TheHawk1

Just finishing up an eleven day cruise on Beyond and have been wearing blue, yes blue jeans to Luminae on most evenings with the exception of chic nights. Unfortunately, on this long a cruise, there were three chic nights, which was a bridge too far. Booked dinner at Rooftop Grill and blissfully wore shorts to dinner without having to be seen as a rule breaker. It was great.

It was the third night, so not chic night which was busier. We arrived at 6:45. I couldn’t see into the restaurant but there were two four tops empty at the entrance, so I find it hard to believe that every other table was taken 🤷‍♂️

Well, on Beyond right now, so will wait to see how the whole 11 days go before commenting overall on food. Dinner the first two nights has been good, however tonight’s service did not go well as we were offered either a table by the door or a 45 min. pager wait for something better. Ended up going to Blu, which was actually decent. But will be having a chat tomorrow with the dining room manager to ensure the rest of the cruise goes more smoothly.

Now all those Carnival YouTube passenger fight videos suddenly make sense 🤣

Good to know, as I've booked their day pass for a cruise in a couple weeks. I'm fine with it not being the "real" ocean, as long as it's comfortable and clean. The best part for me is it's close to the port, so you can spend part of your day there and then walk around the rest of the downtown area before heading back. Did the hotel provide the towels or did you bring your own from the ship?

This is our second time on Edge and cabin is already booked for a Sunset Veranda, as I thought that would give us the best views of the sounds in NZ. Been on close to a dozen cruises and not bothered by sea sickness, but have also never been in really bad weather before. Will keep fingers crossed that it turns out to be a smooth sailing.

The Celebrity Edge does this crossing on several of their itineraries at this time of year (January - March). Wondering if anyone has been on it recently and can comment how a relatively larger ship handles the seas? I'm booked for Feb. 2026, so very curious how rough this can get.

Not sure how you're able to imagine something you've never experienced? The Royal Caribbean Quantum class ships also have a two storey atrium feature at the back of their ships (Two70) and it's quite well done. While it's mostly an entertainment venue, rather than a multi-purpose area like Celebrity has tried to create, it is one of the nicer spots on those ships. Perhaps the Edge class designers could take some cues from their sister company?

Are we supposed to make our way through the line of Rio Carnival dancers every time we want to get a drink at the bar? And the photo showing a line of people milling about on the second level is completely staged, as that never happens in real life. Clearly they can't figure out anything new to do with that awkward row of waiting room chairs placed there.

I agree completely, although I should qualify I also have only ever been in Luminae on E class, so that's where my comments are coming from. It may be different (better?) on M and S class. I will be on Beyond in a few weeks and have booked several specialty restaurants, as well as planning on going to Blu, to balance out the Luminae nights.

Checked for Feb. 2026 Edge cruise and the discount is 20% at the moment for Classic to Premium Beverage upgrade. First time I've seen something offered for a sailing next year, but I will hold out for better discount 😄

If by “selective eater” you mean people who don’t like Pig Foot Carpaccio or Grilled Sweetbreads or Tofu Stew (just some of the current Luminae delicacies] then I’m happy to be counted in that group. There are lots of reasons to book the Retreat experience on Celebrity, but for me dining in Luminae is at the bottom of the list.

The old school style of cruise ship dining, where you have the same table and servers every evening, can be a blessing or a curse. If you start your cruise with both those choices being to your liking, then great. If not, then you often end up asking to change one or both options which is more trouble. I also think the small benefit of the same server every night knowing your drink order in advance is overrated. I enjoy moving to a different MDR each night of the cruise because it changes up your overall experience. While I prefer the menus and ambiance of some dining rooms (Cyprus & Normandy) more than the other two, the variety of each keeps it interesting. But, as others have said, Celebrity offers both options, either staying put in one MDR or rotating through them, so you can choose whatever suits your preference.

I tried again, removing the credit card on file and saving a new one. That did the trick, although shouldn't have been necessary. Thanks for the tip.

Saw this head's up and thought that's a great price for next February's Edge cruise. Get to the shopping cart with WiFi upgrade included and click on Place Order and literally nothing happens. No error message, just won't let me complete the order. Chalk up another fine day for the Celebrity web site. I knew it was too good to be true 😄

Not sure why some think it's a long walk to SV cabins? I stayed in one on Apex last Feb. and didn't mind it at all and I go back and forth to my cabin numerous times a day. The benefit, apart from the obvious balcony, is that there is not much traffic in the corridor that far back, so very little noise outside your cabin door.

There are clearly two different demographics at play within Celebrity now... the old guard who grew up with cruising on M and S class and prefer the "classic" style of ship. Then there's the new market of people, who were enticed to try Celebrity when they introduced E class. These ships are larger, glitzier and appeal to a different crowd. I've only ever sailed E class on Celebrity, having graduated from Royal Caribbean now that I no longer have the patience to endure a ship full of kids. I would never consider the older Celebrity ships, nor would I suffer through an IV on E class either. But so far, having experienced both an SV and a SS, with two more cruises coming up, I'm liking the change in brands. I believe there's enough choice with Celebrity to satisfy most tastes.

My Hugo Boss underwear is in great shape, not that it's any of your business. More importantly, I don't want anyone rummaging through my suitcase and deciding for me where to store my belongings. Some might see that as a perk, but I certainly would not.

The last butler experience I had was on Edge two years ago, back when butlers were supposedly dedicated to fewer suites. This particular individual was a bust in my opinion, doing as little as possible unless I asked for something. In fact the cabin attendant gave us better service. Will be in a SS on Beyond next month, so not sure what to expect, now that butlers cover even more cabins and will have less time. I think Celebrity is really minimizing this particular service as part of the suite experience.

So what services are actually left for the butler? I don't need them unpacking my luggage (ewww) and I've already made all my dinner reservations. I know they will (or should) deliver room service to the cabin, but beyond that, where is the value add if the cabin attendant is now taking care of most of your needs?

Exactly. On Oasis ships you can escape the family vibe if you want to. I’ve rarely seen kids in Central Park in the evenings, the Solarium is adult only (when enforced by Royal) and more of the entertainment is geared towards adults. I don’t see that many adult opportunities on Icon from what I can tell. I don’t want to hijack OP’s review, because it was very good, but Icon class just doesn’t seem as appealing to me as Oasis.

Your review was really thorough and I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise. But after reading through it, there is nothing here that would convince me to try this ship. I love Oasis class and have been on all of them except Utopia... twice on Symphony, which is my favorite as well. I think Royal nailed it with this class of ship and not sure why they decided to tinker with success. Just from your pictures, which are great, everything looks so over the top and gaudy. Surfside looks like they couldn't decide which paint color to use, so they just went with all of them. They ruined the understated and natural look of Central Park with those tacky colored shutters on all the windows. All the entertainment, with the exception of the adult comedy show, seems geared only towards kids. Having seen Effectors II on Wonder, that would be a hard no for most of the shows on Icon. With Icon class being so family-oriented and Utopia only doing short booze cruises, it doesn't look like I'll get to sail on any of Royal's new ships anytime soon. I guess they have a different demographic in mind these days. But thanks again for the review. It helped to reinforce what I already suspected.

I think it's quite variable depending on the sailing. Was on the Apex last year, with a stop in Key West no less, and when my husband and I went to Eden at the assigned time, there was only one other lesbian couple there. We had a lovely chat with them, but not quite the LGBT meet up I was expecting. Hoping for a larger turnout on our upcoming Beyond trip this February.

They used to do this on Oasis class for breakfast. Not sure why they stopped, as it was much better than Windjammer madhouse.

Like most of the C&A "benefits", it seems to be more marketing than actual savings. Good to know.