Celebrity Offers Onboard Art Tours

[hommebronze]

MIAMI, July 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Celebrity Cruises' guests now can enjoy museum-quality audio equipment and commentary while viewing the fleet's permanent onboard art collection. Seven of the line's ships now offer complimentary use of handheld audio devices featuring self-guided art tours that provide education and insight into the works.

 

 

"We're thrilled to be the only cruise line to offer equipment of such high quality to guests interested in art," Celebrity Vice President of Entertainment Lisa Lutoff-Perlo said. "Whether someone is new to the world of art or an art historian, our self-guided art tour will give them new insight into the works on display, ultimately enhancing their cruise experience."

 

To take an audio tour, a guest can simply visit the Guest Relations desk and sign out an audio tour device. The easy-to-use devices - the same equipment used in the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art - allow guests to explore works of art at their own pace and in whatever order they choose. Each device offers the highest available sound quality.

 

Written by an art historian, each tour has been created to appeal to a broad range of tastes. Featuring points of interest that will appeal to the novice art enthusiast or an art historian, the tours offer a combination of academic information and lighter knowledge as they introduce the listener to thought-provoking concepts such as what the artist may have been thinking when he or she created the piece, or whether an artist's intent is more important than a viewer's perception.

 

The line implemented the new self-guided audio art tour on Celebrity Century in April. By the end of October 2007, Celebrity will complete installation on Celebrity Constellation, Celebrity Galaxy, Celebrity Infinity, Celebrity Mercury, Celebrity Millennium and Celebrity Summit.

 

Each ship's collection is valued at more than $1.5 million, and features modern and contemporary 20th century works by artists such as Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and Pablo Picasso, in a variety of media, including sculpture, oil on canvas and photography. Each collection offers a balance of serious and whimsical art; this mixture is reflective of the comfortable sophistication guests experience on a Celebrity vacation.

[hcat]

They had this on QM2 where they really have a great collection.

Century had the tour available in April & we just did not have time--we'll take it in Sept..some of the ships have some nice pieces--but IMHO most of it is ODD ART! I think Summit was about the worst so far--& Mercury the best. It would be nice if they changed their displayed art from time to time---

[uktog]

Whilst some of the art is unusual I am delighted they are doing this as I have often wondered about some of the pieces and thought on an at sea day it would be good to be "guided" round, though I am delighted this is a self managed tour and not a group. I for one will be taking it on my next cruises

[RVAMember]

So how do we find out if the service is now available on the SUmmit? We are on the July 27th southbound out of Seward.

 

Bernie

[scott in maine]

This is an excellent announcement! While we're not art snobs, we have been keenly aware on our X sailings that the art collections are most impressive and come from some of today's most noted artists. Even the Frommer's most current review of Mercury takes a considerable part of his review to make mention of the exquisite collection on that ship. (He also notes that 99% of pax on board are oblivious to it.)

 

In any case, this will be one more thing I will look forward to on our next X sailing in November. Kudos to X for adding another simple, but value added, service.

[cruisestitch]

On our recent Baltic Century cruise, the art historian who was on board to give the enrichment lectures also gave live tours of the ship's art. He was very entertaining and informative. His name is Justin Newell, and sometime in August he transfers to an Aegean itinerary.

 

Katherine