03.24.19 Live EDGE, Suite Life with Kids

[washdcguy]

Day Three – Tortolla

(the challenge with a live review is immersing yourself in the vacation and finding time to still post... 🙂 )

 

We did a private excursion, a chartered boat island / beach hopping with a lovely family we met on the ship.  Our butler hooked us up with some snacks to ensure the DD didn’t going hungry and Luminae provided a fast breakfast service so we could get off the boat quickly.  The cruise with Captain Larry was a lot of fun, and we enjoyed some very private beaches, beautiful waters, and decent snorkeling. 

 

When we boarded the ship, we unknowingly were bringing in contraband… DD’s collection of shells for the day.  😊  When the Security woman pulled us aside, she explained she was going to have to take the shells because they contained germs.  As we got very close to waterworks because they had been collected from so many beaches and with so much effort, a lollipop emerged from the Security woman’s pockets and the problem was solved.  We were very impressed that she was prepared for the situation and mad our lives so much easier.

 

We went to enjoy a snack and cocktail in the Retreat Lounge prior to dinner.  There were all of 6 couples there (3 bartenders, 3 additional Retreat staff)… and it took 10 minutes to get a drink.  DH approached one of the bar staff as he was getting food and asked him to go find me & DD for our order… he went to every other table and skipped us.  DH had to bring him to our table.  Hmph.  They ran out of plates for the appetizers while we were there as well.

 

The Suite Manager stopped by to check on us while we were still there (and given the recommendation of one of the posters in this thread – sorry I can’t quickly identify you), we shared our disappointment in the service level in the Retreat area.  She seem horrified when we described how long it took to get service as well as our experience tonight in the Retreat Lounge.  She said, “The Retreat is about spoiling you, and it sounds like we’re not doing that… I’ll discuss with the staff how we can improve.”  We’ll see.  At dinner, the maître de came to discuss the service level with us based on this discussion.  We told him Luminae has been great… he said Luminae is only one part of the Retreat and it reflects on them all if the rest is not up to par.  It seems they’re on the path to service recovery!

 

The entertainment this evening was The Run Around Kids.  When we got to the theater, we sat next to a couple near the front who had so enjoyed the first show, they came back for the second!  This was a “oldies” show (50-60s).  We’re certainly on the younger side of the demographic on this weeks cruise (we’re mostly cruising with folks of our parent’s generation and older – and that’s fine with me… I’m an old soul), so this was a show aimed to them.  We both thought it was fine and found their jokes a little corny (the bass & drummer “left” for the buffet and for the spa twice during the show.  I imagine other posters would probably say this was the best show of the cruise… the audience was engaged and on their feet at times. 

 

At the beginning of the show, we had our first run in with a “Dink Package Problem.”  An over inebriated woman sloshed her wine all over me.  Oblivious, some one else pointed it out to her…  “Oh, was that me?”  In my inside voice, “Sweetie, you’re in the only one with red wine between me and the stage.”  She told me to send the cleaning bill to her room (without providing a number).  It was not a big deal to me (despite me posting about it), and when the DD asked why she did it… I bit my tongue and went with the old adage of “Accidents happen, we all spill sometimes.”  Butler is already taking care of the shirt and pants.  I doubt Ms. Sloshing will even remember it this morning.

 

Back to Butlers, the in-laws butler is AMAZING.  I think I’ve already laid out that they’re harder to impress than us, but MIL won’t stop raving about her butler.  He’s always surprising them with something and exceeding their expectations/anticipating their needs.  We had noted MIL’s birthday celebration was yesterday, and when they got to the room he had balloons everywhere with a bottle of wine and chocolates.  They were just raving about how wonderful it was.  Our is a solid average, with our interactions very transactional.

 

Smooth sailing.  We’ve both noticed that this ship is really smooth sailing.  Noting the seas aren’t very rough right now, but sailing out of San Juan last night as we were going to bed, we couldn’t even tell.  Usually there’s vibrations and noise while at the pier, but we didn’t notice anything.   Just an observation. 

 

Back to our Modern Luxury vacation!

[washdcguy]

On 3/26/2019 at 9:16 PM, clampsa said:

Love reading your live review. My wife and I feel like we have similar tastes and expections for what we pay for the suite class on Celebrity. We’ll actually be getting on the ship when you depart. I’m interested in knowing if you mention any of the service letdowns to the Retreat Concierges. And if you notice any improvements. While we hate to complain while on vacation we feel like there are only so many misses we can take.  Plus if you mention it the right way the outcome will hopefully be a learning experience for Celebrity management and their employees. 

Question for you: I’ve read they have added a shower curtain to the sky suites showers because the initial design caused too much water to splash out of the shower. Then I read a post where someone said they added a glass door....just wondering what’s the shower like in your cabin.....what’s been your favorite drink so far or if you’ve found any good wines since Luminane has been a let down with their wine choices. 

Clampsa, took your suggestion and discussed our service disappointments with Retreat Manager last night, framed in terms of our experience with other brands and how the Retreat has been marketed.  We’ll see how things change.  

 

Showers...  we have the curtain, glued down soap tray, and patch of plastic at the partial door (6 inches of glass). We haven’t noticed any leaking.  The soap tray is full of water though.  

 

The in in laws have a door.  The first night their door was swinging with the waves and making lots of noise.  Their butler fixed it that night with masking tape, but organized repairs for the next day.  He told them it took four guys and a call back to the contractor to figure out how to tighten the door hinges, but most importantly it is fixed and working well. They said they don

 have any leaking.   Despite the door, they still have a shower curtain as well.

 

We are very much alike, the wine choices are poor. I haven’t devoted much time to that because that’s been something that all the lines disappoint us with (Silversea and Seabourn most recently).  Said, the Grigich Chardonnay and Cab Sav have been the saving grace.  We have yet to be charged the variance. 

 

Drinks, my favorite in the Retreat is the Rye Sangria. DH loved the Ginger martini in Martini Lounge.  You need to be specific to get other than well spirits.  The margaritas have been bad so we’ve been sticking to Hendricks and Tonic... hard to mess up.  The in-laws are picky about their cocktails, and rightly so.  The bar staff have learned to listen carefully to both their liquor preferences and volumes otherwise they forced to bring shot glasses os the liquor to get the balance right.  They have since raves about having the best cocktails on board. Tonight is Eden and we’re looking forward to some fun craft cocktails. We’ll report back. 

[clampsa]

I hope the Retreat Manager listened to your concerns and you have noticed a difference in service.  We usually always find service on Celebrity to be outstanding. We have sailed in suites on ‘S’ class ships and have always been treated well in Michael’s Club. 

I know Bogdan Sfarghiu was the Retreat Manager on Edge but I believe he is on break at the moment. When we sailed with him on the ‘S’ class ships he would always make sure any short comings were looked after. 

Thanks again for taking the time to give us updates about your experience on Edge and I hope you enjoy your last day on the ship tomorrow.  

[washdcguy]

Day 4 – St Maarten

 

Our last port day.  How time flies.  DD was soooo excited to do the Rhino Riders but we got too much sun yesterday, so it just didn’t make sense.  Instead we slept in, ordered breakfast and coffees from our butler and DD watched Han Solo.  Four ships in port today!  While DD played at C@S, we relaxed in the Solarium.  The spa was doing minute massages there!

 

We meandered to lunch at the Retreat Pool Bar.  Service was much improved today.  Offered drinks the minute I sat down as well as the menu to order from.  (I arrived first by myself)  Everyone really wanted to try the Luminae Burger, and that’s what led us to the Retreat bar.  Unlike two days ago, the server offered to go to the Mast Grill to get French Fries AND sautéed onions and mushrooms for the burger.  (That’s service recovery)  I like the L. Burger just as it is, but to each their own.  During lunch we noticed 4 staff circling in the Retreat Pool area offering drinks and checking in on folks… another improvement.

 

DD went to get some Ice Cream from Oceanview and ran into the Captain, Staff Captain, and Cruise Director.  DH said they were all very charming and she loved meeting them.

 

DD exuberantly headed to Camp at Sea, happy as a clam.  We headed into town.  We haven’t noticed any priority embarkation/disembarkation for Suites in any of the ports.  Yesterday it seemed we were sent to the shorter of the two lines, but it’s not like the other ships where they have a separate carpet laid out at the port.  The Destination Gateway is wonderful though.  No more queuing on the dock when the lines are backed up, there is ample space in the Gateway.

 

We got back on the ship and enjoyed cocktails in the Martini Bar before going to Future Cruises.  We booked another Edge ‘spring break’ cruise for next year!  We’re tired of the E/W Caribbean itineraries, but it’s really the experience… especially with Edge.  It’s a resort at sea for us where we can all enjoy our own thing.  The Retreat Deck has really made the difference as we enjoy the Ship within a Ship concept to get away from the masses and find a quite spot.  We had a long conversation about this over dinner last night and discussed our options (Seabourn, Silversea, MSC Yacht, NCL Haven, Regent, Disney) and agreed we’d prefer to stick with X.  MIL wouldn’t consider any ship but Edge… even those that had been Revolutionized… 😊

 

Dinner tonight was in EDEN and we LOVED IT.  The food and service were exceptional; the food beautifully presented.  If you’re an Olive Garden / Outback kind of restaurant fan, this is not for you.  The EDEN characters are “playing” in the background.  They come and interact if you’re interested; you’re advised to hold up your summoning stone (candle) to get them to come over.  The whole experience begins with a walk by the kitchen and meeting the chef and then to a cleansing drink, and then off to the dining experience.  We tasted the whole menu (I took the right and DH took the left).  The fish and the steak were standouts.  …until dessert arrived.  Both were ridiculously amazing, and the Red Apple is a show stopper.  As if we hadn’t been wowed enough, the white globe comes that melts away with dark chocolate revealing more yummies inside.  The cocktails were great as well (everyone’s taste differs and like wine people like different concoctions).  Our favorite of the three we tried was the Clouds.  Sommelier comped a Caymus Cab with my meal.  Speaking of which, I have yet to be charged for wines above $15 at a single restaurant, and I’ve gone over every night.

 

We headed to the Comedian afterwards sans DD. Ed Regine was the act.  We should have known when he was advertised as being on The Tonight Show with Johnny and Dave.   His material was old and not that funny.  We lasted 13 minutes, and left. 

 

DD wanted to go to another party, so we went to the “Glow in the Dark” party in the Rooftop Garden.  The staff handed out a wide variety of Glow Sticks, balloons with LEDs inside, light up yo-yo’s, and other dance club paraphernalia.  M/F-IL joined us after the show, and we all danced the night away in a beautiful space with a great crowd of folks.

[tompeter]

Thanks for the report!