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.

Equinox is truly an appropriate name for Celebrity Cruises latest Solstice-class ship. Twice a year, the equinox marks a near-perfect balance between length of day and night across the planet, and the Celebrity Equinox offers cruise travelers an excellent balance of size, style, efficiency, and quality.

Here comes the sun

Carrying 2,850-passengers, the 122,000-ton Equinox is the second in a series of five “Solstice-class” ships. The vessel offers all the seagoing firsts of the Celebrity Solstice: a half-acre Lawn Club with real grass and full-time groundskeeper and the Hot Glass Show presented in collaboration with The Corning Museum of Glass.

Other favorite features are here, too, including AquaClass spa rooms, 10 restaurants (including a creperie and Asian fusion venue); a beautiful spa and large gym with expansive sea views; whispy resort-like pool spaces including one in a solarium; a vast variety of lounges and bars and wonderful nooks and crannies to relax in. As great as these amenities are it is ship’s style and design that received big raves during its debut in Southampton, UK this week

The interior design of the Solstice-class ships is a world apart from the retro-style favored by the majority of cruise lines – there’s nothing out there nearly as stylish. Those familiar with Solstice will find Equinox an almost identical vessel, albeit with some minor cosmetic changes. Changes onboard Equinox includes more color in the mostly white Silhouette Dining Room, other décor changes include in the Silk Harvest restaurant, Martini Bar, and Equinox Theater, which launched new shows. The Sun Deck has been enlarged and can accommodate 100 more deck chairs. Additionally, minor tweaks have been made to staterooms — safes have been relocated from closets to cabinets to allow for slightly more hanging space.

Equinox showcases a large number of modern works of art, over 500 pieces including several by Roy Lichtenstein. Interestingly a number of art pieces come from the lauded collection that graced the former Celebrity Galaxy. Still, there is one very unique piece that gets more attention than the rest and is a combination of bead and living art. Hanging from the 12-deck atrium is a ficus tree in a sparkling beaded pot that was created by a team of American bead artists. Underneath the pot, attached to the atrium walls is more bead art with the words “Here comes the sun.”

Intrigue and delight
Equinox features 1,426 staterooms, 85 percent of which include a veranda. Each stateroom is equipped with flat-screen TVs with an amazing on demand audio/visual system includes a library of over 5,000 songs, storage and closet space, spacious bathrooms and plush European bedding. The ship offers wireless Internet access throughout.

The popular AquaClass staterooms — 130 in all — designed to offer a soothing, spa-focused ambiance. Located in close proximity to the ship’s two-story “AquaSpa by Elemis,” AquaClass guests will enjoy unlimited access to the spa’s Persian Garden aromatherapy steam room, featuring heated ceramic loungers and the Relaxation Room, which offers panoramic vistas from comfortable lounge chairs. AquaClass guests also enjoy unlimited, complimentary access to the ship’s exclusive, Mediterranean-influenced specialty restaurant, Blu.

Celebrity may have topped itself with the introduction aboard Equinox of a “24-Karat Gold Facial.’’ The treatment uses an alchemy of expert touch, medicinal plants, Rose Quartz and a pure 24-karat gold leaf mask to speed up cell renewal. Guests who experience it will also be able to enjoy a special cocktail inspired by the treatment itself. The “Golden Kiss Martini” features Golden Supreme vodka, cucumber juice, agave syrup and lemon juice, muddled with fresh mint.

With the launch of the new ship, Celebrity started “Celebrity Life,” a series of enrichment programs that encompasses three distinct program categories: “Savor,” “Discover,” and “Renew.” Programs include learning a new language with Rosetta Stone to courses that teach guests to use their iPod through Celebrity’s “digITal” series. – there is literally something to interest everyone on board. The program will be rolled out across the fleet by November.

Like Solstice, Equinox is going green by utilizing 216 solar panels throughout the ship. The energy collected then becomes part of the ship’s power grid — enough to operate 7,000 of the vessel’s 25,000 energy efficient LED lights.

If you go:
Celebrity Equinox begins its inaugural season with a cruise to the Norwegian Fjords on July 31 out of Southampton. Other departures from Southampton include a 10-night “Best of Europe” itinerary to Rome. Then ship will then sail a series of 13-and14-night “Ancient Empires” cruises through October, featuring two new ports of call: Haifa and Ashdod, Israel. These voyages also include an overnight stay in Alexandria, Egypt. Fares for 13- and 14-night cruises begin at $2,099 per person. On November 5, the ship will sail a transatlantic voyage to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where it will begin a series of alternating 10- and 11-night “Ultimate Caribbean” voyages through April 2010. Prices begin at $1,199 per person. All aforementioned prices are based on inside staterooms, double occupancy. Visit Celebrity Cruises Web site for more details.

Cunard’s Queen Victoria hit a quay in Malta Wednesday morning, causing damage to the stern of line’s newest ship. The incident occurred while the vessel was trying to dock during its maiden call in Malta.

Cunard said that the extent of damage to the stern area was assessed and repairs would take overnight, which would delay the ship’s departure from Malta. The delay meant that the ship’s next port of call at La Goulette, Tunisia, would be cancelled. After Malta the ship’s next call will be Gibraltar on Saturday. Cunard said it would compensate the 1,887 guests onboard for the disruption to their voyage.

Queen Victoria is on a 14-day Mediterranean cruise that left Southampton, England, on May 6, and is expected to return as scheduled to Southampton on May 20.

Highland pipers and Celtic dancers led the celebrations as Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas was christened April 30 in Southampton, United Kingdom, its homeport for the summer months. Richard Fain, the cruise line’s chairman, called the ship ”the largest, most innovative cruise ship ever to sail from these shores.”

Royal Caribbean’s decision to inaugurate and homeport its newest and largest vessel in the UK is a testament to the growing strength of the local market. Several years ago when Freedom of the Seas was introduced in Southampton, sales increased by 280 percent for the company. The UK is now the line’s second largest market behind the U.S.

What’s new

As the third Royal Caribbean Freedom-class ship, Independence is pretty much a cookie-cutter version of its sisters, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas. But there are differences.

With the ship operating from Southampton and drawing mostly British customers, some service changes were made. These include the addition of kettles for tea and coffee in all staterooms, the heating of outdoor pools and the inclusion of some British-style entertainment.

Another difference is the ship’s 6,500 piece, $7.7 million art collection, which is themed on how the masters continue to influence today’s artists. Nevertheless, the one piece getting the most attention is Kylix — a gigantic golden bowl with two handles that soars over the Royal Promenade. Created by artist Larry Kirkland, it was inspired by the ancient Athenian artist Exekaias and recreates a wine-drinking cup decorated with a scene from the Greek god Dionysus.

Perhaps the biggest and most important change on the vessel is that it will burn 6 percent less fuel than its sister ships. Royal Caribbean says the reduction in fuel consumption is made possible thanks to new “foul release coating” technology along with new construction techniques that pared down rivets on the ship’s hull all of which reduce water resistance.

Comfy quarters

Artwork and technology aside, Independence’s guests will greatly appreciate their comfy quarters during their cruise. As with all Freedom-class ships, Independence offers several cabin categories, ranging from inside cabins to suites. Of the 1,817 staterooms, 842 have private balconies and 172 have promenade views. All cabins are compact but very cozy beds offer thick pillow-top mattresses, fluffy pillows, and duvets. Additionally, each stateroom has a flat-screen television, mini-bar, ample storage space, a large closet with lots of hangers and a bathroom with a shower stall.

The balconies on standard veranda staterooms are larger and deeper than most cruise ships and offer chairs and table for al fresco relaxation. The top of the line Presidential Suite is 1,215 square feet and offers four bedrooms and four baths and there is an additional 800-square-foot balcony with a whirlpool, bar and dining area.

Lots to do

Independence has more facilities than a small town. There’s an ice rink, a nine-hole miniature golf course, a 43-foot-high rock-climbing wall and a full-size boxing ring. There are three pools, a full-size water park, the wave-generating FlowRider for surfing, and two cantilevered whirlpools that are suspended 112 feet above the ocean.

Passengers can also visit the Royal Promenade, a 445-foot boulevard for shopping, dining and entertainment that looks like an atrium mall and hosts nightly street parades with performers, music and a laser light show. And for fitness buffs, Independence’s large fitness-and-spa center offers many options for rejuvenation and refreshment.

Those who like to take their entertainment sitting down can visit the enormous casino or listen to the live bands that can be found in various venues around the ship. There is also a theater with excellent professional entertainment. Not to be missed is the ship’s nightly ice show with professional figure skaters.

Dining decadence

As befits a ship this size, there are many dining options. There is a Johnny Rockets hamburger joint near the pool deck, and the Royal Promenade hosts a Seattle’s Best Coffee cafe, a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop, the Dog and Badger pub, and Sorrento’s pizzeria. The ship offers the usual two nightly seatings, with assigned tables and tablemates, in its three-deck-high main restaurant; each level is named for a famous Shakespeare play (King Lear, Romeo & Juliet, and Othello).

For those wishing to dine on buffet fare, there is Windjammer Café, the ship’s buffet venue. It is arranged like a food court, which really helps to keep the passenger traffic flowing. There are three additional dining venues within Windjammer Café: Jade, serving Asian-fusion cuisine; Chops Grille, serving steaks and seafood; and Portofino, serving Italian fare (Chops and Portofino require reservations and have a $20 cover charge.)

Passengers who like an active vacation will love Independence of the Seas. It’s a real family ship and there’s literally something for everyone.

If you go

Independence of the Seas will offer 14- and 10-night Mediterranean cruises departing from Southampton for the summer months. In September, Independence will offer 11-night Canary Island cruises from Southampton. In November, the ship will reposition to Fort Lauderdale where it will sail alternate itineraries between the Eastern and Western Caribbean.