The Constellation of Solstice

Since Celebrity Cruises coined the rather ponderous (not to mention downright ugly) word 'Solsticized' in January, we have waited for the full meaning behind it to become evident. At the weekend, guests embarking on Celebrity Constellation in Amsterdam got the full story.

As regular World of Cruising readers (and those who partake of this Blog) will know, the advent of Celebrity's Solstice-class vessels in 2008 brought a new level of big-ship sophistication and style to the premium cruise world, and the line's bigwigs decided that was a good reason to retro-fit a variety of their new ships' features on to their Millennium class vessels. Constellation is the first fruits of these particular labours.

And, following an intensive 15-day dry-dock, the 8-year-old Constellation now boasts some of the most popular venues found on the widely-lauded Solstice Class. These include:

• The tantalising Tuscan Grille steakhouse

• The vibrant creperie, Bistro on Five

• A “cool” new ice-topped Martini Bar

• The inviting Café al Bacio and Gelateria

• Cellarmasters wine bar

Cellarmaster comes complete with Celebrity's state-of-the-art wine serving systems known as “Enomatics,” allowing guests to select and serve wines by the glass, at the touch of a button, while other notable 'Solsticizations' include more sumptuous suites, with all-new furniture, flat-screen TVs, upholstery, bedding and carpeting; restyled staterooms, with entirely new carpeting, flat-screen TVs, upholstery and bedding; and new colour schemes, carpeting and upholstery reflective of the Solstice Class’ stylish, modern design in every public venue.

It all amounts to a dramatic enhancement of a fleet which was already fairly impressive. Or, as Celebrity president and CEO Dan Hanrahan explained: “Our newly-Solsticized Celebrity Constellation is a significant outgrowth of our ‘Designed for you’ brand platform, built around our long-time commitment to identifying and designing what our guests want. By adding Solstice Class features we know our guests love to our already award-winning Millennium Class ships – with the impeccable service our spectacular crew delivers across the entire fleet – we’re confident we have a winning combination, expressly designed for discerning cruisers.”

And, while the marketing spiel, 'outgrowth' and 'brand platform' may be tough to swallow (how about just saying "Our message"?), it definitely serves notice Celebrity intend to be at the forefront of this more stylish version of cruising for some time to come.

* Constellation is the first of the line’s four Millennium-class ships to be “Solsticized.” Infinity and Summit will be similarly refurbished in 2011, followed by Millennium in 2012.

Following her current seven-night Norwegian fjords cruise, Constellation will offer a series of 12-night Scandinavia and Russia cruises, followed by an 8-night Northern Europe and Mediterranean cruise from Amsterdam to Barcelona, where the ship will operate a series of round-trip, seven-night Med voyages, before a 14-night transatlantic voyage departing Barcelona in November for Fort Lauderdale and a winter Caribbean/Panama Canal series.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.