Take a Deep Breath and eXhale' Aboard Celebrity Ships

Cruise lines have taken their cue from the hotel industry and joined the "bedding wars" afloat. As Cruise Diva reported in Get A Good Night’s Sleep At Sea, "You want to sleep well wherever you lay your head so it’s good to know that cruise lines consider that when selecting bedding for their ships." At that time, Celebrity Cruises didn’t make the cut of those lines with the beds we'd most like to sleep on, but from what we’re about to share, they surely will in the future.

There’s nothing sleepy about Celebrity Cruises’ "Solsticizing" program. Among the most ambitious revitalization initiatives in the cruise industry, the $140-million program will add to the line's Millennium Class ships a host of the venues and experiences guests enjoy the most on the Solstice Class ships. It’s all happening within less than two years, with each ship completing the massive transformation over the course of an only three-week drydock period. And now we get to one of the best features. Celebrity plans to complement the program further by rolling out an entirely new and ultimately fleetwide bedding program, "eXhale," which will be introduced when Celebrity Infinity emerges from her Solsticizing drydock on Dec 3, 2011.

Celebrity’s eXhale bedding program—to be featured in every stateroom on the newly-Solsticized Celebrity Infinity—will include new mattresses designed exclusively for Celebrity in partnership with Reverie®, a leader in the field of luxury bedding. Hand-made in the U.S. (let's hear it for an American-made product!) with natural raw materials such as bamboo and sustainable natural rubber, the mattresses are almost entirely recyclable and biodegradable. The unique technology of the Reverie mattress features removable, hypo-allergenic, antibacterial and dust mite-resistant covers, and a breathable, plush pillow top with a patented air flow design that helps circulate air through the mattress and keep guests cool as they sleep.

Celebrity’s guests in Penthouse Suites, Royal Suites, Celebrity Suites, and Sky Suites will enjoy a particularly unique sleep experience. In those spacious luxury accommodations, complete with 24/7 butler service, Celebrity will offer a premium Reverie mattress allowing guests to customize their sleep experience. With the expert help of their butler, guests sailing in those suites will be able to have their mattress tailored to their liking, within a range of options from extra plush to extra firm, all with the goal of precisely meeting their individual comfort preferences. Rounding out Celebrity's eXhale bedding program in each stateroom and suite will be custom-embroidered, 100% Egyptian cotton linens.

"We know how precious our guests’ vacation time is, so we set out to ensure that every moment of their vacation offers them the opportunity to do as much or as little as they choose and that very well may include relaxing in bed to read a book, watch TV, or, of course, sleep," said Celebrity’s Senior VP of Hotel Operations Lisa Lutoff-Perlo. "We are just as committed to offering a modern luxury experience with our bedding program as we are throughout the entire ship. It’s very exciting to introduce our new, premium, Reverie bedding system on a Millennium Class ship, as just one component of our vast Solsticizing program, and an appealing prelude to what guests in select suite categories will enjoy on Celebrity Reflection when she launches in Fall 2012."

Photo: Celebrity Solstice Cabin 1605 © Cruise Diva