Celebrity Cruises' Century Presents Venetian Gem

[CruisingChick]

Ship's $55-Million Makeover Includes Specialty Restaurant, Sushi Bar and More

 

MIAMI, April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/

 

With today marking the official start of Celebrity Cruises' $55-million, five-week revitalization of Century, the line announced that among the ship's multiple new attributes will be a specialty restaurant quite literally featuring a heart of glass.

 

Century's new "Murano" specialty restaurant in the center of the ship will sparkle with magnificent chandeliers handcrafted of Murano glass, named for the island of Murano near Venice, Italy, where glass-blowing has been a fine art and tradition since the 13th century.

 

Complementing the Murano chandeliers will be a large, round granite medallion composed of jewel-toned stone designed to resemble the antique paving of medieval European cities and create the feeling of an Italian piazza. Decorative accents throughout the room will allude to the adventures of early explorers during the discovery of the New World.

"Century's Murano restaurant will be a delightful blend of tradition with a chic, contemporary flair," said Francesca Bucci of BG Studios International in New York, NY, designer of the venue.

 

A hand-painted mural at the end of the 66-seat venue will display whimsical silhouettes depicting a romantic tale of travel and adventure, while a wine cellar nestled at the aft end of the restaurant will display a colorful composition of backlit bottles in glass-fronted, polished nickel wine armoires.

 

The restaurant's vestibule will welcome guests with a granite floor and warm pear wood panels reminiscent of the subtle charm and timeless beauty of Venice.

 

The menu for Murano will be designed by Celebrity's longtime culinary and wine consultant, renowned Master Chef Michel Roux. The cuisine and service will follow the celebrated style of Celebrity's Millennium-class specialty restaurants -- the "Olympic," "SS United States," "Normandie" and "Ocean Liners" -- which presented the industry's first tableside cooking, carving and flambe.

 

Century's dramatic, two-level "Grand Restaurant" will be entirely refurbished, retaining the glamour and sophistication that made it so popular prior to the revitalization, and maintaining the quality of service and impeccable culinary standards that have won the line extensive praises every year under the deft direction of Chef Roux and Celebrity's culinary team.

 

Among the many other dining options onboard Century will be a 76-seat Sushi Bar -- Celebrity's first designed specifically to reflect the popular regional cuisine -- with a casual Asian atmosphere created through palettes of caramel-colored bamboo plank floors, tabletops inlaid with cracked coconut, stylish dark wood chairs, and a new collection of artifacts and artwork.

 

Surrounded by magnificent ocean views, Century's Ocean Grill, designed by Celebrity's Fleet Design department, will offer an alternative dining area with an upscale ambience, where guests can select cuisine ranging from steaks, chops, salads, antipastos and desserts from a fixed menu.

Opposite the Ocean Grill, guests will find fresh, made-to-order omelettes and crepes each morning, and an endless array of pizzas and made-to-order pastas every afternoon and evening. For the sweet tooth in everyone, just around the corner, there will be a station offering a tantalizing array of homemade ice creams and sorbets.

 

Pairing refreshing sea air with panoramic ocean views, Century's outdoor Sunset Bar will feature a full service bar designed of teak, stone and stainless steel, topped with an arched-glass canopy. There, guests can enjoy an assortment of fresh tapas and appetizers with cocktails and other beverages.

 

A Celebrity favorite across the fleet, Cova Cafe, the seagoing version of the stylish coffeehouse in the fashion district of Milan, Italy, will serve fresh pastries and cookies to complement its coffees, teas, and other beverages every morning and afternoon, while at night, the space will transform to a romantic, lamp-lit wine bar, complete with live music.

Century will emerge on May 30, 2006, from its aggressive five-week drydock period with the Murano restaurant, 314 new verandas, 14 new suites, 10 new staterooms ranging from inside to veranda category, an expanded number of ConciergeClass category staterooms, and a series of features and amenities that typify the line's acclaimed Millennium-class fleet.

 

Following its revitalization, Celebrity's "new" Century will set sail on a 9-night "Best of Europe" cruise departing May 30, along with a series of 12- night Baltic and 10- and 11-night Mediterranean sailings, a 13-night "Best of Europe" voyage, and a seven-night Norwegian Fjords cruise.

Century also will be one of the first Celebrity ships to offer short cruises from the cruise capital of the world, the Port of Miami, beginning in November 2006. The ship will present four- and five-night roundtrip Caribbean cruises through April 2007, offering travelers with more limited vacation time the opportunity to experience what the award-winning Celebrity brand has to offer.

 

Celebrity Cruises offers a comfortably sophisticated, upscale cruise experience with highly personalized service, authentic five-star dining, and extraordinary attention to detail. Its nine ships and the line's service, cuisine and spas consistently dominate top travelers' surveys. Celebrity sails in Alaska, Bermuda, California, the Caribbean, Europe, the Galapagos Islands, Hawaii, the Mexican Riviera, the Panama Canal and South America. For more information, call your travel agent, dial 1-800-437-3111, or visit the Celebrity web site at http://www.celebrity.com .

 

SOURCE Celebrity Cruises

CONTACT: Elizabeth Jakeway, Celebrity Cruises, +1-305-539-6127, or

ejakeway@celebrity.com

[Andy]

Hi Everyone !

 

As Century heads for drydock today, I am glad to see we have more details on what it planned. It sounds even better than I hoped for !

 

Finally, the wait will be over soon. Only 5 more weeks until the new Century will be sailing.

 

It will be exciting to hear about her, from those that are sailing her in Europe this Summer. Sadly, I have about 9 months before I will be sailing on Century again. I can hardly wait !