As I boarded the Celebrity Eclipse in Southampton two words reverberated from the British passengers around me. Brilliant and stylish. The wow factor is exactly what Celebrity Cruises is striving for on Eclipse. But before the line’s newest ship carried any paying passengers it was called to carry out a mission like no other.

To the rescue

Eclipse didn’t set out to be a hero ship on its first cruise with passengers, but that’s just what happened right after it left the shipyard. The vessel’s late April inaugural celebrations were put on hold to participate in a unique and unprecedented rescue mission. Eclipse sailed to Bilbao, Spain to pick up more than 2,000 British tourists stranded by the shutdown of European airspace following the Icelandic volcano eruption.

Simon Weir, Eclipse’s hotel director noted that a party at that time was frivolous. “We had a window of opportunity to do something extraordinary – we had to help out.” And, boy did they. Rescued tourists traveled back to England in the lap of luxury onboard the 122,000-ton, 2,850-passenger Eclipse. Weir said many rescued travelers told him Eclipse was far better than the land-based vacation they had in Spain and were sold on sailing the ship for their next vacation.

Eclipse is easy on the eyes

The line hit a homerun with the launch of Celebrity Solstice two years ago and Eclipse carries on the captivating qualities. Like its two sister ships (Solstice and Equinox) the big appeal is the seamless blending of differing characters throughout the ship. Passengers who have been on the aforementioned sister ships will find themselves in familiar territory. Eclipse offers The Lawn Club, with real, growing grass; The Hot Glass Show, a glassblowing show and studio developed with The Corning Museum of Glass; 10 dining venues, along with vast entertainment offerings including shows with breathtaking aerial acts. But there are some interesting new additions and changes.

There are some cosmetic differences with the interior color scheme, artwork, and various refinements that make the ship even smarter and improve the overall guest experience. One very welcomed change is the modification of the entrance area to the AquaSpa that separates the spa reception area from the entrance to the gym. The previous design had guests funneling through the spa reception area to get to the gym.

Tweaks in the design aside, it’s the new offerings onboard that are making this ship better than its predecessors. The most unique addition is Qsine, a new restaurant by Jacques Van Staden, Celebrity’s vice president of culinary operations. Qsine turns the dining experience upside down—literally. The quirky venue is enveloped in avant garde décor, furniture, and large table lamps hanging upside down from the ceiling. Even the menu presentation is gimmicky – diners are given Apple iPads with descriptions of the main menu offerings and the desert menu is a paper cube that you unfold to find the selections. The menu features childhood favorites with contemporary touches served in small portions. It’s all-you-can-eat for the $30 cover charge.

The food was delicious and a lot of fun. The menu selection called Crunchy Munchies is an assortment of fried items presented in a paper cone. Sushi lollipops are served on a stick. Spring rolls are presented in vertical springs. An assortment of three cold soups is served in test tubes with a straw. Popcorn fish and chips were served in a red-and-white popcorn box. Other options include Kobe sliders, ceviche, tacos, and lobster and escargot fritters.

Another new feature on Eclipse is the Celebrity iLounge, a hip computer center stocked with Apple products, including 26 MacBook Pros. The ship also is authorized to sell Apple products as well as offer classes on how to use them. The iPhone/iTouch classes onboard were standing room only. Clearly a big hit.

Celebrity targets landlubbers

Weir tells me that Celebrity no longer competes with other cruise lines but with the great hotels of the world like the Bellagio. “We’re not just an American product, but an International one and we will adapt to sailing in differing regions,” added Weir.

Celebrity is targeting the cosmopolitan, upscale resort crowd and the Solstice-class ships like Eclipse are the perfect bait. It’s a large ship with a lot of passengers, abundant space, yet it’s still intimate and rarely feels hectic or crowded. Best of all it manages to be two things that many cruise ships aren’t these days — to be exhilarating and classy at the same time.

If you go:

Celebrity Eclipse cruises its inaugural season with sailings from Southampton with various cruises ranging from 14-night Baltic and Mediterranean sailings that begin at $1,913 per person. On October 31, the ship will sail a transatlantic voyage to Miami, Florida, where it will begin a series of alternating 7- night Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages through April 2011. Prices begin at $649 per person. All aforementioned prices are based on inside staterooms, double occupancy. Visit Celebrity Cruises Web site for more details.

Cruise ships are romantic, that’s for sure. The combination of a sea breeze and starry nights seems to send Cupid reeling. And while love is in the air, cruise lines are going all-out to entice couples to lure love to the seas.

Here are the top five most romantic onboard experiences.

SeaDream Yacht Club’s Balinese beds

Imagine spending the night under the stars. You can on SeaDream Yacht Club’s two vessels. SeaDream offers “Balinese DreamBeds,” amazing queen-size loungers found on Deck 6. Raised above the height of the yacht’s railings, they provide unobstructed views of the ocean. This is the perfect place to sunbathe, read, look out to sea or just snooze. And, should a couple wish to spend the night al fresco, SeaDream’s staff will supply pillows and a cozy duvet. Now that’s a good night.

Disney Cruise Line – Villa for two

Surprisingly, the giant mouse boats offer a spa haven for romantic couples. The Vista Spa on the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder feature amazing spa villas. You won’t find these on any other cruise ship. These three villas come complete with an indoor spa treatment suite which is connected to a private outdoor veranda with personal hot tub, open air shower and luxurious chaise lounge. Couples can indulge in three-hour “Villa For Two” package that incorporates a long dip in the Jacuzzi, massages, and a relaxing post-treatment tea time or champagne all while watching the sunset – complete bliss!

Windstar dining in

Windstar offers an in-room “Romance Dinner” with an aphrodisiac menu served in elegant style. It includes such tantalizing presentations as “Rack of Lamb under a Blanket of Sun-Dried Love Apples, Seduced by a Rosemary-Garlic-Mint Sauce.” Top it off with a dessert called “Fantasy of Fresh Strawberries Caressed by Decadent Chocolate Ganache with Kisses of Chantilly Cream Aroused with Pernod.” Dinner comes with an iPod Nano cued to romantic music, which plays through the stateroom’s Bose SoundDock speakers. There is no additional charge for the dinner.

The line also offers a “Romance Under Sail” package with a range of options like chilled champagne and chocolate-dipped fruit and breakfast in bed followed by a couple’s massage in the spa. Clearly, Windstar has a recipe that will keep the “Do Not Disturb” sign up on the stateroom door for a long time.

Princess Cruises – “The Love Boats”

They don’t call these ships the “Love Boats” without good reason. Princess offers an “Engagement Under the Stars” package that creates a multimedia marriage proposal to remember. Regular Joes can become Cruising Casanovas when they pop the question to their unsuspecting bride-to-be with a personal proposal videocast on the ship’s giant outdoor “Movies Under the Stars” movie screen. Afterwards, the crew will shower the happy couple with a special romantic dinner, amenities and keepsake items to help them remember the occasion.

For couples looking to recapture a little romance on vacation the line offers a number of options. There is the Romance-By-Room-Service menu that includes champagne and chocolate, scattered rose petals and candlelight, all set to romantic music. For couples staying in staterooms with a veranda there’s the “Ultimate Balcony Dinner” where couples get their own waiter and a table beautifully decked out in crisp linens, flowers, silver, crystal and china. Dine on lobster, filet mignon to name a few. For couples, Princess certainly lives up to their “Escape Completely” motto.

Star Clippers swashbuckling romance

Each time the Royal Clipper slips its mooring and sets sail for new shores, the traditional Star Clippers send-off awakens in its passengers a sense of adventure and romance. Based on the last tall ship of its kind, Preussen, which was launched in 1902, the 227-passenger Royal Clipper is the world’s only five-masted, fully rigged sailing ship, and the largest in the Star Clipper fleet. With 42 sails and open teak decks, the ship is a sight to behold.

Couples wanting to get in touch with their swashbuckling side can crawl out onto the ship’s bowsprit net for some private cuddling. The bowsprit is like a giant hammock hanging 30 feet above the sea where couples can relax and gaze up at the ship’s sails and the changing colors of the sky.

For couples ready for romance, the cruising world is definitely ready for you.