With its newest ship, the Solstice, Celebrity Cruises has set a new standard for ships in the premium category.
Premium is a status level, established by the cruise industry. Premium is higher than budget, mass-marketed cruises (think Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL) and below the luxury brands (think Silver Seas, Seven Seas, Crystal and Seabourn) where cruise prices are out of the range of most travelers. Other premium brands include Holland America and Princess.
A premium brand ship might cost $150 a night per person for two in an outside cabin, while the cost of an outside cabin on a mass-marketed ship might start as low as $100 a night (even lower if you buy your cruise at the right time).
You pay more for a premium ship, expecting a higher level of atmosphere, food and service, and I suspect that Celebrity's competitors will be watching the Solstice closely.
The Celebrity Solstice pool area, above, includes a dancing water game, below.
Because it's a new ship, Solstice will charge more than other premium ships and more than other Celebrity ships -- about 20 percent more said Celebrity's president Dan Hanrahan -- though from travel agents I found an outside cabin on the Solstice in January (2009) starting at about $150 per night (total of about $1,050 for seven nights) and a balcony cabin at less than $200 (total of $1,350 for a 7-night cruise).
Cruise rates place Solstice at $300 - $400 per night for a couple on winter vacation -- pricey but significantly less than the cost of a similar resort vacation when you consider accommodations, meals and entertainment.
A tip from Molyneaux:
If you want to see the best of the Celebrity Solstice, wait a few months. Almost every new ship takes at least that long to get up to top service speed.
For more information on Celebrity Solstice, visit www.celebritycruises.com.
-- David Molyneaux, updated 31 January 2009
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