MIAMI - July 16, 2007 - Celebrity Cruises' guests now can enjoy museum-quality audio equipment and commentary while viewing the fleet's permanent onboard art collection. Seven of the line's ships now offer complimentary use of handheld audio devices featuring self-guided art tours that provide education and insight into the works.
"We're thrilled to be the only cruise line to offer equipment of such high quality to guests interested in art," Celebrity Vice President of Entertainment Lisa Lutoff-Perlo said. "Whether someone is new to the world of art or an art historian, our self-guided art tour will give them new insight into the works on display, ultimately enhancing their cruise experience."
To take an audio tour, a guest can simply visit the Guest Relations desk and sign out an audio tour device. The easy-to-use devices - the same equipment used in the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art - allow guests to explore works of art at their own pace and in whatever order they choose. Each device offers the highest available sound quality.
> Written by an art historian, each tour has been created to appeal to a broad range of tastes. Featuring points of interest that will appeal to the novice art enthusiast or an art historian, the tours offer a combination of academic information and lighter knowledge as they introduce the listener to thought-provoking concepts such as what the artist may have been thinking when he or she created the piece, or whether an artist's intent is more important than a viewer's perception.
The line implemented the new self-guided audio art tour on Celebrity Century in April. By the end of October 2007, Celebrity will complete installation on Celebrity Constellation, Celebrity Galaxy, Celebrity Infinity, Celebrity Mercury, Celebrity Millennium and Celebrity Summit. Each ship's collection is valued at more than $1.5 million, and features modern and contemporary 20th century works by artists such as Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and Pablo Picasso, in a variety of media, including sculpture, oil on canvas and photography. Each collection offers a balance of serious and whimsical art; this mixture is reflective of the comfortable sophistication guests experience on a Celebrity vacation. Celebrity Cruises offers comfortably sophisticated, upscale cruise experiences with highly personalized service, exceptional dining, and extraordinary attention to detail. Celebrity sails in Alaska, California, the Caribbean, Europe, Galapagos Islands, Hawaii, Mexican Riviera, Panama Canal and South America, and will begin sailing in Australia and New Zealand in November. The line also offers unique land-tour vacations in Alaska, Canada, Europe and Australia through its cruisetour affiliate. Noted for "The World's Best Large Ships," as voted by the readers of Conde' Nast Traveler (February 2007 Cruise Poll), Celebrity's current fleet will be joined by Celebrity Solstice in 2008, Celebrity Equinox in 2009, Celebrity Eclipse in 2010, and a fourth Solstice-class ship in 2011.
For more information or reservations, call BestCruiseBuy at 1-866-622-7447 or visit www.BestCruiseBuy.com!