Celebrity Plans Bigger Cabins on Future Ships

Celebrity CEO Dan Hanrahan says veranda cabins on the 2,850-passenger Celebrity Solstice, the first of four "Solstice Class" ships that begin launching in December, 2008, will be 15% larger than their counterparts on the line's current vessels.

The 122,000-ton ship, the line's biggest ever, also will have a new category of cabins for spa lovers known as AquaClass. Situated next to the ship's AquaSpa, as Celebrity calls its spas, the cabins will come with unlimited access to the spa relaxation room, aromatherapy and steam room.

Still, perhaps the biggest news is that vacationers who book one of the 130 AquaClass cabins (which make up less than 10% of the 1,425 cabins on the ship) will dine in their very own, exclusive dining room dubbed Blu. That'll make Celebrity the only line besides Cunard that has two classes of dining on its ships (passengers who book Cunard's most expensive cabins have long eaten in separate, more exclusive dining rooms -- a tradition that goes back years at that line).

Unlike on Cunard ships, however, access to Solstice's exclusive restaurant won't be based on how expensive your cabin is, says Hanrahan. Indeed, the AquaClass cabins won't necessarily be the most expensive on board, he says. Instead, the restaurant and AquaSpa cabins taken together offer a package aimed at people with a "spa mindset" who want to focus their vacation on pampering and wellness.

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