LIVE Suite Review 1/30-2/6: A (Solo) Woman on the Edge

[sjayo]

Will do. We're having dinner there tonight for the first time -- I'll keep this in mind.

 

In case anyone is wondering, we're up in the retreat where I actually see a few people for the first time. I'm "working".  The staff keeps coming by to see if we need anything. I can't speak highly enough of the staff on board. We're already thinking about booking another cruise on this class of ship -- this reminds us of the Celebrity we knew with our first cruise some 20 years ago.

[GenerationX]

1 hour ago, 39august said:

GenX, what was the charge for the Premium Wine tasting, please? I've never done it, but it looks like most of the wines are truly premium. 

I believe the cost was $99.  Not a cheap tasting but I thought it was fair for the value of the wines and cheeses we got to try.  

[sjayo]

Health update.

 

I went to work out in the gym this afternoon, and while there were only 4 people in there, none of them were wearing masks, so I left.  I'll try again early tomorrow morning. 

 

We're liking this ship so much, we're thinking of booking a family cruise on the Apex in March of 2023.

[chamima]

Does anyone know if any of the sunset verandas are Aqua class?

If not,  do any of the Aqua class cabins have  real balconies?

[PTC DAWG]

19 minutes ago, chamima said:

Does anyone know if any of the sunset verandas are Aqua class?

If not,  do any of the Aqua class cabins have  real balconies?

I don’t believe so. 

[sjayo]

7 hours ago, kwokpot said:

Thank you for your assessments and experiences on the Edge. Since you're in Retreat Class I would like to ask if you can make note of something regarding Luminae. There's another thread on the Celebrity board that discusses the dinner offerings at Luminae. It seems that fleetwide in addition to the normal Luminae dinner menu there's also a Everyday Menu of alternative starters and entrees for someone dining in Luminae and choose from. Some ships there's a separate physical menu presented along with the standard menu, some ships have a separate page within the standard Luminae menu, and some ships the waiter verbally informs you of other starters and entrees are available. It would be great if you can recount what your experiences on your cruise is regarding these alternative dinner choices in Luminae are. Thanks in advance 

We had dinner tonight at Luminae. While the waiter indicated that there is no other menu available for us to look at, anyone can always order from a series of available options that are not on the menu. This includes chicken, fish, caesar salad, plain salad, and a few other options. I believe the same options are always available through the main dining room as well. Sara ordered the chicken off that unstated menu because there was nothing on the menu that appealed to her that was gluten free. Truth be told, if you happen to sit down at just about any restaurant, they'll go out of their way to accommodate you regardless of whether the food you want is on the menu. This is quite common for those who are gluten free.

 

By contrast, I conducted an experiment of sorts by having the rib eye tonight -- which I figured would be outstanding given the reputation of the chef. I was not disappointed, and it came out presented vertically rather than horizontally. The experiment will happen when we eat at the steakhouse on Saturday to determine which is better. It will be difficult to top Luminae, but my mind is wide open for the taste test. The chocolate dessert made me shout out "unfair" because it was sooo good. This restaurant is everything they say it is and more.

 

Incidentally, I would ordinarily take pictures like my idol GenX, but 100% of the time the plate is half empty before I remember that was my original intent.

 

On a health note, when we boarded the ship we were told we had to take the Tortola excursions because of Covid. They changed their policy since then so we're just going to get off the ship and walk into town. It's unclear what prompted the change in policy.

 

So far no reports of any covid cases.

[kwokpot]

18 minutes ago, sjayo said:

We had dinner tonight at Luminae. While the waiter indicated that there is no other menu available for us to look at, anyone can always order from a series of available options that are not on the menu.

 

Thank you for your reply, Are you saying the waiter volunteered this information of alternative choices when you asked about other menus?  Or you knew beforehand about these other choices? 

 

18 minutes ago, sjayo said:

By contrast, I conducted an experiment of sorts by having the rib eye tonight -- which I figured would be outstanding given the reputation of the chef. I was not disappointed, and it came out presented vertically rather than horizontally. The experiment will happen when we eat at the steakhouse on Saturday to determine which is better.

I'm glad you enjoyed the Ribeye;however for me it isn't a Ribeye steak (And no restaurant or steakhouse refers to what is served as a steak) but a Ribeye Roast. A steak is an individually cut piece of beef that is cooked on both sides. The Ribeye that is served in Luminae is a Roast that is cooked whole then sliced and served, A La Prime Rib or Roast Beef. 

https://www.mychicagosteak.com/steak-university/prime-rib-vs-ribeye

[sjayo]

17 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

 

Thank you for your reply, Are you saying the waiter volunteered this information of alternative choices when you asked about other menus?  Or you knew beforehand about these other choices? 

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the Ribeye;however for me it isn't a Ribeye steak (And no restaurant or steakhouse refers to what is served as a steak) but a Ribeye Roast. A steak is an individually cut piece of beef that is cooked on both sides. The Ribeye that is served in Luminae is a Roast that is cooked whole then sliced and served, A La Prime Rib or Roast Beef. 

https://www.mychicagosteak.com/steak-university/prime-rib-vs-ribeye

When I asked him whether there was another menu to order from, he said no. But when Sara asked him if she could order chicken that wasn't on the menu, he offered up that there are always items not on the menu that are always available. This appears to be true at every restaurant. For example, at lunch today Sara asked for her sandwich on gluten free bread -- which they didn't have. So they went elsewhere on the ship, fetched their excellent GF bread, and made the sandwich using an item that wasn't on the menu.

 

The steak I had was cooked on both sides, and it was listed as a ribeye on the menu. It did not look anything like a prime rib; unless they cooked it as a prime rib and seared both sides after cutting it. Regardless, it tasted like a prime cut of beef -- it was outstanding. Not like an A5 Matsuzaka mind you, but one of the better ribeyes I've had. It was better than a Snake River Farm American wagyu.

Edited February 8, 2022 by sjayo

[kwokpot]

1 minute ago, sjayo said:

When I asked him whether there was another menu to order from, he said no. But when Sara asked him if she could order chicken that wan't on the menu, he offered up that there are always items not on the menu that are always available. This appears to be true at every restaurant. For example, at lunch today Sara asked for her sandwich on gluten free bread -- which they didn't have. So they went elsewhere on the ship, fetched their excellent GF bread, and made the sandwich using an item that wasn't on the menu.

 

The steak I had was cooked on both sides, and it was listed as a ribeye on the menu. It did not look anything like a prime rib; unless they cooked it as a prime rib and seared both sides after cutting it. Regardless, it tasted like a prime cut of beef -- it was outstanding. Not like an A5 Matsuzaka mind you, but one of the better ribeyes I've had. It was better than a Snake River Farm American wagyu.

Thank you for your clarification on the alternative items in Luminae. I may be pursuing this issue a bit hard on other threads but my point in doing so is to highlight that if Luminae is the Suite Class restaurant there needs to be a more consistent fleetwide approach on how to inform Luminae diners that alternatives do exist. I had an issue with my Ribeye steak (That I will elaborate next) and when I spoke to the waiter and Maitre D' neither had informed me of an alternative menu. 

 

The issue I had with my Ribeye steak in Luminae on the Apex was that it wasn't a steak. This was the second steak entree I ordered in which the dish was not the same as the description. Unfortunately I don't have a photo but I do have a photo of what Luminae considered a NY Strip Steak. If you see the photo that's not a NY Strip Steak. It's a NY Strip Roast. As you can see it's not cooked on both sides but cooked and served like a Prime Rib. That particular night I didn't say anything and ate the meat. So I was really looking forward to the Ribeye Steak, but when it was served it was cooked and served the same way, not cooked on both sides but around the edges and sliced. To be honest when I ordered the Ribeye the waiter did say it's not the traditional presentation, but he didn't elaborate, so I ordered it anyway. When I questioned both the waiter and the Maitre D' they both confirmed this is how Luminae cooks it's steaks and how it is described in the menu. At that point they never informed me that there was other entrees to order from so I just ordered another entree from the Luminae choices. Thank you for sharing your experiences on the Edge. 

 

[sjayo]

Understood. That picture is, as you say, most definitely not a ribeye steak cooked on both sides. That is a prime rib, and I would have sent it back if that arrived at my table tonight. Mine looked more like the attached image, but it was served on its edge standing up -- the first time I've ever seen that.  A filet was also on the unstated alternative menu. I just wouldn't label it as an alternative menu because the folks in the dining rooms on these cruise ships are so accommodating they'll go to other restaurants to fulfill someone's wish. If a restaurant doesn't have creme brûlée on the menu, and Sara want's that for dessert, the waiters will say if you wait a few extra minutes, I'll get it for you. They then run over to another restaurant that makes it and deliver it at our table.  That's a kind of alternative menu, but I see it simply as superb customer service.  That's quite different from your experience on Apex, and I agree with you that someone clearly made an error. Not tonight though. Kudos to the chef at Luminae; I'll know on Saturday how the competition fares.

[abbydancer2003]

I thought that the alternate things are only on the E class, because in both M and S,  you have the entire main menu available.  On the Ribeye, on the Summit, first time I saw it I sent it back because it didn't look like a ribeye, but on the Equinox I decided to try it again, and I really liked it.

 

[sjayo]

We decided to go to the ocean view cafe for lunch. The engineers apparently decided that the spacing between everything should be about 50% greater than any other cafe you've been in on any other ship. The aisles are wider; the space between serving stations is very wide; it's almost as if they had social distancing in mind, but what they really had in mind was the creation of a non-crowded cafe. The food was not nearly as good as the cafe on an Oceania ship, but it's a buffet after all. You're served everything so there is no one other than the staff allowed to handle anything, but that's all window dressing for Covid since that's not how exposures occur anyway. However, as just another enhanced safety protocol involving other communicable diseases, I understand why they're doing this. I'd be surprised if this isn't the new norm, although it is labor intensive.

 

I can't say enough about Anastasiia. We saw her today during afternoon tea in the retreat lounge -- she catered to everyone there as if we were family. Her tip envelope keeps getting fatter.

 

The balconies on the back of the ship are like spending time in a zen room -- the sound of the ocean and the movement of water caused by the engines is intoxicating. It put both of us to sleep in the late morning while relaxing on the lounges -- the word delicious comes to mind when describing this kind of nap.

 

We're off to Eden tonight on GenX's recommendation -- I was hoping she and her husband would have been able to join us. I'll try to remember to take pictures before eating the food this time.

[go.without.you]

On 1/27/2022 at 9:26 PM, GenerationX said:

Yes I remember you!  I’m with you on the escargot. I’m planning to do a lunch or 2 at the French bistro specialty restaurant and get my escargot fix there.

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise in March!

I know you posted the link where you bought the globe dress from Amazon but I cannot find it. Help!!!

[go.without.you]

On 1/27/2022 at 5:59 PM, spiritkat090909 said:

In November 2021... Luminae on Edge DID have escargot on the always available verbal menu every day.  Additionally, I remember creme brulee, caesar salad, shrimp cocktail, & french onion soup.  Oh...and the steak of the day with baked potato.

OMG!!! You just made my day. This was the biggest block I had for booking Edge. Thank you!!!

[sjayo]

Dinner at Eden was amazing, and they took extra good care of Sara. Only one dish was not gluten free. I remembered to take pictures, which I'll post as soon as I can upload them. It's a three story area, and the music was the best we've heard on the ship so far.  A delightful evening -- thanks GenX.

[sjayo]

I've now tried to use the gym facilities three mornings in a row, and each time about half the people there were unmasked. This is in spite of a clear sign when you enter indicating that masks are required and that we're all in this together. Well, apparently not everyone. I'm sticking to the outdoor track, which I must say is just fine. It's a bit windy, but it's a warm wind -- which I'll gladly accept in place of the winds in Chicago that freeze your eyeballs.

[sgmn]

On 2/7/2022 at 10:58 PM, sjayo said:

Health update.

 

I went to work out in the gym this afternoon, and while there were only 4 people in there, none of them were wearing masks, so I left.  I'll try again early tomorrow morning. 

 

I've been visiting my local gym regularly throughout the pandemic, except when we were in lockdown. We never had to wear masks whilst working out, equipment was distanced by blocking off some equipment, everyone wiped down the equipment before and after using. The ventilation is good 

Staff did a deeper clean every hour 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2022 by sgmn

[sjayo]

5 minutes ago, sgmn said:

I've been visiting my local gym regularly throughout the pandemic, except when we were in lockdown. We never had to wear masks whilst working out, equipment was distanced by blocking off some equipment, everyone wiped down the equipment before and after using.

Staff did a deeper clean every hour 

 

 

Masks are required indoors on the Edge, so it doesn't matter what the requirements are elsewhere. Since Covid is airborne, and the machines are close to each other in the gym on the Edge, it's simply not worth the risk when anyone is working out without a mask. 

 

Since no one alive today has experienced a global infectious disease pandemic (except a handful of centenarians), it's not surprising that some folks don't quite realize the dangers involved. Having said that, on this particular ship (I can only comment on what I can see), the safety measures by far exceed those on land in the U.S. I've considered doing a write-up for a medical journal on relative safety and risk aboard a cruise ship based on my current experience. While we feel very safe here, it's still all about risk management.

[CruiseNYC]

On 2/7/2022 at 9:35 PM, sjayo said:

When I asked him whether there was another menu to order from, he said no. But when Sara asked him if she could order chicken that wasn't on the menu, he offered up that there are always items not on the menu that are always available. This appears to be true at every restaurant. For example, at lunch today Sara asked for her sandwich on gluten free bread -- which they didn't have. So they went elsewhere on the ship, fetched their excellent GF bread, and made the sandwich using an item that wasn't on the menu.

 

The steak I had was cooked on both sides, and it was listed as a ribeye on the menu. It did not look anything like a prime rib; unless they cooked it as a prime rib and seared both sides after cutting it. Regardless, it tasted like a prime cut of beef -- it was outstanding. Not like an A5 Matsuzaka mind you, but one of the better ribeyes I've had. It was better than a Snake River Farm American wagyu.

I'm very surprised that they didn't offer the menu from Blu and/or Main Dining Room.  We were on the Millennium in December and when we sat down, we were handed 3 menus!

[Jim_Iain]

On 2/7/2022 at 6:35 PM, sjayo said:

When I asked him whether there was another menu to order from, he said no. But when Sara asked him if she could order chicken that wasn't on the menu, he offered up that there are always items not on the menu that are always available. This appears to be true at every restaurant. For example, at lunch today Sara asked for her sandwich on gluten free bread -- which they didn't have. So they went elsewhere on the ship, fetched their excellent GF bread, and made the sandwich using an item that wasn't on the menu.

 

The steak I had was cooked on both sides, and it was listed as a ribeye on the menu. It did not look anything like a prime rib; unless they cooked it as a prime rib and seared both sides after cutting it. Regardless, it tasted like a prime cut of beef -- it was outstanding. Not like an A5 Matsuzaka mind you, but one of the better ribeyes I've had. It was better than a Snake River Farm American wagyu.

They also have the Children's Menu which is available in every dining room.   They have a nice 4 ounce Filet and will double it if you are so inclined. 

[kelib]

It was fun reading this since I was also on this cruise. In fact my first notice of you was walking into Eden and commenting about the number of solos on a Celebrity cruise. 
Also was finishing dinner at the very windy rooftop dinner when you came in. Flying wine glasses not enjoyable. Also sat next to you first night at Martini Bar.

Was truly a fun cruise and everything you would expect from Celebrity 

[JFontaine]

2 hours ago, CruiseNYC said:

I'm very surprised that they didn't offer the menu from Blu and/or Main Dining Room.  We were on the Millennium in December and when we sat down, we were handed 3 menus!

On Edge the Main Dining Rooms and Blu (aft,  decks 3, 4 and 5) are at opposite ends of the ship from Luminae (forward, deck 12). It's not like Millennium where they all share the same kitchen, or are very close.. 

[raudacruise]

3 hours ago, sjayo said:

Masks are required indoors on the Edge, so it doesn't matter what the requirements are elsewhere. Since Covid is airborne, and the machines are close to each other in the gym on the Edge, it's simply not worth the risk when anyone is working out without a mask. 

 

Since no one alive today has experienced a global infectious disease pandemic (except a handful of centenarians), it's not surprising that some folks don't quite realize the dangers involved. Having said that, on this particular ship (I can only comment on what I can see), the safety measures by far exceed those on land in the U.S. I've considered doing a write-up for a medical journal on relative safety and risk aboard a cruise ship based on my current experience. While we feel very safe here, it's still all about risk management.

When my mom was 5 years old her mother and twin sister died of the Spanish Influenza. They died during the third year of the pandemic, when most thought the situation was improving. Knowing that history, I’m very cautious. Kinda thankful she passed before Covid started. Can’t imagine how upsetting it would have been for her to go through another pandemic.

 

[CruiseNYC]

31 minutes ago, JFontaine said:

On Edge the Main Dining Rooms and Blu (aft,  decks 3, 4 and 5) are at opposite ends of the ship from Luminae (forward, deck 12). It's not like Millennium where they all share the same kitchen, or are very close.. 

Yes - I see that now!  It was really nice to have so many options.

 

[sjayo]

Safety on Tortola

 

The policy on visiting Tortola changed early this week. At first you were required to go on one of their tours to get off the ship. Now you can go out on your own. However, there's nothing really to see or do right off the ship, and the walk into town revealed nothing as well. Lots of banks -- that's curious. Most passengers were wearing masks this time off the ship (except those coming off of Mein Schiff -- the German ship across from us), and the folks in town were largely maskless.

 

The good news is that I'm receiving signals from the world of public health that this part of the pandemic is coming to an end within weeks. They're expecting significant movement back to normal in March/April as the hospitals clear out. Some elements of careful risk management will linger, but it's possible that the pandemic as we've known it for the last two years is coming to a close.