Celebrity Eclipse ’rabbit warren of luxury'

What happens when you mix a shopping mall, an art gallery and a culinary district together and make it float?

The result would be something like Celebrity Eclipse.

• Lyttelton welcomes first cruise ship to rebuilt terminal

The interior of the 317m, 122,000 tonne cruise ship can be a disorienting place, but according to company tour guides it is not a bad place to be lost.

Celebrity Eclipse is a rabbit warren of luxury, with every part of its 13 passenger decks dedicated to pampering its voyagers.

The ship arrived at Lyttelton's newly built Cruise Wharf this morning, carrying almost 3000 passengers.

The Celebrity Eclipse is the largest passenger ship to dock in Christchurch since the quake rebuild.

Around every corner seems to be another one of the ship’s 19 restaurants and bars, each with a different theme.

The culinary options range from a 24-hour buffet to a high-end restaurant designed by a Michelin-starred chef.

Many corners feature impressive artworks and, in some spots, the ship itself becomes a work of art, such as the plain wall that appears to be tastefully melting over a seat in one of the ship’s many corridors.

The Solstice-class ships are the only examples of their type to have real grass lawns growing on their top decks where passengers can play bowls.

Passengers have no shortage of shopping opportunities, with high-end bags, beauty products and the best watches on offer.

There is a full theatre and set-ups for smaller musical events, like silent discos, throughout the ship.

oscar.francis@odt.co.nz