Pool, Fitness & Spa Facilities
The resort deck aboard the vessel features a pair of good-size swimming pools rimmed with teak benches for sunning and relaxation. Even when the ship is full, these areas do not seem crowded.
Some of the
best spas and fitness facilities at sea are on board the Celebrity ships.
The Century’s AquaSpa, a windowed 10,000-square-foot health mecca, is a
feast for the eyes as well as a sanctuary for the body and soul. The gym
wraps around one side of the bow like a hook, the large spa straddles the
middle, and a very modern and elegant beauty salon faces the ocean on the
other side of the bow. Guests will feel as though they’ve booked an
exclusive European spa resort. The focal point of this spa is a
115,000-gallon thalassotherapy pool, a bubbling cauldron of warm, soothing
seawater. After a relaxing dip, choose a massage, Rasul treatment (a mud
pack and steam bath in one), a facial, or one of the many other pampering
treatments.
The AquaSpa offers more exotic treatments than on most other cruise lines. For example, mud packs, herbal steam baths, and a variety of water-based treatments involving baths, jet massages, and “aquameditation,” in which you are caressed by light and whirling showers while lying on a soft mat. Certain procedures are offered in a “partner” arrangement, whereby you and your significant other can apply medicinal muds to each other and share an herbal steam bath while massaging each other with sea salt. The wonderful process ends with a warm shower and the application of an aromatic potion to the skin.
In the generously sized gym, you can get lost in the landscapes unfolding on the color monitors of the ship’s high-tech virtual-reality stationary bikes. (You can even ride through the virtual water traps and make squishy sounds as you come up the other side.) Passengers can also take aerobics classes in a separate room, jog on the outdoor track on the upper deck, and use the golf simulator on the deck that is specifically designed for sports.
Dining
Celebrity ships
are touted to have the most beautiful and elegant dining on the sea. A
dinner in the Grand Restaurant might feature escargots a la bourguignonne,
pheasant mousseline with blueberry vinaigrette, pan-fried salmon with
parslied potatoes, pad Thai, tournedos Rossini with foie gras and Madeira
sauce, or a well-seasoned slab of prime rib with horseradish and baked
potato. Every Celebrity meal also offers lighter “spa” fare, like a seafood
medley in saffron sauce or oven-roasted rack of veal with steamed vegetables
and vegetarian entrees such as curried Indian vegetables or linguini with
shiitake mushrooms and herbs.
If you desire a more casual atmosphere, the Lido restaurant offers simple five-course dinners, including salmon, steak, pasta, or chicken. Lunch buffets feature all-American favorites like salads and stir fry, grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, fish-and-chips, cheeses and breads, omelets, pizza, smoked salmon, and French onion soup.
Celebrity offers a variety of mid-day treats and late-night culinary soirees in the ship’s public lounges. White-gloved waiters serve tea with rolling trolleys of finger sandwiches, scones and desserts. From midnight to 1am on each formal night, the staff offers a series of upscale canapés and hors d’oeuvres, such as shrimp tempura and roasted garlic lemon chicken. On other nights, themed midnight buffets might offer Asian, Italian, Tex-Mex, or tropical smorgasbords, with a spread of fancifully carved fruits. You can also have fresh and tasty pizza delivered to your cabin.