Seattle travel agents preview Celebrity Solstice

Celebrity Solstice departs today on its maiden Seattle-to-Alaska voyage, following a successful two-night Preview Event for the travel agents who sell 80% of Celebrity’s tickets.

On board the Preview Event, Jamie Rowe of Pavlis Travel in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said this is her first cruise in the three years she has been a travel agent.

"I’m from the desert, I’ve never even seen a cruise ship," she said. "I love this, and it will definitely influence me to sell more Celebrity."

She was one of a group of eight sent by her agency—all agents who had never sailed before.

"It’s been a fabulous experience," agreed her co-worker Victoria Mendoza.

Elena Dillon of Cruise Planners in Santa Clarita, California, on her first Celebrity cruise, agreed the ship "was more than I expected."

"I didn’t expect it to be this pretty," she said. "It’s the detail that makes the phrase ‘Modern Luxury’ fit their brand."

Celebrity spent $5 billion to bring the Solstice class of "modern luxury" ships to market, said sales VP Jeff Clarke, and they have "revolutionized the Celebrity brand."

Partnerships with travel agents are Celebrity’s life blood, but also in the works for 2014 are new partnerships designed to heighten the guest experience—including deals with Sin City Seattle for late-night shows, Xbox 360 for teen programs, and 54 Below for Broadway nightclub entertainment.

With more inter-generational family groups cruising together, Celebrity is looking to provide new options for the toughest customers, teenagers. In addition to Xbox, a new GoProCamera program will give them cameras mounted on helmets they can use to film their shore excursions, then bring back to convert into their own movies; a new Scratch DJ program launching this summer will bring in professional DJs to teach them how to scratch.

Celebrity will not be bringing any new ships to market this year, but rather will focus on itineraries.

In Europe that will mean linking cruises to special events, including the British Open and the 70^th anniversary of D-Day.

Fall cruises to the wine country of France, Spain and Portugal also offer options for itineraries themed around wine.

The line in 2014 also will offer more Asia itineraries, more elite shore excursions for groups of 10 or less, and destination experts who are knowledgeable about each port of call.

By Cheryl Rosen