Celebrity Cruises

Summary

Typical Per Diems: $80-$150

Constellation sails the Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale (winter).

Infinity sails Alaska from Seattle (summer) and the Panama Canal from Fort Lauderdale & San Diego (spring & fall).

Millennium sails the Caribbean from Miami (fall & winter) from San Juan (winter); Alaska from Vancouver & Seward (summer); and the Panama Canal from San Juan (spring), from San Diego (fall).

Summit sails the Caribbean from San Juan (winter); Bermuda from Cape Liberty, NJ (summer); and New England/Canada from Cape Liberty, NJ (fall).

Time was, these ships were it: bigger than the line's first generation of megaships (the Century class), with bigger spas and theaters, more veranda cabins, more dining options, more shopping, more lounges, and more sports and exercise facilities -- plus more of the same great service, cuisine, and high-style onboard art. Then Celebrity Solstice happened, and the bar got a lot higher -- but don't count these ships out yet. Already very lovely and full of onboard options, they are, at this writing, about to be "Solstice-ized," receiving multimillion-dollar refurbishments designed to add some of the most attractive features of the Solstice class. When all's said and done, each ship will have a new Tuscan Grille steakhouse restaurant, a new Bistro on Five casual creperie and comfort food eatery, a new Martini Bar with permafrost bar top, a new vodka-and-caviar tasting bar, and a new Café al Bacio & Gelateria, replacing the Millennium ships' Cova Café. Additionally, staterooms and public areas will be restyled to reflect the Solstice class's more sleek lines and understated color palate. Constellation should already have received her Solstice-izing by the time you read this. Infinity and Summit are scheduled to get theirs in 2011, with Millennium finishing out the process in 2012. We've included the new features in the write-up below based on our experience of them on the Solstice-class ships, but note that they might not all be installed yet when you sail.

Cabins

Standard inside (170 sq. ft.) and outside (170-191 sq. ft.) cabins are roomy and come with a small sitting area, stocked minifridge, TV, safe, ample storage space, cotton robes, a hair dryer, and shower-mounted shampoo dispensers. Only thing missing? Individual reading lights above the beds, though there are table lamps on the nightstands.

Premium and Deluxe staterooms have slightly larger sitting areas and approximately 40-square-foot verandas. The 12 Family Ocean View staterooms in the stern on Panorama, Sky, and Vista decks measure in at a very large 271 square feet and have two entertainment centers with TVs/VCRs, a partitioned sitting area with two convertible sofa beds, and very, very, very large 242-square-foot verandas facing the ship's wake.

Passengers booking the ConciergeClass staterooms on Sky Deck get a bunch of cushy extras, from a bottle of champagne to a choice of pillows, upgraded bedding, oversize towels, double-thick Frette bathrobes, priority for just about everything (dining, shore excursions, luggage delivery, embarkation, and debarkation), and cushioned chairs and high-powered binoculars on their 41-square-foot balconies. Unfortunately, many of those balconies (as well as those attached to several Deluxe Ocean View cabins at Sky Deck midships) catch a little shadow from the overhanging deck above. Hint: Several ConciergeClass cabins on the Sky Deck (9038 and 9043) and Panorama Deck (8045 and 8046) have extralarge verandas at no extra cost. Ask your travel agent.

Suites provide 24-hour butler service and come in four levels, from the 251-square-foot Sky Suites with balconies to the eight 467-square-foot Celebrity Suites (with a dining area, separate bedroom, two TV/VCR combos, and a whirlpool bathtub, but no verandas) and the 538-square-foot Royal Suites (also with a separate living/dining room, two TV/VCR combos, a standing shower and whirlpool bathtub, and a huge 195-sq.-ft. veranda with whirlpool tub). At the top of the food chain, the massive Penthouse Suites measure 1,432 square feet and have herringbone wood floors, a marble foyer, a computer station, a Yamaha piano, and a simply amazing bathroom with ocean views and a full-size hot tub. And did we mention a 1,098-square-foot veranda that wraps around the stern of the ship and features a whirlpool tub and full bar?

Passengers requiring use of a wheelchair have a choice of 26 cabins in several categories, from Sky Suites to balcony cabins to inside staterooms.

Dining Options

The main dining rooms are beautiful two-level spaces with huge stern-facing windows, oversize round windows to port and starboard, and a dramatic central double staircase. Summit's dining room boasts a 7-foot Art Deco bronze of the goddess Athena, which once overlooked the grand staircase on the legendary SS Normandie ocean liner. (She resided for years near the pool at Miami's Fontainebleau Hotel before Celebrity bought her and returned her to sea.)

The real pièce de résistance on these ships, however, is their alternative, reservations-only restaurants, which provide dining experiences unmatched on any other ship today. Millennium's is the Edwardian-style Olympic restaurant, whose decor features several dozen handcarved French walnut wall panels made by Palestinian craftsmen for the A La Carte restaurant on Titanic's sister ship Olympic, which sailed from 1911 to 1935. Infinity's SS United States restaurant has etched-glass panels from the 1950s liner of the same name, which still holds the transatlantic speed record for a liner. Summit's Normandie restaurant has original gold-lacquered panels from the smoking room of the legendary Normandie. The Constellation's Ocean Liners restaurant has artifacts from a variety of luxury liners, including sets of original red-and-black lacquered panels from the 1920s Ile de France, which add a whimsical Parisian air. Dining here is a 2- to 3-hour commitment, with some 100 guests served by a gracious staff of more than 20, including eight dedicated chefs, six waiters, five maitre d's, and four sommeliers. Waiters remove domed silver dish covers with a flourish, exceptional cheeses are offered postmeal, and a pianist or a piano/violin duo performs period music.

Cuisine here is a combination of Continental specialties mixed with original recipes from the ships the restaurants are named after -- the original Waldorf Pudding recipe from the White Star Liner Olympic, for instance, served in Millennium's Edwardian-style Olympic restaurant, or the Long Island duckling featured on the original SS United States. Appetizers include creamy lobster broth, tartare of salmon garnished with quail eggs, and goat cheese soufflé with tomato coulis, followed by entrees such as sea bass brushed with tapenade, scampi flambéed in Armagnac, and rack of lamb coated with mushroom duxelles and wrapped in a puff pastry. Some flambéed dishes are cooked table side. For dessert, you can't go wrong with a chocolate soufflé or a plate of bite-size desserts. You can order a la carte or opt for a set multicourse tasting menu (for $30), with an optional $28 slate of wine pairings. Wines are also available by the glass or bottle.

A second specialty restaurant, the Tuscan Grille, is being added to each ship as part of an ongoing upgrade. Very high style, it offers a menu heavy on steaks and pastas. For something more casual, Bistro on Five serves a menu of specialty crepes, sandwiches, soups, salads, and comfort food entrees.

The huge buffet restaurant on each ship is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with regular buffet selections plus pizza, pasta, and ice-cream specialty stations. Depending on how busy the restaurant is, waiters may carry passengers' trays to their tables and fetch coffee. For fancy snacks, visit Café al Bacio & Gelateria, which serves specialty coffees, teas, fresh-baked pastries, traditional gelatos and Italian ices, and other desserts.

Public Areas

There's simply nothing else at sea like the Grand Foyer atrium, the stunning hub of all four ships. Each rectangular, three-deck area features a translucent, inner-illuminated onyx staircase that glows beneath your feet, plus giant silk flower arrangements and topiaries, oceanview elevators, and an attractive Internet center.

In each ship's bow is an elegant three-deck theater with a warm glow provided by faux torches spaced all around. Seating on all three levels is unobstructed except in the far reaches of the balconies. You'll also find elegant martini, champagne, and caviar bars, as well as brighter, busier lounges for live music. For the real dancing, head up to the stunning observation lounge/disco on the Sunrise Deck. Other rooms include a two-deck library; a large casino; an oceanview florist/conservatory (filled mostly with silk flowers and trees, some of which are for sale); and the huge, high-tech conference center and cinema. Celebrity's signature Michael's Club is a quiet, dignified piano bar replete with a fake fireplace and comfy leather club chairs.

The ships' Emporium Shops have a nice variety of high-end name brands as well as cheap souvenirs.

For kids, the Fun Factory has both indoor and outdoor soft-surface jungle gyms, a wading pool, a ball bin, a computer room, a movie room, an arts-and-crafts area, a video arcade, a teen center, and more. There is no dedicated lounge for teens, though the youth staff does program teen activities at different venues onboard.

Pool, Fitness & Spa Facilities

The spas on the Millennium-class ships are gorgeous and sprawling, their 25,000 square feet taken up with hydrotherapy treatment rooms; New Agey Persian Garden steam suites whose nooks have showers that simulate a tropical rainforest, heated tiled couches, and the aromas of chamomile, eucalyptus, and mint; and large, bubbling thalassotherapy pools with soothing pressure jets in a solarium-like setting under a glass roof. The pool is free to all adult guests, and you can stretch out the experience by grabbing a casual breakfast or lunch at the AquaSpa Café, set back by the seaview windows.

Next door to the spa, there's a very large gym with dozens of the latest machines and free weights, and a large aerobics floor.

Up top, the Sports Deck has facilities for basketball, volleyball, quoits, and paddle tennis. Just below, on the Sunrise Deck, is the ship's jogging track. Below that is the well-laid-out Pool Deck, where you'll find two pools, four hot tubs, a couple of bars, and a sunning area. Head up to the balcony level above the pool, at both the bow and the stern, for quieter sunbathing spots.