The Celebrity Revolution Begins: Celebrity Cruises Brings Entire Fleet to the Edge With $500-Million In Upgrades

This isn’t a makeover, it’s a $500-million game-changer.

Once again, Celebrity Cruises is set to transform the industry with the unveiling of THE CELEBRITY REVOLUTION, a more than $500-million reimagining of the fleet in partnership with more than 500 leading architects, designers, and engineers designed to bring the rest of the brand’s award-winning fleet to theEdge.

“We launched THE CELEBRITY REVOLUTION to do one thing – transform the way our guests experience the world. It began with the introduction of the industry-changing Celebrity Edge, and continued with the stunning Celebrity Flora,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President and CEO, Celebrity Cruises. “Our dedication to improving the way guests experience the world knows no bounds. We are taking our entire award-winning fleet to the edge and giving people the vacation they truly deserve.”

THE SUITE LIFE JUST GOT SWEETER

Transforming the brand’s award-winning ships gave Celebrity the opportunity to bring its already world-class suite experience on board Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Constellation, Celebrity Infinity, and Celebrity Summit to lavish new heights with the help of visionary designer Kelly Hoppen, MBE. She will also infuse the newly added Reflection Suite and Signature Suites (found today on Celebrity Reflection) to Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity Equinox, and Celebrity Silhouette, with her signature style – a subtle, coordinated fusion of East meets West, with clean lines, neutral tones, and a warm, inviting opulence.

“This was a new and exciting challenge to recreate something stylish and luxurious yet totally different from the accommodations that I have designed for Celebrity Edge,” said Hoppen. “I wanted to invoke a feeling of timeless luxury that welcomed guests into their own haven. Your bedroom is where you sleep and where you wake, two of the most important times of day, especially when you are on vacation. It was important to create space, harmony and luxury within a home away from home setting and I think we achieved this balance perfectly.”

With Celebrity Edge, the brand introduced an exclusive new sanctuary for all Suite Class guests called The Retreat. And now, Celebrity is bringing its most luxurious experiences fleet-wide. Every ship will offer The Retreat Sundeck and The Retreat Lounge, both strikingly designed by Hoppen. In imagining The Retreat Sundeck, she has created a chic, open-air hideaway with the feel of a high-end resort, where guests can unwind on plush loungers, sip tantalizing cocktails, and savor refreshing treats. At The Retreat Lounge (formerly Michael’s Club), Hoppen has designed a warm and sophisticated atmosphere.

“REVOLUTIONARY” ACCOMMODATIONS

When redesigning the accommodations, every detail was carefully thought through with guest comfort at the front of mind. Celebrity collaborated with renowned international hospitality design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) to transform the staterooms on board Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Constellation, Celebrity Infinity, and Celebrity Summit, plus the staterooms and many of the suites on board Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Silhouette and Celebrity Reflection into a statement about modern luxury.

“Every detail of our staterooms has been elevated, every comfort refined,” said Brian Abel, Senior Vice President, Hotel Operations, Celebrity Cruises. “By the end of THE CELEBRITY REVOLUTION the entire fleet will have the same quality, design essence, and consistency of modern luxury, bringing our fleet to the edge.”

All staterooms will feature a fresh, chic design, rivaling the world’s best boutique hotels. They will also be fitted with Celebrity’s eXhale bedding featuring exclusive luxurious cashmere mattresses, RFID locks, pervasive Xcelerate and Bluetooth capabilities.

“REVOLUTIONARY” CULINARY

Celebrity is always looking for new ways to open the world, not only through the places the brand visits, but through globally inspired culinary experience, as well.

Guest-favorite restaurant Qsine will be added across the fleet and completely renovated, now offering the brand’s virtual Le Petit Chef experience, created by the world-famous artists of Skullmapping and presented by TableMation exclusively for Celebrity. Oceanview Café will be redesigned with an open, airy, marketplace-inspired design offering guests island after island of international delicacies, while the already-stunning Main Restaurants will undergo a beautiful redesign, with new textures and new finishes added throughout.

EVERY DETAIL IS BEING TAKEN TO THE EDGE

Even more groundbreaking innovations are on the horizon with THE CELEBRITY REVOLUTION, including:

• Expansion of the new SEA Thermal Suite – first introduced on Celebrity Edge – to offer an ahh-inspiring array of therapeutic spa experiences at sea
• Exclusive new shopping experiences featuring sought-after brands and designers, such as Shinola, John Hardy, and Hublot, plus state-of-the-art digital photo galleries that make browsing vacation memories a snap 

• Elevated bars and lounges, including the newly reimagined Passport Bar and an expansion of Celebrity’s popular Gastrobar concept, serving more than 40 craft beers, creative cocktails, and gourmet comfort food 

• More exciting upgrades to public venues all throughout each ship, including The Hideaway, Team Earth, The Library, and more 


The first “revolutionary” revitalization will take place in 2019, beginning with the iconic Celebrity Millennium, and will continue across the fleet through 2023. To learn more about THE CELEBRITY REVOLUTION, visit www.celebritycruises.com/revolution.

About Celebrity Cruises:
Celebrity Cruises' iconic "X" is the mark of modern luxury, with its cool, contemporary design and warm spaces; dining experiences where the design of the venues is as important as the cuisine; and the amazing service that only Celebrity can provide, all created to provide an unmatchable experience for vacationers’ precious time. Celebrity Cruises' 12 ships offer modern luxury vacations visiting all seven continents. Celebrity also presents incredible cruise tour experiences in Alaska and Canada. Celebrity is one of five cruise brands operated by global cruise vacation company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL). For more information, dial 1-800-437-3111, visit www.celebritycruises.com, or call your travel agent.

Windstar Cruises Makes Traveling Light Even Easier With New Luggage Forwarding, Your Home To Their Ships

Luggage Forward Partnership Allows Guests to Say 'Goodbye' to Dragging Bags Through Airports and 'Hello' to Their Bags in Their Suites/Staterooms

World travelers are all too familiar with the "bag drag," the extra hustle and hurdles involved in getting their luggage from home to the great capitals of the globe. Windstar Cruises now offers guests a reprieve from lugging their luggage through airports, navigating customs, and re-checking to a final destination, with the addition of Luggage Forward service. Now, Windstar guests can ship their luggage from their doorstep directly to their ship's accommodation (and home again), transforming the airport trek to traveling light, and they can do it with confidence.

Luggage Forward has more than a decade of experience and is recognized as the premier door-to-door, international luggage shipping service. They provide service to 200 countries and territories worldwide and a team of customs specialists handles all the country-specific paperwork to ensure seamless, on-time delivery. Travelers can track their shipment in real-time as it makes its way toward the ship. It is easy to book the service online, or by calling, and rates are transparent with no hidden fees or charges.

Travelers can take advantage of this new luggage delivery service partnership with total confidence: Bags are guaranteed to arrive safely and on time. Luggage Forward offers the world's first money-back plus $500 on-time guarantee.

"Windstar Cruises is very pleased to add this new luggage forwarding service to our selection of amenities and services," said Windstar President John Delaney. "Our guests are pretty intrepid travelers with well-developed packing skills, but whatever size your bag is, not dragging it through the airport enhances the ease and freedom of your travel experience. We believe this front-door-to-ship accommodation service will be valued by our guests."    

To learn more about authentic small ship cruising with Windstar, contact a travel professional or Windstar Cruises by phone at 877-958-7718, or visit http://www.windstarcruises.com.

SOURCE Windstar Cruises

Cunard Receives 'No. 1 Mega-Ship Ocean Cruise Line' in Travel + Leisure's 2018 World's Best Awards

Luxury cruise line Cunard receives the coveted award for third consecutive year

 Luxury Cruise Company Cunard has merited 'No.1 Mega- Ship Ocean Cruise Line' in Travel + Leisure's 2018 World's Best Awards readers' survey- the third consecutive year that Cunard has received this accolade. Since 1995, the readers of Travel + Leisure, the largest travel magazine brand in the United States, vote on their favorite destinations, hotels, spas, airlines, cruise lines and more in its World's Best Awards survey.

For 178 years, Cunard's three Queens - Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth - have sailed the world on epic voyages, offering effortless and unforgettable ways to experience the world, seamlessly connecting iconic destinations in the utmost style, all with impeccable attention to detail. Cunard holds a unique place in the cruise landscape, continuing a timeless legacy of great ocean liners and transatlantic travel.

"On behalf of Cunard, we are honored to receive the No.1 position by Travel + Leisure's World's Best Award in tBest cruisehe Mega-Ship Ocean Cruise Line Category for the third consecutive year," said Josh Leibowitz, senior vice president, Cunard North America. "Cunard continues to innovate our award-winning guest experience including significant investments in our young fleet, enhanced White Star Service training, and extraordinarily popular event cruises that celebrate the worlds of fashion, astronomy, and genealogy. We are grateful to the readers of Travel + Leisure for recognizing Cunard with this honor."

Since January 2018, Cunard has implemented enhancements to its legendary White Star Service which included innovative retraining for over 3,000 crew and shoreside employees. With today's rapidly evolving society, tastes and needs in mind, Cunard has continued to commit itself to providing its guests an unprecedented level of service at sea.

For more information about Cunard, or to book a voyage, contact your Travel Consultant, call Cunard Line at 1-800-728-6273 or visit www.cunard.com.

For travel agents interested in further information, please contact your Business Development Manager, visit OneSource or call Cunard toll free at 1-800-528-6273.

CunardCunard is the operator of luxury cruise ships Queen Mary 2^®, Queen Victoria^® and Queen Elizabeth^®. Renowned for impeccable White Star Service, gourmet dining and world-class entertainment, all three Queens offer luxury accommodations in Britannia, Britannia Club, Princess Grill Suite and Queens Grill Suite staterooms. Cunard is the only line to offer regularly scheduled Transatlantic service between New York and London, and it continues to celebrate the freedom of travel on exciting World Voyage and Grand Voyage itineraries that visit Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.

Awarded '#1 Mega-Ship Ocean Cruise Line' by Travel + Leisure's 2018, 2017 and 2016 World's Best Awards and 'Best World Cruise Itineraries' and 'Best Trans-Atlantic Itineraries' by Porthole Cruise Magazine's 2016 Readers Choice Awards, Cunard is a proud member of World's Leading Cruise Lines, a part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the largest cruise vacation company in the world. Together Cunard, Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK) operate 102 ships visiting over 700 ports around the world and totaling 226,000 lower berths.

Travelore Cruise News: MSC Cruises Announces Deployment Of MSC Splendida To China As Of May 2018

The high-end and luxurious MSC Yacht Club to be introduced to Chinese Cruisers with arrival of MSC Splendida

Geneva, Switzerland and Beijing- MSC Cruises — the Swiss-based world’s largest privately-owned cruise line and market leader in Europe, South America and South Africa — revealed today that it will deploy MSC Splendida to China as of May 2018. In connection with this, following in the footsteps of the announcement of the opening of the new MSC Cruises office in Shanghai and a new management and operations team based in the region, the Company is taking another key step to further improve its ability to serve the Chinese home market.

Built in 2009, 137,936 GRT MSC Splendida will become one of the largest, most modern cruise ships operating in the region. She features 1,637 staterooms — 76 percent of which feature a balcony — and can accommodate a total of 4,363 guests.

In her new positioning, MSC Splendida will join MSC Lirica, which has been serving to great success the Chinese market since May 2016 and has recently moved her homeport to Tianjin, to serve the thriving North China market during the winter season.

Speaking earlier today at a press conference in Beijing, Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises’ Chief Executive Officer, commented: “Deploying MSC Splendida to the shores of China is a further testimony of our commitment to this key growth market. In fact, since it came into service, MSC Splendida has been the most popular ship for Chinese and other Asian guests cruising the Mediterranean with us.”

“MSC Splendida represents a second, strong step towards meeting the growing demand for our unique product and ultra-modern ships by Chinese guests. She will also undergo significant dry-dock enhancement in late 2017, ahead of her deployment, to further improve and customize her already amazing range of services.”

MSC Splendida will also introduce the MSC Yacht Club to the Chinese market. This is an exclusive, “ship-within-a-ship” high-end concept that is unique to MSC Cruises and is designed for the most discerning guests who desire exclusivity and privacy. Offering a broad range of private facilities, MSC Yacht Club’s guests benefit from exclusive services including a 24-hour personal butler, dedicated concierge reception as well as priority boarding and disembarkation. MSC Splendida will be the only ship to make this high-end offering available to Chinese guests in their home market.

MSC Splendida will visit many popular cruise destinations in China, Japan and Korea. Her itinerary details will be communicated shortly.

To learn more about MSC Splendida and her features, watch the MSC Splendida cruise ship visit video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF-_3C588JA