Cruising – get onboard with Celebrity Cruises

So I wasn’t planning on writing about cruise ships as an event destination quite yet; however, last night I had the opportunity to tour the Celebrity Solstice. Thank you Lenora Perry at Expedia Cruise Ship Center, for the invitation.

Now I confess I’m a fan of Celebrity, but hadn’t seen the Solstice class of ships, so what was my overall impression? WOW! It’s gorgeous! I mean seriously, It’s currently doing the Seattle to Alaska run and I’ve done that trip, it’s both affordable and beautiful. Totally different from say the Caribbean, but really worth the experience. Watching the Hubbard glacier calving huge chunks of ice is an unforgettable experience.

Our tour started outside where we were all required to provide ID, and given a visitors badge. We were broken up into smaller groups, and assigned a staff member to give us our tour. I was fortunate enough to be part of the GM’s group, so his information was thorough. Now that being said, I was too busy checking everything out to catch it all! Ooops!

What I love about Celebrity is that the demographic is in my age group. A little more middle aged, with great lounges, bars and entertainment, including the Captains club, but overall, it’s a mellower and more sophisticated experience, this ship doesn’t offer skating rinks, zip lining, rock climbing walls or wave simulators. I think of it as an adult oriented ship. They are known for their Food (and having experienced it first hand, I agree). It is Modern Luxury with absolutely flexible freestyle dining, which, lets be honest, most of us prefer! I don’t like being told when I have to eat.

That being said, it offers a great kids club and activities that will keep them entertained! From movie night under the stars, silent disco parties, hot glass classes, archery tournaments, cupcake decorating, plus all your port day experiences. Then there’s Camp at Sea, engaging aspiring film directors, artists, chefs, and scientists with customizable programming developed with Xbox, Fat Brain Toys, Lonely Planet, and others. More than 500 cruise activities for kids and teens keeping everyone entertained.

As we toured the ship, I took photos to give you an idea of what to expect. Some are just random shots, but it gives you a feel for the ship, though not the size. It is both beautiful and luxurious (without breaking the bank) and the minute you step aboard, you never want to leave. Celebrity Cruises is just that notch above most other cruise lines in its class. It has a vibrant, and energetic vibe, achieved through their modern styling.

We were shown more than one class of rooms, the higher you go, the more expensive the room. And the higher you go, you move from a window only to a balcony room, the size of the rooms doesn’t change, just the perks. From higher thread count sheets, to priority access. The rooms are pretty spacious, and the beds were Queen size, which can of course be changed to two singles. The bathrooms were a really nice size, two people can function in there, which is exceptional in the world of cruise ships.

They offer options for the following – weddings, reunions, birthdays, or large groups of friends and family. For any group celebration or occasion, they are with you every step of the way. Helping you take the stress out of such a daunting task. They offer both large group cruises (say convention) and event cruises (wedding or family reunion) by making it simple to seamlessly plan and customize your special events. Talk to Lenora at Expedia for more details.

Depending on the size of your group, you can arrange to be seated together in the main dining room, or you can eat in the cafeteria at the buffet. Alternatively you can pre-book, through your group concierge, one of the specialty restaurants. You can even buy out an entire venue.

And I just have to add in a couple more things about the food, having experienced it first hand, the food is always fantastic. Seriously! It’s no wonder that their cuisine and wine program are award winning.

When it comes to Planning an Event – this is what Celebrity says:
– Planning is easy. We handle the details.
– Fine dining, live music and shows, kids programs, fitness center, nightlife, it’s all covered.
– Enjoy perks, like group discounts and points that can earn your group on-board amenities.
– No payment headaches. Each person can pay individually, or as a group.
– Customize it. We can arrange private shore excursions, cocktail hours, or other events just for your group.

Now lets talk about the outer decks. Depending on where you’re travelling, the upper decks are an amazing way to spend the day. What I loved about this class of ship is that they also have this fabulous heated solarium pool and spa. I’m not sure I would leave this space other than to eat!

The very top deck, is filled with loungers, outdoor bars and the very unique upper lawn with private (rentable) cabanas. The views are always spectacular.

So let’s talk some more about weddings onboard Celebrity. Celebrity Cruises offers incredible weddings at sea and they are like no other destination wedding. So if you’re considering getting married onboard, here’s some information. They’ll walk you through every step of the way and help you with all your planning, making it a worry free day.

Starting your marriage at sea with Celebrity Cruises means you know you are putting your wedding in the hands of a reputable company that has expertise in putting together destination weddings during a cruise. Another bonus of having your wedding celebration during a cruise vacation is that you won’t have to worry about where your guests are staying or what they’ll eat or be entertained by on non-wedding days.

It’s also an all-inclusive wedding experience since all components of the wedding can be arranged for you. You’ll find all your professionals onboard, photographers, florists, caterers and DJs or musicians. Celebrity Cruises has highly skilled professionals on board and in port to help make your day look just the way you envision.

There are a variety of ways to celebrate a wedding onboard. For the ceremony, you have options, get married on the ship, either indoors or outside on the deck. You also have the option of choosing a port. Not all options are available in every port and some (like the deck ceremonies) are done on embarkation day.

Wedding and vow renewal packages often include fun perks, such as sparkling wine either before or after you ceremony. You can even invite guests to join you on the ship for your wedding reception even if they aren’t passengers, though this is most common in embarkation ports and is dependent on location. Receptions can be held in private rooms on the ship after the ceremony with food and beverage service and music.

The captain can perform legal marriages and will be the one to officiate if you have your ceremony on the ship. If you’re getting married in port, your ceremony will be conducted by a non-denominational officiate. You’ll need to get a marriage license for the country where you’re getting married, ie. Rome, you’ll need an Italian Marriage license. If you’re exchanging vows on the ship and being married by the captain, you’ll need your marriage license from Malta.

Celebrity offers a great class of service, and their food is spectacular. Their Officers and crew are friendly and professional. And if you’re considering cruising as a group, or plan on celebrating your ceremony/honeymoon onboard, this is probably the least complicated way to group travel.

The destination and the time of year will determine both your choice, and your budget, do you need to fly to your port of departure, or can you drive. Do you have a dream destination in mind? These will be your biggest decisions. Talk to a cruise ship professional, they’ll help, and it won’t cost you anything extra to utilize their expertise.

So while it feels a little random, I hope this tour and information of Celebrity Cruises makes you think about cruising as an option for your destination event! There will be more in the future, but I’ll feature another cruise line.

And if you have a suggestion for a city/country that you’d like me to focus on, please send me a message at maria @ theeventfultraveller. com and I’ll get to it asap.

Please consider sharing and pinning because each share truly helps me out! Thanks – Maria

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