Celebrity Cruises receives best of the large-ships award from Condé Nast

2011 has been a stellar year for Celebrity Cruises.
This week, the annual Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards acknowledged Celebrity Cruises as #1 in the large-ship (over 2,500 passengers) category. Add to their accolades several other notable awards; the Travel Weekly Magellan awards and the Travelage West Wave award. Also, Celebrity Cruises has received awards for their eco-conscience efforts from the Miami Chamber of Commerce and the City of San Diego.

“All of us at Celebrity are thrilled with this recognition, which is a genuine validation of everything we’re devoted to offering our guests on every Solstice Class ship – and on our Millennium Class ships, particularly as we continue our ambitious, $140-million ‘Solsticizing’ initiative on each of those ships,” said Celebrity’s President & CEO Dan Hanrahan.

“To have our new Solstice Class ships recognized as the best in the category, just as our Millennium Class ships have been for several consecutive years, is extremely rewarding. We’re honored that the sophisticated readers of Condé Nast Traveler appreciate the modern luxury we’re focused on providing across the fleet.”

With the overwhelming success of the first three Solstice-class ships, with two more on the way, Celebrity will “Solsticize” their four Millennium-class ships by adding some of the most popular features from the Solstice-class ships including the Tuscan Grille, the ice-topped Martini Bar, Bistro On Five creperie, as well as cabin decor upgrades and spa suites.

In addition to its ambitious Solsticizing program, Celebrity launched the fourth sleek ship in its stylish Solstice Class series, Celebrity Silhouette, complete with the industry’s first outdoor, interactive barbecue area, “The Lawn Club Grill,”; initiated construction of the fifth Solstice Class ship, Celebrity Reflection, which sets sail in 2012; announced the line’s first sailings in Asia; announced a very special collaboration with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®; introduced specialty dining packages, as yet another illustration of Celebrity’s culinary leadership and innovation, and published an engaging hardbound book filled with recipes, tips and personality profiles, Excite the Senses.

As culinary and wine-themed cruises are gaining in popularity, Celebrity will introduce an entirely new series of wine-themed cruises in France, Spain and Portugal during peak harvest season in 2012, with several itineraries featuring visits to the destinations Conde Nast Traveler’s poll ranked as the top three in Europe: Florence, Barcelona, and Rome.

Nearly 29,000 readers participated in Condé Nast Traveler’s 24^th annual survey, evaluating cruise lines in seven areas: Food/Dining, Staterooms, Design/Layout, Crew/Service, Shore Excursions, Activities/Facilities and Itineraries/Schedules. The complete listing of award winners is featured on Conde Nast Traveler’s website and in the magazine’s November 2011 issue.

Read about my cruise to Canada and New England aboard the Celebrity Constellation