SEA CHANGE
Shamilee Vellu checks out Celebrity Edge’s revolutionary design, which offers travellers a tantalising look into the future of luxury cruising
In an age when every mode of transport, from taxis to even private jets, has experienced disruption, it stands to reason that an old holdout – cruising – would prove ripe for a complete rethink. Naturally, a key motivation for change is to hit that much-coveted millennial sweet spot: Cruise lines have trotted out everything from on-board mixology classes to yoga retreats, and Uniworld recently debuted two river cruisers centred on millennial-minded decor, activities and technology. Ultimately, with an estimated 30 million cruise-goers expected to hit the high seas in 2019 (according to Cruise Lines International Association) and what seems like a bigger ship unveiled every other month, the race is on for cruise operators to overcome the stereotype that cruising is only for retirees, and that it – to put it bluntly – just isn’t cool.
Can it be, though? Industry stalwart Celebrity Cruises (celebritycruises.com) thinks so, and it has put its money on the new US$1 billion Celebrity Edge, which I, an avowed non-cruiser, have been invited to experience during its christening (by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, no less) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
It turns out I’m not the only cruise novitiate on board – far from it. To actuate its groundbreaking vision, Celebrity Cruises approached a starry line-up of boldface creatives such as Kelly Hoppen, Jouin Manku, Patricia Urquiola, Tom Wright and Scott Butler – some were long-time collaborators, but there were also several who had never set foot on, much less designed, a cruise ship. The result is a masterwork that showcases not only new-to-market technologies, but also stunningly fresh spaces by designers who gleefully threw out the rule book for what a cruise ship should look like.
RETURN TO GLAMOUR
“When Celebrity first came to us, we didn’t know quite what to expect,” says Sanjit Manku, one half of esteemed Paris-based design duo Jouin Manku, best known for designing Alain Ducasse’s gastronomic temples in the Eiffel Tower and Hôtel Plaza Athénée (and in Singapore’s Raffles Hotel).
“We had two images in our minds,” he shares. “One was of cruising in the ’70s and ’80s – a little bit like a Disney-fied Vegas. Then we had this other image: pre-war, when going on a cruise was the most romantic, elegant, chic way of travelling. It took time to cross the ocean – but you conquered it and you did it in style. We asked ourselves: ‘Is there a way to bring back authentic glamour on a transatlantic journey with style and panache?’”
Early market research left them dismayed. Often, passengers were encouraged to forget they were even on a ship: an on-board Tuscan wine bar, for instance, might be clad wall-to-wall in fake stone, in a misguided effort to magically transport drinkers to Italy.
“I don’t ever want anybody to ever forget they’re on a ship,” says Manku, whose approach is most clearly illustrated in a corridor that aesthetically exposes the bare hull of the ship, the steel bones still bearing the marks of the architects, engineers and welders who worked on the vessel. It leads to the très-chic The Grand Plaza at the ship’s epicentre, a soaring, three-storey space with
blended lounging areas and a martini bar dominated by a spectacular light installation comprising 765 led blades radiating across the ceiling. A modern reinterpretation of the chandelier-bedecked ballroom that typically composed the heart of early cruise liners, it is lined with a glittering screen comprising fragments of anodised aluminium, specially treated fabric, leather and stainless steel that variously conceals – and reveals – parts of the elegant space as you walk pass.
“There’s no formality, no threshold between the spaces here. There are no hard lines anymore, like the way we live now,” says Manku. “We don’t live the same way our grandparents or parents do. We’re looking for something that reflects our epoch.”
A raft of technological innovations complementing Manku’s philosophy ( and appealing to modern travellers) has been introduced to Celebrity Edge, billed as a ship so cutting-edge, it “leaves the future behind”. It was conceptualised entirely in 3d, a world first. You can board using just facial recognition as you walk through the check-in terminal. A new dedicated app allows you to access augmented-reality tours, deck plans and a personal activity calendar, chat with other guests, make dining reservations, and control the lights and temperature in your room. A 4,000-piece-strong collection of unique art pieces is spread across the ship, including a striking horse sculpture on the deck by Sophie Dickens, the great, great granddaughter of famed Victorian novelist Charles Dickens. And a zero-landfill policy means chic reusable aluminium bottles instead of disposable plastic.
On a more ambitious scale, the ship’s designers have managed to do away with the restrictive exoskeleton steel hull, which has now been pushed to the centre, meaning more floor-to-ceiling windows. A parabolic ultrabow reduces drag, making the Edge 20 percent more energy-efficient than the rest of the fleet. Three more Edge- class vessels are planned for delivery by 2022.
A HOME AT SEA
Cutting-edge technology doesn’t mean neglecting creature comforts. Enter your well-appointed stateroom, and you’ll think you’ve just checked into a very swish hotel, complete with a king-sized, Italian-made eucalyptus-infused mattress containing high-grade cashmere. London-based interior designer Kelly Hoppen is the face of the
Edge’s sumptuous accommodation. “Having been in the business for 41 years, there isn’t much I haven’t designed, so I was really curious and excited about the challenge. I planned for it to feel like a home away from home with an added wow factor,” says Hoppen, who brings her famed aesthetic of clean lines, neutral tones and understated elegance to the staterooms. Among the most notable are those that feature the proprietary Infinite Veranda, an innovation that allows guests to merge their room and balcony with the touch of a button, and virtually walk out to the water’s edge.
“The infinite verandas are incredible,” says Hoppen. “They extend what used to be a smaller space into something open plan and inviting to guests. The hidden storage through discreet cupboards and space under the beds means that clambering over suitcases is no longer an issue. The design is modern and spacious, something that some cruises struggle with. I feel it brings a certain ‘freshness’ to the ship.”
Hoppen also highlights the 950sqft, two-storey Edge Villa, which is a first for the fleet and goes at US$20,000 per week. Cleverly blending indoor and outdoor spaces, it features fantastic ocean views and a nearly 1m-deep plunge pool. Another Hoppen favourite: the circular Lee Broom hanging chairs, which impart vivid pops of red to the muted palettes of the Iconic Suites located above the ship’s bridge.
Naturally, designing for a home that floats entailed a set of challenges different from those Hoppen was used to. All materials used had to be fire-safe yet comfortable and texturally appealing. And because of weight restrictions, Hoppen had to reconfigure several objet, including the giant crystal centrepiece for the ship’s spa, which she designed.
MAGIC CARPET RIDE
Hoppen was also behind the vibrant interiors of Magic Carpet, the world’s first cantilevered floating platform that reaches heights of 13 storeys above sea level. Architect Tom Wright (of Burj Al Arab fame) is the brains behind this extraordinary tangerine-hued, 240,000kg venue, which variously serves as glamorous embarkation area, restaurant or bar, depending on which floor of the ship it’s currently at. Regulation and privacy issues mean that guests are not allowed on it while it’s in motion.
It’s the pièce de résistance of the “outward-facing” approach all the designers adopted for their work on the Edge, which encourages guests to turn towards the incredible vistas that surround them.
This was achieved by measures as large as Magic Carpet, or as small as arranging deck chairs outward, towards the endless horizon. “Traditionally, a pool deck has always been inward-facing,” says Wright.
“All the chairs would face the pool, because people think this is what customers want – that they want to look at the swimming pool.”
The outward-facing design also informs the enormous 650sqm glass window that fronts one side of Eden, a three-storey lounge, entertainment and F&B space at the ship’s stern that’s styled to resemble a leafy glade. A prohibitive cost, and the fact that designing it, which, according to architect Scott Butler, was like “designing a structure in a constant seismic event”, is the reason it had never been attempted. Triangular glass pieces were used because they don’t distort the way square pieces might when they flex.
The massive window lets sunlight stream into Eden’s organic cutaway architecture, which features a leafy canopy, planted walls (from which bartenders pick garnishes) and furniture by design dame Patricia Urquiola. “There are no dead ends in Eden,” says Butler, who eschewed staircases for undulating ramps that flow seamlessly from level to level. By day, it’s a peaceful garden in which to read or have breakfast. At night, it magically transforms into an enchanted forest in which performers clad as forest sylphs slink around guests, dangle from the ceiling or play didgeridoos while guests lounge on retro-cool furniture custom made by Urquiola for the space.
“When you’re on a ship, it’s an extraordinary day,” says Manku. “It’s totally different from anything else.” The odds are good that the travellers joining the Edge’s next expedition to the Iberian Peninsula in May will agree.