RUISINGis anincreasinglypopular
holidayoption,butraisetheconceptof
enormous, multistoreyed cruise ships
withsome(especiallythoseagedunder
65),andit willoftenelicita setofprej-
udices.I wasoneofthosepeople.Tell
o betraversingthehighseaswith 2900
guestsand 1300 crew,anddownI gointoa rabbithole
ofeverythingthatcouldpossiblygowrong:terrorism,
norovirus outbreaks, unwanted orgies, undetected
icebergsandsuddenperformanceartbycrewmembers
dressedas woodlandnymphs.
Whenmyeditorasksmeif I wouldliketo experience
the Europeanpremiere voyage of Celebrity Cruises’
newestship,CelebrityEdge,sailingoutof Southampton
in theUK,I decideto tacklemybias.I takewithmemy
friendAnthony,a gregarioussophisticatefromLondon
whowilllikelycallfora helicopterrescueif thewineselectionis iffy.
One ofthe greatbonusesof a cruiseis,of course,theeaseof
embarking.Afterpresentingourpassportsattheterminal,weare
whisked to our sun-drenched stateroom. Interior designer Kelly
Hoppenhasdonea superbjobchoosingthechictextilesandfinishes
thatdefinetheCelebrity Edge’s‘modernluxury’brief: thesuites,
penthousesandvillasfeellikea boutiquehotelonthesea.Thereis
also a collection of 400 artworks decorating the ship. Anthony
instantlyapprovesofour suite,popsonhisValentinoespadrilles,
installshimselfonourbalconyandopensa bottleof champagne.
Weareofftoa verypleasantstartastheship’shornsoundsand
weheadouttosea.ThecentralhubofCelebrityEdgeis theglit-
tering Grand Plaza, a three-deck space home to a selection of
restaurants,bars,loungesandcafestetheredbytheall-important
MartiniBar,wherewebegin(andendup)everynight.That’sthe
dreamof partyingwhere youarestaying:onedirty martinitoo
manyandyoucanbecosilytuckedintobedinfiveminutesflat.
Theculinaryexperienceis trulyexceptional;with 29 venues,the
chance ofgettingbored or a so-so meal is slim to zero. In addition,Forgettheadage
thatcruisingisfor
newlywedsand
nearlydeads.Kirstie
Clementsboards
thebillion-dollar
floatingresortthat’s
making waves
Rocking
the boat
ESCAPE
220 HARPERSBAZAAR.COM.AU September 2019
Clockwisefromthisimage:
TheGrandPlaza;anIconic
Suitebalconywithspaand
doubledaybed;anIconic
Suitebathroom;theLobby
Deck;thePenthouseSuite
living room; the Magic Carpet.