Back From the Edge-a post cruise review of July 3-10 w/ pics

[EMc&DrS]

4 hours ago, rhblake said:

Maybe I running ahead of your review but I have to ask did your daughter get to meet Captain Kate?

Yes. I will touch on that later in the review. 

[KKB]

Thank you for your honest Rooftop Grill. 

It seems overpriced & pretty much "bar food"--we eat that often at home for less $. 
I also figured that the wind could be an issue on the top deck...14 cruises & I know that...one would think the designers would be privy to it as well.

 

But THANK YOU for ALL of this review---a joy to read!!

[PTC DAWG]

Good stuff, thanks. 

[Caribbean Chris]

I had to laugh at your Rooftop Grill description as a wind tunnel because of similar memories. We ate there in January 2019 and the lettuce blew off the plate. My hair kept blowing into my mouth whenever I tried to take a bite. The barbecue dishes were all quite good and arrived on time but it was hard to enjoy when we had to hold onto everything. As I recall, they closed the restaurant some nights due to high(er) wind.

 

Also the layout was a bit strange in that the jogging track was so close to some diners’ tables including ours. It wasn’t appetizing and hard to ignore sweaty people running past a few feet away, over & over.
 

I thought I read that X planned to address the wind problem with plexiglas panels or something after all the complaints. Guess that never happened. Meanwhile the service you experienced was inexcusable. 

 

 

[EMc&DrS]

IV PORTS OF CALL—We, along with our daughter, are definitely “beach people,” but we’re happy to substitute a pool or hot tub if no beach is available. Our son-in-law just likes to relax when he’s on vacation, so he’s happy to tag along as long as there is a lounge chair involved. Therefore, our goal was to get in as much beach time as possible at our three stops and spend most of our sea days at the pool taking advantage of the lower capacity on this sailing.

 

NASSAU—We arrived in Nassau early on the first morning of the cruise.  I woke up to the sight of the pilot boat following us into the port, so I went out onto the balcony to watch us sail past the lighthouse, do the 180 degree turn, and back up to the pier. We watched as the groups leaving for excursions exited the ship for waiting boats to take them elsewhere.  The strange thing was to see the empty pier with very few people leaving the ship to go out on their own.

 

After debating back and forth (mostly because of the chance of rain from the passing hurricane), we decided to walk over to the Hilton British Colonial Hotel near the port where we purchased 4 day passes on the spot at the front desk. 

 

 

 

 

We walked off the ship at 10:10 AM and were putting our towels on lounge chairs at the beach at 10:30. 

 

 

 

There was one other couple on the beach from the ship and a few guests from the hotel. For $85/person, we received access to the beach/pool with loungers on the beach under small “tiki huts.” Each day pass came with a $40 food and beverage credit, which we spent at the poolside bar and grill (I don’t think we actually spent it all). The staff was very happy to have us there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Considering that we were to be back onboard by 2 PM, this seemed like a safe and easy way to get in some beach time.  Typically, we would have taken a cab over to the public entrance to Cabbage Beach and walked down the beach to set up in front of the Four Seasons Resort where the beach is far less crowded and free of pesky people wanting to braid your hair or sell you a chair. My fear was that we would not only waste a lot of time getting there and back, but that there might not be a cab available to pick us up at the public entrance to the beach when we were ready to come back. If the streets around the port were any indication, we made the right decision. 

 

 

 

Virtually everything was closed, and the few people we did encounter on the way to the Hilton were long gone when we walked back.  We basically saw no one but a few others returning to the ship on our way back.  Hardly even any cars. 

 

 

We got back moments before 2 PM, and they must have closed the doors right behind us because we were pulling away at 2:20 when we returned to our balconies.

 

 

 

 

 

[EMc&DrS]

ST. THOMAS—There were a lot of people on our roll call (including me) that were hoping we would dock at Havensight.  It was indicated on some of the St. Thomas websites that we would, but no such luck. Being the first ship to call on St. Thomas since Covid, we were escorted all the way into Crown Bay by a tug boat using its water cannon.

 

 

 

 

 

A few weeks before the cruise we had decided to book the Celebrity excursion to “Secret Sands, ” which is actually just the public Lindquist Beach.  We knew this from a previous visit in 2015, but some in our group were disappointed that we weren’t visiting a resort. There were very little details explaining the excursion, but the price of approximately $55/person would indicate that not much is included.

 

 

Our group was loaded into 3 of the infamous St. Thomas open-air taxis, but before we left the property, we were warned that we must wear our masks everyone except on the beach, and that if we left the group for any reason, we would face stiff consequences upon our return to the ship.

 

 

 

If you are looking for a simple time at the beach with nothing but a lounge chair, this excursion is for you.  There are bathrooms available, but if you’re looking for lunch, umbrellas, cabanas, etc., this will not be the trip for you. There is a very nice local gentleman who greets the group when you arrive at the beach.  He’s the same man who was doing this back in 2015 when we visited.  He makes sure everyone gets a chair, has as many free rum drinks as they want, and then makes sure that no one misses the ride back to the port. We arrived at the beach around 12:45 and left for the ship at 3:45.

 

 

One of the highlights of the drive for all in our taxi was seeing two chickens sprinting for their lives past the drive-thru window at the local KFC.  Really mad I didn’t have my camera at hand for that one!!!

[EMc&DrS]

We interrupt this review to take an 18 second vacation to St. Thomas....

 

 

 

 

 

[EMc&DrS]

 

We enjoyed some pool time when we returned to the ship, and as usual, the martini glass hot tub was totally empty for our personal use.

 

 

[EMc&DrS]

That's all for today.  Tomorrow--St. Maarten.

 

 

 

 

 

[EMc&DrS]

ST. MAARTEN—We’ve been to all of these ports many times, but wanted our son-in-law to experience Maho Beach for the first time.  Although the ship docked around 7:30 AM, we took our time getting up and out and left the ship a little after 11 AM. 

 

 

 

Once again, we were the only ship in port (although two deserted RC ships were docked at the next pier looking very sad). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By the time we left the ship there were very few others wandering around the port.  The four of us grabbed a cab, and for $9/person took the 30 min drive to Maho.  For $20 we rented two chairs and an umbrella outside the Sunset Bar and then spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the ocean and the air show. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday is a great day to visit because both KLM and Air France fly their big jets to St. Maarten that day of the week.

 

 

Air France arriving:

 

We ordered a few drinks from the bar, and then around 3:30, asked one of the many cabdrivers hanging out to drive us back to the port. (On a side note, I heard later that the Celebrity sponsored excursion to Maho had been canceled, so I’m glad we did this on our own).

 

 

                         

 

 

 

Edited July 19, 2021 by EMc&DrS

[Ken the cruiser]

Prior to going ashore at St Maarten, did you all have to pass a COVID antigen test the previous evening as noted in the email we just received for our Aug 7th Edge cruise?

 

Eastern Caribbean:
• On your own tours are permitted in St. Croix, St. Maarten*, St. Thomas and Nassau.
• Celebrity curated tours are required in Tortola.

*The St. Maarten government requires all guests age 2 and older, be tested before disembarking and visiting St. Maarten. Test will be provided onboard.

 

Edited July 19, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[EMc&DrS]

2 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Prior to going ashore at St Maarten, did you all have to pass a COVID antigen test the previous evening as noted in the email we just received for our Aug 7th Edge cruise?

 

Eastern Caribbean:
• On your own tours are permitted in St. Croix, St. Maarten*, St. Thomas and Nassau.
• Celebrity curated tours are required in Tortola.

*The St. Maarten government requires all guests age 2 and older, be tested before disembarking and visiting St. Maarten. Test will be provided onboard.

 

No. Not in St. Maarten nor at the other two ports.  I've heard that might have changed for St. Maarten since our sailing. People on the current sailing were reporting before they left that they were informed they would be tested.

[EMc&DrS]

Whether by air or by sea, what comes in must go back out...

 

 

 

 

This is also when it hits you that you are already heading home...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bluestocking]

@EMc&DrS, thank you so very much for this thorough review. Those of us anxiously awaiting our turn to sail cannot tell you how much we appreciate it! Question about the onboard COVID-19 testing required to re-enter the U.S. What information have you received onboard about how that works? Any insights would be wonderful, and thanks again. Enjoy your cruise!!

[EMc&DrS]

31 minutes ago, Bluestocking said:

@EMc&DrS, thank you so very much for this thorough review. Those of us anxiously awaiting our turn to sail cannot tell you how much we appreciate it! Question about the onboard COVID-19 testing required to re-enter the U.S. What information have you received onboard about how that works? Any insights would be wonderful, and thanks again. Enjoy your cruise!!

There was no testing on our cruise for anyone who proved that they were vaccinated (unless they were doing a B2B). We did not have to have a test prior to the cruise, nor were we tested at any point during the cruise. Of course, this could have changed already. 

[OT-Miami]

@EMc&DrS What a thoughtful, objective and thorough review.  Thank you for taking the time to share your experience.  We sail in September and your cruise recap has me ready to start packing today!  Kudos 🍻

[Jeremiah1212]

We've done Lawn Club Grill on S Class several times and were always a bit underwhelmed. But we decided to book Rooftop Garden on Edge a few weeks ago to see how different it was. I like the outdoor concept but the whole menu and approach needs reworked.

 

We while we didn't have the extreme wait for food, we were one of 4 tables seated and it did take a long time. We checked in and waited nearly 15 minutes to be sat.I would chalk it up to first cruise back fumbles but it was on par with our experiences at LCG on other ships as well. 

[sherrill17]

On 7/17/2021 at 2:30 PM, EMc&DrS said:

I’ll post some pics and video just for you!

We  have a SV cabin on Sept 18th.  What cabin did you have?   I love hearing about your trip.  Thanks for posting.

 

Edited July 19, 2021 by sherrill17

[OuiOnboard]

Thanks for the detailed review. We probably won't cruise again for a few years but you have surely rekindled our interest in doing so.  Bon Voyage!!! 

[Cruising is my passion]

Your review and the phenomenal pictures are greatly appreciated. We will be on Aug 28. New to Edge Class but not new to cruising. 65 cruises and counting! We love your concise but thorough articulation of your cruise and your excursions. You are a great Ambassador to the cruisers getting going again. Can’t wait. We have missed it so much! Thank you.

[Rmyoung]

This may have already been posted but on the ship if your vaccinated do you have to wear a mask? 

[RoamingRetirees]

3 minutes ago, Rmyoung said:

This may have already been posted but on the ship if your vaccinated do you have to wear a mask? 

This is what our email from Celebrity has for our July 31 Edge sailing:

 

"• Following CDC Guidelines, masks will not be required for vaccinated guests."

 

This pertains to on board. Ports have their own requirements which must be followed.

[Robkat]

With all the cancellations and  rescheduling from the past year, it was working out that our first cruise back wasn't going to be until November (Equinox).  

However, in reading all the wonderful reviews of these first cruises back, we just couldn't contain ourselves and, just yesterday, we saw a SV come available on the Edge for September.

And so, we've read your excellent review with renewed anticipation.  Thanks for taking the time ... you covered so many areas and gave us such good info.  

And now, we just can hardly wait ... even though we shortened our wait time by 2 months!  

[EMc&DrS]

1 hour ago, sherrill17 said:

We  have a SV cabin on Sept 18th.  What cabin did you have?   I love hearing about your trip.  Thanks for posting.

 

I’ll be adding pics and details about the cabin shortly. 

[EMc&DrS]

51 minutes ago, Rmyoung said:

This may have already been posted but on the ship if your vaccinated do you have to wear a mask? 

No!  It was actually really nice to forget about Covid for a week.