CRUISING THE CYBER-SEAS; WIRED OCEAN LINER ROLLS IN ON NET WAVE.Byline: P.J. Huffstutter Daily News Staff Writer Capt. Stubing, meet Capt. Picard. Billed as the most high-tech vessel on the high seas high seas In maritime law, the waters lying outside the territorial waters of any and all states. In the Middle Ages, a number of maritime states asserted sovereignty over large portions of the high seas. , Celebrity Cruises' newest ocean liner sports nearly $7 million worth of Sony entertainment-oriented technology - from an interactive TV and computer network to oversized o·ver·size n. 1. A size that is larger than usual. 2. An oversize article or object. adj. o·ver·size also o·ver·sized Larger in size than usual or necessary. video screens and surround-sound speakers. The Galaxy left Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. with nearly 1,700 passengers last week, and will spend the summer plying the waters between Vancouver and Alaska. The 77,713-ton Galaxy - the second-largest cruise ship in the world - houses hundreds of gee-whiz gadgets and a few practical applications as well. ``The technology wasn't put on here to add another paragraph to the cruise line's brochure,'' said Charles Anderson Charles Anderson may refer to:
Hundreds of cruise-happy people walked on board last week, meandering through a lobby filled with smoked teal glass and tuxedoed bell hops. Their bags whisked away, the curious guests crossed the cool, tiled floor and relaxed in the bar, sinking into leather seats the color of warmed butter. Dozens of tiny television sets, their shiny surfaces encased en·case tr.v. en·cased, en·cas·ing, en·cas·es To enclose in or as if in a case. en·case  ment n. in wooden frames, covered one wall. Live shots of blue water and sailboats danced across the screens. ``We are about luxury. We are about life's finer experiences,'' said Arthur Sbarsky, senior vice president of marketing for Celebrity Cruises Celebrity Cruises is a cruise line founded in 1989 by the Greek Chandris Group. In 1997 Celebrity Cruises Ltd. merged with Royal Caribbean International to become Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., which operates Celebrity and the Royal Caribbean International line. . They're also about high prices. For a 10-day cruise, Galaxy staterooms range from $1,099 to about $5,000 per person. Guests who opt for the spendier level can land one of the ship's pair of penthouse suites, a 1,200-square-foot apartment that comes with a digital camera security system, a jacuzzi on a private balcony and a personal butler. Every passenger, however, can access the interactive television network, which lists information in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German. Available in each cabin, the network allows passengers to shop, order room service, play the slot machines, change the room's air conditioning air conditioning, mechanical process for controlling the humidity, temperature, cleanliness, and circulation of air in buildings and rooms. Indoor air is conditioned and regulated to maintain the temperature-humidity ratio that is most comfortable and healthful. and turn down the radio. If guests find the process of talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to human waiters too taxing, they can use their TV to scan the dinner menu and select an accompanying wine. All this with just the mere flick of a remote control. In addition, guests can use the network to book shore excursions, spa treatments and on-board movie selections. ``We've got a lot of the latest releases,'' said Ken Vasey, the ship's broadcast manager. ``But we don't have `Speed 2.' '' That's OK, the theaters won't have that waterborne sequel until later this summer, anyway. Guests can catch films and other live entertainment in the elaborate 925-seat theater with its computer-controlled laser system, 48-cube video wall and 127-speaker SDDS (Sony Dynamic Digital Sound) A digital audio encoding system used in movie theaters since 1993. The SDDS sound track is recorded optically as microscopic pits similar to a CD along both outer edges of the 35mm film strip. Surround Sound system. Sony Pictures used a similar theater in December to premiere the Tom Cruise film, ``Jerry Maguire,'' in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . Internet novices can tap into the ship's small computer center, where passengers can take classes and learn how to use a PC, browse the World Wide Web and build their own home page. But there's no live connection to the Net, so what users can see on line is limited to copies of sites developed by Sony and Celebrity Cruises. ``I never believed that people want to learn about computers while they're on vacation,'' said Andree Harris, the ship's Webmaster. ``I still can't. Why aren't they out on a sun deck, sipping a fruity drink with umbrellas in it? But they do come here and get sucked using the machines.'' Business executives yearning to send e-mail or browse the Web must do without, Harris said. It's extremely expensive - nearly $10 a minute - to use a satellite to send or receive the data. ``We could have a live link up-and-running right now, but does anyone really want to spend several hundred dollars waiting for Yahoo! to load?'' Harris asked. Some may question whether vacationing cruise guests, tempted with dozens of other activities and sunny weather, care to stay inside and play with these techie A technical person. See hacker and programmer. toys. An elderly couple exploring the ship before it left last week stopped in front of a pair of bay windows. The woman, dressed in a lemon-colored sun dress and matching floppy hat, leaned against the frame and pointed outside. ``Oh, Henry, look!'' exclaimed the woman. ``Shuffleboard shuffleboard, sport in which players use cue sticks to push disks onto a scoring diagram at either end of a concrete or terrazzo court. The court is 52 ft (15.85 m) long and 6 ft (1.83 m) wide. The bases of the triangular scoring diagrams are parallel to and 8 ft (2. !'' The Galaxy Length: 865 feet Width: 105 feet Size: 77,713 gross tons Number of decks: 15 Number of cabins: 935 Number of verandas: 220 Capacity: 1,870 passengers Guest-to-staff ratio: 2:1 CAPTION(S): 5 Photos, Box Photo: (1--Color) No caption (Stateroom state·room n. A private cabin or compartment with sleeping accommodations on a ship or train. stateroom Noun 1. a private room on a ship 2. on the Galaxy) Gus Ruelas/Daily News (2--Color) No caption (Ocean liner Galaxy) (3--Color) MARTINI BAR (4--Color) MICHAEL`S CLUB (5--Color) AQUA SPA Photos courtesy Celebrity Cruises Box: (Color) THE GALAXY (See text) |
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