Edge improvements promised?

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

I’m excited to sail in one of the solo IV cabins in February!!

 

I am curious, though, about the call for “frosted glass” was from people whose travelmates rise early and chill on the veranda (Infinite or otherwise) because of the Morning Light coming in. Frosted glass does not prevent light from coming in 100%. Yes, it is filtered a bit, but light does get in. So what exactly is the point? Won’t you still need to figure out how to keep the room dark?

[DebInAntigua]

11 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

I’m excited to sail in one of the solo IV cabins in February!!

 

I am curious, though, about the call for “frosted glass” was from people whose travelmates rise early and chill on the veranda (Infinite or otherwise) because of the Morning Light coming in. Frosted glass does not prevent light from coming in 100%. Yes, it is filtered a bit, but light does get in. So what exactly is the point? Won’t you still need to figure out how to keep the room dark?

 

For us, we wanted the ability to close the bifolds for privacy while dressing, while not having to completely blackout all natural light. We personally don’t need it for keeping the room dark as we both routinely use sleep masks. 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 minute ago, DebInAntigua said:

 

For us, we wanted the ability to close the bifolds for privacy while dressing, while not having to completely blackout all natural light. We personally don’t need it for keeping the room dark as we both routinely use sleep masks. 

THAT makes sense (though for me being solo I have no issues dressing in the bathroom.) Seems most people who were fussing about it were doing so because of the light waking others in the cabin up.

[Spif Barwunkel]

The Infinite Veranda concept is smart, functional and new....on ocean going vessels. The same concept (French Balcony) has been used on river boats for years. Key word here is NEW. Very hard for some folks to accept. Try looking at the logic behind the concept and perhaps the IV won't be as painful. There is always the typical balcony cabin for those most squeamish among us.   

[ipeeinthepool]

2 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Understand that you are negative about the IV's.  A lot of people don't like them. But given the fact that they exist and are not going away, and that a lot of people also like the concept, why is frosting the glass a bad idea or lipstick on a pig??  Please explain why you have an issue with frosted glass.  Just trying to understand.

 

I'll give it a try.  The frosted glass is useless because many people find it cumbersome to open and close the French doors.  Since you have to move the chairs to open and close the doors many people don't bother.  They move the chairs once open the doors and then leave the doors open the entire cruise.  The frosted glass doesn't accomplish anything because the layout of the cabin prohibits easy opening and closing of the doors.  I think that qualifies as lipstick.

[Spif Barwunkel]

3 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

I'll give it a try.  The frosted glass is useless because many people find it cumbersome to open and close the French doors.  Since you have to move the chairs to open and close the doors many people don't bother.  They move the chairs once open the doors and then leave the doors open the entire cruise.  The frosted glass doesn't accomplish anything because the layout of the cabin prohibits easy opening and closing of the doors.  I think that qualifies as lipstick.

I'm sorry, I know it is just me. Your explanation makes no sense to me whatsoever. Frosted glass makes no door more cumbersome to open and close...in any language. See, adjust, adapt. Kind of simple actually. But then again, not to everyone.

[ipeeinthepool]

3 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

I'm sorry, I know it is just me. Your explanation makes no sense to me whatsoever. Frosted glass makes no door more cumbersome to open and close...in any language. See, adjust, adapt. Kind of simple actually. But then again, not to everyone.

 

Ok, I'll try again.  If the cabin layout makes the door too cumbersome to open and close, then it doesn't matter if the glass is clear or frosted because people aren't using the door.   That makes the frosted glass be similar to lipstick.  Something that just doesn't address the problem.

[WLC061975]

12 hours ago, photabitha said:

Here is a picture of our IV balcony on The Edge 9 September 2019.  I think you can see the doors have frosted glass.  We kept them open and brought down the blind half way overnight.  We do not mind awaking to light however.

 Much to our surprise, we loved the IV!  The privacy between cabins is greatly improved with no chance of faces appearing around the balcony dividers.   The area does make the cabin feel larger and we made good use of it.

[WLC061975]

Just now, WLC061975 said:

12 hours ago, photabitha said:

Here is a picture of our IV balcony on The Edge 9 September 2019.  I think you can see the doors have frosted glass.  We kept them open and brought down the blind half way overnight.  We do not mind awaking to light however.

 Much to our surprise, we loved the IV!  The privacy between cabins is greatly improved with no chance of faces appearing around the balcony dividers.   The area does make the cabin feel larger and we made good use of it.

just wondering I heard they turn Air condition when balcony door open. So do they turn air conditioning off when leave the door open?

[hcat]

If they  switch back to Queen beds, that  might afford  a bit more space to move the  veranda door tracks in a bit, if it could be done.  Then the IV would be more useful. 

 

As it  is,  it is a big waste to frost the glass which we would always keep open anyhow.,..unless the chairs are less clunky and easier to move. 

 

Another option might be  to remove the doors altogether,  and  sell this as a cabin with a  big  window that you can open halfway.. The doors take up  needed inches when they are left  folded open, so this would gain a bit of veranda area space. Or use less clunky doors or a thin track automated interior shade/ drape.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

7 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Understand that you are negative about the IV's.  A lot of people don't like them. But given the fact that they exist and are not going away, and that a lot of people also like the concept, why is frosting the glass a bad idea or lipstick on a pig??  Please explain why you have an issue with frosted glass.  Just trying to understand.

 

Several issues with the entire concept that frosting the glass did not solve : 

• First -The French doors do not seal the cabin area from the verandah area, therefore when lowering the window and closing the french doors the cabin still loses aircon and could become stuffy in hot/humid climates (or at least that's what I have understood from reviews).
• Second - As there are no draperies to keep the room dark when window blind opened to use the verandah, the frosted glass only filters light and does not block it.  For those whom like to get up early and enjoy the verandah whilst their traveling companion sleeps in this can be an issue.  This is also an issue if one person wants to take a nap whilst the other enjoys the verandah.
• Third - If one wants to close the french doors to try and preserve some coolness in the cabin area while the window is lowered the person in the cabin no longer has a view of the sea/port because of the frosting.  This is not an improvement.

Celebrity's design/build team obviously did not think this through, and regardless of any aerodynamics /fuel efficiencies, many people (including myself) find the infinite verandah concept more of a negative than a positive.  I might as well save some money, book a standard oceanview or interior and spend more time on the open decks/lounges.  I find the few standard balcony rooms to be in less than desirable locations, and the pricing of the sunset balcony rooms is often a premium that I am unwilling to pay either.  This does not help Celebrity revenue wise like me booking a traditional midship balcony would.

 

For the above reasons (amongst others)  EDGE/Apex are not even on my "search" list of ships when planning future cruises.  

[Hlitner]

4 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

 

Several issues with the entire concept that frosting the glass did not solve : 

• First -The French doors do not seal the cabin area from the verandah area, therefore when lowering the window and closing the french doors the cabin still loses aircon and could become stuffy in hot/humid climates (or at least that's what I have understood from reviews).
• Second - As there are no draperies to keep the room dark when window blind opened to use the verandah, the frosted glass only filters light and does not block it.  For those whom like to get up early and enjoy the verandah whilst their traveling companion sleeps in this can be an issue.  This is also an issue if one person wants to take a nap whilst the other enjoys the verandah.
• Third - If one wants to close the french doors to try and preserve some coolness in the cabin area while the window is lowered the person in the cabin no longer has a view of the sea/port because of the frosting.  This is not an improvement.

Celebrity's design/build team obviously did not think this through, and regardless of any aerodynamics /fuel efficiencies, many people (including myself) find the infinite verandah concept more of a negative than a positive.  I might as well save some money, book a standard oceanview or interior and spend more time on the open decks/lounges.  I find the few standard balcony rooms to be in less than desirable locations, and the pricing of the sunset balcony rooms is often a premium that I am unwilling to pay either.  This does not help Celebrity revenue wise like me booking a traditional midship balcony would.

 

For the above reasons (amongst others)  EDGE/Apex are not even on my "search" list of ships when planning future cruises.  

You make a great case regarding the infinity cabins.  We would not even consider those cabins since we prefer a real balcony.  The Edge/Apex might be in our future once the price drops down to an appropriate level.  The way I see it, the Edge would have to be selling for a lower price then the S-Class ships before it would even get on our radar.  Yes, I know that Celebrity spent an awful lot of money on the Epix build and they expect to get a decent return on their investment.  But, to me, their biggest mistake was the entire concept of the Infinity cabins.  These are essentially Outside Cabins with a window that opens.  I view them as a step down from regular balcony/veranda cabins.   The concept they used for Infinity cabins is nothing new and a variation (French Balconies) has existed on river boats for many years.  On the Edge we would only consider a Sky Suite or better.  But consider that Celebrity generally sells Sky Suites for at least $300 per passenger day which is about the same price as cruising in MSC's Yacht Club.  And once I add in the usual per diem extras on Celebrity their sky suite actually would cost us more then cruising on Seabourn.  No way!

 

Hank

[vtcruising]

When I stayed in an Infinite Veranda, I woke up each morning and moved the chairs a bit and closed the doors and worked on the veranda on my laptop while my DH slept. The chairs are a pain, but easily moved so the door can be opened/closed. I've had similar open balconies on ships - my tiny AQ balcony on a cruise a couple years ago required us to often move a chair in order to get into the cabin (and sometimes have to move a chair so the other could get out onto the balcony) and the M Class CS balconies are so narrow you sometimes have to move those chairs/footstools around for another person to get by you to the other chair.

 

Moving the chairs once in a while was not a big issue for me. Having the frosted glass would have been helpful in my case because I left the shade closed (was very early), bi-fold door closed and the veranda light on to read/work. Luckily, my DH was able to sleep - the frosted doors will have helped some. As hcat said, having a little more room on the veranda would be lovely, along with a trip back to the drawing board for the shade (it needs to be quieter, different material, have the ability to peek). We had no issues with AC - the cabin was comfortable with window open - we had the Go Green setting turned off. Of all the recent reviews, I rarely see that as an issue - X may have  better sealed the doors or turned off the Go Green, or maybe I haven't read enough recent reviews. The other issue that people complained about was that the window would be frequently locked. That is also a rare complaint here now  - I think the Captain, et. al, needed to learn about a new ship and when inclement weather really necessitated closing them - it seems now it is mostly just for cleaning.

 

Anyway, we had a positive experience in the Infinite Veranda - with the window down we enjoyed a wonderful view and an enclosed, private balcony and with the window up, we had a larger living area with gorgeous floor to ceiling views. I likely would not book one except maybe for very hot or cold weather because we prefer open balconies and some full sun, but I can see why they do have fans and am happy I got to try one. I have been surprised at how positive many recent reviews have been - I think a lot of the issue was that X hadn't explained them well and people expected a more traditional balcony. Time will tell whether X will be able to fill the first two Edge Class ships since 63% of the cabins are IV's.

Edited October 7, 2019 by vtcruising

[Oville]

DebinAntigua, where is your bed located?  If it is by the bath I do not believe anyone in a ship across the pier will be able to see you dress and I question bed by balcony.

 

Please understand some naysayers of IVs have never stepped on Edge.  Enjoy your cruise and just close you balcony doors if you feel uncomfortable while dressing.

Edited October 7, 2019 by Oville

[hcat]

Or  if bed by veranda, the space by the low setee and closet is far away from the veranda window.

 

Seems not much current  EDGE feedback..maybe not til she returns to Port Ev.  We sail from there  11/15....with D in Antigua.

 

We would love to hear of any menu changes, changes for more sun and wind protection etc, any furniture  changes, etc 

 

I believe Bethany will be our CD ..she was a great activity directior and will be a fun CD.

 

[TeeRick]

ipee, Atlanta and VT-

Thanks for taking the time to provide thoughtful answers to my question on frosted glass in the IV's.  I think this topic will go on here forever as long as E-Class ships are launched and continue to be in service.  No solution.  IV's- you love them, or you tolerate them, or you hate them.   Celebrity is putting out large bets that you love them.  Time will tell!

[JBare]

We are currently in an IV, the opaque glass has been done. We bring the balcony table permanently inside which makes the chairs easy to move about. We sleep with the window cracked slightly open to hear the sea, the inner doors closed and in the morning the sun light comes softly in.  However its October in the Med and sunrise is quite late and temps not too warm, so its not too bad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[lola2013]

On 10/6/2019 at 6:54 AM, hcat said:

100%  correct!   But we liked it... and never closed the doors.

 

Closing the doors meant moving the clunky chairs. Tried it once,.not worth it.

 The person  sleeping next to the doors would really not have any space to walk by the bed on that side.  Just too small a space with too big a bed...( and a small tom tom for an inside table)

 

We'll try the Sunset Veranda with  large outdoor balc...also a larger or longer stateroom  from what we read.

We will be in a Sunset Veranda after you (December 1...55 days from now, but who's counting?)...I'm anxious to hear your thoughts.   Based on everything I've read, we made the right choice switching from IV to SV since we love a "traditional" balcony...not to mention the wake view!

Susan

[vtcruising]

9 minutes ago, JBare said:

We are currently in an IV, the opaque glass has been done. We bring the balcony table permanently inside which makes the chairs easy to move about. We sleep with the window cracked slightly open to hear the sea, the inner doors closed and in the morning the sun light comes softly in.  However its October in the Med and sunrise is quite late and temps not too warm, so its not too bad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the firsthand account. It is interesting how people seem to utilize the IV in different ways.

[Globehoppers]

On 10/5/2019 at 12:46 PM, vermonter16 said:

Is anyone even sailing in the IVs?  

Yep.  They are GREAT!

[shipshape sam]

On 10/5/2019 at 12:15 PM, K12Guy said:

Maybe edit your headline to include: "Free martini for every reply". 😎

Got my attention!  LOL.  

 

With cost of one over $16 now, I will reply even with no knowledge of the question asked.

 

 

[suzyluvs2cruise]

On 10/6/2019 at 12:24 PM, miaminative0853 said:

Just back from 11 nights on the Edge. We were in a Sky Suite so can't comment on the frosted windows but as one poster pointed out, it looks like it was done. I've scanned all of my exterior photos and you really can't tell. The furniture is the same as on the Sky Suite balconies except that after significant number of comments you can now request a lounger to be added. Obviously those won't fit in an IV. From talking to passengers, seems 60/40 to 50/50 love-hate on the IVs. I'm guessing Celebrity wishes it hadnt gone all in on them. By the way, if the design was intended to make the ship more stable, I don't think it worked. We found the Edge no better and maybe even slightly inferior to Solstice class ships in that regard.

We're currently on EDGE in an S1 cabin. Had hoped for a decent size taller table on the Balcony but that hasn't happened. 

 

[vermonter16]

1 hour ago, Globehoppers said:

Yep.  They are GREAT!

I have as well.  It was a joke.

[miaminative0853]

57 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

We're currently on EDGE in an S1 cabin. Had hoped for a decent size taller table on the Balcony but that hasn't happened. 

Yep, we experienced the same two weeks ago. They added a table inside the cabin but it is low as is the one on the balcony. We actually sat on the floor one morning to eat our breakfast! Hadnt done that since my 20s! Kind of fun and glad I could still get up and down!

[fstuff1]

On 9/15/2019 at 2:03 AM, DebInAntigua said:

I’m referring to this announcement. Was supposed to be finished by last month but haven’t heard anything from recent Guests about it. 

 

i was on the Edge a few months ago in an IV cabin.

i liked the clear veranda doors.

 

whats the point of making it frosted???

you cant see outside to the ocean!