Prevue January-February 2014 - (Page 16)

sea shores Celebrity Solstice Makes Waves Our resident CMP writer scopes out the 3,000-pax Reﬂection Onboard the Reﬂection C elebrity "Solstice" ships are the 4-star resorts of the sea, according to Ron Gulaskey, corporate sales director at Celebrity Cruises. With superb specialty restaurants, spacious meeting spaces, a lawn club, glass blowing and art studios, a pillow menu, advanced wine dispensing systems and over 50 international craft beer labels onboard, it's hard to argue. The luxury class ships have returned for the season to South Florida for their annual Caribbean cruises. I boarded Reﬂection recently with Gulaskey to tour the majestic ship and all the lavish amenities available in the concierge class, which he says includes "upgraded amenities planners ask for at hotels." Each concierge class stateroom is complete with high quality comfortable indoor and outdoor furniture on the 75-sf veranda, a must for any total relaxation getaway. Aboard the Reﬂection, up to 3,046 attendees will receive personalized concierge service, cozy plush bathrobes, fresh ﬂowers and fruit bowl-in effort to be more sustainable- along with priority check-in and disembarkation. Celebrity's spa bundle, AquaSpa, includes acupuncture, detox wraps and body therapies, various massages, salon services and signature treatments. A ﬁtness room that nearly spans the 123-foot beam of the ship on Deck 12 is complete with the latest Life Fitness machines available. Each treadmill has it's own touch screen TV and iPod jack; a great way to clear your mind while taking in spectacular views of the sea from behind the soaring ﬂoor to ceiling windows. Book a private trainer for Zumba, Yoga, or Spin Classes complete with Flywheel bikes. For those wanting a truly zenful experience, AquaClass suites are the ultimate heaven. Attendees will undoubtedly be able to smell the soothing spa scents permeating from the 152 staterooms as they make their way down the corridor. Gulaskey says these rooms were designed by women for women as evident by their large sumptuous bathrooms, storage rooms and counter space. "There are 152 AquaClass staterooms on Reﬂection and the number available for a planner to book is based on availability," says Celebrity's corporate sales manager Patrick Bralick. AquaClass guests enjoy many spa amenities as well as exclusive access to Blu, a contemporary restaurant serving clean and green cuisines. In addition to unlimited access to the AquaSpa, your personal spa concierge will arrange your AquaSpa treatments. The relaxation room's unobstructed views of the sea, combined with the cool, soft sea foam-tiled lounges and their comfy white cushions mesmerized me the moment I walked in. Deck 4 is host to the ballroom/conference center complete with a 220-seat tiered theater that can be reconﬁgured for smaller group functions such as business meetings and cocktail parties. Air walls allow the additional 2,850-sf meeting space to be divided into two or three smaller rooms equipped with four 70-inch LCD TVs. Reﬂection's sister ships have a Sky Conference Center on Deck 14 that accommodates 210 pax. Amazingly wide corridors throughout the public areas alleviate overcrowding and make for an easy stroll through much of the shopping and dining on board. Whether it's a picnic or art classes on the top deck's green lawn, or private wine tasting in Michael's Club, Celebrity Solstice ships offer 4-star service and onboard celebration of the best at sea.-Danielle Adams, CMP celebritycruises.com 16 | prevue magazine 16-17_Seashores.indd 16 1/8/14 8:24 AM http://www.celebritycruises.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue January-February 2014

Planner's Pick: Boston
Fresh Meets: Hyatt All-Inclusive
Bureau Buzz: Branson
Good Business: Baha Mar, Bahamas
Sea Shores: Celebrity Cruises
The Art of Roi
Corporate Retreats
Scotland
Florida Special Section
On Location: La Cantera, San Antonio
Convention Centers
On Location: Edgewater, Seatle
On Location: RIU Rivera Maya
On Location: Secrets Vallarta Bay, Mexico
Colombia
Check Out: Hilton Bomonti, Istanbul

Prevue January-February 2014