USA. A sky-high restaurant cantilevered 16 decks above the ocean will be among the standout food & beverage offers on Celebrity Cruises’ first new vessel in a decade.
Celebrity Edge is described by Celebrity Cruises’ parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises as “transformative”.
An official reveal of the vessel’s culinary hotspots – 29 in total – took place in New York yesterday (Wednesday 28 February). The company has brought together technology, animation and dining to create concepts that take inspiration from across the world.
Celebrity Cruises President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo said: “From the amazing destinations we visit globally, to the local ingredients sourced to satisfy the visionary recipes created by our Michelin-starred chef, Cornelius Gallagher, we aim to open up the world to guests through our culinary offering.”
The F&B and bar venues include four main dining restaurants, one exclusively for Suite Class guests and one exclusively for AquaClass; seven speciality restaurants; five complimentary dining venues; and 11 bars and lounges.
‘Exploring the world without leaving the table’
The complimentary restaurants each have a distinctive design and ambience inspired by a specific world region. Together, the main dining menus offer the cruise line’s largest ever selection of dishes, plus regionally-inspired wines and cocktails.
Tuscan Restaurant is a nod to Celebrity Cruises’ Tuscan Grille and offers Italian-inspired dishes, including freshly-made pastas. Normandie is a conceptual cousin of Celebrity Cruises’ French restaurant, Murano, and features French delicacies. Cyprus Restaurant is a Patricia Urquiola-designed space where guests can enjoy Mediterranean cuisine. Cosmopolitan Restaurant features new American cuisine in an offer already present on existing ships.
A further five complimentary dining offerings include Oceanview Café, now featuring more live action stations; Mast Grill; plus three new venues: Grand Plaza Café, The Spa Café & Juice Bar; and Eden Café.
There are six restaurants on the speciality side. Fine Cut Steakhouse is an upscale dining experience “that’s elevated to an art form”, according to Celebrity Cruises. Rooftop Garden Grill offer guests the experience of backyard BBQs. Eden Restaurant features a lively, open-air kitchen combined with sensory and experiential offerings served by performers known as Edenists.
Magic Carpet ride
More adventurous is Raw on 5, which serves delicacies from the sea and beyond, while Dinner on the Edge offers local ingredients sourced during itinerary stops. Both these restaurants have the added benefit of the Magic Carpet – the world’s first cantilevered, floating platform, on the outside of the ship.
Reaching 13 storeys above sea level, the Magic Carpet turns Raw on 5 into an al fresco dining experience with sea views when it reaches level 5. As the Magic Carpet makes its way up the side of the ship to its highest level, it becomes the sky-high Dinner on the Edge restaurant.
The exclusive dining experience for Suite Class guests is Luminae at The Retreat, described as “an evolution of the highest-rated restaurant in the Celebrity fleet” designed by visionary Kelly Hoppen. AquaClass guests have access to the award-winning Blu, a spa-inspired restaurant.
Celebrity Cruises has also teamed with TableMation Studios, featuring Skullmapping’s world famous Le Petit Chef, an animated 3D character who appears on guest’s plates and prepares each course they’ll be enjoying before their eyes. By fusing entertainment and dining Celebrity hopes to differentiate its dining experience.
Homeported in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Celebrity Edge will make her first sailing on 21 November 2018, alternating seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. In 2019 she will begin a range of seven- to 11-night sailings in the Mediterranean. Celebrity Edge will be joined by three sister ships in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
