Cruise editor Cathy Carroll recently toured Celebrity Cruises'
Galaxy in New York during its first visit to American shores. Her
report follows:
ABOARD THE GALAXY -- Rising through the atrium of Celebrity
Cruises' newest ship came the squeals -- the kind unique to certain
women who have just seen a hunky male movie star.
"Taahhm!" was the breathy cry as Tom Cruise ascended the stairs,
his multimillion-dollar smile gleaming and his porcelain-skinned
wife, actress Nicole Kidman, at his side.
Electronic flashes pulsed as established celebrities and
younger, soon-to-be famous actors sipped champagne at the entrance
to the Celebrity Theater, where the world premiere of the film
"Jerry Maguire" was about to begin.
In addition to the Cruise-Celebrity double entendre, the scene
was an apt symbol for what Celebrity seems to have achieved with
its latest vessel, the Galaxy -- a ship that can be classy yet
hip.
Several innovative elements set Celebrity apart from lines that
rely strictly on tried-and-true formulas.
For example, there is the line's partnership with Sony Corp. to
provide cutting-edge entertainment technology; a delightfully
intriguing, thought-provoking contemporary art collection; a posh
cigar room where a Cuban master roller prepares fresh Quirantes; a
martini bar; a lounge that provides sweeping views by day and
high-energy dance fun by night, and a spa that has a skin treatment
in which couples can slather each other with mud.
Yet Celebrity has by no means neglected quality, upholding its
reputation for premium cuisine, with menus and wine lists created
by master chef Michel Roux.
The result is an elegant ship with a progressive edge --
seemingly enough to entice younger cruisers without alienating the
traditional older cruising clientele.
The film's premiere, however, helped create a youthful
atmosphere on board.
During the first few hours of the 1,750-guest ship's debut here,
the sounds of Bob Dylan and the Who were playing throughout the
public areas, which seemed unusual at first, until one realized
that it was the "Jerry Maguire" movie soundtrack.
That soundtrack took on mythical proportions inside the
Celebrity Theater, where the quality of the Sony sound system was
incomparable.
The sound system is perhaps better suited to stage shows,
because at times the sound drowned out the movie's dialogue, at
least for those seated in the front left.
Films presumably are better suited to the ship's cinema, but the
seating there could not have accommodated the approximately 2,000
guests who saw the premiere during two showings.
The sound and effects for the next night's stage show, however,
were effective.
The content of the inaugural spectacular, however, lacked a
cohesive theme, which was not helped by a set that included
oversized, neon-colored balls and jacks.
The compensation for that, however, came with the deft
performances of the show's acrobats.
Another feature of Celebrity's alliance with Sony will be the
installation of a state-of-the-art video broadcast system,
according to Sony.
The system will enable events in the Celebrity Theater to be
sent live to all televisions throughout the ship and on the
oversized monitor that gives a futuristic feel to the ship's
atrium.
The line said it is poised to produce "Good Morning Galaxy," a
live daily television program featuring inside looks into the
galley and interviews with guests and officers.
The 77,713-ton Galaxy's 935 staterooms and suites are to be
equipped with Celebrity Network interactive television, which the
line calls "the most advanced in-cabin entertainment and
information center at sea."
By pushing the buttons of television remote controls, guests can
preview videos of shore excursions and purchase tickets; play
casino-style games; choose and book spa appointments; review
onboard activities; order room service, and select the wine for
dinner that evening.
Celebrity reported that more than 36,000 guests accessed the
system in the seven months after it debuted on Century last
December, but televisions had not yet been installed in all cabins
for the introductory visit to New York.
Guests also will have the opportunity to learn how to use
computers and test the latest in Sony technology, according to
Celebrity.
But John Chandris, the line's chairman, emphasized that he does
not envision the ship filled with techno-nerds eschewing the sun
for the mouse.
Other onboard diversions include the Stratosphere lounge, which
is fully equipped with stunning sound and lighting.
Its thoughtful, innovative design makes it one of the most
appealing dance spaces on land or sea.
At the entrance to the lounge is a spacious tunnel with neon
tubes that seem to illuminate as guests reach them.
And in direct contrast to discos that typically have low
ceilings, music that loses quality as it blares and are darker than
they need to be, Stratosphere is graced with 16-foot-ceilings and
sound that remains crisp even as it reaches an energizing
volume.
It proves that a nightclub can have an uplifting feel and still
be stylish.
The dance floor, surrounded by a bar and tables, is encircled by
an observation lounge encompassed again with a terrace flanked by
16-foot windows.
The design is, simply put, brilliant, because it enables
revelers to leave the dance area without feeling they have left the
party.
Conversation is easily accomplished at the bar and surrounding
tables that are adorned with live topiaries blooming with pale pink
blossoms.
The plants were perhaps the last word in the argument that a
disco does not have to appear grim to be funky.
Guests can take breaks between dances and mingle on the sofas in
the observation lounge or step onto the enclosed terrace to view
constellations through high-power telescopes placed around the
circumference of the room.
Stratosphere's house band, Onyx, played a respectable mix of
pop, and the 7,000-watt, $1.7 million lighting system actually
seems worth the expense.
After leaving Stratosphere, it is a good time to drop in at
Michael's Club, where men in tuxedos and women in evening gowns
might be found sampling the ship's cache of fine cigars and
cognacs.
It was in this setting that master chef Michel Roux, clad in a
royal blue velvet smoking jacket, reclined in an overstuffed chair
with a Quirante and shared stories about how, as a young soldier,
he would cook for his fellow recruits in the French army fighting
in North Africa.
One night, traveling by train, the fragrance of oranges filled
the air. He took the risk of leaving the train in dangerous
territory just to get one of those aromatic fruits.
"I slept with that orange. The fragrance was so sweet. By
morning, the scent in the air was gone," he said.
Roux puffed on the cigar and reminisced about Rudolf Nureyev
lifting the grand dame Margot Fonteyn in a spontaneous pas de deux
in the Waterside Inn, the internationally renowned restaurant in
Britain.
Earlier that afternoon, Roux wielded a pastry knife like a
sculptor, creating a luscious puff pastry with marzipan filling and
fruit in a demonstration for the press.
"The pastry must be thin, to bring the feeling of the fruit to
your tongue. It must be delicate," Roux said.
Fortunately, this preceded high tea, when the audience could
sample an array of finger sandwiches and dessert creations, which
met Roux's criterion that, as the last dish of a meal, it should be
"light and delicate, pleasing to the eyes and melting into the
palate."
As he whisked sugar into egg whites, Roux, who with a head of
wavy, silver hair exudes robustness, said, "Everything in
moderation, and eat the best of everything."
He scoffed at those who adhere to diets touted as low-fat but
are nevertheless "junk food."
"Processed food is the worst you can eat. Everything onboard is
fresh," he said.
Special menus are available, however, including vegetarian,
diabetic (including sugar-free desserts), low sodium, low
cholesterol, kosher, "lean and light" and child-friendly.
In addition to the food, health-conscious guests can visit
Galaxy's custom-branded AquaSpa, which debuted last year on
Century.
Michele and Clive Warshaw, who have traveled the world searching
for treatments to incorporate in their Steiner Group spas, said
they were inspired by Japanese gardens and bathhouses in creating
an environment where guests can let go of stress.
To wit: the Warshaw's spa creation on the Galaxy includes a
115,000-gallon thalassotherapy pool with purified sea water and a
series of stations with varying types of water jet massage; aqua
meditation, in which "you feel as if you are lying on top of a
glass of Alka-Seltzer;" hydrojet massage, and Rasul, a treatment
based on an oriental ceremony in which guests, either alone or with
a partner, cover themselves with medicinal mud as aromatic steam
rises through herbs, followed by a light, warm shower.
The spa also yields special benefits to travel agents, who can
earn commission on spa packages, which are priced between $200 to
$699, booked prior to the cruise.
As for Galaxy's 935 staterooms and suites, Celebrity boasts 24
"sky suites" with verandas of 179 square feet, which it claims are
the largest in the industry.
Its 10 oceanview suites are 631 square feet each. Each has a
private veranda, butler service, a separate living room with a
dining area, an entertainment center with a VCR, a walk-in closet
with a dressing room, a marble-tiled bathroom with a tub fitted
with whirlpool jets and a separate shower.