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.

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