Cigar Sanctuaries At Sea - club for cigar smokers aboard Celebrity Cruises - Brief Article

Cruise Travel, Sept, 2000 by Brook Hill Snow

Michael's Clubs On Celebrity Cruises Offer A Haven For Cigar Aficionados

The country may be still searching fruitlessly for a good five-cent cigar, as once suggested by United States Senate leader Thomas Marshall (1854-1925), but finding a place to smoke one today, except outdoors, is becoming increasingly more difficult.

Not so on Celebrity Cruises' vessels Horizon, Zenith, Century, Galaxy, Mercury, and the new Millennium. Each ship has a comfortable, centrally located Michael's Club designed especially for cigar aficionados.

The rooms' decor vary, and are a breath of fresh air compared to the good-ole-boys-club look of dark-wood paneling, overstuffed leather chairs, and lithographs of the horseyset that is traditionally associated with smoking rooms. For example, hanging above the Michael's mantel on the Century is a signed Picasso print (valued at $70,000)--certainly not a Dutch master. The various Michael's Clubs have different low-key themes that are inviting to all. A classic fireplace gives each club a finishing touch, but sadly, safety regulations prohibit any tree fires.

The bars are stocked with fine liqueurs, and the rooms are staffed with knowledgeable hosts from Miami-based SyGar Enterprises. Cigars offered include Macanudo, Davidoff, Dunhill, Arturo Fuente, Avo, Punch, Don Rene, Hoyo de Monterey, Cuesta-Rey, Romeo y Julieta, Excalibur, Cafe Creme, La Gloria Cubana, Gurkha, Ashton, Cupido, Aristoff Black, Perfecto Garcia, Partagas, Diamond Crown, and Cojimar. Most come from the Dominican Republic. A full line of smoking accessories is also available for sale.

In the last available statistic from the Cigar Association of America, more than six million cigar-smoking Americans annually enjoy 3.5 billion cigars. Premium cigar smokers in the 26- to 38-year-old age group is the fastest growing market in the cigar industry, according to surveys.

Celebrity cruisers won't influence that total very much, but as many as 50 guests are hosted nightly in each club during the voyages. As many as 60 women attend "Ladies' Night," and there is even a vanilla-flavored cigar available that has been especially designed for the fair sex.

Jolita Menkevicuite, the hostess in Michael's Club on the Millennium, is a most attractive 28-year-old Lithuanian. In spite of her youth, she is well-trained on cigars. "Two-thirds of our cigars are medium and mild," she said. "We carry no Cuban cigars--nor any cigarettes. The room is kept at 70 degrees fahrenheit with 70 percent humidity. Extra air control keeps smoke in the room at a minimum.

"Our best seller of all is the Macanudo Hampton Court, at $14.25. Also very popular is the Davidoff Anniversary #2, at $28.75. We do suggest their Ambassadrice, at $8, for women and first-time smokers. Flavored cigars include sugar-tipped Cojimar Mint, Sambuca, and Cinnamon. There is also the rum-flavored Manual Casals.

"The Partagas brand, with a variety of nine choices, is very popular, with prices ranging from $9.25 to $18.25. Boxes of cigars (in 10s, 20s, or 25s) are available at 50 percent off list price and can be shipped to one's home or office."

Michael's Clubs are open between 5 p.m. and 1 a.m., and regular seminars take guests through the world of cigars with an in-depth history and rolling exhibitions. Among the explanations: Cigar tobacco leaves are hung for four weeks after picking, stacked for six months, fumigated for 72 hours, and stored in a cedar room (at the optimum 70/70 temperature/ humidity levels).

Guests also learn that the official United States government stand on Cuban cigars is that "only persons returning directly from Cuba after a licensed visit there are permitted to bring Cuban cigars into the United States, provided the domestic value of such cigars does not exceed $100 and the cigars are for that person's personal use and not for resale." It is also illegal to bring Cuban cigars into the United States even if bought in a third country, such as Canada, England, or Mexico.

Michael's Club is named for Michael Chandris, who with his brother John, created Celebrity Cruises in 1989. The line was an outgrowth of the venerable Chandris Group, a well-known shipping firm that was established in 1915. In 1997 Celebrity Cruises was purchased by Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited.

While enjoying a fine smoke in a Michael's Club, one might recall cigar comments from the past. Noted psychiatrist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." However, author Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) stated, "... a woman is only a woman, but a cigar is a smoke."

For more information on Celebrity Cruises, contact your travel agent or Celebrity Cruises (Cruise Travel Magazine), 1050-Caribbean Way, Miami, FL 33132; on the web at www.celebrity-cruises.com.