Solstice-class cruise ship

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The lead ship, Celebrity Solstice in Port Melbourne, Australia
Class overview
NameSolstice[1]
BuildersMeyer Werft
OperatorsCelebrity Cruises[1]
Preceded byMillennium class
Succeeded byEdge class
Built2007–2012
In service2008–present
Planned5
Completed5
Active5
General characteristics
TypeCruise ship
Tonnage122,000 GT[2]
Length317.20 m (1,040 ft 8 in) (LOA)[2]
Beam36.8 m (120 ft 9 in)[2]
Draught8.5 m (27 ft 11 in)[2]
Decks17 decks
Installed power67,200 kW (90,100 hp)[2]
Propulsion41,000 kW (55,000 hp)[2]
Speed24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph)
Capacity2,850 passengers
Crew1,500
Notespost-Panamax ships

The Solstice class[1] is a class of cruise ships operated by Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The class is constructed by Meyer Werft of Germany. At present, there are five active Solstice-class ships: the lead vessel of the class, Celebrity Solstice; the second ship of the class, Celebrity Equinox; and the third ship of the class, Celebrity Eclipse, which was delivered on 15 April 2010. The fourth ship, Celebrity Silhouette, sailed on her maiden voyage on 23 July 2011; and the fifth, Celebrity Reflection,[3] was launched in August 2012. The first Solstice-class ship, Celebrity Solstice entered service in November 2008 and is the namesake of the class. All Solstice-class vessels have post-Panamax dimensions.

Celebrity Solstice was, at 122,000 gross tonnage (GT), the largest ship to be built at a German shipyard, but this record was surpassed by the Disney Dream, a 128,000 GT cruise ship of the Disney Cruise Line.

History[edit]

The first Solstice-class vessel was ordered in year 2005[4] at Meyer Werft, with one vessel as the first option. Later, option for second vessel was exercised.[4] Meyer Werft reached several milestones in their career while building the Solstice class. It was their first time to build 122,000 GT cruise ships having post-Panamax dimensions. By that time, the class were the largest cruise ships ever built at the facility.[4] On February and July 2006, the second and the third vessel was ordered respectively. The order for the fourth and fifth ship followed in 2007 and 2008.[4] The class consists of five ships, with expected delivery of one ship each year, from 2008 to 2012, at a total cost of US$3.7 billion.[5]

Concept and construction[edit]

The keel of Celebrity Solstice was laid on 11 October 2006,[6] and was delivered on 24 October 2008.[7] The keel of Celebrity Equinox was laid on 6 August 2008[8] and delivered on 16 July 2009.[9] The keel of Celebrity Eclipse was laid on 23 January 2009[10] and was delivered on 15 April 2010.[2] The fourth ship, Celebrity Silhouette was delivered on 18 July 2011[11] and the fifth and final ship, Celebrity Reflection was handed over on 9 October 2012.[12]

Features[edit]

Celebrity Eclipse departing Southampton

One of the features of the Solstice class is the one-half-acre (2,000 m2), manicured[1] lawn named The Lawn Club, which is located in deck 15. A special type of grass, Agrostis stolonifera, is used for the lawn.[9] The areas such as Patio on the Lawn, Sunset Bar, Lawn Club Shop and The Hot Glass Show are found on the lawn. The staterooms on Solstice-class ships are significantly larger than the previous classes, with 80% having a veranda.[1] The staterooms are grouped into seven categories; including the spa-inspired AquaClass and the Concierge class. There are two Penthouse Suites, a 110 m2 (1,200 sq ft) stateroom and several Royal Suites, a 54 m2 (580 sq ft) stateroom. Both have a living room, dining room and separate bedrooms.[9] There are also Jacuzzis and separate showers.[1] The Solstice class feature amenities such as large staterooms, a large theater, and multiple dining options. Signature Celebrity features were also added, such as the Martini Bar. The newest feature of the class is the iLounge, a combination of Internet café and an Apple Store. This feature was added to Celebrity Eclipse and Celebrity Silhouette, and on Celebrity Solstice in May 2010.[13]

Design[edit]

The original renderings for the Solstice class was to have powder blue upper decks and funnels. Because Celebrity uses dark blue as a trademark on their ships, the powder blue was subsequently changed to dark blue. The lead vessel, Celebrity Solstice, carries the original concept and design for the class, such as twin funnels with a small "X" on the front funnel and a large "X" on the railings of the hump staterooms. Several months after her service, the "X" logo on the railings were seen by Celebrity as a design flaw. Due to this, the "X" logo on the railings was removed from Celebrity Equinox and Celebrity Eclipse and from future Solstice-class ships. In order to compensate, the small "X" on the front funnel was enlarged on ships following Celebrity Solstice.

Ship facts[edit]

  • Gross tonnage: 122,000 GT[1]
  • Length: 1,033 feet (314.86 m)
  • Width: 121 feet (36.88 m)
  • Cost: $750 million[1]

Ships[edit]

Ship Entered service
for Celebrity		 Capacity Gross tonnage Flag Notes[1] Image
Celebrity Solstice 2008 2,850 122,000 GT  Malta First ship in the class
Celebrity Equinox 2009 2,850 122,000 GT  Malta Second ship in the class
Celebrity Eclipse 2010 2,850 122,000 GT  Malta
Celebrity Silhouette 2011 2,886 122,000 GT  Malta
Celebrity Reflection 2012 3,046 126,000 GT  Malta Celebrity's biggest cruise ship (by passenger count) before the introduction of Edge in 2018 (and subsequently Apex and Beyond) [3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Celebrity Solstice class". Celebrity Cruises. 17 February 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Delivery of Celebrity Eclipse". Meyerwerft website. 15 April 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Celebrity Cruises names fifth ship in Solstice class". 23 September 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d "Celebrity Cruises orders new cruise ship". Meyerwerft website. 12 July 2005. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  5. ^ Launch of Celebrity Cruises' Newest ship 'Eclipses" Others Newest Solstice Class ship named by courageous yachtswoman Emma Pontin. Press Release. Celebrity Cruises. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010
  6. ^ "Meyer Werft builds cruise vessel for Celebrity Cruises". Meyerwerft website. 11 October 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  7. ^ "First post Panamax ship for Celebrity Cruises". Meyerwerft website. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  8. ^ "Keel laying of Celebrity Equinox". Meyerwerft website. 6 August 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  9. ^ a b c "Delivery of Celebrity Equinox". Meyerwerft website. 16 July 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  10. ^ "Keel-laying of Celebrity Eclipse". Meyerwerft website. 23 January 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  11. ^ "Delivery of Celebrity Silhouette". Meyerwerft website. 18 July 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  12. ^ "Delivery of Celebrity Reflection". Meyerwerft website. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  13. ^ Celebrity Cruises to Present "Celebrity iLounge" on Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Summit. Press Release. Celebrity Cruises. 5 April 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010
  • Pictures from the shipyard: [1] [2]
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