Inside Celebrity Eclipse - - talking with the Captain, Hotel Director and Jacques Van Staden

This week we take an inside look at Celebrity Eclipse. Eclipse is Celebrity Cruises latest ship, entering service late last April. She is the third os Celebrity’s critically acclaimed Solstice class ships. These are large ships (122,000 gross tons) but carry only 2,800 passengers. (A mass market ship of the same size would probably carry a thousand more guests). This means that there is more room per passenger and more room for luxurious features and detailing.

It is a firmly held belief of Beyondships that regardless of the physical beauty of a ship and regardless of its features, the quality of a cruise experience depends to a great extent on the people who actually operate the vessel. Accordingly, the site presents interviews with ship’s officers, management and cruise line executives so that you can read what these people have to say about what they are doing with their ships.

To that end, this week the site features three new interviews with key players on Celebrity Eclipse.

First, there is a conversation with the master of Celebrity Eclipse Captain Panagiotis Skylogiannis. Captain Skylogiannis was responsible for bringing not only Eclipse into service but also the first ship in the class Celebrity Solstice into service. He takes great pride in both ships but Eclipse is his personal favorite. My conversation with him is at: http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Eclipse-art-captain.html

Second, Hotel Director Simon Weir is in charge of practically all of the services that touch but the guests’ cruise experience from the accommodations to the entertainment to the dining. He has brought out all three of the Solstice class ships and is able to discuss how the product has evolved. In his view, Eclipse does not really compete with other cruise ships but is comparable to luxury hotels on shore and he seeks to ensure that Eclipse does not come out second best. My conversation with Mr. Weir is at: http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Eclipse-art-HD.html

Third, Jacques Van Staden is the celebrity chef who in 2007 left that world in order to become Vice President of Food and Beverage Operations for Celebrity Cruises. In that position he not only oversees the restaurants on the existing Celebrity ships but develops new ideas for dining venues. Celebrity Eclipse debuted the latest of his ideas, a revolutionary restaurant called Qsine. This dining venue differs from all other cruise ship specialty restaurants in its menu, presentation and décor, combining the familiar with the unexpected. Chef Van Staden talks about Qsine at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Eclipse-art-VanStaden.html

Celebrity Constellation

On my most recent Caribbean trip, there were three days where I was in various ports with Celebrity Constellation. This gave me the opportunity to do some additional photos of this beautiful ship coming into and out of port and to add some photos to my existing photo tour of the ship. The new photos are posted at http://beyondships.com/Celebrity-Constellation-Caribbean.html.

Constellation is the fourth and most recent ship in Celebrity Cruises Millennium class. Built in France, she entered service in 2002. Technologically, the ship is rather advanced with pod propulsion and gas turbine engines. (With the cost of fuel spiraling upwards, the Millennium class ships are being retrofitted with an additional diesel engine for use primarily while the ships are in port).

At 90,228 gross tons, Constellation is a large ship. However, with more and more mega-cruise ships of over 100,000 tons entering service, the Millenniums are at the large end of the mid-sized range of cruise ships. They are similar in size to Holland America's Vista-class ships and to Cunard's new Queen Victoria.

For some unexplainable reason, certain ships, even though they are identical to the other ships in their class, generate an affection and a following that their sisters do not seem to share. Constellation is such a ship. While the other Millennium class ships are popular and have their fans, Constellation seems to be a special ship.

Inside Constellation is quite striking. Her interior is elegant and sophisticated in a contemporary sort of way. The lobby atrium hearkens back to the art deco style of legendary ships such as the Normandie.

The lifestyle on board is also sophisticated. Celebrity attracts many travelers who have cruised before and who are looking for more sophistication than is found on the typical mass market cruise ship. At the same time, while there are formal nights, the atmosphere is more casual than on the other premium lines.