Back in the iLife with Celebrity

As the Twitterati wait breathlessly to discover who has won a competition to win an unforgettable trip on board Celebrity Eclipse on its first journey to the sea, details are beginning to emerge of a few tweaks which will distinguish the ship from her sisters, Equinox and Solstice.
First to be announced is that the ship will have possibly the most sophisticated internet centre afloat.
More than just an internet cafe, the Celebrity iLounge, in partnership with Apple, will have iPods and MacBooks for sale, and a learning centre for passengers to brush up their computing skills and learn about creating photo albums, film editing and web design.
For cruisers used to antiquated computers tucked away in a corner of a library, the 26 MacBook Pro workstations will be a revelation, and they will not only be able to check their email and research port excursions, they will also be able to print out boarding passes for the flight home.
Celebrity Cruise president Dan Hanrahan says: “Our new Celebrity iLounge is a direct expansion of our new ‘Designed for you’ brand platform, and our commitment to listen to our guests and offer experiences expressly designed for them.
“Our surveys show that our guests rely heavily on the Internet for research, learning and staying in touch, so we think this new offering will be a big hit, as will the contemporary online classes offered through the ‘Discover’ series of our inspiring and enriching ‘Celebrity Life’ experiences.”
Celebrity Eclipse will be launched in Southampton in April and will cruise from the UK throughout the summer. The iLounge will also feature on the next two ships in the fleet, Celebrity Silhouette, to be launched next year, and an as-yet unnamed sister ship due to debut in 2012.
I just hope that internet access – dependent on satellite connections from cruise ships – is speedy enough, and that the charges for usage won’t be excessive.
Oh, and if you’re thinking of entering that competition, it’s too late.