A Celebrity Catches Some Sun
Celebrity Equinox saw daylight for the first time Saturday, June 6, during her official “docking out” from Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. The 1,425-guest ship is the second in Celebrity’s widely heralded Solstice Class fleet.
Celebrity Equinox will sail from Papenburg down the River Ems June 19 or 20, depending on the winds and tides, and following various provisioning activities, sea trials and inspections, will host a series of invitation-only special events for press, travel agents and consumers from Southampton, England, from July 23 until entering service July 31. Celebrity Equinox will present a series of “Ancient Empires” and other European itineraries from Southampton and Rome this summer, followed by 10- and 11-night “Ultimate Caribbean” cruises from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., beginning in November.
The next Solstice class ship scheduled for delivery as part of the 5 ship order is the Celebrity Eclipse due out in 2010 with the yet unnamed #4 scheduled for 2011 and #5 in 2012.
Location, Location, Location
Important in business, real estate and even on cruise ships. How can you make sure that you pick the best location in your chosen stateroom category? A good answer for this question is to view the ship’s deck plans in the cruise line brochure or on the web. While the plans are often not exactly to scale and cabin size is not always in proportion to the drawings there are a few things that are very helpful. First, locate your cabin on the plan and then look up, down, left, right, and forward of your cabin. What’s there? And knowing what to look for can help you avoid a less-than-ideal stateroom.
Ok, so here’s the short list:
Look for elevators and staircase exits near your stateroom. (Some people love to be close to everything so this might be a positive feature but with activity comes noise)
Look up. Oops! A basketball court, jogging track or day pantry might result in the wakeup call you did not ask for.
Look Down. Is the bandstand for one of the show lounges right below your room? Even with good sound proofing there is a chance for ambient noise.
Look across the hall. Is there a room service pantry shown or other service area. A potentially busy area to avoid.
Look Right and Left. If you are at the end of a hallway, make sure that the disco or other high energy lounge is not adjacent. Avoid hallways that lead to these lounges unless you are a night owl. Late night revelers sometimes carry on with the partying outside your door.
The good news is that modern cruise ships have been designed with passenger comfort in mind and the architects strive to develop a deck plan that confines public rooms and lounges to areas far from the staterooms. A little advance review of the deck plans and the advice of a good cruise specialist can help deliver an extra measure of peace and quiet in your stateroom.
And please don’t slam your door in the morning when you get up for early risers’ coffee. Those partiers next door are still sleeping. Then again. . . . .
