Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises may be about to become the line with the lines – as it is hiring staff to mow a half-acre of real grass on the top deck of Celebrity Solstice when she launches in December.

The grassy deck, known as the Lawn Club, will allow passengers to practice their putting, play croquet, learn bocce ball, or enjoy have a picnic on the grass. The club areas also includes the glass-blowing studio. Royal Caribbean Cruises, Celebrity’s parent company, promised they would not use an entry charge to control numbers wanting to sit or play on the grass.

Celebrity has spent months working with experts to find a grass mix that can cope with life on the top deck of a ship, where it will be exposed to sun, wind, sea salt and heavy rain, not to mention thousands of feet. The cruise line has also had to factor the weight of the fifty tons of turf, and the 50 tons of water it will absorb through rain or irrigation. Environmentalists say that the additional fuel needed to move the extra weight will damage the ship’s ‘green’ credentials, even if the grass itself is emerald. Celebrity Solstice has three planned sister ships, each of whom will have a Lawn Club too.