How is Edge Retreat on a full ship?

[lbryant]

We’ll be in our first Sky Suite on Edge for a 10 day cruise in November.  I’m fairly certain the sailing will be full.  How does this affect the Retreat experience? Is it hard to get a lounge chair on the retreat sun deck on sea days?  Is there availability for specialty dining reservations when the ship is full (I see this is something the butler can do for you)?  We’re beyond excited, so I want to have realistic expectations for the experience.

 

What are some not-to-be-missed dishes in Luminea?   Any Retreat newbie advice is appreciated.

[swjumbo]

With the bidding for upgrade system you’ll find that the Retreat is often full.

It didn’t spoil it for us on the Edge but we reverted to using the large hot tub on the regular deck as there were less people there!

[Cruise a holic]

We love the retreat on the Edge- bigger on the apex.  The lounge is very large comfortable and offers plenty of seating.  The upper portion, has a great large sun deck, full bar and not many shaded areas.  The lounge chairs are very plush and comfortable.  We try to get their early to reserve our space in the shade for the day as my DH cannot be in the sun.  You can also get a nice (limited) menu lunch served.  The deck has both a small pool and hot tub.  

 

IMO so worth it  Makes the cruise extra special.  Other perks for suite guest also very good.  You will be spoiled and not go back to a regular cabin.  Food very good in luminae.  And if ordered in advance, they will honor special requests.  Enjoy

Edited September 7, 2022 by Cruise a holic

[wineoclock]

I spend my day in the shade so may just have to stay on my balcony if that’s more shaded.

[cangelmd]

7 hours ago, lbryant said:

We’ll be in our first Sky Suite on Edge for a 10 day cruise in November.  I’m fairly certain the sailing will be full.  How does this affect the Retreat experience? Is it hard to get a lounge chair on the retreat sun deck on sea days?  Is there availability for specialty dining reservations when the ship is full (I see this is something the butler can do for you)?  We’re beyond excited, so I want to have realistic expectations for the experience.

 

What are some not-to-be-missed dishes in Luminea?   Any Retreat newbie advice is appreciated.

I’ve done 2 Edge cruises, one pre-Covid, full ship, inside cabin and one post Covid, half full ship, all suites full, we were in a Sky Suite. 
First of all, the suite itself is awesome, particularly the bed facing the sea and the bathroom. Storage is ample, but it’s arranged a bit different than other Celeb ships, so you will read some complaints - just poke around and check out everything.

The storage under the bathroom counters and sink and the slide out desk in the living area - the little table in front of the full length mirror slides into the cabinet - are often missed.

As for you questions, the answer is flexibility, if you want the absolute best lounge chair, it can be hard because there are chair hogs even in the Retreat! If you want a sunny chair, you will find one, just keep looking. For lack of a more complementary term, the Edge is a choppy ship, with lots of little odd decks and nooks and crannies. Exploring is much fun, but you might snort laugh at the person you overhear who walks into Eden on the last sea day and says “wow! Look at this room”- hint, don’t be that person, go to Eden on first day.

As for dining reservations, if you are celebrating a special occasion and want a very particular date and time, make that reservation now, do not wait. Eden for dinner may already be unavailable.If you want a reservation in a full restaurant, particularly later in the cruise, speak with your Personal Host or the Retreat concierge. We’ve had best luck with Retreat concierge, again be flexible with date and time, there might be a cancellation. You can keep checking on the app, too, people cancel a lot.

[cangelmd]

23 minutes ago, wineoclock said:

I spend my day in the shade so may just have to stay on my balcony if that’s more shaded.

There’s not a lot of shade on Retreat sun deck, it is a sundeck. On Edge, there are 2 side shade areas on either side up against the center stairs, both have couches, not lounge chairs, hard to describe easier to find. There are very few shady lounge chairs, except when the ship itself provides shade. One deck down, just off the Retreat Lounge, there is a great covered porch with dining tables shady and breezy all day. One of my favorite shady spots is the Magic Carpet, it has at least some shade about half the day, and is rarely busy before mid-afternoon. There’s another overlooked shady spot just above and to the side of the pool bar with sofas and chairs.

[wineoclock]

That’s great advice thank you. I’m hoping as our cruise is in October it will be more tolerable for me to be in the sun. Unfortunately due to medication I burn very easily. 

[jelayne]

We found it difficult to find a shady spot on the Retreat Sun Deck on the Edge.  The pool is small so it was full most of the time.

The Retreat Lounge was full every evening from about 4:30 - 7, left some evenings as there were more people than places to sit.  The Lounge does provide a quiet, comfortable place to sit,  read and watch the ocean mid day.  

[FreestyleNovice]

Further back on the Retreat sun deck are large parasols, at least two per side and I think three even. And the daybeds provide a bit of shade.

 

Aug 27th sailing was 1300 pax, this week is 2200 and direct a new post Covid record for Edge.. so read the reviews of that sailing when they disembark. 

[jelayne]

20 minutes ago, FreestyleNovice said:

Further back on the Retreat sun deck are large parasols, at least two per side and I think three even. And the daybeds provide a bit of shade.

 

Aug 27th sailing was 1300 pax, this week is 2200 and direct a new post Covid record for Edge.. so read the reviews of that sailing when they disembark. 

Did they add the parasols to the Edge?  The Apex has them but there were none on the Edge when we were on her.

[lbryant]

Thank you for the info. We're on the 10-day E. Carib sailing in November. Trying to decide if we need to make dining reservations in advance or if we can be flexible about where/when to dine once we're onboard. My in-laws like to eat early (5:30a-6a at the latest).   

 

On another note, what is your experience with the Retreat Host? Other than things like help you solve issues with guests services or help you make dining reservations, what can they do for you?  

 

Last, my MIL has some mobility issues. She can walk but sometimes has difficulty. She is not planning to get a wheelchair or a scooter, but if it turns out she needs one during the cruise, is it possible to get something for her? I'm afraid she'll just stay in her room all the time if walking around is too hard.  Thanks again.

[jelayne]

If you are in a Suite then Luminae is your dining room and no reservations are taken.  You just show up when you are ready to dine.

 

The Personal Retreat Host ( previous title Butler) tends to you.  Brings your room service orders, keeps your mini bar stocked ( fees for liquor/wine/ snacks if consumed), handles laundry, will meet you at the Theater on Evening Chic nights to escort to the seating area reserved for suites, can make or change specialty dining reservations, can hand most unexpected mishaps ( button off, stain on blouse, forgot cuff links, sole of shoe separated to name a few that have happened to us. 

[George C]

We loved the retreat, our sailing ship was about half full, but suites were all booked , it got crowded after a while but I always was able to find a lounge chair, great bar service outdoor, pool was normally packed , can’t wait to November when we board Beyond. 
   Luminae is normally great , I love the lobster roll for lunch which is normally on embarkation day . We did upsell from sky to penthouse which was amazing.

[kenb]

4 hours ago, lbryant said:

Thank you for the info. We're on the 10-day E. Carib sailing in November. Trying to decide if we need to make dining reservations in advance or if we can be flexible about where/when to dine once we're onboard. My in-laws like to eat early (5:30a-6a at the latest).   

 

On another note, what is your experience with the Retreat Host? Other than things like help you solve issues with guests services or help you make dining reservations, what can they do for you?  

 

Last, my MIL has some mobility issues. She can walk but sometimes has difficulty. She is not planning to get a wheelchair or a scooter, but if it turns out she needs one during the cruise, is it possible to get something for her? I'm afraid she'll just stay in her room all the time if walking around is too hard.  Thanks again.

It is doubtful they have extra scooters on board. They have a very limited number of extra wheelchairs. Why not check with ACESS AT SEA dept. They will steer you to a company they work with to rent a scooter or wheelchair for the whole cruise. If she uses it or not you can have it available for her.

Access Department Information

 

For more information contact our Access Department at (954) 628-9708 (voice), fax (954) 628-9622, send an e-mail to special_needs@celebrity.com, or have your local Travel Agent or International Representative contact us.

For additional assistance, feel free to ask for a Complaint Resolution Official (CRO). Our CROs have been trained and are aware of the applicable U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) disability regulations as well as our policies and procedures regarding guests with disabilities. They will be glad to respond to your concerns. Our CROs are available at all U.S. port of departure and all of our ships.

[FreestyleNovice]

5 hours ago, jelayne said:

Did they add the parasols to the Edge?  The Apex has them but there were none on the Edge when we were on her.

 

I guess!  Was our first Edge cruise last week, there are two parasols in front of the Retreat pool and two more further down aft on both sides of the ship so in total 6 if I recall correctly.

[phoenix_dream]

I can speak to Apex, which of course is about the same.  We had no crowding issues in the lounge or Luminae.  On the Retreat deck, on a 7 day cruise not once were we able to secure a lounge chair in the shade.  Very frustrating.  Unfortunately chair hogs come at all cabin levels.  Since we had a nice balcony it was not the end of the world, but they really need more shade spots up there.  There were a lot of lounges and chairs, but too many with the sun beating down on you.  After watching a friend's husband die a long and pain-filled death from melanoma I am not into sunning myself like a fried egg.  

[wineoclock]

If the retreat isn’t an actual retreat Celebrity may find it’s passengers looking elsewhere. I’m really looking forward to trying it out. About to book a fjords cruise for May in Aqua as can’t justify another retreat cruise as big land holiday booked for next year. 

[Whinenowine]

21 hours ago, FreestyleNovice said:

 

I guess!  Was our first Edge cruise last week, there are two parasols in front of the Retreat pool and two more further down aft on both sides of the ship so in total 6 if I recall correctly.

This is good to hear!  We were on the Edge in April in the Caribbean and, as others have said, it was hard finding shade…large swaths of the sun deck were “covered” but the roof was slatted like a pergola, so much sun was let in. The addition of those parasols is welcome in my mind

[Whinenowine]

On 9/7/2022 at 1:08 PM, lbryant said:

Trying to decide if we need to make dining reservations in advance or if we can be flexible about where/when to dine once we're onboard. My in-laws like to eat early (5:30a-6a at the latest).   

 

Last, my MIL has some mobility issues. She can walk but sometimes has difficulty.

Luminae is fantastic and doesn’t take reservations—but we’ve never had any issues getting a table, esp on the early side (even on a fully booked Retreat cruise). But if you intend to dine at a specialty restaurant I’d recommend you book ahead to lock it in.  You can always change it once you’re on board.  

 

As for mobility, I found all of the common areas and most of the suite area hallways on the Edge to be very wide (cruise ship wide, not hotel wide)… but it’s a big ship, so I’d do as kenb says….better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. As they say, a happy MIL makes for a happy cruise….or something Ike that….

 

enjoy the cruise!