Supplement to Travel Trade
May 2002

Celebrity's Zenith

Formula for Success

Then the Zenith entered service in March 1992, Celebrity chairman John Chandris said that the company was in the process of "developing and projecting a new and separate identity."

He referred to the giant step by parent company, family-owned Chandris Cruises, from a budget-priced, mass market reputation on converted older vessels to an upscale identity with new ships in the premium marketplace.

Now a little more than three years later, with Zenith, Horizon and Meridian established in the marketplace, Celebrity Cruises is poised to introduce yet another series of newbuilds.

Called Century Class, three 1,740 passenger vessels are scheduled to join the growing Celebrity fleet. The first of the 70,000-tonners, Century, will inaugurate service next month.

Industry observers continue to marvel at Celebrity's success story. It's not an easy task for a company to change its image and go from the low end of the market to a leadership position impacting the premium market.

Al Wallack senior vice president of marketing and passenger services, said it was accomplished by delivering a product that is consistently better than the passenger expects.

According to Chandris chairman John Chandris, the entire concept surrounding Celebrity Cruises was conceived in response to market trends and demands perceived to be in the premium or upscale segment.

Celebrity vessels, he said, were and will continue to be designed and built for sophisticated and demanding passengers and although Chandris admits that reading industry tea leaves is difficult, the awards and accolades racked up by the Zenith and her sister vessel, Horizon, bear testament to Chandris' forecasting abilities.

I sailed the Zenith in late September and decided the vessel is like fine wine. Treat it right and it just gets better and better.

It's been almost two years since I last cruised this 47,255-ton ship and what I found was not unlike my first experience when I rated her at the top of the premium price category in every area.

From embarkation to debarkation, she again exceeded my expectations.

There's an on-going program that keeps the vessel fresh and the service staff on its toes. Softwear is continually fine tuned in keeping with contemporary trends and the vessel looks as sparkling as she did when she left the shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

Elegant, but not stuffy. Sophisticated without glitz and neon. She's a pleasing combination of modern and traditional.

Easily recognized from the outside by her stubby bow, louvered stack area and tiered squared-off stern, the 1,374-passenger Zenith is topped off with her trademark blue-and-white stack.

Colors blend and flow as easily as the passengers. Following design techniques similar to those used on the Meridian and Horizon, color choices and decor remain within the same hues throughout the vessel.

There are no shocking changes from room to room and the sense of space and color are compatible. Warm tones are accented by brass, stainless steel, a variety of highly polished woods, softly-lit mirrors, light textured fabrics and museum-quality works of art.

Whites have been softened but the predominant color is "Celebrity Blue," a shade between navy and royal blue that has become Celebrity's hallmark of identification.

Al Wallack credits me with naming the vivid blue "Celebrity Blue" a name that seems to suit the color well.

Vibrant, without being intrusive, it accents decor throughout the vessel and even the lines used to tie the vessel dockside are Celebrity Blue.

The $210 million ship has four decks devoted exclusively to public space. Remaining decks are used for cabins, except for the embarkation lobby which also houses the information, passenger services, shore excursion and bank desks.

Wide stairwells with mirrored walls and three banks of double elevators connect the nine passenger decks.

Entertainment activities are concentrated on the Fantasy Deck, anchored aft by the balcony level of the Celebrity Showroom and forward by Scorpio Disco.

Between them is a shopping mall, additional bars, a gallery promenade and the Mayfair Casino.

Flexibility is built into every public room. Scorpio, for example, operates throughout the day as a bar and activities center. When the sun sets, however, its beat changes to disco which continues until the wee hours.

Aft of the disco is the 300-seat, bi-leveled Rainbow Room used for late-late night shows and daytime events.

Throughout the vessel, rounded corners and angled walls add intimacy and warmth.

Harry's Tavern is a 100-seat canopied piano bar extending the width of the ship. Harry's is a meeting point and somehow during my cruise became the place for singles to gather around the vivacious pianist who encouraged participation.

Colors blend into mauves, rose to shocking pink in the 833-seat duplex Celebrity Show Lounge.

An impressive room with excellent sight lines and acoustics, the orchestra performs from the second level during shows.

Seating is on long settees divided by arm rests every two cushions. The lower level is sloped with graceful double staircases on each side of the stage leading to the balcony level.

Midship on Galaxy deck is the 856-seat Caravelle Restaurant, one of the nicest dining rooms at sea. There's a sense of luxury and space created by multi-tiers.

Varying floor levels and seating arrangements create intimate dining areas. There are tables of from two to eight.

Huge window walls on both sides of the room are visible from every table and it is interesting to note that all tables (except those specified for two) are round, which adds to the atmosphere of a fine international restaurant located in a large city.

Topside lounges on all three Celebrity ships have become favorite gathering places for passengers before and after diner. An unusually large area, the Rendezvous Lounge on the Zenith is also broken into smaller groupings for intimacy. There's always music during pre- and post-dinner hours for dancing.

Marina and Sun decks are devoted mainly to outdoor activities with three pools, jacuzzis, sunning and lounging areas, but each deck also offers something special for indoor activities as well.

On 12 Deck, in addition to an uninterrupted walking/jogging track, the Olympic Health Club has a fully equipped gymnasium and hair/massage salons. It also has one of my favorite rooms, the Fleet Bar.

Set high above the rest of the vessel, the Fleet Bar is virtually surrounded by window walls and is an excellent hideaway and observation room. Here, Celebrity Blue is accented with stark white walls and twin horseshoe-shaped bars to service the room.

Marina Deck has a poolside grill for hamburgers, hot dogs and other snacks, as well as a full-service bar. A major room is the Windsurf Cafe, the Zenith's "lido" area.

As the name implies, it is decorated in a sailing motif with brick tiled floors, contemporary sails on walls and ceiling, teak trim and lively Celebrity Blue printed glazed fabric seating. Breakfast, lunch and tea are available in the Windsurf with two major self service areas and two separate salad bars.

Waiters take your trays and set your table, so the cafeteria aspect of Lido areas is lessened to some degree. Breakfast choices are extensive and lunch always features a special dish off the dining room menu.

Cabins are exceptionally well planned and feature large bath rooms, picture windows in outside accommodations, oversized closets and storage space. Twin beds in most cabins can be converted to doubles and all cabins have televisions, safes and amenity toilet kits.

The decor is pleasantly understated in cabins as well as suites. While the two Royal Suites are indeed royal, with separate living rooms, dining area, huge bathrooms and bedrooms, the Category 2 "mini-suite" is oversized and probably the best buy on the ships.

Sitting areas, refrigerators, butler services and plush robes (both available only to suite passengers) please even the most discriminating cruiser.

Room service is offered on a 24-hour basis in all cabins, but butler service does a lot more - like arrange private cocktail parties in suites, serve full breakfast, lunches and dinners and assist passengers in many ways.

There are four well-equipped handicapped cabins with an upper berth for the second passenger.

While the ship is beautiful, service and food receive the highest marks. Service is unusually attentive and professional. Wallack noted that high service levels are achieved through a program that requires a six-week training course for every employee and continuous motivational training.

The dining experience on the Zenith, and other Celebrity ships, is excellent and the company has gone to great lengths to make it so.

Menus are the masterwork of Michel Roux, a Michelin-awarded French restauranteur and chef based in Britain.

He is perhaps best known as the chef/owner with his brother Albert of the Waterside Inn and Le Gavroche in England.

From sumptuous breakfasts to nightly midnight buffets and snacks, Roux orchestrates the menu and follows a classic approach, so many traditional dishes are included in menus. However, in an interview with Roux last year, he acknowledged that most dishes have a decided French-flair.

Adapting to changing trends in food preferences, sauces are lighter or may be requested "on the side."

There also is a full vegetarian menu available for lunch and dinner and calorie conscious passengers can opt for "Lean and Light" choices.

At press time, Wallack said that menus are being redesigned to show calorie and fat content and vegetarian dishes are being adjusted to include low-calorie choices to accommodate spa conscious vegetarians.

Which brings us to the new AquaSpa program now in place on the Zenith, Horizon and Meridian and which will be a major enhancement on the Century with it's mega-size spa.

As a service to passengers and an incentive to travel agents, passengers are encouraged to pre-book from a menu of spa packages which include boutique and specialized treatments as well as hair and beauty services.

Advantages to the client include preferential appointments and a value-added package of amenities. Of advantage to travel agents is a 10% commission earned on pre-booked spa packages.

Another area of the Celebrity experience that has been enhanced is entertainment. From simple pool games to staged performances, Celebrity packs fun into every 24-hour period.

Something is scheduled from 8 a.m.-p;1 a.m. and passengers have the choice of keeping busy or settling in with a book in the paneled library, participating in a bridge game or joining deck fun and games.

Elaborate entertainment includes two well-choreographed and costumed production shows per one-week cruise.

These high-energy shows are produced by a London company and were well-received by passengers who seemed to attend every show.

In addition, individual entertainers provide the laughs, magic and songs on other evenings.

The Zenith, like other Celebrity ships, offers a Family Cruising Program during summer months and holiday periods. Designed to keep children from age three to 17 busy and happy, youth counselors are on board to supervise a full activities program.

A word or two about ridability is in order for we sail at the mercy of the sea, and during my voyage hurricanes hovered in our wake. Vibration is not even noticeable and the Zenith gives passengers a smooth ride.

As Celebrity prepares to welcome new additions to the fleet, itineraries are being adjusted to maximize loyalty of past passengers and to attract new passengers to Celebrity vessels.

Beginning in late December, the Zenith will sail from Port Everglades to San Juan to begin weekly sailings to the Southern Caribbean.

In May 1996, the Zenith will move to New York to take over the Horizons' one-week cruises to Bermuda and th