Reaching the Apex of Luxury at Sea: Celebrity Cruises Unveils Encore In Edge Series With New Celebrity Apex

MIAMI, Jan. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- When the much-anticipated Celebrity Apex is christened on March 30, 2020, Celebrity Cruises will do more than continue the lineage of its groundbreaking Edge Series that began with the 2018 launch of Celebrity Edge. Celebrity Apex takes modern cruising to yet another whole new level, with the very latest culinary, spa and wellness trends, and progressive entertainment offerings.

The industry-leading, first-in-class Celebrity Edge has received more than 50 awards and was crowned one of TIME Magazine's 2019 World's Greatest Places^[1]. It impressed the world with its innovative outward-facing design and visionary spaces created by world-renowned designers including: Kelly Hoppen, MBE (accomodations and suite experience); Tom Wright of WKK (ship exterior and open decks); Patricia Urquiola (interior design at The Club and Eden); Scott Butler, AIA (architect for Eden and The Theatre) Jouin Manku (Grand Plaza and circulation); and many more.

Celebrity Apex encores the transformational look and feel of its sister ship with such distinctive features as the floating Magic Carpet cantilevered off the ship's side inviting guests to eat, drink and soar over the sea up to deck 16; The Retreat, the all-exclusive experience for all suite guests; dramatically expanded staterooms with Infinite Verandas; soothing indoor and outdoor garden escapes; magnificent two-story Edge Villas with their own private terrace and plunge pool; and high-style spaces throughout public areas, keeping focus on the contemporary design elements that are a highlight of the Edge Series of ships.

It then adds new luxury features and experiences guaranteed to make Celebrity Apex the industry's "it" ship, including:

• New culinary venues, menus and programming
• An array of new firsts in beauty, fitness, and wellness
• Sweeping changes to The Theatre with state-of-the-art technology taking center stage in three all-new production shows to captivate audiences.
• New Eden experiences, transforming the breathtaking Eden venue into a myriad of moods.

"Celebrity Edge changed the cruise industry and raised the standard for modern luxury vacations," said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises. "Celebrity Apex ? the second ship in our revolutionary Edge Series ? goes even further. It takes every onboard experience to the very peak of what's possible at sea."

Apex of Culinary
Already renowned as the industry's leading culinary brand, Celebrity further enhances its culinary palate on Celebrity Apex with evolved concepts, new delicacies and new menu offerings from Celebrity's Michelin-starred Chef Cornelius Gallagher, including:

• Craft Social Bar ? This relaxed, casual bar space, will offer draft cocktails, wines on tap and more than 50 of the world's rarest craft beers served by a certified beer sommelier. Menu items will include contemporary comfort food cuisine like mac and brie, Kobe beef sliders, crispy chicken sliders and meat and cheese boards. Large-screen TVs will air live sporting events.
• A new 3-D digital animation dining experience at Le Grand Bistro ? Celebrity Edge's first-at-sea digitally animated menu by Le Petit Chef will offer a new animated story on Celebrity Apex, enhanced by new menu creations from Chef Gallagher. A fusion of entertainment and dining, the menu offers such dishes as spring pea soup, King Crab farfalle pasta and filet mignon, while diners enjoy a story that chronicles the life adventures of Le Petit Chef who meets the girl of his dreams at age 12.
• A new Eden dining experience ? This remarkable three-story indoor natural Wonderland, with sweeping panoramic, outward facing windows will feature an extraordinary culinary journey of new flavor-forward a la carte appetizers, entrees and desserts with ingredients sourced from local farms and fisheries in the lower-level restaurant. A sampling of new menu items includes fresh roasted Spanish prawns with melted peppers; cured fresh chorizo; slow-cooked shellfish broth with parsley, garlic, shallots and maldon sea salt from England; pastrami with Devonshire Dijon mustard emulsion, mashed potatoes cooked in duck fat; and crispy rye bread sautéed in butter and melted raclette cheese.

In addition, new menu items have been created for Raw on 5, Magic Carpet, Fine Cut Steakhouse, Rooftop Garden Grill, and the four Main Restaurants on Celebrity Apex: Cosmopolitan, Cyprus, Normandie, and Tuscan.

Apex of Entertainment:
Celebrity Apex debuts exciting new entertainment offerings, including three new stage shows in The Theatre; an intimate cabaret show in The Club; along with a variety of themed experiences and activities throughout the ship, including:

• The stunning, contemporary design of The Theatre incorporates new state-of-the-art technology features, including:
• 23-foot-tall 4K LED screen curving around the stage to immerse audiences like never before.
• New 28-foot tall circular scrim and eight Panasonic 20K laser projectors for projection mapping to create a 360-degree wrap-around picture for audiences.
• 20-foot tall Tree of Life, complete with over 3,000 LED leaves, to set the stage for one of the most dramatic new productions at sea. 
• This technology plays a starring role in several all-new production shows and programming exclusive to Celebrity Apex. Rockumentary will celebrate some of the greatest classic rock moments in history, and for the first time, guests get to vote for their favorite finale, via the Celebrity Cruises app. Tree of Life will take guests on a journey of relatable life moments, illuminated by the changing seasons of the tree, and set to pop rock music. Crystalize energizes the night with an inspiring and visually stunning performance featuring light, laser projections, custom video content, music, dance, and incredible aerial acrobatics, all tied together by the amazing talents of a world-class violinist.
• Widely regarded as the most unique space on any cruise ship, Eden indulges every sense with a variety of entirely new experiences that creatively transform the environment throughout the day from morning, noon to night. An eclectic afternoon tea party morphs into a wonder-filled journey in a "Night of Dreams," complete with live performances and audience interaction; a daytime guided meditation becomes the ultimate ultra-lounge in "Night of the Chill;" and interactive art experiences by day lead into "Night of the Arts," celebrating the arts through interactive experiences and performances. Each day presents new options to Chill @ Eden, Learn @ Eden, Play @ Eden and Create @ Eden, culminating at night in Evenings of Wonder at Eden, encouraging guests to return again and again.
• Evening entertainment can also be found at The Club, with the debut of Caravan, a more intimate and alluring evening cabaret-style production featuring new takes on classic circus acts with astonishing aerial acrobatics, acts of balance and precision, and more. Also fully programmed during the day, The Club will offer a variety of activities from video dance classes to archery to karaoke with a live band and full production support.
• In collaboration with Girls Who Code, founded by innovative CEO and Celebrity Apex Godmother Reshma Saujani, the ship's onboard Camp at Sea S.T.E.M. experiences will offer new educational coding programs. 

Apex of Rest and Relaxation:
Celebrity Apex takes to the sea with a new spa management collaboration  with OneSpaWorld and new wellness programming for the modern traveler throughout the entire onboard spa and sanctuary from acclaimed British interior designer Kelly Hoppen. Highlights include:

• A first-at-sea offering of F45 Training, one of the fastest-growing fitness networks in the world. These unique 45-minute, station-based, heartrate monitored functional team training workouts will be offered in a notably larger Fitness Center onboard Celebrity Apex.
• A new Destination Wellness program featuring locally inspired spa menus using authentic local ingredients inspired by the destinations that the ship explores.
• A new Women in Wellness wellbeing program centering on the emotional, physical and spiritual practices of some of the wellness industries' most highly respected influencers including Katie Brauer, Yoga Master and Founder and CEO of The Yoga Professional;  Ruth Zukerman, co-founder of Soul Cycle and Flywheel Sports; and skincare icon and Elemis CEO Noella Gabriel.
• An array of new and first-at-sea spa offerings, including more than 120 soothing treatments and a new collection of state-of-the-art treatment tables, highlighted by the unique Iyashi Dôme, the original Japanese infrared sauna that deeply cleanses and detoxifies the body.

Celebrity Apex debuts this spring with a mini-season of five sailings to European destinations, including the Norwegian Fjords, the northern coasts of Spain and Portugal and a new 10-night Capital Cities Cruise with visits to iconic cities including Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Oslo and Paris.

After Celebrity Apex's Northern Europe mini-season, the ship spends the rest of its inaugural summer sailing seven- to 12-night itineraries in the Mediterranean, with visits to bucket-list destinations such as Lisbon, Portugal; Istanbul; Monte Carlo; Cannes, France; and more, before repositioning to Fort Lauderdale in November for a winter season of week-long Caribbean sailings. Celebrity Edge will also sail the Mediterranean from April to October 2020; and the Caribbean from November 2020 to April 2021.

For more details on Celebrity Apex offerings and destinations, visit www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-ships/celebrity-apex. For more information on all Celebrity Cruises offerings, call 1-800-437-3111, visit www.celebritycruises.com, or speak to a local travel advisor. 

About Celebrity Cruises:
Celebrity Cruises' iconic "X" is the mark of modern luxury, with its cool, contemporary design and warm spaces; dining experiences where the design of the venues is as important as the cuisine; and the amazing service that only Celebrity can provide, all created to provide an unmatchable experience for vacationers' precious time. Celebrity Cruises' 14 ships offer modern luxury vacations visiting all seven continents. Celebrity also presents incredible Cruisetour experiences in Alaska and Canada. Celebrity is one of six cruise brands operated by global cruise vacation company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL).

^[1] ©2019 TIME USA LLC. Used under license.

SOURCE Celebrity Cruises