Celebrity Cruises has unveiled the next chapter of The Celebrity Revolution with the recent return of the Celebrity Summit following a complete bow-to-stern transformation.
“We are taking our entire fleet to the ‘Edge’ by taking some of the most exciting elements of our new ship, Celebrity Edge, and enhacing the great ships in both the Millennium and Solstice classes of our fleet,” says Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises.
Enhancements on the Celebrity Summit include completely redesigned staterooms and suites, reimagined restaurants, bars and lounges, plus a fully redesigned spa and casino. As part of the stateroom transformations, guests can expect to find the Celebrity’s eXhale bedding featuring Cashmere mattresses and redesigned bathrooms with new finishes and fixtures, plus the addition of 30 new staterooms including 13 AquaClass Staterooms, seven Ocean View Staterooms, and 10 Inside Staterooms. Meanwhile, the dining experience onboard will now feature a transformed Oceanview Cafe with a new open concept, revitalized versions of the Main Dining Room and Sunset Bar offering new seating options and updated fixtures, plus a reimagined Rendezvous Lounge.
According to Lutoff-Perlo, the most noteworthy change to the Celebrity Summit is the addition of The Retreat for suite guests featuring a new exclusive sundeck and redesigned lounge. On The Retreat Sundeck guests will find a new hot tub, cabanas, loungers, artwork, and more. And, in The Retreat Lounge, formerly known as Michael’s Club, guests will be treated to complimentary beverages, gourmet bites, and concierge service.
“The Retreat spaces are not only where the upgraded design elements are most noticeable, but where we’re taking a slightly different approach to service to align with modern luxury,” says Lutoff-Perlo. “We purposefully curated this private, 2-level space as the ultimate hideaway for Suite Class guests and with no walk-up bar, guests do not need to leave the comfort of their chairs or loungers to receive attentive service.”
Looking Ahead with The Celebrity Revolution and Agent Tips
The Celebrity Summit is the second vessel to undergo its “Revolutionary” redesign as part of The Celebrity Revolution that will bring $500 million in upgrades across the fleet. Celebrity Equinox is scheduled to enter drydock next month and six more ships are set to be modernized by 2023.
“The great thing about our Celebrity Revolution is that Celebrity Summit and all of our ships will still feel very familiar to returning guests. The layout of our ships is largely the same, and any changes that we did make were to address and refine points delivered via customer feedback,” says Lutoff-Perlo.
When asked for advice for travel advisors looking to book their clients on a recently renovated or soon-to-be-transformed Celebrity vessel, Dondra Ritzenthaler, senior v.p. of sales at Celebrity Cruises, says this familiarity can be a selling point.
“My tip would be to explain to guests that ships going through the Celebrity Revolution enhancement will look and feel brand new even though the layout still feels familiar for return guests,” Ritzenthaler says. Adding that “The Retreat, with its private lounge space and an all-new sundeck with butler service, is one of the best parts of the ship and well worth the upgrade to our Suite Class accommodations. No matter what accommodations one of their client’s book, we’ve brought the entire Celebrity Summit ship to the ‘Edge’ and they will be able to see how much this ship is different first-hand as soon as they walk on board.”
For more information, visit celebritycruises.com, and for more cruise industry news and updates, click here.
