Sailing on Edge June 26th

[bnurick]

1 hour ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Thanks for a quick response and a great review.

So I’m already at the gate to the plane. The easiest ever!  Ate at Luminae at 700pm. Walked off deck 5 at 800am.  Bags were already sorted by your tag number. Got 5 bags and walked a few yards to customs. There they used FACIAL RECOGNITION and we were instantly cleared and bypassed the officer you would normally speak to.  Walked outside, used Uber for a SUV, waited 10 minutes for arrival and off to FLL.  Probably the easiest process ever. 

 

52 minutes ago, maggieq said:

Not sure if this was asked already.  Is testing prior to debarkation for vaccinated passengers required?  If yes and there is a positive test result, are there details noted somewhere on what happens?  Quarantine?  Thanks!

Not for vaccinated. I heard from someone if you were b2b you had to be tested. 

 

43 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

Thank you for taking so much time out of your cruise to share it with all of us.  Very kind of you to do so, and so wonderful to hear about after so long with no cruising!!  Safe travels home to you!!🙂

Thanks. Get on that YOLO cruise!

 

8 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

@bnurick…..again, THANLK YOU for getting cruising kicked into gear again with such a bang!  Great info and much appreciated.  Sounds like you had a wonderful time.  Safe travels home.

 

Thanks GraphicGuy!  YOLO cruise it!  Cheers from FLL 😕😂.  Avoid Allegiant bag line…

[dleahy4444]

1 hour ago, judatt said:

I believe Luminae is open til 130 on embarkation day. We had lunch there and our embarkation tome was 1230. 

Thank you. It might be tight getting there before it closes since our check in is at 1but we will try. Our hotel checkout  at 11 so we will be at the port really early, so I’m hoping we can check in earlier. 

[Cruising89143]

8 minutes ago, bnurick said:

So I’m already at the gate to the plane. The easiest ever!  Ate at Luminae at 700pm. Walked off deck 5 at 800am.  Bags were already sorted by your tag number. Got 5 bags and walked a few yards to customs. There they used FACIAL RECOGNITION and we were instantly cleared and bypassed the officer you would normally speak to.  Walked outside, used Uber for a SUV, waited 10 minutes for arrival and off to FLL.  Probably the easiest process ever. 

 

 

Thanks again for taking us along. Sounds like it was a great cruise. Safe travels home.

[Ken the cruiser]

Thanks @bnurickfor all the great commentary and insider information! Have a safe trip home and enjoy your memory of this momentous occasion of being on the first cruise out of Ft Lauderdale after the 15 month shutdown! 😎

[pixiedust777]

12 minutes ago, bnurick said:

So I’m already at the gate to the plane. The easiest ever!  Ate at Luminae at 700pm. Walked off deck 5 at 800am.  Bags were already sorted by your tag number. Got 5 bags and walked a few yards to customs. There they used FACIAL RECOGNITION and we were instantly cleared and bypassed the officer you would normally speak to.  Walked outside, used Uber for a SUV, waited 10 minutes for arrival and off to FLL.  Probably the easiest process ever. 

THANK YOU….your posts and experience have made me so excited for our August 7th Edge cruise.

Cannot wait to read your recap of the entire voyage.

Safe travels home😊

 

Sonia

 

[graphicguy]

24 minutes ago, bnurick said:

So I’m already at the gate to the plane. The easiest ever!  Ate at Luminae at 700pm. Walked off deck 5 at 800am.  Bags were already sorted by your tag number. Got 5 bags and walked a few yards to customs. There they used FACIAL RECOGNITION and we were instantly cleared and bypassed the officer you would normally speak to.  Walked outside, used Uber for a SUV, waited 10 minutes for arrival and off to FLL.  Probably the easiest process ever. 

 

Not for vaccinated. I heard from someone if you were b2b you had to be tested. 

 

Thanks. Get on that YOLO cruise!

 

 

Thanks GraphicGuy!  YOLO cruise it!  Cheers from FLL 😕😂.  Avoid Allegiant bag line…

YIKES!

 

I have learned to limit any cruise or flight baggage to carry on for this exact reason.  It's with me at all times and I check nothing as a result.  If it doesn't fit in the overhead, or under the seat, it stays home.

 

Of course, the GF "harrumphs" me every time I repeat this mantra! 😉

[TommyD3]

Thank you for all the info !!!

AMAZING !!!

 

Wondering where was LLP (Celebrity CEO) ???

I know Richard Fain (Corporate CEO & Chairman) was onboard for several days?

Have not seen a single posting referring to LLP.

[KKB]

28 minutes ago, dleahy4444 said:

Thank you. It might be tight getting there before it closes since our check in is at 1but we will try. Our hotel checkout  at 11 so we will be at the port really early, so I’m hoping we can check in earlier. 

The word is they are not letting people check in early to manage crowds BUT if you are in a suite might they let u in the lounge early? 

[sofietucker]

Disembarking was smooth. There was no testing at all--at least for us vaccinated folks--in spite of Retreat manager's telling me that we would be! A bunch of the kids on board were Retreat guests; never saw any of them in masks. Hmm. I actually saw 2 teens in masks on board the last day, with unmasked parents. And 2 adults masked one day mid cruise...

[KKB]

7 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

YIKES!

 

I have learned to limit any cruise or flight baggage to carry on for this exact reason.  It's with me at all times and I check nothing as a result.  If it doesn't fit in the overhead, or under the seat, it stays home.

 

Of course, the GF "harrumphs" me every time I repeat this mantra! 😉

DH & I did a 7 day cruise with a backpack & a carry on each as we HAD to fly in on embarkation day. I said if we are running late & have to wait for luggage, I WOULD LEAVE IT TO MAKE THE SHIP.

 

We have determined that we change clothes so many times a day that it is easy to wear things more than once.

Couple tees & pair of shorts for breakfast.

Swimsuit & cover up.

A few tops & a couple pair of capris get me thru 

 

THAT BEING SAID--we usually fly SWA so very thankful we can check 2 bags if we really want. That is a true rarity. But since I'm cruising 2 weeks this time I may take advantage of that perk!

[sofietucker]

1 minute ago, KKB said:

DH & I did a 7 day cruise with a backpack & a carry on each as we HAD to fly in on embarkation day. I said if we are running late & have to wait for luggage, I WOULD LEAVE IT TO MAKE THE SHIP.

 

We have determined that we change clothes so many times a day that it is easy to wear things more than once.

Couple tees & pair of shorts for breakfast.

Swimsuit & cover up.

A few tops & a couple pair of capris get me thru 

 

THAT BEING SAID--we usually fly SWA so very thankful we can check 2 bags if we really want. That is a true rarity. But since I'm cruising 2 weeks this time I may take advantage of that perk!

We try to do carry-on only for shorter trips. So we gave our butler a bag of laundry on Wednesday morning and got it back last night (Friday). (We'd flown in a couple of days in advance .) The slow delivery was surprising, as comparatively, HAL has a 24-hr turnaround--abd on a full ship. So that gave us pause 

[bnurick]

49 minutes ago, cruisingator2 said:

Thanks again for taking us along. Sounds like it was a great cruise. Safe travels home.

Peace out ☮️ CruisinGator! 🐊 

 

47 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Thanks @bnurickfor all the great commentary and insider information! Have a safe trip home and enjoy your memory of this momentous occasion of being on the first cruise out of Ft Lauderdale after the 15 month shutdown! 😎

It was a gift to be aboard. So many emotional moments of a celebration of life, both cast and crew.

 

42 minutes ago, pixiedust777 said:

THANK YOU….your posts and experience have made me so excited for our August 7th Edge cruise.

Cannot wait to read your recap of the entire voyage.

Safe travels home😊

 

Sonia

 

Make it a YOLO cruise Pixiedust! 

 

30 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

YIKES!

 

I have learned to limit any cruise or flight baggage to carry on for this exact reason.  It's with me at all times and I check nothing as a result.  If it doesn't fit in the overhead, or under the seat, it stays home.

 

Of course, the GF "harrumphs" me every time I repeat this mantra! 😉

So the Wife and Kid went on Delta with the bags.  I did Clear and Pre-Check line with no bags.  Since our oldest is at camp she made us split up flying home.  😕 An insurance adjuster?  Nope, a CPA…. 😆

 

24 minutes ago, TommyD3 said:

Thank you for all the info !!!

AMAZING !!!

 

Wondering where was LLP (Celebrity CEO) ???

I know Richard Fain (Corporate CEO & Chairman) was onboard for several days?

Have not seen a single posting referring to LLP.

I got a few pictures with Fain first day.  There were many others, but I didn’t focus on identifying any of them.  As we left the ship Captain Kate said goodbye and thank you to everyone walking off the port walkway.  Nice gesture.  We also received a commemorative album of sorts.  I’ll post copies later tonight…. Had a page of small photos of every crew member onboard which took more effort by their marketing department…

 

 

Edited July 3, 2021 by bnurick

[graphicguy]

11 minutes ago, KKB said:

DH & I did a 7 day cruise with a backpack & a carry on each as we HAD to fly in on embarkation day. I said if we are running late & have to wait for luggage, I WOULD LEAVE IT TO MAKE THE SHIP.

 

We have determined that we change clothes so many times a day that it is easy to wear things more than once.

Couple tees & pair of shorts for breakfast.

Swimsuit & cover up.

A few tops & a couple pair of capris get me thru 

 

THAT BEING SAID--we usually fly SWA so very thankful we can check 2 bags if we really want. That is a true rarity. But since I'm cruising 2 weeks this time I may take advantage of that perk!

After decades of flying nearly weekly for work, it became more a necessity than a requirement to only fly with carryon.  My proudest "packing job" was when I had a 2 week business trip to Germany.  I did not know the business dress norm of the places I had meetings with, so I packed dress pants, ties, dress shoes and wore a sport coat for the redeye flights from the U.S. to Germany.  In addition, I had a laptop, more cords than I care to count, as well as power bricks.  What I did have in abundance was travel bottles of Febreeze wrinkle release.  That proved essential.

 

Bottom line, I got all two weeks of business and casual clothes in a TravelPro roll aboard that fit overhead and a back pack that fit under the seat.

 

From that point forward, the convenience of always having my luggage with me overruled any sort of packing too much for any given situation.

 

That means getting all cruise packing, for a week's worth of casual vacation, in a roll aboard and a back pack seem like a piece of cake.

[TeeRick]

I am not starting a rumor or anything like that.  I am just curious if there was any talk or announcements about any COVID positive tests on board?  I have not heard about anything.  But just curious.  

[KKB]

Just now, TeeRick said:

I am not starting a rumor or anything like that.  I am just curious if there was any talk or announcements about any COVID positive tests on board?  I have not heard about anything.  But just curious.  

They didn't do any widespread testing so unless someone was symptomatic they wouldn't know.

Unless any of those B2B's come back positive...

[TeeRick]

Just now, KKB said:

They didn't do any widespread testing so unless someone was symptomatic they wouldn't know.

Unless any of those B2B's come back positive...

They would have tested the 5% or whatever that number turned out to be.  Maybe all kids under 16?

[KKB]

3 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

They would have tested the 5% or whatever that number turned out to be.  Maybe all kids under 16?

Ah, yes, forgot about that.

 

[George C]

Thanks for all the great info bnurick, getting ready to head to ship and our penthouse suite, have a safe journey home. 

[tori0417]

My husband and I are most likely going to book the Edge for the end of this month- we are contemplating going alone (first vacay without the kids) or bringing our kids (ages 2 and 6). Can anyone tell me if there were younger kids on board? If so, (and not to get into a debate) how was the mask policy for younger kids? We are weighing the options and the stress of them wearing masks and not having playmates in the kids club etc. vs. leaving them home. Thanks!! 

[Denny01]

I probably missed this reading all the great posts by the Edge cruisers, but did the Celebrity App work for using it to text/contact other cruisers? Wondering if it’s good to stay on contact/meet up/etc while onboard. 

 

Den

[KKB]

11 minutes ago, tori0417 said:

My husband and I are most likely going to book the Edge for the end of this month- we are contemplating going alone (first vacay without the kids) or bringing our kids (ages 2 and 6). Can anyone tell me if there were younger kids on board? If so, (and not to get into a debate) how was the mask policy for younger kids? We are weighing the options and the stress of them wearing masks and not having playmates in the kids club etc. vs. leaving them home. Thanks!! 

There were 24 children total on this cruise, what ages unsure. A VERY small number. 

I would say right now, especially on Celebrity, this will continue. 

A 2 year old is too young for kids club.

My advice--leave the kids home. You will have MUCH more fun!

Take them when the youngest is at least 5. Do DCL or RCCL, imo. They do kids best.

 

(We did a family cruise 15 years ago with 24 family members. One couple had a 1YO & 2YO and we tried to convince them to leave them with the other set of grandparents--who would have LOVED it--but they insisted on bringing them. We all offered to help watch them but they usually refused. They were pretty miserable. And you won't have others to help.)

 

BTW DH & I are on the Edge the 24th & DM & I are doing the 31st. Join us!

Edited July 3, 2021 by KKB

[tori0417]

Thanks. We have cruised with both our kids before on both Celebrity and RCCL, but with things being different, we are on the fence. We haven't left them yet so its a big jump for us, but we will most likely be going just us. My brain is all over the place with planning this one- suite? Aqua class? none of the above and do speciality restaurants? lol 

[ymncruise]

Thanks for posting about your cruise! I’m cruising in a few weeks and have a 10:25 am flight from FLL. I’m wondering if I should change it to something later.  Anyone have tips for making an early flight from FLL?  Glad your trip went smoothly. 
 

[LGW59]

3 minutes ago, ymncruise said:

Thanks for posting about your cruise! I’m cruising in a few weeks and have a 10:25 am flight from FLL. I’m wondering if I should change it to something later.  Anyone have tips for making an early flight from FLL?  Glad your trip went smoothly. 
 

Anyone have tips for making an early flight from FLL?  When you say tips for making early flight, what exactly do you mean?

[ymncruise]

Tips like how to get in an early group for exiting the ship.  Can you take your luggage with you so you don't have to find it in the terminal?  where to go to quickly catch airport transportation   Things like that. Thanks!