Edge Review - Exceptional - Hits - Misses - Failures - Edenists

[Freestyle Cruiser]

 

Yes 64 is not too bad, but a bit cold for us Floridians. Sunday when you leave it will be cold. We will have the heat on and blankets out 😂

 

 VT and Oville, hope you have better weather as you sail south. We would love to go with you all and will be waiting for the commentaries and reviews. Hoping to get some insight on the balcony furniture issues.  The blowup footrests from another post were just too funny. 

 

[hcat]

Vt

Welcome to Florida!

Glad you made it..now you can relax!

Chilly here in Venice  this morning, but very sunny and warm by the afternoon..

dh golfed  a.m. ,  and we took a nice hike this afternoon.

 

Hope you  and all the Edgies have sunny skies for Sailaway!

[hcat]

9 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

Anne, the review was great, and I’m just sorry I didn’t get to meet you on that cruise due to our Cruise Critic Meet & Greet being ruined.

 

........Content deleted to  save repetition........

 

P.S. I haven’t noticed anyone mentioning the “holograms” of roses that move along the fancy trough-sinks in the ladies rooms on Edge.

 

I think these are hideous. They look dirty . I dislike shared trough sinks in the washroom or one's  near the buffet.  I do not want to share splashes with others and  the patterns are distracting. Nothing in this photo seems warm and cozy.. all very stark and cold.....typical EDGE!

 

 .They had trough sinks in the ladies' room  at a music venue we went to recently in Sarasota ( great ballet),  and the ladies'  bell sleeves were getting all sorts of splashed and wet. They had to blow dry them!

 

Modern Luxury!

[Reel Love]

3 hours ago, vtcruising said:

We enjoyed our stay in Houston very much. We started in Vt which was -9 yesterday when I went to work (not sure about today), 29 in Chicago, 63 in Houston and just got to Ft Lauderdale and it was 73! It’s all good!!😀

Our flight was delayed due to snow squalls when we flew out for the Edge maiden voyage....rather nerve wracking, but as Canadians we have learned the necessity of building in extra travel days in winter 🙂.   So was very happy to read that you got out ahead of the storm and made it to Florida safely!!!

Enjoy your next Edge adventure and looking forward to reading your next set of posts from your upcoming sailing.  Particularly since you have some excellent previous experience to expand on!  Will be very interested to learn if any changes had been made in response to several of the critiques that have been made (for issues where there are simple, easy to make fixes, of course!).  Have a wonderful, relaxing cruise.  Cheers 🙂🍹

[Caribbean Chris]

7 hours ago, hcat said:

 

I think these are hideous. They look dirty . I dislike shared trough sinks in the washroom or one's  near the buffet.  I do not want to share splashes with others and  the patterns are distracting. Nothing in this photo seems warm and cozy.. all very stark and cold.....typical EDGE!

 

 .They had trough sinks in the ladies' room  at a music venue we went to recently in Sarasota ( great ballet),  and the ladies'  bell sleeves were getting all sorts of splashed and wet. They had to blow dry them!

 

Modern Luxury!

 

The only trough sinks I’ve noticed in Sarasota were in the Costco ladies room.😀 

 

I was slightly startled to see these on the Edge. They appeared to be made from quartz countertop material and were never dirty, since an attendant was often there touching up. There were the usual rolled up hand towels and live orchids. Perhaps the dancing roses were intended to avoid comparisons to Costco.

 

I never saw anyone use the Oceanview sinks.

[hcat]

1 hour ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

The only trough sinks I’ve noticed in Sarasota were in the Costco ladies room.😀 

 

I was slightly startled to see these on the Edge. They appeared to be made from quartz countertop material and were never dirty, since an attendant was often there touching up. There were the usual rolled up hand towels and live orchids. Perhaps the dancing roses were intended to avoid comparisons to Costco.

 

I never saw anyone use the Oceanview sinks.

The ones I referred to in Sarasota were at the Van Wezel...and they were very wet and splashy! 

 

 The dancing roses remind me of the Le Petit chef...not a fan.

  Never been to Costco.  

[Pennstateman]

Those are sinks? 

Uh oh, I thought they were urinals

[Kartgv]

6 hours ago, Pennstateman said:

Those are sinks? 

Uh oh, I thought they were urinals

 

Funny!    Though maybe not so funny if they have the same sinks in the men's restrooms!   Maybe with football holograms instead of roses?

Edited January 19, 2019 by Kartgv

[dateacher]

Thank you so much for your review.  We booked the Edge in January 2018 while on another cruise and are paying about $3500 for a veranda cabin.  I have been considering cancelling and booking a Reflection for the same price but three days longer.  This is helping me decide.

 

It sounds like I may switch.  Other than the IV, which I don't have or want, the lack of quiet lounges is something I would miss.  I like the martini bar but it can get crazy and I don't like that they charge extra for a basic martini. 

 

I'm still trying to understand how the four dining rooms work. Do you go to whatever one you want (or make reservations) or do you go to the same one each night?  Are the menus different?

[ch175]

I enjoyed reading the review and all of the comments.

 

I remember being on Summit a couple of years ago, where they made a big deal about the "world premier" preview video of Edge. I remember three things from watching that - there was some revolutionary/novel/whatever inclined walkway somewhere on the ship, there was a simulation of a guy climbing a ladder to get 20 feet off the ground to snip some herb to put on a plate of food, and the theater was dead silent at the end of the clip.

 

I also remember thinking "wow, those are some weird ideas, not sure how this is going to work."

 

[RICCruisers]

2 hours ago, dateacher said:

Thank you so much for your review.  We booked the Edge in January 2018 while on another cruise and are paying about $3500 for a veranda cabin.  I have been considering cancelling and booking a Reflection for the same price but three days longer.  This is helping me decide.

 

It sounds like I may switch.  Other than the IV, which I don't have or want, the lack of quiet lounges is something I would miss.  I like the martini bar but it can get crazy and I don't like that they charge extra for a basic martini. 

 

I'm still trying to understand how the four dining rooms work. Do you go to whatever one you want (or make reservations) or do you go to the same one each night?  Are the menus different?

Dining Room works in one of two ways.

 

If you have Traditional Dining either Early or Late, you are assigned to 1 of the Dining Rooms and stay there for the whole cruise.   You can try a different restaurant on a space available basis. 

 

If you have Select Dining you choose which restaurant you want to eat at along with the time each night. You can make advance reservations in your Cruise Planner or on board or just show up when you want to eat. 

 

Each restaurant has 3 appetizers and 3 entrees that are specific to that restaurant and do not change. All other items are the same at all 4 restaurants. 

 

Edited January 19, 2019 by RICCruisers

[Host Anne]

On 1/18/2019 at 12:02 PM, Caribbean Chris said:

Anne, the review was great, and I’m just sorry I didn’t get to meet you on that cruise due to our Cruise Critic Meet & Greet being ruined.

 

Completely agree with almost all your points, especially the LOUD, blasting music - who thinks electronic techno stuff Oceanview at 7 a.m.or after dinner in Roof Top Garden is a good idea?

 

We were in Aqua Class with Blu dining room for the first time and had an excellent experience. But no more infinite verandas for me and our former Sky Suites are hilariously expensive.

 

So we booked a Sunset Veranda cabin on Apex almost two years ahead. We can always cancel or switch to another ship. It will be interesting to see if X learns from the Edge issues and modifies anything.

 

P.S. I haven’t noticed anyone mentioning the “holograms” of roses that move along the fancy trough-sinks in the ladies rooms on Edge.

 

Forgot to get a photo of the gobos in the restrooms.  Definitely fun!  Sorry we didn't get to meet, too, Chris!  Next time!

[Host Anne]

2 hours ago, dateacher said:

Thank you so much for your review.  We booked the Edge in January 2018 while on another cruise and are paying about $3500 for a veranda cabin.  I have been considering cancelling and booking a Reflection for the same price but three days longer.  This is helping me decide.

 

It sounds like I may switch.  Other than the IV, which I don't have or want, the lack of quiet lounges is something I would miss.  I like the martini bar but it can get crazy and I don't like that they charge extra for a basic martini. 

 

I'm still trying to understand how the four dining rooms work. Do you go to whatever one you want (or make reservations) or do you go to the same one each night?  Are the menus different?

 

The dining rooms depend on whether you signed up for "Traditional" dining or "Celebrity Select" dining.  If you chose Traditional, you are assigned to a specific dining room at early or late seating every night (just like it's always been on ships).  We booked late and only Traditional was available.  We were assigned Normandie (which turned out great for us).  

 

With Celebrity Select, you can go to any of the four dining rooms you like, at any time.  We only saw a line for Celebrity Select once and that was the second Chic night in our dining room.  The nice things about picking a different dining room each night is that there are several appetizers and entrees that are only served in each particular dining room....so it broadens your menu choices a bit.  But there was always something on the menus that we enjoyed every night.  

 

If you are willing to eat later (after 8:00), I bet you can try any of the restaurants even if you are traditional dining.  We needed to stay with our wait staff because of allergies but we were very happy in Normandie every night.  And we typically showed up about 8:15 - 8:20 and our table was always ready.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions.  Good luck with whatever you decide.  

[dateacher]

6 minutes ago, Host Anne said:

 

The dining rooms depend on whether you signed up for "Traditional" dining or "Celebrity Select" dining.  If you chose Traditional, you are assigned to a specific dining room at early or late seating every night (just like it's always been on ships).  We booked late and only Traditional was available.  We were assigned Normandie (which turned out great for us).  

 

With Celebrity Select, you can go to any of the four dining rooms you like, at any time.  We only saw a line for Celebrity Select once and that was the second Chic night in our dining room.  The nice things about picking a different dining room each night is that there are several appetizers and entrees that are only served in each particular dining room....so it broadens your menu choices a bit.  But there was always something on the menus that we enjoyed every night.  

 

If you are willing to eat later (after 8:00), I bet you can try any of the restaurants even if you are traditional dining.  We needed to stay with our wait staff because of allergies but we were very happy in Normandie every night.  And we typically showed up about 8:15 - 8:20 and our table was always ready.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions.  Good luck with whatever you decide.  

Thank you.  That was a great explanation. We do select and usually eat between 8 and 8:30. We normally make a reservation for the next night when we leave the dining room and have never had to wait.  Such 1st World Problems.

[Host Anne]

1 minute ago, dateacher said:

Thank you.  That was a great explanation. We do select and usually eat between 8 and 8:30. We normally make a reservation for the next night when we leave the dining room and have never had to wait.  Such 1st World Problems.

 

I don't think  you'll have an issue getting into any of the dining rooms that late.  And you can always make reservations in your Cruise Planner or the App.  Have fun if you keep the sailing!

[Host Anne]

Here's a link to some photos I've uploaded:  https://edgejan2019cc.shutterfly.com/  I limited the number I included because there have already been a bunch of Edge photos available.  I tried to post some of the different ones I took.  I also like sunsets so you'll see a few of those.

 

They are in random order (apologies) but I did caption them under each photo (most photos).

 

ENJOY!

 

[MisterBill99]

1 hour ago, dateacher said:

Thank you.  That was a great explanation. We do select and usually eat between 8 and 8:30. We normally make a reservation for the next night when we leave the dining room and have never had to wait.  Such 1st World Problems.

 

1 hour ago, Host Anne said:

 

I don't think  you'll have an issue getting into any of the dining rooms that late.  And you can always make reservations in your Cruise Planner or the App.  Have fun if you keep the sailing!

 

Agreed on not having a problem at that time. The issue is getting something around 6 or 6:30 since if you try to do it on the ship my experience is that they tell you it cannot be done, just 5:30 or 8:30.

[ecslady]

2 minutes ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

 

Agreed on not having a problem at that time. The issue is getting something around 6 or 6:30 since if you try to do it on the ship my experience is that they tell you it cannot be done, just 5:30 or 8:30.

 

We do Select also, and at 6:30 every night.  We make reservations ahead of time online. Never had an issue. If for some reason we need to change the time, we do it onboard. Never an issue. We had 6:30 reservations each night on the EDGE and we rotated among the restaurants.  We visited 3 of them twice, and the other one once. 

[MisterBill99]

1 hour ago, ecslady said:

 

We do Select also, and at 6:30 every night.  We make reservations ahead of time online. Never had an issue. If for some reason we need to change the time, we do it onboard. Never an issue. We had 6:30 reservations each night on the EDGE and we rotated among the restaurants.  We visited 3 of them twice, and the other one once. 

 

Right, you can make those reservations online before the cruise and I did so on my last cruise (also have that on Edge starting tomorrow). But on my last two Celebrity cruises, they were telling people only 5:30 or 8:30. For the sailing where I did not have reservations, I managed to get them to give me a 6pm for a large group of us from CC, but they initially told me no (and having the Concierge try calling was useless, he got the same answer as I did).

[vermonter16]

On 1/18/2019 at 6:50 PM, vtcruising said:

We enjoyed our stay in Houston very much. We started in Vt which was -9 yesterday when I went to work (not sure about today), 29 in Chicago, 63 in Houston and just got to Ft Lauderdale and it was 73! It’s all good!!😀

 

I moved out of the NEK in 2016....  50 degrees is freezing for me now!  Glad you made it safely.

[The Retiree]

Anne - thank you very much for your excellent and well balanced review. We are not scheduled to sail on the Edge for another 12 months. Because we booked this a year ago, we were able to get great pricing on IV back-to-back, Western/Eastern Caribbean. You have raised a number of issues - some of these can be resolved, whilst others remain unsolvable e.g. the shallow Verandas, and that the Sky lounge replacement I.e. The Retreat is only available to Suite residents. Given that the Apex is close to being built, plus two more Edge type ships on order, how do you think that Celebrity can get out of this mess of their own creation? We have loved the S-class ships, and maybe we should stick to what we know. Any advice (from any source) is most welcome

[The Retiree]

On 1/17/2019 at 5:04 PM, MisterBill99 said:

 

Right, before the prices went totally crazy. You can't book it for that price now. However, they are offering all 4 perks (only on Edge) as an alternative to lowering the price to a more reasonable level.

I think that you will only get the 4 perks on the Edge if you book a Suite

[MisterBill99]

50 minutes ago, The Retiree said:

I think that you will only get the 4 perks on the Edge if you book a Suite

 

Incorrect. All 4 perks (including premium beverage) are included for Edge bookings in Oceanview and above, for sailings thru the end of 2019. There may be some exclusions but I have not found them. Try doing a mock booking. This is one for 12/1/19:

 

 

Details here (sadly I cannot get the fine print at the end to expand):

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-deals/special-event-cruise-offer

Edited January 20, 2019 by MisterBill99

[Host Anne]

7 hours ago, The Retiree said:

Anne - thank you very much for your excellent and well balanced review. We are not scheduled to sail on the Edge for another 12 months. Because we booked this a year ago, we were able to get great pricing on IV back-to-back, Western/Eastern Caribbean. You have raised a number of issues - some of these can be resolved, whilst others remain unsolvable e.g. the shallow Verandas, and that the Sky lounge replacement I.e. The Retreat is only available to Suite residents. Given that the Apex is close to being built, plus two more Edge type ships on order, how do you think that Celebrity can get out of this mess of their own creation? We have loved the S-class ships, and maybe we should stick to what we know. Any advice (from any source) is most welcome

 

Retiree (I love that name) ~ I'm not sure how Celebrity is going to respond.  They aren't going to change the Retreat area (and it takes up a good chunk of the forward top of the ship.  Don't think they can change the IVs for Apex...but (and I could be very wrong) that if they don't put more traditional verandas on the third and fourth ships, they are going to have trouble filling those ships.  My reasoning is that there is a ton of other inventory out there both on other Celebrity ships and other cruise lines that can fill the veranda void on the E-class ships.  Will Celebrity care or gamble?  Perhaps.  But while I liked many things about Edge, the IVs are something I would never book.  If you can switch to a sunset veranda, I'd do that now.  

 

I always recommend that people try things for themselves.  We didn't like the IVs at all but some people do.  If we hadn't moved, we still would have had a great cruise.  Wishing you a wonderful time regardless of what you decide. And thanks for the kind comments!

[Host Anne]

7 hours ago, The Retiree said:

I think that you will only get the 4 perks on the Edge if you book a Suite

 

Celebrity did have a six-day promotion last week where you got ALL four perks if you booked Edge.  It looked like it included most cruises over the next year.  

 

Now the promotion is 2 perks, onboard credit, and $25 deposits.  Not as good as the ALL four perks just a week ago.  My guess is they are playing around with various promotions to see which one fills the most cabins. This promotion says it's for 7 days only.

 

These promotions are changing frequently so you have to watch your email or the Celebrity website.