Food and drink on Celebrity Eclipse‘s sailings from Southampton next year will be changed to appeal more to British tastes.
Speaking at the launch of Celebrity Equinox last week, Celebrity Cruises president and chief executive officer Dan Hanrahan said Eclipse will be offering the Brits’ favourite beers and lagers, and the cruiseline will be adding dishes such as “mushy peas and steak and kidney pie”.
He said: “I’m told that’s what the British like to eat. We’re not planning to make big changes on board for the British market, but we are looking at tweaking some of the food offerings.”
Hanrahan said Eclipse will feature decor changes, but scotched rumours that it will not have the trademark half-acre lawn that features on sister ships Celebrity Equinox and Celebrity Solstice.
He said: “The lawn stays. It’s done a fantastic job for us, but we are learning to use it more. On Solstice, we are putting down blankets and doing picnics on the lawn, which has helped to create more outside seating and mitigate complaints there were not enough sunbeds.”
Celebrity Eclipse will be the line’s third new 2,850-passenger Solstice-class ship, with another two as yet unnamed sister ships due out in 2011 and 2012.
Hanrahan said: “I would have preferred to introduce these ships in good times, but there is no question of cutting back. In fact, we want these ships as soon as possible so we can continue to expand our itineraries and go where the demand is.”
He said next year’s cruises from Southampton, which are the first Celebrity has ever offered aimed at the UK market, were in response to demand. He confirmed Eclipse will be back in 2011 for a second season.
He said: “We are filling our ships quite well. I don’t like the prices we’re getting, which are painful for us and agents, but great for the passengers, but we build ships for 30 years. We take the long view, and are continuing to invest.”
Celebrity stats
5: the number of Solstice-class ships ordered.
2,850: the capacity of a Solstice-class ship.
2010: the date Celebrity Cruises launches its first cruises from Southampton.
5,000: the number of agents hosted to events on Celebrity Equinox last week.