Cruise lines unveil bigger, better ships

By Lena Katz

New giants of the sea have permanently docked at West Coast and East Coast ports in the past six months, each featuring onboard innovations and dining/entertainment upgrades. Check out the latest and greatest from Royal Caribbean and Celebrity — and see if a cruise vacation may make sense in your future.

When Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas cruised into the Port of Los Angeles in late February 2009, the entire county took note. Camera crews documented the ship’s arrival, while the following day, thousands of travel industry professionals and curious civilians drove out to the harbor to view it firsthand.
The largest ship on the West Coast, Mariner of the Seas can hold a total of 3835 guests in its 1557 staterooms. It has three pools, seven restaurants and a seemingly endless array of drinking spots — including the medieval-neon disco lounge Dragon’s Lair, where ship employees and guests bust a move late-night. As the self-styled industry leader in active onboard amenities, Royal Caribbean has outfitted this ship with a lot of sporty extras: a rock-climbing wall, a basketball court, and a miniature golf course.

However, the category that Mariner of the Seas really stands out is entertainment. From the many shops and cafes lining the busy Promenade to the jaw-dropping tricks performed in “Ice Under the Big Top” (seriously, this show beats the sparkly hot pants off any other ice show I’ve ever seen), Royal Caribbean has created a high-energy, family-focused floating resort. Its first itinerary is a Seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise that stops in Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan.

Over on the East Coast, Celebrity debuted the Celebrity Solstice in November. The first in the new Solstice class, this is also the first new ship from Celebrity since 2002. When the class is complete, it will comprise five ships total.

The Solstice can hold 2850 guests, but one of its key talking points is that even when at max capacity, it’s designed to give the impression of asmall, uncrowded ship. There are a lots of little nooks and crannies inside, plus canopied areas and semi-private grottos in the adult pool area and Aqua Spa area. The ship also has its own library and Wi-Fi area, both of which are “quiet” zones. It’s billed as “family-friendly,” as opposed to family-focused.

In a time where saving the environment is a priority for many people, it’s nice to see Celebrity making “green” a priority too. Numerous of their industry-leading onboard innovations are of the eco-friendly bent. There are solar panels for harnessing solar energy, an onboard water purification system, and a system that allows the ship to make its own ice.

On the fun side, Celebrity’s new onboard features include a glass-blowing studio (in partnership with Corning Museum of Glass), a state-of-the-art theater,and a half-acre real grass lawn club on the top deck. The lawn club area hosts bocce, lawn bowling and golf putting. The ship is fully handicap accessible, and 85% of rooms have balconies.

Currently it’s departing from Ft. Lauderdale on a Seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise that travels to San Juan, Puerto Rico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Tortola, BVI, and Labadee, Haiti. Starting in May it will sail on 10- and 11-night Eastern Mediterranean cruises.

In November, the Celebrity Equinox, which is also a Solstice class ship, sails into Fort Lauderdale after spending the first summer of its life in Europe. In winter of 2009 its itinerary will be a 10-night Ultimate Caribbean cruise which will visit St Thomas, St Kitts, Bridgetown, Dominica and St Maarten.

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