Celebrity’s Zenith Hits High Mark : Cruise ship delivers style, service and food at moderate prices.

In a season when so many new cruise ships are ballyhooed to the skies, it’s a relief to sail aboard one that is, to reverse a cliche, selling the bacon instead of the sizzle.

With the April 4 inaugural sailing of its new 1,374-passenger Zenith, Celebrity Cruises continues to deliver a surprising amount of style and service for the price, plus some of the best food on any cruise line.

Still not a household name in most of the United States, the line introduced its first ship, the 1,088-passenger Meridian, a renovation of an existing vessel, in March, 1990, closely followed by the brand-new 1,354-passenger Horizon in May, 1990.

But far from being a novice company, Celebrity is the newest offshoot from a veteran family-owned Greek shipping line and hotel company, the Chandris Group, founded in 1915.

A sister company, Fantasy Cruises, also owned and operated by Chandris, has been cruising in the Caribbean since the 1960s and at present has five ships: the Britanis and Amerikanis, based in the Caribbean year-round, and the Victoria, Azur and Romanza, based in Europe.

Because Chandris was known primarily for low-priced cruises aboard vessels that were often older than the passengers, cruise experts were skeptical when the company announced its new upscale line.

Early passengers were quoted as saying that they did not expect so much for the money. Wallack says 10%-15% of Celebrity’s passengers are already making their second or third sailing with the 2-year-old company.

The $210-million, 47,255-ton Zenith is almost identical to the Horizon but with warmer colors and more woodwork in the decor. The art collection aboard is excellent.

Menus and recipes are devised by Michel Roux, a longtime three-star Michelin chef based in London, who has trained the ship’s executive chefs in his own kitchen and who makes frequent visits to the vessels to check on quality and preparation.

Wallack says crew members for the new ship were brought on board for training a month and a half before the first passengers would embark, and that preparation showed during the smooth maiden voyage, where service was virtually flawless.

Based on that sailing, it’s difficult to find anything to complain about on the Zenith, except perhaps the towels in the cabins, which are cotton-and-polyester rather than all-cotton.

The design works well throughout the ship. The Celebrity Show Lounge provides optimum sightlines with a large raised stage and seven different seating levels in the two-deck space. Production shows aboard are innovative, with well-costumed and choreographed performances that utilize multimedia projections and high-tech lighting designs.

The Fleet Bar, atop the ship and forward, is high, wide and handsome with its trim navy blue-and-white furniture, glass walls and teak floors.

One of the smoothest-working parts of the ship is the Windsurf Cafe, where two buffet lines indoors plus a third, shorter line out on deck serve up an inviting array of dishes at breakfast and lunch, including incomparable croissants and desserts made by the French pastry chef aboard.

In the Caravelle Restaurant, menus change seasonally but include such dishes as a delectable French potato pie, salade Nicoise, traditional prime rib, shrimp and Caesar salad. One example of the care taken with the cuisine is that soups are made from stocks prepared on board rather than the prepared bases used by many cruise lines.

To work off the calories, passengers have a jogging track and the Olympic Health Club, with a large aerobics room offering high- and low-impact as well as senior aerobics. There is a gym, two massage rooms, men’s and women’s saunas and a shop with exercise clothing.

Two deck pools plus a trio of whirlpools and five expansive sunbathing areas mean that deck areas remain uncrowded, even at midday, when the Caribbean band is playing on the pool-deck bandstand.

A children’s playroom is staffed with a counselor during summer and holiday sailings. There’s also a video game room, several well-stocked duty-free shops, a meeting room and a handsome library and card room.

The Mayfair Casino, operated by a London-based company, offers blackjack, Caribbean stud poker, roulette, craps and slot machines from five cents to $5.

The Zenith will be based year-round in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., making alternate eastern and western Caribbean sailings. Ports on the eastern itinerary include San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Nassau, while the western itinerary calls at Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Montego Bay and, after Aug. 29, Key West, Fla. Until then, it will call at Nassau.

Prices for the seven-day sailings, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, range from $1,195 to $3,075 per person, double occupancy. The latter price is for a royal suite with separate bedroom and living room, walk-in closet, butler service and marble bathroom with Jacuzzi tub. Passengers in the royal suites may also have dinner served in their sitting rooms if they wish.

Twenty deluxe suites are also available, priced from $2,570 to $2,670 per person, double occupancy, for the cruise, including air fare. These include a sitting area and marble bathroom with Jacuzzi tub, along with butler service and a special room-service menu with hot breakfasts.

In the standard cabins, 24-hour room service delivers continental breakfasts and a menu of sandwiches, salads, desserts and beverages.

The least expensive cabins are six insides (without windows) on the lowest passenger deck with two lower beds or a double bed. Prices on these start at $170 a day per person, double occupancy, but the next price category jumps to $195 a day.

Four cabins are designed for wheelchair access with wider doors and no raised bathroom sills. The entire ship is accessible for the disabled with elevators and ramps.

Six especially appealing cabins on one deck have windows facing aft instead of to the sides for more sweeping views. Prices for these start at $274 a day per person, double occupancy.

All accommodations are furnished with two lower beds or a double bed, a built-in dresser-desk combination with four drawers on either side, two chairs and a small glass-topped table, TV set with remote control, generous closet space and a tile bathroom with large shower and plenty of counter space for toiletries.

Passengers who book cabins 90 days ahead of sailing can deduct $300 per outside cabin, $200 per inside cabin, for the cruise, except for holiday sailings, royal suites and the six minimum-priced cabins.

For a free brochure, see a travel agent or call Celebrity at (800) 437-3111.