While there were certainly at least a few spangled Vegas-type showgirls scampering about, Celebrity Cruises' ship the Galaxy offered a surprisingly refined entertainment experience as it coasted through the southern Caribbean.
Thought that cruise ships offered nothing more than the chance to play shuffleboard and get a tan? Try the chance to buy an original Picasso.
Celebrity holds on-board art auctions conducted by Park West at Sea, which claims to be the largest fine-art company in the world.
Works offered at what was touted as 80 percent off retail gallery prices included those by Salvador Dali, Peter Max, Albrecht Durer, Francisco Goya, Marc Chagall and Pierre-Auguste Renior. Park West's offerings of animation art were also impressive, with hand-painted and screen-printed cells from Hanna-Barbera and Chuck Jones.
The ship itself was a veritable gallery as well, with art that went well beyond the traditional pastel seascapes that one expects on vacation. I spotted a couple works by Roy Lichtenstein, some William Wegman prints and countless examples of the avant-garde that probably made the more elderly cruisegoers raise a few eyebrows.
Frommer's guide to the Caribbean states that the Galaxy has one of the best art collections at sea, and I'd believe it. Especially after strolling out of my cabin every day to view what appeared to be a crocheted turkey suit that hung in a case in the hallway.
But the Galaxy does offer its share of cruise cheesiness as well, from its song-and-dance revue "Broadway Express" to the lounge duos that played in the ship's bars after dark. There was the requisite "island band" as well (I can't count the number of times I heard them play Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me" through the week).
"Cirque du Galaxy's" acrobatic routines didn't quite compare to the Cirque de Soleil, but they were thrilling nonetheless. Unfortunately, I skipped "The Dazzling Piano Artistry of Garin Bader," "The Action Comedy of David Lucas" and "International Performer Dominique Starosta," so I can't comment on their relative quality or interest.
All in all, you'd be amazed at the things they can do on a boat, and the expense they're willing to go to. I got on board expecting karaoke and card tournaments, but I got a lot more.
