Solstice-class cruise ship

Last updated
Celebrity Solstice in Port Melbourne, Australia Dec 2012 (01).jpg
The lead ship, Celebrity Solstice in Port Melbourne, Australia
Class overview
NameSolstice [1]
Builders Meyer Werft
Operators Celebrity Cruises [1]
Preceded by Millennium class
Succeeded by Edge class
Built2007–2012
In service2008–present
Planned5
Completed5
Active5
General characteristics
Type Cruise ship
Tonnage122,000  GT [2]
Length317.20 m (1,040 ft 8 in) (LOA) [2]
Beam36.8 m (120 ft 9 in) [2]
Draught8.5 m (27 ft 11 in) [2]
Decks17 decks
Installed power67,200 kW (90,100 hp) [2]
Propulsion41,000 kW (55,000 hp) [2]
Speed24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph)
Capacity2,850 passengers
Crew1,500
Notespost-Panamax ships

The Solstice class [1] is a class of cruise ships operated by Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The class is constructed by Meyer Werft of Germany. At present, there are five active Solstice-class ships: the lead vessel of the class, Celebrity Solstice; the second ship of the class, Celebrity Equinox; and the third ship of the class, Celebrity Eclipse, which was delivered on 15 April 2010. The fourth ship, Celebrity Silhouette, sailed on her maiden voyage on 23 July 2011; and the fifth, Celebrity Reflection, [3] was launched in August 2012. The first Solstice-class ship, Celebrity Solstice entered service in November 2008 and is the namesake of the class. All Solstice-class vessels have post-Panamax dimensions.

Contents

Celebrity Solstice was, at 122,000  gross tonnage  (GT), the largest ship to be built at a German shipyard, but this record was surpassed by the Disney Dream, a 128,000 GT cruise ship of the Disney Cruise Line.

History

The first Solstice-class vessel was ordered in year 2005 [4] at Meyer Werft, with one vessel as the first option. Later, option for second vessel was exercised. [4] Meyer Werft reached several milestones in their career while building the Solstice class. It was their first time to build 122,000 GT cruise ships having post-Panamax dimensions. By that time, the class were the largest cruise ships ever built at the facility. [4] On February and July 2006, the second and the third vessel was ordered respectively. The order for the fourth and fifth ship followed in 2007 and 2008. [4] The class consists of five ships, with expected delivery of one ship each year, from 2008 to 2012, at a total cost of US$3.7 billion. [5]

Concept and construction

The keel of Celebrity Solstice was laid on 11 October 2006, [6] and was delivered on 24 October 2008. [7] The keel of Celebrity Equinox was laid on 6 August 2008 [8] and delivered on 16 July 2009. [9] The keel of Celebrity Eclipse was laid on 23 January 2009 [10] and was delivered on 15 April 2010. [2] The fourth ship, Celebrity Silhouette was delivered on 18 July 2011 [11] and the fifth and final ship, Celebrity Reflection was handed over on 9 October 2012. [12]

Design features

Lawn Club Equinox - "The Lawn Club" (5739976666).jpg
Lawn Club

The Solstice class was designed by a team of architects. The overall masterplan was completed by Boston-based Wilson Butler Architects, who would also design the entertainment venues such as the Main Theater, Grand Foyer, and open decks, including the Lawn Club. [13] Located on deck 15 is a one-half-acre (2,000 m2), manicured lawn. [1] A special type of grass, Agrostis stolonifera , is used for the lawn. [9] The areas such as Patio on the Lawn, Sunset Bar, Lawn Club Shop and The Hot Glass Show are found on the lawn.

Other designers included, Tihany Design, who designed the interior of the main dining room; [14] BG Studio, who designed Cellar masters, Passport Bar, Ensemble Lounge, Micheals Club, and Murano; [15] 5 + Design, Galleria Boutique, Fortune Casino, Art Gallery; and RTKL, who designed the spa. [16]

The staterooms on Solstice-class ships are significantly larger than the previous classes, with 80% having a veranda. [1] The staterooms are grouped into seven categories; including the spa-inspired AquaClass and the Concierge class. There are two penthouse suites, a 110 m2 (1,200 sq ft) stateroom and several royal suites, a 54 m2 (580 sq ft) stateroom. Both have a living room, dining room and separate bedrooms. [9] There are also Jacuzzis and separate showers. [1] The Solstice class feature amenities such as large staterooms, a large theater, and multiple dining options. Signature Celebrity features were also added, such as the Martini Bar. The newest feature of the class is the iLounge, a combination of Internet café and an Apple Store. This feature was added to Celebrity Eclipse and Celebrity Silhouette, and on Celebrity Solstice in May 2010. [17]

Exterior design

Celebrity Solstice exterior design by Martin Francis M-S Celebrity Solstice.jpg
Celebrity Solstice exterior design by Martin Francis

The Solstice class exterior styling was by yacht designer Martin Francis. [18] The original renderings for the Solstice class was to have powder blue upper decks and funnels. Because Celebrity uses dark blue as a trademark on their ships, the powder blue was subsequently changed to dark blue. The lead vessel, Celebrity Solstice, carries the original concept and design for the class, such as twin funnels with a small "X" on the front funnel and a large "X" on the railings of the hump staterooms. Several months after her service, the "X" logo on the railings were seen by Celebrity as a design flaw. Due to this, the "X" logo on the railings was removed from Celebrity Equinox and Celebrity Eclipse and from future Solstice-class ships. In order to compensate, the small "X" on the front funnel was enlarged on ships following Celebrity Solstice.

Ship facts

Ships

ShipEntered service
for Celebrity		Capacity Gross tonnage FlagNotes [1] Image
Celebrity Solstice 20082,850121,878  GT [19] Civil Ensign of Malta.svg  Malta Celebrity's biggest ship by introduction Cruise ship Celebrity Solstice.jpg
Celebrity Equinox 20092,850121,878  GT [20] Civil Ensign of Malta.svg  Malta CelebrityEquinox-maidenvoyage.jpg
Celebrity Eclipse 20102,850121,878  GT [21] Civil Ensign of Malta.svg  Malta Celebrity Eclipse-1.jpg
Celebrity Silhouette 20112,886122,210  GT [22] Civil Ensign of Malta.svg  Malta Celebrity Silhouette San Juan.JPG
Celebrity Reflection 20123,046125,366  GT [23] Civil Ensign of Malta.svg  Malta Celebrity's biggest cruise ship (by passenger count) before the introduction of Edge in 2018 (and subsequently Apex and Beyond ) [3] Celebrity Reflection Jan 18 2023.png

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celebrity Cruises</span> Cruise line headquartered in Miami, Florida, US

Celebrity Cruises is a cruise line headquartered in Miami, Florida and a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group. Celebrity Cruises was founded in 1988 by the Greece-based Chandris Group, and merged with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in 1997. Celebrity's signature logo is an "Χ" displayed on the funnel of Celebrity ships, and is the Greek letter chi, for "Chandris".

<i>Radiance</i>-class cruise ship Royal Caribbean ships built 2001–2004

The Radiance class is a class of four cruise ships operated by Royal Caribbean built between 2001 and 2004 at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. The class was preceded by the Voyager class and succeeded by the Freedom class.

<i>Celebrity Solstice</i> Solstice-class cruise ship

Celebrity Solstice is the lead ship of the Solstice class of cruise ships operated by Celebrity Cruises. Built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, she was floated out on 10 August 2008, and christened by ocean scientist Professor Sharon L. Smith at a ceremony in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, on 14 November 2008. The first post-Panamax vessel in the Celebrity fleet, she features innovative interior design and onboard amenities, including an ocean-going live grass lawn, a glassblowing studio, and a 12 deck-high atrium.

<i>Celebrity Equinox</i> Solstice-class cruise ship

Celebrity Equinox is a Solstice-class cruise ship built by Meyer Werft in Germany. Celebrity Equinox is the second of the five Solstice-class vessels, owned and operated by Celebrity Cruises. She is a sister ship of Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity Silhouette, and the Celebrity Reflection. Construction officially started in September 2007. Celebrity Equinox left the shipyard in June 2009 and entered commercial service for Celebrity Cruises on July 31, 2009.

<i>Celebrity Eclipse</i> Solstice-class cruise ship

Celebrity Eclipse is a Solstice-class cruise ship operated by Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group. After she was ordered with German shipbuilder Meyer Werft in July 2006, she saw her keel laid in February 2007 and she was formally delivered in April 2010. The 122,000 GT-vessel followed sister ships Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Equinox as the third Solstice-class ship in the fleet.

<i>AIDAdiva</i>

AIDAdiva is a Sphinx class cruise ship operated by the German cruise line AIDA Cruises. The ship was built at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany.

<i>Disney Dream</i> Cruise ship operated by Disney Cruise Line

The Disney Dream is a cruise ship operated by Disney Cruise Line, which is part of The Walt Disney Company's Disney Experiences division. She is the third ship of the overall fleet and the first of the Dream-class, and was followed by a sister ship, the Disney Fantasy.

<i>AIDAluna</i> Cruise ship built in 2009

AIDAluna is a Sphinx-class cruise ship, owned by US based Carnival Corp and operated by AIDA Cruises. Built by Meyer Werft shipyards in Papenburg, Germany, she is the third ship of the class, preceded by AIDAdiva and AIDAbella, and is followed by AIDAblu, AIDAsol, and AIDAmar. The ship has a capacity of 2,100 passengers and has a gross tonnage of 69,203. AIDAluna was initially deployed in the Baltic Sea for the 2009 Summer season. In Winter 2009, she was redeployed in Canary Islands. AIDAluna has an 8 × 4.5-m poolside theater, which is a first for AIDA Cruises.

TUI Cruises is a cruise line based in Germany. It was formed in 2007 as a joint venture between the German tourism company TUI AG and the American cruise line operator Royal Caribbean Group, both of whom hold a 50% stake in the company.

<i>Celebrity Silhouette</i> Solstice-class cruise ship

Celebrity Silhouette is a Solstice-class cruise ship operated by Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group. She was ordered with German shipbuilder Meyer Werft in May 2007 and was delivered in July 2011 as the fourth Solstice-class ship in the fleet.

<i>Jewel</i>-class cruise ship Class of cruise ships

The Jewel class is a class of cruise ships operated by the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and was built by Meyer Werft of Germany. The Jewel class became NCL's largest ships, until the construction of Norwegian Epic, at 153,000 GT, in 2009 at STX Europe in St. Nazaire, which is also owned by NCL. The lead ship, Norwegian Jewel was delivered in August 2005 and the last vessel, Norwegian Gem was delivered in October 2007; however, the second ship of the class Norwegian Jade was originally intended for NCL America. After sailing for the line in two years (2006–2008), Pride of Hawaii proved to be unsuccessful as the intra-Hawaiian market could not profitably accommodate more than one cruise ship. In 2008, NCL decided to transfer Pride of Hawaii to their fleet, leaving Pride of America as the sole vessel sailing the intra-Hawaii market. After receiving her current NCL livery, Pride of Hawaii was rechristened as Norwegian Jade and sailed for NCL in 2008.

<i>AIDAsol</i>

AIDAsol is a Sphinx-class cruise ship, built at Meyer Werft for AIDA Cruises. She is the fifth Sphinx series ship, preceded by sisters AIDAdiva, AIDAbella, AIDAluna, and AIDAblu, and followed by AIDAmar and AIDAstella. AIDAsol was delivered in March 2010. She was christened on 9 April 2011.

<i>Celebrity Reflection</i> Solstice-class cruise ship

Celebrity Reflection is the fifth, final, and largest Solstice-class cruise ship, her sister ships being Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Silhouette. Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse and Silhouette entered service in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 respectively. Reflection was launched in 2012. Since October 2012, it has been owned and operated by Celebrity Cruises. It has one more deck than other Solstice-class cruise ships. The ship can accommodate 3,046 passengers, second only to the Celebrity Beyond in the Celebrity fleet.

<i>Quantum</i>-class cruise ship Cruise ship class

The Quantum class is a class of cruise ships from Royal Caribbean International, previously known by the code name Project Sunshine.

The Edge class is a class of cruise ships operated by Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The class is constructed by Chantiers de l'Atlantique of France. At present, there are four active Edge-class ships: the lead vessel of the class Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Beyond, and Celebrity Ascent. Celebrity Apex was scheduled to begin operations in April 2020, but entry into service was delayed until June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Celebrity Ascent is the newest ship to debut and welcomed its first guests in November 2023. A fifth ship, Celebrity Xcel is currently under construction.

<i>Celebrity Edge</i> Edge-class cruise ship

Celebrity Edge is an Edge-class cruise ship operated by Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group. After the new vessel was ordered with French shipbuilder STX France in December 2014, her keel was laid in June 2017 and she was floated out in January 2018. Upon delivery in October 2018, at 130,818 GT, she became the lead ship of the Edge class and the largest ship by gross tonnage to have joined the Celebrity fleet.

<i>Norwegian Encore</i> Ship of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)

Norwegian Encore is a Breakaway Plus-class cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). She is the fourth Breakaway Plus-class ship in the fleet, following sister ships Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Escape, and Norwegian Joy, and debuted in November 2019.

<i>Spectrum of the Seas</i> Quantum Ultra-class cruise ship

Spectrum of the Seas is a Quantum-Ultra-class cruise ship currently operated by Royal Caribbean International and the first ship of the Quantum Ultra class, a modification from the company's Quantum class of ships. The ship was constructed at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany and was delivered in April 2019. At 169,379 GT, she became the fifth largest ship in the fleet by gross tonnage upon delivery. She currently operates primarily in East Asia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Celebrity Solstice class". Celebrity Cruises. 17 February 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Delivery of Celebrity Eclipse". Meyerwerft website. 15 April 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Celebrity Cruises names fifth ship in Solstice class". 23 September 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Celebrity Cruises orders new cruise ship". Meyerwerft website. 12 July 2005. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  5. ↑ Launch of Celebrity Cruises' Newest ship 'Eclipses" Others Newest Solstice Class ship named by courageous yachtswoman Emma Pontin. Press Release. Celebrity Cruises. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010
  6. ↑ "Meyer Werft builds cruise vessel for Celebrity Cruises". Meyerwerft website. 11 October 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  7. ↑ "First post Panamax ship for Celebrity Cruises". Meyerwerft website. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  8. ↑ "Keel laying of Celebrity Equinox". Meyerwerft website. 6 August 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  9. 1 2 3 "Delivery of Celebrity Equinox". Meyerwerft website. 16 July 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  10. ↑ "Keel-laying of Celebrity Eclipse". Meyerwerft website. 23 January 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  11. ↑ "Delivery of Celebrity Silhouette". Meyerwerft website. 18 July 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  12. ↑ "Delivery of Celebrity Reflection". Meyerwerft website. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  13. ↑ "Celebrity Solstice Cruise Design". Wilson Butler Architects.
  14. ↑ "Legacy". Tihany Design - Luxury Interior Design.
  15. ↑ "Hospitality Portfolio | BG Studio | NYC Luxury Interior Design Firm". BG Studio International.
  16. ↑ "Celebrity Cruises, Solstice". CallisonRTKL.
  17. ↑ Celebrity Cruises to Present "Celebrity iLounge" on Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Summit. Press Release. Celebrity Cruises. 5 April 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010
  18. ↑ Marche, Tatiana (2019-10-19). "Celebrity Solstice". Francis Design.
  19. ↑ "DNV: Celebrity Solstice" . Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  20. ↑ "DNV: Celebrity Equinox" . Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  21. ↑ "DNV: Celebrity Eclipse" . Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  22. ↑ "DNV: Celebrity Silhouette" . Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  23. ↑ "DNV: Celebrity Reflection" . Retrieved 2024-06-14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.