CELEBRITY ASCENT
Step onboard Celebrity Ascent, the fourth of Celebrity’s Edge-class ships, to enjoy luxury leisure and some of the best fine dining at sea
ESSENTIALS
With room for 3,260 passengers, Celebrity Ascent is big, but that’s good, as it means there’s loads of room for places to sleep, eat and drink. Specifically, there are 1,646 suites and cabins, including 36 for solo travellers, 18 restaurants and 14 bars and lounges.
EXPERIENCE
Whether you plan to splash out on palatial suites or twostorey villas attended by butlers, are looking for a stylish veranda cabin overlooking the ocean or are travelling solo, there’s accommodation to suit everyone on Celebrity Ascent.
Likewise, restaurants cater for all, with steaks, seafood, French and Italian fare on offer. Chefs experiment with tastes in Eden, the Rooftop Grill is tops for alfresco dining on a warm sunny evening. My personal favourite? Le Voyage serves fabulous cuisine created by Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud. Specialist restaurants cost extra, anything from $45 to $125 per head.
It all sounds rather calorific, but fear not. There’s a gym full of machines that will have you running, stepping and lifting. Me? I’m one deck down, relaxing in the spa’s sauna and steam rooms (there are also various massages and facials) or on the cushioned loungers by the solarium pool. It’s one of five pools on Ascent, including two infinity dips that butt over the side of the ship.
EXTRAS
Remember the swanky suites I mentioned? Well the best bit is that drinks and wifi are included with the booking, as well as access to the Retreat, a gated residence with a private sundeck, lounge and restaurant, Luminae, where you can dine on a selection of Boulud specials.
I’d say it’s the most spectacular place on Ascent, but it has stiff competition from the Rooftop Garden, where you can sit amid real shrubs enjoying ocean views with a glass of something sparkling in your hand, and the Magic Carpet, a platform that ‘flies’ up and down the side of the ship, changing function as it goes.
It’s a bar alongside the sundeck with the best views in the house when I get onboard; other times it provides alfresco seating for the fishy Raw on Five restaurant or a sea-level platform for boarding the ship’s tenders (which are speciallymade super-comfy boats).To say it’s better than the rickety steps on the side of most ships is a hefty understatement.
HOW TO BOOK
A seven-night Greece, Turkey and Italy cruise from Piraeus (Athens) to Civitavecchia (Rome) on Celebrity Ascent, departing July 20, 2024 is priced from £1,182 per person, based on two sharing an Oceanview Cabin. celebritycruises.co.uk