK if the word can get out about its sophisticated yet relaxed style. Both Cunard and Princess have followings in the UK and Celebrity combines elements of both of those companies’ styles as well as adds elements of its own.

The naming ceremony took place in the midst of the disruption caused by the Icelandic volcano. Flights had been cancelled all over Europe, leaving travelers stranded for days. Eclipse was scheduled to do a short promotional cruise for press and travel agents prior to the naming ceremony. However, Celebrity decided to cancel the promotional cruise and to have the ship ferry travelers who were stranded in the UK to Spain and then bring some 2,000 British stranded travelers home. She did so and arrived back in Southampton, late in the afternoon before the naming ceremony.

Eclipse’s successful rescue mission cast a joyful atmosphere over the naming ceremony. Yes, it had been taxing on the crew but the ship had done something good that was out of the ordinary and which was widely appreciated. Thus, the ceremony was not just a corporate event but an actual celebration. I’ve put together a photo essay on the naming ceremony along with excerpts from the remarks of the various speakers. It is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Eclipse-art-naming.html

One of the nice things about ship naming ceremonies is that one has access to the cruise line’s senior executives. Along this line, I have put together an article in which Dan Hanrahan President and CEO of Celebrity talks not just about Eclipse but about the Celebrity fleet in general as well as the UK and other markets the line serves or plans to serve. It is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-art-Hanrahan.html

Photo Essays of Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria

I have just returned from a series of cruises over in Europe. Since the purpose of my trip was to see ships, I decided to go to Europe by ship. Accordingly, I booked two transatlantic voyages on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2.

This turned out to be a quite fortuitous choice. On the day I left for Europe, the volcanic eruptions in Iceland closed down the airways and they remained closed for the better part of a week and it was difficult to get a flight for sometime thereafter. If I had chosen to fly, I would have missed at least the first and maybe more of my European cruises.

In addition to avoiding the difficulties associated with flying these days, QM2 is a delightful experience. There is always something going on. On this particular voyage there was a group of jazz musicians from Julliard both performing and answering questions. There were also talks on politics, history and astronomy given by various professors that were intellectually stimulating. Then there are the dinners and receptions given in the grand style.

When we arrived at the eastern end of the crossing in Southampton, England, we found that Cunard’s Queen Victoria was also in port. Although somewhat smaller than QM2 (90,0000 gross tons vs. 150,000), QV is an impressive ship. She also carries forward the prestige and history of the Cunard Line.

There are many ship enthusiasts living in and around Southampton who come out on a regular basis to see the seemingly ever-growing number of cruise ships that call in Southampton . However, the presence of two Cunard Queens in the port is enough to draw people from all over England. Indeed, Blue Funnel Line, which runs tours of the harbor was able to fill three tour boats with Cunard fans.

It was a beautifully clear but cold day and the air was crystal clear. Consequently, the conditions for photographing the ships were excellent. I have posted a photo essay showing the ships at their berths and then as they got underway. It is at http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-TwoQueens.html

The return voyage westbound across the Atlantic a month later also had a special ending. Due to an accident involving another ship, the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal where QM2 usually docks could not accommodate the great ocean liner. As a result, midway across the Atlantic it was announced that QM2 would be docking at Pier 90 in Manhattan rather than in Brooklyn.

This caused a frenzy of activity as Cunard employees both onshore and on the ship worked to avoid any inconvenience to passengers that could have resulted due to the change in destination. However, it also caused enthusiastic expectations amongst the passengers.

Most of the great ocean liners of the past docked in Manhattan. Indeed, for some four decades, when she came to New York, Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) docked at the very pier that QM2 would be docking at.

Aside from history, docking in Manhattan requires a ship to sail up the Hudson River as the world famous New York skyline unfolds in spectacular fashion. As it turned out, it was a clear Spring day and the soft light of dawn colored the City as QM2 made her way to her berth.

I have put together a photo essay which shows some of the sights that the passengers experienced on this unforgettable journey. http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-Manhattan.html

Photo Tour and Profile of Carnival Destiny

Last time, I noted that Beyondships now profiles all of the Carnival Cruise Lines ships that were derived from the design of Carnival Destiny. However, cruise ships like people, change over time and so one has to revisit them every so often in order to keep up to date. What better place to start than the ship that started it all - - Carnival Destiny.

Destiny was the first cruise ship larger than 100,000 gross tons. This size enabled Carnival to offer features not found in other cruise ships including Carnival’s own ships. In addition, the economies of scale allowed Carnival to offer good quality at an affordable price.

Destiny has not stood still. Over time new features have been added to her. Most recently this has included a 270 square foot LCD screen over the main pool area and the addition of a mini-golf course. Thus, while Destiny is no longer the world’s largest cruise ship, she remains a viable competitor doing four and five-day cruises out of Miami.

Beyondships profile of Carnival Destiny is at: http://beyondships.com/CarnivalDestiny-profile.html and the photo tour begins at http://beyondships.com/CarnivalDestiny-Tour-1.html

Profile and Photo Tour of Carnival Liberty

With the addition of Carnival Liberty, Beyondships now has profiles of all of Carnival Cruise Lines’ ships that have grown out of the design first introduced with Carnival Destiny. This includes the Destiny, Triumph, Conquest, Splendor and Dream classes - - 10 ships in all

I did not plan for Carnival Liberty to be the last, it just worked out that way. Liberty was just the last one I encountered.

She entered service in 2005 and was the fourth of the Conquest-class. It is a good design that has worked well for Carnival and for its guests. There is a variety of public rooms and facilities, which offer guests real options on where to go and what to do.

While the general layout of the Conquest class ships is the same, they are not cookie cutters. Architect Joe Farcus always develops the interiors of the Carnival ships around a unifying idea. The idea is unique to each ship. For Carnival Liberty, he decided to pay tribute to “great artisans and their works.” This is a broad theme and so the theme is not as apparent as one walks through Liberty. However, the result is an interior that is perhaps more subtle than some of her fleetmates.

One of the things that stands out in my mind about Carnival Liberty was the friendliness of the crew. Of course, it all depends upon who you encounter as well as the circumstances but on Carnival Liberty, everyone I spoke with seemed nice and was helpful. The friendliness of the crew helps to create a ship’s personality but the ship’s personality also affects whether a crew is friendly.

Beyondships’ profile of Carnival Liberty is at: http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalLiberty-Profile.html The multi-page photo tour and commentary begins at: http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalLiberty-Tour-1.html

NCL's Great Stirrup Cay Photo Tour

Great Stirrup Cay is Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas. It acts as a port of call for NCL ships on Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries.

This island was one of the first private islands developed by the major cruise lines and it has a unique atmosphere. One gets the feeling that this is what it must be like to be on an island that someone owns rather than being at a Bahamian resort. It is more of a beachcomber style.

A day at Grand Stirrup begins with a ride from the ship to the island in a landing craft that once served as a tender for the legendary SS Norway. Upon arriving at the island, the front ramp drop down and one steps onto the beach as in a John Wayne movie.

Of course, there are no enemy bullets flying. Rather, there is the friendly crew to greet you. They have come over from the ship earlier to set up the beach barbeque and the various bars.

Not far away is the beach area and many passengers dash there to secure a deck chair in a prime location. The beach is sandy and the water is sheltered by a rocky spit of land.

Sitting by the beach is not the only thing to do. There are some hammocks in amongst the palm trees and some deck chairs in the shade. For the more active, there is snorkeling, parasailing and a giant inflatable water slide. One can also get away from the crowd by following the nature trail into some of the undeveloped parts of the island. (Be careful, the rocks can be slippery). There is also an eco-boat tour during which naturalists talk about the island’s environment and point out examples of the wildlife.

Then, as mentioned earlier, one can enjoy a barbeque lunch - - hamburgers, hot dos, pizza, salads, desserts etc. - - at a picnic table under the palms. Or one can sit on the deck of the main bar and watch the sea lap onto the rocky shore. .

Recently, NCL has announced plans to revitalize Great Stirrup. Several of these new improvement projects are already underway and some have even been completed. At the end of the project the island will be more resort-like and have more facilities for passengers. For example, there will be a new marina with boats and jet skis as well as a place for tenders to dock.

Beyondships’ multi-page photo tour of Great Stirrup Cay begins at: http://www.beyondships.com/NCL-GreatStirrupCay.html