Cruise Guide: Celebrity Equinox set to pamper guests

The new, 2,850-passenger Celebrity Equinox, complete with a host of onboard indulgences, debuts in England at the end of this month. Image courtesy Celebrity Cruises

By Michael Coleman

Celebrity Cruises’ latest vessel, the 2,850-guest Celebrity Equinox, begins service at the end of this month with an eye on pampering guests to new heights.

A sister-ship to the line’s highly-acclaimed Celebrity Solstice (we’ll review Solstice in this space in the coming weeks), Equinox will offer a host of indulgent onboard offerings including a “24-Karat Gold Facial’’ plus a group of AquaClass staterooms — 130 in all – designed to offer a soothing, spa-focused ambiance.

Located in close proximity to the ships’ two-story “AquaSpa by Elemis,” AquaClass guests will enjoy unlimited access to the spa’s Persian Garden aromatherapy steam room, featuring heated ceramic loungers, and the Relaxation Room, which offers panoramic vistas from comfortable lounge chairs.

AquaClass guests also enjoy unlimited, complimentary access to the ship’s exclusive, Mediterranean-influenced specialty restaurant, Blu. The dinner menu will feature appetizers along the lines of roasted beet salad with goat cheese; Mediterranean chopped salad with pita chips and pomegranate vinaigrette; and entrees including blackened ahi tuna, pan-seared filet mignon, and herb-crusted rack of lamb.

AquaClass guests will receive in-stateroom amenities that include a pillow menu featuring Swedish Isotonic, body and hypo-allergenic pillows; carafes of unsweetened iced tea; lavender oil in a reed diffuser; and a five-jet shower by Hansgrohe.

The new ship will feature 1,426 staterooms, 85 percent of which include a veranda. Each stateroom will be equipped with flat-screen TVs, storage and closet space, spacious bathrooms and plush European bedding. The ship will offer wireless Internet access throughout.

All guests can treat themselves to indulge in the ship’s spa which will offer its standard line-up of revitalizing, restorative experiences for individuals and couples from a full slate of massages, wraps, couples treatments, rituals and facials. The ship also offers men’s barber services, including traditional barber shaves.

Renowned for providing exotic therapies focused on beauty and wellness, Celebrity may have topped itself with the introduction aboard Equinox of a “24-Karat Gold Facial.’’ The treatment, which uses an alchemy of expert touch, medicinal plants, Rose Quartz and a pure 24-karat gold leaf mask, “speeds up cell renewal and results in a rebalanced, nourished, brighter and more clarified skin texture and complexion,’’ according to a news release issued by Celebrity.

Guests who experience it will also be able to enjoy a special cocktail inspired by the treatment itself. The “Golden Kiss Martini” will feature Golden Supreme vodka, cucumber juice, agave syrup and lemon juice, muddled with fresh mint.

In addition, the ship will offer “red carpet make-up” application after every facial in its line-up, featuring a natural touch of Colorscience mineral powder and lip gloss to keep skin and lips glowing.

Acupuncture, Botox, Restylane and Perlane treatments, Elemis Oxydermy facials and teeth whitening are among a host of additional onboard services.

The 122,000 ton ship enters service July 31 in Southampton, England.

On the Web: www.celebritycruises.com