Travel: Inside the Celebrity Edge ocean liner

In the world of cruising today, big is beautiful. Indeed, the world’s biggest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Sea which will set sail next year with 10,000 guests and crew is where the world of waves is headed. The 20-deck behemoth has seven swimming pools, an ice rink, zip line, mini golf and water park, to name just a few of its on-board come-ons.

However, we got a sneak peek at Celebrity Edge (operated by Celebrity Cruises) which isn’t the biggest ocean liner to sail the seven seas but is an eye-popper of a vessel. Nor is the 15-deck designer mega ship a push over when it comes to on-board blandishments.

She sports hi-tech bells and whistles including lavish accommodation and 29 restaurants, lounges and bars with menus curated by a Michelin-starred chef, glitzy entertainment, state-of-the-art spa, a casino, rooftop garden and of course itineraries which enable the ship to nose into known and little-known ports of call.

At 129,500 gross tons and the capacity to hold 2,908 passengers, Celebrity Edge exudes sheer class and pizzaz. She is one of the first resorts at sea to receive a Recommended Rating from The Forbes Travel Guide.

Once aboard, we stepped into the Grand Plaza, which soars three decks into the heart of the ship. We were drawn like moths to a flame by a 7-ton Chandelier, a lighting fixture-cum-art installation. it is composed of five levels of 765 blades illuminated by dynamic LED strips that change colour. The Chandelier soars over the buzzing Martini Bar and is backdropped by a hand-stitched meshed screen combining more than 13,500 pieces of metal, leather and fabric. The Grand Plaza is home to a number of chic specialty restaurants and echoes the lively piazzas of Italy, always thrumming with music and pop-up performances.

wknd@khaleejtimes.com