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EDGE JULY 10, 2021 (semi) LIVE

graphicguy

By graphicguy,
in Celebrity Cruises

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graphicguy "Live from...." Rare

graphicguy

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14 hours ago, Unlvswezel said:

Loved following this (semi) live update. Wondering if you heard about crowds at Atlantis. Planning to go in two weeks, but might second guess if it’s getting busy/full. Departure time definitely cuts into the time we can spend at the resort.

Didn’t make it to ATLANTIS.  No one I knew on board went, either!  So, not sure!

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jerrytex

jerrytex

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21 hours ago, graphicguy said:

I found this on Celebrity’s site about their menus.  Maybe it will help.

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/things-to-do-onboard/eat-and-drink/

Thanks graphicguy.  These are helpful but still not what is on the app.  Unfortunately the app menus are hard to read.  Thanks, too, for all your info.  

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graphicguy "Live from...." Rare

graphicguy

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Whew….what a 24 hour whirlwind…..made it home.  I think the GF missed me and I definitely think she liked her gift.  She’s doing the laundry from the cruise for me.  That tells me a lot.  LOL!

 

Why is it the flights home from vacation are always on time, but the ones going to vacation aren’t?????? 😉

 

Anyway, some thoughts….

 

Generally speaking, you can tell that Celebrity didn’t just make up their mind they were going to sail and fired up the ship, loaded crew, and shoved off.  They’ve obviously been planning this, and planning it for quite some time.  I understand that they aren’t yet sailing at full capacity, so some of what they do is probably easier.  The flip side, getting crew all rowing in the same direction takes time.

 

Celebrity is “on point”….so much so, I’m amazed given they exceeded my lofty expectations.  Were there things here and there which could be improved upon?  Sure.  Every cruise has those.  But, the fact that there were so few things I can think of really speaks volumes to, at least, the Edge.

 

The elephant in the room….VACCINES.  I understood our cruise to have all adults over 16 vaccinated.   Whether that was by design or coincidence, I don’t know.  Even the “porn girls” proudly showed me/us their CDC Vac cards (I guess to prove they’re disease free??????????).  

 

But, not having wrist bands, or separate venues and places for just the vaccinated would have been a huge PITA.  So, going this route to me is the way to go.  First, not many children under 16 on the ship.  I don’t know who would want to cruise on this ship if you’re under 16 or under to begin with.  There just isn’t that much that would interest me if I were a child/teen.  The activities, shows, etc are all geared towards adults.  No arcade.  No putt-putt.  No go carts.  No climbing walls.  If there were children specific activities on board, I didn’t see or hear about them.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love children.  I had one myself.  But, there are much better options if you’re a family than the Edge offers.

 

FOOD….all good…regardless of venue.  Personally, I probably would have been happy eating in the Buffet or MDRs every night.  The food in both are good.  I did enjoy EDEN quite a bit, though.  Well worth the extra cost.  LUMINAE….whatever I wanted, on the menu, or off the menu, they did their level best to make it.  It was great….every time I dined there.  Service was as good or better than the exemplary service all around the ships.   I’m not a huge breakfast eater.  Couple cups of coffee, some fruit or a danish, and I’m ready to start the day.  I found myself mostly going to El Bacio quite a bit.  It was quick.  The coffee was delish.  Best of all, it was free.  Most of the things I truly love in the world.

 

INTERNET…you know I didn’t think much about it, so I suppose that’s a good thing.  But, the only way I could do my live portion of the report was because it was good.  I had the streaming plan included in my package.  Every once in a great while, if I was trying to post from a remote area of the ship, not near the outdoors, it slowed a bit. But, overall it was quite good…as good as anything I had experienced before on a cruise ship.  Is it as snappy as my 100Mbps I get at home?  No.  But, still quite workable.

 

THE SHIP….I understand it’s coming out of being probably washed and sanitized top to bottom over the last several months.  But, I literally could have eaten off the floors.  Not a crumb, a glass in the hallway, a spill at the pool….nothing that wasn’t spic and span.  And, they had enough crew making certain of that.  Interestingly, there were no troubadours singling songs about “Washy-Washy” at any of the dining venues like on other ships.  Nor were there any people demanding you wash your hands at the many sinks before entry.  They suggested it.  That was about it.  Not sure if that’s good or bad.  But, no Noro outbreaks or any COVID news while I was on board, so that’s probably a good thing.  Again, a testament to 100% adults having the vaccine.  Say this flat out, without hesitation.  The EDGE is the most beautiful ship I’ve ever sailed on…that includes the likes of the Allure of the Seas, NCL’s Escape, MSC’s Divina, and everything in between.  Hands down, the EDGE takes it, and it’s not even close.

 

SERVICE….I know, I was in the RETREAT.  But, everywhere on the ship the crew were sincerely and genuinely happy to see us.  They all greeted us with a smile and generally speaking, wanted to know if we were having a good time and/or if there was anything else they could do for us.  Just incredible, but one of the officers on the ship (and they were everywhere, always) noticed me walking on the track early one morning.  As I was finishing up, he asked how things were going.  I told him things were wonderful.  He started making notes in a pad (doubt he was making any notes about my off the cuff comments).  He was using a nice chrome Celebrity pen.  I made an off handed comment that Celebrity upped their “pen” game.  He gave it to me….no, he insisted I take it.  IT’S A REALLY NICE PEN.  Unreal!!!!!

 

PORTS….I don’t think the Eastern ports are going to be any different than the Western ports, but they are mostly unopened.  Yes, you can do some of the beach tours, and I know of one couple who did an ATV tour.  But, there aren’t a lot of tours available.  And, the ones that are, you’ll be sticking to those which Celebrity recommends.  The days of going off ship, finding a tour on your own (which still can be done) is not recommended.  I concur with that advice.  I think the ports just haven’t had enough time to pull out of their deep sleep and get moving again.  There are signs they are firing up.  I think another couple of months with cruise ships docking, and they’ll begin to get into gear.

 

For me, and just about everyone I talked to, this wasn’t about the ports.  This was about getting back on a cruise ship, and waking up to blue, clear waters every a.m….taking in the ocean air every day…being outside on one of the decks doing something, every day.  Meeting up with new friends, every day.  The ship and it sailing was the vacation, not the ports.  And, I’m just fine with that.

 

ENTERTAINMENT….you know, I saw 2 shows in the theater.  One was a magician, which I’m always entertained by.  I’m feeble minded sometimes and just find myself saying “how’d he do that?”  I’m happy to believe it’s “magic”, so am easily amused.  The song/dance/acrobatic show was good.  I enjoyed it.  Anyone who can sing, dance and twirl….sometimes in the air…..all at the same time, amazes me…..because I can’t do even one of those things, let alone all of them, all at once.  While all of that was good, I really enjoyed sitting in the EDEN bar area listening to the Jazz trios/quartets.  And, there was an excellent solo/duo performer(s) in the Martini Lounge every night that I enjoyed after closing down the MAGIC CARPET (usually somewhere around 9:00 p.m.).  Plus, the Martini Bar mixologists were a show in and of themselves.  Surprisingly, the Retreat Bar wasn’t really all the busy when I was there.  Not a good, or a bad thing.  They just weren’t.  Not that I have a short attention span….”oh look, squirrels…”. But most shows where perfect in length…..45 minutes.

 

CASINO….I WON MONEY!  Nothing more really to say.  I’m happy about that.  Oh yeah…non-smoking.  Not meaning to start an argument, but that’s a plus in my book.  Come to think of it, I didn’t see a smoking area, or any smokers, anywhere on the ship….inside or outside.  I’m not a slots person, so don’t know this to be a fact, but I heard a couple of people tell me they thought the slots were “loose”.  Take that with a grain of salt, since they obviously won money, too.  Dealers were good, experienced and engaging.  That’s all I ask.

 

STORES…all high end.  You WILL NOT see $10 watch costume jewelry sales.  There were no “buy booze” sales on board (although they had a nice selection in their store).  No “T-shirt sales” screaming at you. You will see Cartier, Hublot, Tiffany, etc on board.  Even Captain Kate has her own jewelry design they sell.  Not knowing if it’s good or bad, it all looked nice to me.  Personally, I can do without the screaming “sales” other cruise ships have.

 

PRICING…this is where it gets a little weird.  Originally was supposed to be a sailing for the two of us, originally on NCL.  After much “jacking around” by NCL, doing pricing that really had little effect on any sort of credits we had, to keep adding more and more to yet the next cruise, I finally put a stop to it and asked for a refund (two months ago, which I’m still waiting for).  This Edge sailing was booked about 4 months ago, when we were both still going to sail.  Price was not all that outrageous to sail in a suite (~$5,500), which believe it or not was still about $2K less than sailing in the NCL Haven.  To add icing to the cake, after the GF could not go, my TA said Celebrity would give me $2,400 back as a solo cruiser as OBC.  Add to that, I got AI, the Premiun Liquor, Tips included (although I did additional tips to the Butler, the Room Stewardess, and the Concierge), Streaming internet.  Add that to the TA offering $425 as a refund (after the cruise) and this cruise ended up being a relative bargain.

 

Well, can’t think of much else.  I mentioned this was in my top 3 cruises.  True.  #1 was the first cruise I took with the GF, low those many years ago, on the NCL Epic 10 years ago.  Some like that ship, some hate it.  We were in the first “blushes” of our relationship.  It was perfect for us.  The 2nd was in the Mediterranean on the MSC Meriviglia.  What more can I say…..France, Italy, Spain, Malta, on a beautiful ship, with my family (including my son), made for one of the most memorable lifetime experiences I’ve ever had.  This cruise on the Edge, comes in 3rd.

 

AS promised, I’ll post some misc pics that I hadn’t posted already.  Thanks for following along!!!!!!!

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terrydtx Great Review Rare

terrydtx

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1 minute ago, graphicguy said:

I wish I could keep my greenery anywhere close to this.  Interestingly enough, I never saw anyone tending to any of this…..

Probably late at night, when the crew washes down the decks.

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KKB Great Review Rare

KKB

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52 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

 

Well, can’t think of much else.  I mentioned this was in my top 3 cruises.  True.  #1 was the first cruise I took with the GF, low those many years ago, on the NCL Epic 10 years ago.  Some like that ship, some hate it.  We were in the first “blushes” of our relationship.  It was perfect for us.  The 2nd was in the Mediterranean on the MSC Meriviglia.  What more can I say…..France, Italy, Spain, Malta, on a beautiful ship, with my family (including my son), made for one of the most memorable lifetime experiences I’ve ever had.  This cruise on the Edge, comes in 3rd.

 

AS promised, I’ll post some misc pics that I hadn’t posted already.  Thanks for following along!!!!!!!

THANK YOU for these live postings...I suspect with lowly normal internet it may be a challenge for me.

 

I get "best cruises" listing. 

Our first was special--best table mates ever; got us hooked on cruising.

Family cruises--every one is special

Edge--we shall see, but I have VERY high hopes!

(and I am a glass half full kinda girl--so I don't think my expectations r too high)

Edited by KKB
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graphicguy "Live from...." Rare

graphicguy

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2 minutes ago, KKB said:

THANK YOU for these live postings...I suspect with lowly normal internet it may be a challenge for me.

 

I get "best cruises" listing. 

Our first was special--best tablemates ever; got us hooked on cruising.

Family cruises--every one is special

Edge--we shall see, but I have VERY high hopes!

Hopefully, all hopes are met with happiness.

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KKB Great Review Rare

KKB

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12 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Captain Kate 10:00 a.m. announcements…..

IMG_0243.MOV

OK...THAT got me! It took me there. 

Truly, I have some tears.

I am so thankful to be sailing soon.

Again--THANK YOU for sharing this trip with us.

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Reel Love

Reel Love

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Fabulous review and pics!  Echo the many comments of appreciation and thanks that have been made for your time and effort in sharing.  So glad to read that this was a fabulous cruise for you 😊

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IWillGoAnywhere26

IWillGoAnywhere26

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@graphics Thanks for posting your cruise experience. My husband and I  were on the cruise, too. What an outstanding cruise. I actually learned about "the girls" by reading your thread and managed to spot them in The Club one night. I do have it from a good source that there were 9 unvaccinated adults onboard, all from one family. And we did see 2 people onboard wearing "the bracelets." In our estimation Celebrity did everything right on this cruise.

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