From Cruisenetwork.com:
When you're a cruise line that strives to be the most innovative cruise
line in the world, you take ambitious chances. Sometimes, you'll find that
you miss the mark a little. While Celebrity Cruises
rarely-if ever-misses the mark when it comes to top notch itineraries,
exciting shore excursions, elegant dining, and overall luxury, it's clear
that their Cirque du Soleil program didn't receive the adulation they had
hoped. That's why Celebrity Cruises, a fleet known for its innovative
features as much for its impeccable service, is in the process of dropping
its current Cirque du Soleil entertainment onboard two of its Celebrity
Cruises ships, Summit and Constellation.
It was, and still is, a great idea. Bring performers from the
highly-acclaimed and completely unique Cirque du Soleil onboard Celebrity Cruises
ships to entertain the guests. Seemed like the perfect partnership between
two companies that strive for excellence. The program, which began in late
2004 on the Celebrity Cruises Constellation
and in early 2005 on the Celebrity Cruises Summit , involved
Cirque characters interacting with passengers in a dedicated lounge-the
so-called The Bar at the Edge of the Earth. Renovated and designed to have
an otherworldly appearance, public space on the ships was transformed into
The Bar at the Edge of the Earth, a place where interesting Cirque du
Soleil characters interacted with one another and the guests.
The project, however, didn't float, and Cirque du Soleil and Celebrity
executives were forced to start discussions on another Cirque plan, said
Liz Jakeway, a spokeswoman for Celebrity. The program was canceled on
Sept. 30 on the Summit and will cease Nov. 10 on the Constellation.
Undoubtedly, many Celebrity Cruises passengers were hoping for Cirque du
Soleil's airborne acrobatics and stage shows. But this was something
different.
"It's no secret it met with a mixed response at the outset," Jakeway said.
"[Celebrity is] in active discussions with Cirque to determine what the
next evolution will be." The expectation from a [Cirque du Soleil] event
is an acrobatic show, she added. "This isn't that."
Of course, there were probably many details that came into play when
designing the initial project: onboard logistics, safety, and others. Many
of the highflying and daredevil performances for which Cirque du Soleil is
known would have been simply impossible on a cruise ship.
Even though the Cirque du Soleil show will not continue as planned with
Celebrity, it's evident that Celebrity is willing to try interesting new
programs in the hopes of giving their passengers as enjoyable experience
as possible. Their enrichment series, for instance, feature lectures,
demonstrations, and interactive activities that really get the passengers
involved in the world around them. Celebrity Cruises also takes passengers
to destinations to which no other cruise lines travel, such as the
Antarctica-a place more filled with life than you might imagine-and the
Galapagos Islands, a tiny string of wildlife-laden islands planted on the
equator, west of Ecuador in South America.
The partnership between Cirque du Soleil has not dissolved, however, and
both companies are in the midst of talks concerning where to go with the
project. Also, the bars, which were renovated specifically to house the
Cirque events, will still be open in the evenings as a nightclub and
lounge, but will be without the Cirque characters. In the mean time, Celebrity Cruises is
continuing to sponsor the Cirque du Soleil performances, and both the Constellation
and the Summit will continue to feature Cirque-themed stores onboard.
