Cap_D

Wouldn't the new President have been as involved or more in the recent years in company activities as LLP? FWIW-on Apex tonight and everyone seems to be having a great time. Adult night of the comedian was packed to the hallway (and he was edgy in a good way), people are living out their karaoke dreams with a live backing band, martini bartenders are doing their thing, kids camp had well over 20 families at the destination gateway family night (and resilient counselors), ship is clean, pizza has been excellent, plenty of sugar pastries, pools have been largely empty by 5 pm, and crew is upbeat and recalling peoples first names, and more. (We also got lip balm, plus son got to meet the magician Jessica Jane, which was a priceless experience for a youngster). People paid good money for this, but the experience is available tip to tip or Eden to the Retreat doors (gym excluded)). It is a resort at sea, with certain amenities given thought (e.g., friendly faces at ports offering a cold towel and fresh chilled water, a good staffing ratio, etc.), and a seemingly happy crew that is making an effort. Slippage may make it less than competitive with real world vacations (not sure how other cruise lines can compete without rethinking their overall experieince and disjointed ship designs). Hopefully the new President and Liberty can figure out how to keep it going (and expand the hours of Eden Cafe).

Can confirm from somewhere on the way to Grand Cayman (where tendering doesnt begin until 10 am shiptime). It was explained at some point that one time zone change was to avoid multiple shifts during the cruise. Retreat staff have been accommodating, as have the Luminae team. @Jim_Iain, from what I gather from your always helpful posts, you both may enjoy meeting and reminiscing with Arturo in Luminae who has been with the company 22 years on many of the other classes of ships. He is a pro. You'll likely also see Summit while in Cozumel. Cruise Director is Britany from Canada (great voice and personality). Also, they had Dinner on the Edge on Tueaday night out of Belize. We observed it was very windy on the MG, and hair was windswept. Eden is beyond worth it. We also had a sea day lunch at Luminae and Eden Cafe, and each were great and worth the effort to get to both.

Just shared a pizza with my family on Apex. Excellent thin crust, made in small batches. Very tasty. As good or better than many similar pizzas on land.

I know the thread is for Edge, which this time last year seemed to be in pristine condition. FWIW - on Apex (which was idle until return to sail in 2022): Room furnishings are as expected. Sunset Bar furniture is worn, substantially compressed cushions. Not as good as Edge at about the same lifespan. Time for a replacement (or coasting on pictures of Beyond's sunset bar in marketing). Furniture was just slightly better on Magic Carpet, but still not as good as a Home Depot level of quality cushion. We are light and felt the frame of the seat below the cushion. Retreat Deck better (might be because the cushions started thicker), some fading of accent pillows. None appear to be any newer than the ship, which had no occupancy until return to sail (just weather or storage). So far, on par with a year ago. Retreat lounge - same as Edge, but with bar instead of future cruise desks in the alcove area with the hallway to the suites and restrooms. Mini coffee machine is overworked, and there's one in "the back," but that always seems to take longer and nowhere near the bar. (The machine is a Miele pod that is relatively low volume compared to what one finds in waiting rooms, and lounges across the U.S., they really need two spread out so as to avoid the traffic jam). Vitamin waters are hidden away somewhere, but available if you know to ask. Ham and Salami are well represented throughout the day. BYO salty snacks, but sugar and breads are plentiful. Room service with butler has been lackadaisical, over an hour delayed pre-ordered breakfast and missing items and accompaniments that have never been experienced in many hotel stays. No QC or common sense with protocols. Lots of apologies, and probably will return to phone messages that we will have check to turn off the red light, but does not make up for lost time or resorting to self service. Bfast room service quality is national brand or food service quality on china, and about the same as 2022. Nothing amazing, or even chicken or turkey sausage. Cheese plates (a place to wow, with minimal effort) are institutional food service quality - although didn't see better in 2022. Staffing ratio seems to be on par with public stats, although rigid adherence to protocols can get in the way of service. Eden - Excellent. Book for every night. If everyone in the Retreat has a premium drink package why is it necessary to ask for a room number for a water? Why push the app if the butlers and crew aren't available on the app?

Has anyone noticed whether Celebrity is still selling Deal or No Deal cards in advance, pre-boarding? We have looked at the cruise planner in the app and on the web. If we can't buy in advance, we are unlikely to want to wait in line.

Thanks

On Edge in an SS, we were close to the elevators and noise was not an issue. We aimed to be able to face the front of the ship when on the couch and facing the TV. The TV is on the longer side wall closest to the hallway door.

Many thanks, Gary. And, thank you for sharing your experience.

Gary, how was tendering to Grand Cayman? We are considering a day pass at a hotel, but have read plenty about congestion and other issues.

Thanks for the pics of Fine Cut. It has been a while since we've seen pics that show the steak appearing with thickness and char like a "steakhouse."

For more info on the soft serve base cartons, see: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2574274-heres-what-rccl-serves-for-soft-serve/

All bars and the ice cream station use a blue carton based mix for vanilla soft-serve and blended drinks. There is another one that is red for chocolate flavor, although at the bars it's possible they could use chocolate syrup to accomplish a chocolate flavored drink. Strawberry flavor or puree may be available depending on location. That would be added to the Vanilla base. While I'm not sure if the ice cream or gelato is actually any different than the carton based product, one could take a scoop of ice cream to the bar at the OVC where there might be a blender and access to milk. Sunset bar also has a blender, but the ice cream may melt by the time one gets up the rear steep stairs (possibly corrected on Beyond and Ascent). Considering the ice cream and carton based product have relatively low milk fat, one may want to use whole milk help with heft. The stabilizers in the carton product may help, too.

Have a wonderful trip. We'll be on April 1 also in a CS, so your report will be especially helpful to us. We were on Edge last year. My tip / PSA, if it interests you try out the Eden Cafe on the sea days as soon as you remember, or pass by. It's often closed. And, plug for lunch at Luminae (also sea days) as it was a bit more chill than during dinner.

Makes no sense that there are not shuffleboard grids on the deck on the Edge class ships. We've observed several places where it would be unobtrusive and offer a standalone small group activity in addition to the ping-pong tables. The cost to add would be the time of the person who's already on the ship to paint the grid, and the small amount of equipment needed. It's a no-brainer.

Thank you. Is the tender to Belize on Apex's tender boats or the from shoreside? We had our 4 year old on Edge last year, and in a few weeks our 5 year old will be with us on Apex. Our assessment re enough for a 4 year old was similar to yours. We're hoping the same this year. We do think even for young adults there could be a bit more that would be easy to have like suffle board. And, agree the trend toward dated music is the wrong direction.

Eden Cafe Tip: If you plan to eat breakfast, lunch, or snack from Eden Cafe note that it is only open on sea days for a very short window. So, you will need to be fairly intentional about dining at Eden Cafe.

There may be some confusion...it is not my video. Just drawing attention to a first hand account by multitime Apex passengers the Traveling Gamblers aka Jon and Joyce.

Fellow Cruise Critics, and especially all the folks from the mega thread(s) of a few weeks ago.....here's a video update showing far more options as compared to roughly 7 weeks ago. h/t to "The Traveling Gamblers."

Thanks @terrydtx. Can confirm that we see Rooftop Garden Grill on the website in our account / planner for the cruise reservation.

On the App for April 1 Apex sailing in Retreat CS no menu appears for room service in the area lableled "Room Service: Guests of the Retreat." The Rooftop Garden Grill has entirely been missing for months, too. No mention at all in the App. Charla, thanks for the fun posts. Are the fries at Rooftop the same as elsewhere on the ship? (We both have A-B Hall in common).

From what I can tell when looking at cruise Planner for an April cruise compared to a year ago, and some of the comments I've read, photos have been cutback. We take a lot of photos, but had looked forward to taking a break if there were a number of candids, etc One recent report made mention that in their cruise it was just a green screen and maybe some of the composed picture opportunities. Sounded as if there wouldn't be enough for an album. Someone may have a more specific answer, and there's a thread on the Apex's current sailing.

Agree. Rethinking the concept of menu may be needed to keep up with the needs of customers and relative to the limited and lesser options elsewhere on the ship. Yet, we'd be concerned that any change is a downgrade in quality or selection. In our view that would be a big negative to the Retreat experience and pricing.

Maybe Jason Liberty could answer questions about the menus as raised in the other thread? Probably just pushing people to the OVC for dinner. The bologna bar and fish finger display should be good enough.

On Edge class, why have so much prime space dedicated to the OVC when you barely serve anything at dinner, and likewise have 3 main dining rooms that sit empty during the day? Why not at least shuffleboard, flexible outdoor space, another pool, anything other than closed off seating for most the day,? Does he think the Carribean and Mexican beaches are safe and commensurate with what a celebrity passenger would want in a trip? Why is CocoCay nicer and safer than most (likely all) beaches Celebrity ports at? What is his favorite made in China trinket from one of the ship line owned ports? Does he personally pay U.S. income tax? Would he consider banning Better Midler, Neil Diamond (Sweet Caroline), and Barry Maninlow from the approved songs for the group sing alongs? What is his personal favorite "exotic" cut of meat presently served in the MDR, Blu, or Luminae? What's the useful life and safety record of the Magic Carpet? Why did it take two ship builds to realize that the Sunset Bar on Edge class ships shouldnt be a dull, cramped, afterthought? Are the other captains and officers jealous of the attention given Captain Kate? Would you stay in a land based hotel that hadn't been refreshed in over 10 years and had visible rust on the balcony? Are travel agents entitied or a necessary expense until the target population learns to use the Internet and you upgrade your user experience?

Does he believe that a bologna bar is competitive with the target customer for Celebrity? Is it something they modeled in the Innovation Lab? We'd also be curious if he regularly eats bologna while on his ships, and vacations?