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When Celebrity Cruises new ship, Century, celebrated its inaugural week
in New York City in December 1995, it created quite a splash. It seems that every
time a new boat sails the seas the offerings onboard get more innovative. This is
the only time in memory that a cruise ship received major attention from art critics
and for good reason. An important collection, 500 works–photographs, paintings, sculptures,
prints and drawings–of modern and contemporary art representing a comprehensive survey
of the most important artists and the major developments in art since the 1960s had
been installed on the interior decks. Celebrity Cruises is the first line to curate
and permanently exhibit a museum at sea of this caliber.
"Celebrity Network," the technology infrastructure operating
in all cabins, is a communications link between passengers and the ship's services.
With the use of a remote control and a television screen, guests can access many
services from their rooms or suites. Some of these include previewing videos of shore
excursions and buying tickets for them, ordering room service from an on-screen menu
at a specific time, playing casino-style games and paying for them from the cabin,
making appointments and shopping in "virtual shops" with the option of
delivery to one's home. All information is offered in five languages: English, French,
German, Italian and Spanish.
Even the most savvy spa goers will be delighted with Century's AquaSpa(sm).
The largest (10,000-square foot) spa afloat for the number of passengers, its design
was inspired by Japanese gardens and bathhouses. In keeping with the name, water
treatments head the list of the services available. New to spadom are two treatments
found only on the Century: aqua meditation, which takes place in a tub where three
swirling warm water shower heads rotate to massage the body; and rasul, an Oriental-inspired
therapy, which includes a seaweed soap shower, a heated mud bath and an herbal steam
bath. Packages are available and programs can be booked when making cruise reservations.
Celebrity Cruises, 800-437-3111. www.celebrity.com
Spring 1996
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