Les chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire had already stolen the show in 2017 with the MSC Meraviglia. Repeat performance in 2018: their flagship Celebrity Edge wins the first prize of the Cruise Critics ' UK Editor's Picks Awards.
The Celebrity has gone over the edge as it blows away the standards of luxury boating. Between innovation and avant-garde, the technological risks taken are now being rewarded. Its blue hull lined with a flashy platform is a unique signature look that contributes to its success.
Excellence in the shipbuilding industry
First in a series of five passenger ships ordered by the American shipowner RCCL, it left the port of Saint-Nazaire in November 2018. It's not the biggest monster to have come out of the depths of the Chantiers. Next to the giants Harmony and Symphony of the Seas (362 meters or 1187 ft.), it would almost look like a titan with its 306 meters (1003 ft.). But the figures speak for themselves: 14 decks, 1,450 cabins for 2,918 passengers and 1,320 crew members. Baptized by her godmother Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, she set out on a journey toward peaceful shores.
The ship of the Thousand and One Nights
The Magic Carpet is a movable fluorescent orange platform capable of going up and down along the ship's 14 decks, serving as an extension for the bar and restaurant. This futuristic water lounge, where you can board and disembark, is the centrepiece of the boat that adds enchantment to the trip. The magic is on board. An original staging like the transparent opening of a courtyard wall that reveals the steel underpinnings of the liner's hull. Highly skilled architects and decorators worked on the design of the ship which alternates unusual spaces (high-tech theatre), grandiose spaces (atrium of the Grand Plaza, staircase) and a design incorporating natural materials and sober colors closely mimicking nature. Her luxury is obvious.
A floating Eden
The green jewel of the ship is the Eden Garden which stretches over three levels. Hammocks hanging in front of windows with panoramic ocean views, sofas, a bar, and a cozy restaurant. The greenery is a special guest. Like the Rooftop Garden which hosts lush wonders and vibrant tree sculptures brought to life through live concerts.
The art of cruising
Artworks are everywhere: next to a restaurant, in the corridors. Oozing artworks paying homage to Klein's famous tint of blue, references to the Winged Victory of Samothrace... You can immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Avalon, a participative work, and walk through a mysterious and changing bronze forest, in a corridor with red and deep golden lights.
For it is no longer just a question of making marine showpieces. One must also innovate, orchestrate unusual animations, invent spectacular stagings, so that the cruise is a moment suspended between dream and reality and to blur the paths of pleasures between record and intimacy.
Further reading:
-400 permanent job vacancies and a giant recruitment campaign organized by Chantiers de l'Atlantique
-In Saint-Nazaire, Chantiers de l'Atlantique open their school
The housing solution in Saint-Nazaire
The SMARTAPPART residential hotel is an economical alternative to hotels. Its furnished and connected apartments are located in the "ville-port" district in the heart of Downtown. Studios and one-bedrooms are suited to your short, medium or long-term stays.
