Celebrity Edge has caused something of a sensation since it arrived in Southampton for its inaugural season in Europe earlier this year.
Celebrity Cruises’ most recent launch represents a paradigm shift in cruise ship design and innovation, promising a pioneering F&B offering, world firsts in entertainment and architecture, as well as cutting-edge technology to streamline and enhance the guest experience.
Design is at the very heart of Celebrity Cruises’ DNA, evidenced by the team of industry heavyweights drafted in to create the ship’s world-class interiors. American interior designer and author, Nate Berkus, is the ship’s Design Ambassador; his passion for design excellence and ingenuity proving the perfect fit with Celebrity Cruises’ ethos.
Internationally-acclaimed architect and founder of WKK, Tom Wright, undertook the ship’s remarkable outward-facing public spaces. His vision and tenacity were fundamental, most notably, in creating the Magic Carpet. The world’s first cantilevered floating platform, this moving deck is the size of a tennis court, and reaches 13 stories above sea level. it has the ability to travel up and down the ship’s side, offering guests unprecedented views over the ocean.
“Design is at the very heart of Celebrity Cruises’ DNA, evidenced by the team of industry heavyweights drafted in to create the ship’s world-class interiors”
On Deck 16, Magic Carpet becomes the ultimate speciality restaurant, serving up a series of culinary experiences – such as ‘Dinner on the Edge’ for a select number of guests. Down on Deck 14, it becomes an extension of the already-expansive main pool area, offering drinks and live music, while on Deck 5 it extends the ship’s restaurants into an al fresco dining space for 100 guests.
On Deck 2, Magic Carpet is poised just above the ocean surface and becomes an extension of Destination Gateway – a luxury embarkation station from which guests are whisked ashore via the Edge LaunchesSM.
The Resort Deck is another key external space, encompassing the main pool area, rooftop garden, jogging track, Solarium and more. At one end of the pool is a larger-than-life artistic mirror installation designed by Tom, while the pool deck itself is full of oversized sculptural pieces.
Perhaps the most intriguing element of Wright’s design, however, is the Rooftop Garden – a living, urban playscape inspired by children’s playgrounds. Spanning over 8000ft2, this space provides the perfect environment for contemplation, games, outdoor dining and pop-up live music performances.
Moving inside the ship, Parisian design studio Jouin Manku, undertook the interiors of the Grand Plaza, the main dining atrium and the connecting circulation spaces.
For the studio’s co-founder Patrick Jouin, Celebrity Edge had additional significance, as his grandparents in fact worked at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard where Edge was constructed. This emotional connection with the project only fuelled he and partner, Sanjit Manku’s passion for creating a space that celebrates the craft of the shipbuilders and welders who constructed the ship. The circulation spaces leading to the main dining atrium thus proudly reveal the internal steel columns that make up the ship’s skeleton, complete with markings created during construction.
Inspired by the golden age of transatlantic travel, the Grand Plaza is a glamorous and impactful space at the heart of the ship. Spanning three decks, with a showstopping chandelier-cum-art installation at its heart, the plaza is home to the ship’s Martini Bar, Café al Bacio, and the new Grand Plaza Café.
Continuing the raft of prestigious industry names, Patricia Urquiola worked in collaboration with Scott Butler, a founding partner of Wilson Butler Architects, to design all-day venue, Eden. Set over a glass-walled three-storey space, Eden incorporates a café, restaurant and bar that transforms from tranquil oasis by day to a lively entertainment hub by night.
Last, but by no means least, design legend Kelly Hoppen, took on the formidable task of designing the ship’s staterooms, suites and spa – bringing her warm, harmonious design style to create luxurious sanctuaries for the modern traveller.
The ship’s 918 ‘Edge Staterooms with Infinite Verandas’ blur the boundaries between indoors and outdoors so that the entire living space becomes the veranda, letting guests walk right out to the water’s edge.
Handcrafted cashmere mattresses, sophisticated in-room technology, bespoke lighting from Chelsom and plentiful storage space combine with a contemporary, harmonious palette throughout the accommodation – capturing Kelly Hoppen’s preference for clean lines and simple elegance.
Celebrity Edge also sees the addition of two new suite catageories – the Iconic Suites and Edge Villas. Within the Iconic Suites, 82 linear feet of panoramic glass envelops the sprawling dining room, living room and bedroom to create the most breathtaking vista.
A veranda, which adds 700 square feet to the grand total space of the suite, features a hot tub, a shaded private, resort-style cabana, and sweeping views of the ocean.
The Edge Villas, meanwhile, offer striking views from two storeys of windows, with three-foot-deep private plunge pools, inviting lounde furniture and direct walk-out access to The Retreat Sundeck.
Lastly, the ship’s impressive spa combines state-of-the-art technology with restorative natural elements to create a tranquil haven for guests. As well as the SEA Thermal Suite, which offers eight distinct experiences, the spa offers 23 treatment rooms, a fitness centre, cafe and juice bar.
Given ts remarkable array of facilities, with high-end and creative design at their core, Celebrity Edge offers its guests a taste of true modern luxury. With the imminent launch of Celebrity’s second revolutionary Edge Series ship, Celebrity Apex, in 2020, it only remains to be seen the heights this brand will reach.
