Potential Edge Modifications Revealed By Cruise Critic Editor

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

As for a full review. the last few years I always do a full review after returning from a cruise with any line. I also submit them directly to the cruise line as with the EDGE. I always get a call no matter if the review is positive or negative. 

The call I received about my review on the EDGE was very enlightening for me.  I asked if they read what is on cruise critic and I was told they have a staff that does nothing but that. She also told me that most of my dislikes were already noted from other reviews and are already in the works of correcting the problems. Now I see they are. 

So Celebrity is listening and taking action to make it better. By the time the APEX and the other EDGE class ships float. They should reflect all the changes for the better. maybe in 3 or 4 years I will try again. We have currently booked for 2020 and 2021 on all the new and totally refurbished ships coming out. FYI. Usually the best price for a cruise is on a ship that was just totally refurbished or totally rebuilt. Not a brand new ship. the are usually the most expensive.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Let's just see how the EDGE stacks up against other Royal and Celebrity ships.

These are their 5 star ratings.

51% Celebrity Silhouette

52% Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas

53% Celebrity Solstice

53% Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas

54% Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas

54% Celebrity Reflection

56% Celebrity Eclipse

60% Celebrity Equinox 2019 large cruise ship of the year.

And now

27% Celebrity Edge

This justifies my review and certainly only my opinion.

 

Some are newer very big ships, larger than the EDGE. Some are not the normal type cruise ship either.

Royal Caribbean took a gamble and now need to tweek a lot.

 

 

 

 

[hcat]

Time for me to use the invisible button

Done!

Edited May 2, 2019 by hcat

[UnorigionalName]

RCL's 2019 Q1 report and call is out:

 

CEO: 

 

"First, we continue to enjoy delicious yields on our new ships from last year, Celebrity Edge and Symphony of the Seas. We continue to find that our guests appreciate the innovation and the focus that characterize our new ship and more importantly they're willing to pay for it."

 

"So Celebrity Edge has just been going gangbusters ..."

 

CFO:

"If you look at Celebrity -- especially with Celebrity Edge, and the yield growth associated with that or the overall demand for Edge has really been exceptional."

 

Yeah, I don't think they're buying a 5th ship because it is doing so poorly. And I don't see any signs they are unhappy with the direction of Celebrity.

Edited May 2, 2019 by UnorigionalName

[Silkroad]

7 hours ago, vtcruising said:

Have you been able to stay comfortable with Go Green turned off when the glass in down or does it get hot in there anyway? 

We have tested the go green function,  both with bifold doors open and closed. In both cases, we felt cool air coming from the vents. We have tested this on two occasions for at least 30 minutes. We are on deck 12, with a slightly larger overhang than you had, and we wete only in warmer weather for a couple days.

[Luvcrusn]

On 4/24/2019 at 9:41 PM, DebInAntigua said:

I also hope they add back a couple of (good) production shows. I'm not as keen on watching headline acts the whole cruise.

I'd gladly NEVER watch a production show and prefer the headliners. I guess they need to find a balance!🙂

[gatour]

48 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

Let's just see how the EDGE stacks up against other Royal and Celebrity ships.

These are their 5 star ratings.

51% Celebrity Silhouette

52% Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas

53% Celebrity Solstice

53% Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas

54% Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas

54% Celebrity Reflection

56% Celebrity Eclipse

60% Celebrity Equinox 2019 large cruise ship of the year.

And now

27% Celebrity Edge

This justifies my review and certainly only my opinion.

 

Some are newer very big ships, larger than the EDGE. Some are not the normal type cruise ship either.

Royal Caribbean took a gamble and now need to tweek a lot.

 

 

 

 

Anyone who just relies on the number of stars given in a review, vs actually reading a review is doomed to be disappointed.  I read the actual reviews and hopefully the person gives context.  I can correlate their background and expectations with my expectations.  For example, I like spicy food if it is supposed to be spicy.  It sounds like you may not like spicy food, doesn't make it "bad".  So I discounted your opinion about the food being spicy, since you didn't give any context.

 

Funny that you mention Harmony.  The first two Oasis class ships, Oasis and Allure had a pool in the solarium.  The Harmony does not have a pool in the solarium.  That is one of the major complaints that people had after launch. Lo and behold the Symphony, the latest launch has a pool in the solarium.

 

In the future, you may not want to book a ship if it is the first of a new class.  Might want to wait two years or so until the all the reviews come in and you can digest what they mean to you.

[Silkroad]

9k

8 hours ago, vtcruising said:

Hope you are enjoying the MDRs. A TA is great for getting a good idea, with so many nights. I will be interested in your thoughts (I think you have Select so are going to all?). 

We are Select, and we are enjoying them, some more than others. Have tried all but Tuscan, at which we're dining tonight. Thus far, I would say I least preferred Normandie, which surprised me. It simply wasn't a dining experience that worked for us. Everything except the food was a bit off. I loved the Alsatian tart starter, and though I don't care for most desserts,  the Opera Cake was fabulous. I would never write a venue off after only one try, so they'll get another chance to wow us. We'll also dine in Eden & Fine Cut Grill. Btw, we thought the food at Rooftop Grill was ok. It's much like the Lawn Club Grill, with much less shade and wind protection.

Edited May 2, 2019 by Silkroad

[Silkroad]

8 hours ago, vtcruising said:

Have a lovely day and feel free to continue to toast us all with your margaritas! 🙂

Thanks! We're having a wonderful sea day, which included a wine tasting and an afternoon show (music). Will toast you and the other Edgies with Margaritas and Cosmopolitans (me), Manhattans and beer (DH) and wine (both). Not all at one time though🤣

[vtcruising]

33 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

We have tested the go green function,  both with bifold doors open and closed. In both cases, we felt cool air coming from the vents. We have tested this on two occasions for at least 30 minutes. We are on deck 12, with a slightly larger overhang than you had, and we wete only in warmer weather for a couple days.

Oh good, so sounds like you have been comfortable with the glass down?

[vtcruising]

22 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

9k

We are Select, and we are enjoying them, some more than others. Have tried all but Tuscan, at which we're dining tonight. Thus far, I would say I least preferred Normandie, which surprised me. It simply wasn't a dining experience that worked for us. Everything except the food was a bit off. I loved the Alsatian tart starter, and though I don't care for most desserts,  the Opera Cake was fabulous. I would never write a venue off after only one try, so they'll get another chance to wow us. We'll also dine in Eden & Fine Cut Grill. Btw, we thought the food at Rooftop Grill was ok. It's much like the Lawn Club Grill, with much less shade and wind protection.

Glad the MDR experience has been going okay. It is funny how some love one of the MDRs and not another of them. With the MDR poll,  Normandie ended up pulling out ahead, with the others pretty even. I guess it's good to have choices at least. If one is not liking the MDR experience with only one MDR, you are stuck (though usually a change of table or waiter helps). With 4 different MDRs (and different set up, chairs, ambiance, maitre d's and regional specials), hopefully at least 1-2 of them would work for most.

 

We've only had lunch at the RTG and it was great for lunch and seems that we would like it more as a lunch venue, but we will see what it looks like on the Apex (and the menu). Hope the FCSH is having a good night - if you ask if Zha Zha is still there as a waiter and get him, you will have a memorable night! He has a great sense of humor and loves to wait on people who enjoy it. I think he made sure we had the best cuts because both nights we had him as the waiter, the bone in filets were perfection.  🙂

[Oville]

4 hours ago, Silkroad said:

Thanks! We're having a wonderful sea day, which included a wine tasting and an afternoon show (music). Will toast you and the other Edgies with Margaritas and Cosmopolitans (me), Manhattans and beer (DH) and wine (both). Not all at one time though🤣

Hi Michelle, sounds like you are having a good cruise.  Even if you don’t drink it, have a Lemon Drop at the Martini Bar for me.

 

Your comments about Normandie are interesting after Marilyn’s poll had it ranked No 1.  I’m looking forward to your comments on all the food venues in the days to come.   Katie

[TeeRick]

18 hours ago, twodaywonder said:

Let's just see how the EDGE stacks up against other Royal and Celebrity ships.

These are their 5 star ratings.

51% Celebrity Silhouette

52% Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas

53% Celebrity Solstice

53% Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas

54% Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas

54% Celebrity Reflection

56% Celebrity Eclipse

60% Celebrity Equinox 2019 large cruise ship of the year.

And now

27% Celebrity Edge

This justifies my review and certainly only my opinion.

 

Some are newer very big ships, larger than the EDGE. Some are not the normal type cruise ship either.

Royal Caribbean took a gamble and now need to tweek a lot.

 

 

 

 

We get it.  You hated Edge. You want all of us to know.  You have posted your opinion multiple times on different threads.  

[vtcruising]

Here is a newish Edge Hyperlapse video (4/19). You can see that they taped on a windy day (can see the plants swaying).

 

I did learn something about the Edge. It labels the Magic Forest as "Avalon", which I think I did see in the Edge art book, but had forgotten. I tried to figure out why and found this info on Wikipedia: "Avalon was a legendary island where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was forged and later where Arthur was taken to recover from his wounds after a battle.  Avalon was associated from an early date with mystical practices and figures."  I guess that is why it is called Avalon since it is on the road to Eden, with its mystical practices.  And now you know!  You are welcome!  😉

 

 

[Silkroad]

15 hours ago, Oville said:

Hi Michelle, sounds like you are having a good cruise.  Even if you don’t drink it, have a Lemon Drop at the Martini Bar for me.

 

Your comments about Normandie are interesting after Marilyn’s poll had it ranked No 1.  I’m looking forward to your comments on all the food venues in the days to come.   Katie

Hi Katie, yes we're happy a great cruise. What a coincidence that we had already planned to go to the Martini Bar😂 I will definitely have a lemon drop for you.

 

Regarding Normandie, as I mentioned earlier, the food was very good (a couple items were excellent) and I had expected Normandie to be a favorite. Our servers were excellent, but the restaurant was quite packed. DH thinks everyone returned from Bermuda and headed to the MDRs at once. Regardless,  something was off that night. We'll try it again, because any venue can have an off night.

 

We tried Tuscan last night, and had a very positive experience. It's quite beautiful inside, which I hadn't expected. Our food was very good, with a couple excellent dishes. Service was excellent. We're going back to Cyprus tonight. Tried to go for drinks on the magic carpet, but it's been too cool and windy. We've been skirting a storm since yesterday, so outside venues are less appealing than before. Gasping for caffeine, so we're off to hunt for a couple espressos😋

More later.

Michelle

Edited May 3, 2019 by Silkroad

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

What did we like about the EDGE experience? Embarkation was fast and everyone was very nice. Being able to put your carry on luggage in your room as you board was a great help. The ocean view state room was very nice. The electronic touch screen to control the lighting and the temperature was excellent. The darkening drapes for the window were a great addition. The bathroom and shower were excellent. Storage was plentiful. Room was laid out nice. ALL crew members were excellent. Fast service at any of the bars. Temperature on he ship was perfect. Most of the shows were excellent. I liked the stage but you could easily see the performers were having a problem with it trying to let everyone sitting around it enjoy the performance. We sit in the center about 3-4 rows back. Everything was excellent form that prospective. The coffee bar was in a very good location and the cappuccino was excellent. Any drink was very good. The deserts offered there were excellent. Being able to sit in a protected area for a burger or hot dog was a great idea. The Solarium was very nice. All the public rest rooms were excellent. Customer service was in a great location. Never had to wait long to ask a question. 

[cgolf1]

For Michael Redden Fans, he will be on the Equinox in August:)

[vtcruising]

1 minute ago, cgolf1 said:

For Michael Redden Fans, he will be on the Equinox in August:)

Really, will you be there? 🙂

[vtcruising]

20 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

What did we like about the EDGE experience? Embarkation was fast and everyone was very nice. Being able to put your carry on luggage in your room as you board was a great help. The ocean view state room was very nice. The electronic touch screen to control the lighting and the temperature was excellent. The darkening drapes for the window were a great addition. The bathroom and shower were excellent. Storage was plentiful. Room was laid out nice. ALL crew members were excellent. Fast service at any of the bars. Temperature on he ship was perfect. Most of the shows were excellent. I liked the stage but you could easily see the performers were having a problem with it trying to let everyone sitting around it enjoy the performance. We sit in the center about 3-4 rows back. Everything was excellent form that prospective. The coffee bar was in a very good location and the cappuccino was excellent. Any drink was very good. The deserts offered there were excellent. Being able to sit in a protected area for a burger or hot dog was a great idea. The Solarium was very nice. All the public rest rooms were excellent. Customer service was in a great location. Never had to wait long to ask a question. 

Thanks for sharing - I agree with some of your positives and some of your negatives. Luckily my positives outweighed my negatives on my Edge cruises, though I know sometimes things add up the other way, depending upon personal experiences.  I hope my next Edge cruise in January will be as good as my last (or even better). 🙂

Edited May 3, 2019 by vtcruising

[cgolf1]

4 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

Really, will you be there? 🙂

I wish:). He had just posted on instagram and I asked if he would be back on the Edge and he responded back about the Equinox:) He is actually quite responsive on social media which is really cool. My wife has a new job, so she lost all her vacation time because of that, and couldn't negotiate more at her new job. So it will be a few years before we cruise 2 or 3 times a year:)

[vtcruising]

2 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

I wish:). He had just posted on instagram and I asked if he would be back on the Edge and he responded back about the Equinox:) He is actually quite responsive on social media which is really cool. My wife has a new job, so she lost all her vacation time because of that, and couldn't negotiate more at her new job. So it will be a few years before we cruise 2 or 3 times a year:)

Sorry to hear that - I hope you can still do your Apex cruise. Maybe he will be on Apex!

 

I wonder who the tree musician is on the Edge now?

[cgolf1]

16 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

What did we like about the EDGE experience? Embarkation was fast and everyone was very nice. Being able to put your carry on luggage in your room as you board was a great help. The ocean view state room was very nice. The electronic touch screen to control the lighting and the temperature was excellent. The darkening drapes for the window were a great addition. The bathroom and shower were excellent. Storage was plentiful. Room was laid out nice. ALL crew members were excellent. Fast service at any of the bars. Temperature on he ship was perfect. Most of the shows were excellent. I liked the stage but you could easily see the performers were having a problem with it trying to let everyone sitting around it enjoy the performance. We sit in the center about 3-4 rows back. Everything was excellent form that prospective. The coffee bar was in a very good location and the cappuccino was excellent. Any drink was very good. The deserts offered there were excellent. Being able to sit in a protected area for a burger or hot dog was a great idea. The Solarium was very nice. All the public rest rooms were excellent. Customer service was in a great location. Never had to wait long to ask a question. 

 

I am glad that you have some positives, seems like a lot too. Are the negatives that you saw correctable? I am a glass half full person, so I acknowledge the negatives, but try to find the positives.

[cgolf1]

1 minute ago, vtcruising said:

Sorry to hear that - I hope you can still do your Apex cruise. Maybe he will be on Apex!

 

I wonder who the tree musician is on the Edge now?

 

Hopefully @Silkroad will chime in as time allows of course:)

[vtcruising]

This article was interesting - talks about the delicious earnings from the Edge, generating significant onboard revenue. Maybe prices won't be coming down....

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/20800-celebrity-edge-performing-at-exceptional-level.html

 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Yes, they are all correctable and are already doing many. One big gripe was the buffet food. No excuse for that at all.

I would think, future cruises on the EDGE and the later APEX should reflect many changes for the better. Normally the food at the buffet reflect what is in the dining rooms. Not on the EDGE. Sometimes you have no choice for lunch but the buffet. Main dining rooms can easily cause a delay to see a show. If you do not get there early, you sit where ever you can. First seating is the problem. Second seating you can got o the early show and run to your dining room later. We were informed that the table will be held for 15 min after your seating time. On all cruises, why do they like overlapping venues. 2 hours of nothing to do then everything packed in the next two hours. Not talking about the EGE, all ships.