First Time on Edge Class - My Thoughts

[TxnAquarian]

I just finished up my 10th Celebrity cruise - my first on E Class. This was the 8-day Italy, France and Spain cruise out of Rome. I think we are Celebrity’s target market - early - mid 40s, double income, no kids, travel internationally for pleasure several times a year. Celebrity as a brand works perfectly for us. Just to summarize my thoughts: this was a wonderful trip, as usual. The Edge is an absolutely beautiful ship. I love how modern it is and love the cool vibe. However, would I return to an E Class ship? Probably not, unless it was offering an incredible itinerary. 
 

Cons:

 

- Absolutely hated the infinite veranda. It was basically just a room with floor to ceiling windows. Really poorly-done design idea by Celebrity. We only sail Aqua Class, so this totally didn’t work for us.

 

- Didn’t like the Martini Bar location. We really missed the small, intimate ones on the older ships. It took away the appeal having it in the center of this cavernous atrium. 

 

- Noise everywhere. Whether we were at the pool or eating dinner at Eden or the steakhouse, there was constant noise and live bands. The noise volume at the steakhouse was especially obtrusive. This is addition to the hammering that went on outside our room from from 8am - 5pm on several days. Aside from that, opening and closing the ”veranda” was noisy and we could everyone else opening and closing theirs. The ship never felt relaxing.

 

- We didn’t like the unisex saunas and steam rooms. Really missed having a more private one in the men’s locker room.

 

- Location of Blu wasn’t ideal. It felt dreary in there; especially as there was not a good view, so the curtains were always drawn. We would’ve much rather looked at the deck and had some outside exposure.

 

 

Pros:

 

- Staff were the absolute best I’ve ever had! From day one, they couldn’t do enough for us. It felt like a luxury cruise with staff who were incredibly guest-focused. Amazing  job! The ship was only half full, but I have no doubt their level of professionalism is the same regardless. 

 

- The design of the ship is gorgeous in the public areas. Around every corner was another cool design feature. I also loved the QUIET and chill music piped in around the ship.
 

- Our bathroom was wonderful! It was right up there with ones we’ve had on much more high-end ships. Loved the shower so much and the CO Bigelow products (although I assume these products are on all ships).
 

- Eden dinner was incredible! Aside from the noise volume from the live band, the service was flawless and each course we ate was perfect. I would’ve booked it again if it had been a longer cruise.

 

I know we don’t all look for the same things in a cruise. We had a great time! I’m sure some people are sold on sailing E Class now, but for us, the M and S Class are our ships.

 

This was our first post-pandemic cruise and it was amazing being back!

 

Michael

[itzfitz]

Thanks for you review!  We will be getting on the Edge for its TransAtlantic the end of October.  We have been on her once before and loved it.  We had a sunset veranda which has a traditional balcony.  This time we're in a Sky  Suite.  I agree that the infinite veranda is not how I would like sail.  That being said, our friends who were on with us really liked it!  It does have something for everybody!  I found the most noise where there shouldn't be (IMHO) is the Fine Cut Steak House.  

[NMTraveller]

Yep.  I concur with your observations 110%.  My only surprise is that someone in the younger demographic noticed these observations.

 

I would note that the suite guests seem to rank the ship higher than the non-suite guests.

 

 

[Whinenowine]

3 hours ago, itzfitz said:

I found the most noise where there shouldn't be (IMHO) is the Fine Cut Steak House.  

Agreed--opened to the atrium, which is likely the loudest part of the ship...was very odd (though the food and service was fantastic!).  I know this is a divisive topic but my view is that E-class ships are better for Retreat cruisers because many of the suite-class spaces weren't afterthoughts.  I found the lounge and sundeck much better than on M-class.  I also like the concept of 4 MDRs rather than the one--again, far from a unanimous view.

 

[woneill63]

This review confirms my expectations of my upcoming Edge sailing.  We are booked in a sunset veranda stateroom on deck # 7.  Those infinite veranda rooms are not true balcony staterooms in my opinion.  We were originally sailing an eight night itinerary on the Infinity out of Barcelona with two other couples.  Celebrity then decided to keep the Infinity in the Caribbean, so we lift and shifted to a 10 nighter out of Rome on the Edge.  Our only other previous Celebrity cruise was a 10 night Adriatic sailing on the Constellation out of Venice.  We were used to the newer Royal ships and had reservations about an older, smaller ship, these fears proved to be unfounded as the service and dining were fantastic on our Constellation cruise, even our then 12 year old son thought it was one of our best vacations.

Constellation had a great lounge right outside the main dining room where we would meet friends before dinner, I don't see this on the Edge deck plans.  After dinner we usually had a martini on the ice topped martini bar, there is a martini bar on the Edge but I don't think we will enjoy it as much.

We are booked on the Equinox in late May, and I think, by looking at the deck plans,  that this is a ship that we will enjoy more.  The one area of Edge that most intrigues me is Eden, looks like a lot of fun, we plan on dining there at least once, perhaps twice.  I hope that the bar is open late there, since my room is on deck # 7 aft, I will probably have a nightcap there frequently before calling it a night. 

 

Cheers !

[NorthStarStateCruiser]

9 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

My only surprise is that someone in the younger demographic noticed these observations.

The OP said they are in their 40s. I'm surprised you consider 40s the younger demographic.  I'm sitting here at 27 cruising with Celebrity.  I'm not even out of the cradle in your eyes I guess 😂

[NMTraveller]

35 minutes ago, NorthStarStateCruiser said:

The OP said they are in their 40s. I'm surprised you consider 40s the younger demographic.  I'm sitting here at 27 cruising with Celebrity.  I'm not even out of the cradle in your eyes I guess 😂

I have been told by others that the younger generation likes the loud and shouty vibe on the Edge and others. 🙂 🙂

 

He even mentioned more intimate settings vs. the loud and crowded Martini Bar on Edge.  He gets it.

His mental age is more advanced than his physical age 🙂

 

Now the older guys on Edge are just too hard of hearing to hear the loud and shouty vibe. 🙂

 

We went to a Steakhouse in Vegas called the STK.  This was the loudest and most obnoxious steakhouse I have been to.  This steakhouse was mostly frequented by the younger generation.  In my review I said it was a nightclub masquerading as a steakhouse.  I am not sure why anyone would ever come back but they were fully booked.  Our server messed up our order because she could not hear.  It was an expensive steakhouse and one that we do not intend on going back to.

 

The same for the Edge and the total lack of intimate venues as well as a forward looking view.

 

You can like the noise and big crowds or choose the quiet and more separated/intimate venues.  Sophistication and quiet vs loud and shouty.

 

Having said all of this, there is a very large number of Celebrity cruisers who prefer the S class over E class.

 

Again it is different for suites who have the retreat and they can escape to some normalcy.

 

Edited October 3, 2022 by NMTraveller

[D C]

14 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

I have been told by others that the younger generation likes the loud and shouty vibe on the Edge and others. 🙂 🙂

 

He even mentioned more intimate settings vs. the loud and crowded Martini Bar on Edge.  He gets it.

His mental age is more advanced than his physical age 🙂

 

Now the older guys on Edge are just too hard of hearing to hear the loud and shouty vibe. 🙂

 

We went to a Steakhouse in Vegas called the STK.  This was the loudest and most obnoxious steakhouse I have been to.  This steakhouse was mostly frequented by the younger generation.  In my review I said it was a nightclub masquerading as a steakhouse.  I am not sure why anyone would ever come back but they were fully booked.  Our server messed up our order because she could not hear.  It was an expensive steakhouse and one that we do not intend on going back to.

 

The same for the Edge and the total lack of intimate venues as well as a forward looking view.

 

You can like the noise and big crowds or choose the quiet and more separated/intimate venues.  Sophistication and quiet vs loud and shouty.

 

Having said all of this, there is a very large number of Celebrity cruisers who prefer the S class over E class.

 

Again it is different for suites who have the retreat and they can escape to some normalcy.

 

 

Count my 20-something kids among the 'louder is not better' crowd.   

 

Whoever came up with 'restaurants need to be loud' should be charged with crimes against humanity.  It's bad enough that certain people tend to be so loud that the volume of everyone else increases because of them. We don't need music blasting over top of that.

 

[NutsAboutGolf]

Did you get to try the Eden Cafe cookies and/or brownies, generally only available during lunch hours on sea days?

[hmorrow]

Not looking forward to my upcoming tran-atlantic, in aqua, with no real balcony, and lots of noise in specialty restaurants, with no view from blu.  Hoping for an upgrade, or even a downgrade to the forward  porthole balcony.

Don't know why I didn't research this better, before we booked.

[LuAnn]

Thanks for your review. You confirmed for me why I've decided to stick with the M and S class ships. I'm happy that X has different ships for us all to choose from!!:)

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, hmorrow said:

Not looking forward to my upcoming tran-atlantic, in aqua, with no real balcony, and lots of noise in specialty restaurants, with no view from blu.  Hoping for an upgrade, or even a downgrade to the forward  porthole balcony.

Don't know why I didn't research this better, before we booked.

You'll have a great time. You're not in an inside cabin. It's a beautiful, spacious cabin with a great panoramic window. Stop overthinking it and mentally punishing yourself. 

[kands6191]

I was in an infinite veranda in concierge on Edge.  We did not like the balcony, or lack thereof, at all.  I agree that it was very loud to lower the window and very slow too so the noise just dragged on.  We loved Eden and the Eden restaurant was wonderful.  When we were on, there were a couple of pop-up performances in the restaurant but overall I don't remember it being too loud.

Unlike the OP, I loved the martini bar but I can see where an intimate setting would be nice too.  We thought the Magic Carpet was a complete waste.  We tried to have a drink out there and wondered why it was completely empty.  As soon as we walked out there, we saw why.  It was a complete wind tunnel so we went back inside.  I don't know if they have done anything more to reduce the wind since I was on.

 

We are booked in two future cruises on the Beyond but we booked into Sunset Verandas.  I like the ship's design and the new features.  I love the 4 MDR's.  I just want a normal balcony room. I hate that I can't sail concierge class in order to get a balcony.  I'd really like to know if Celebrity continues with this infinite veranda concept after they complete their purchase of the Edge class ships.  

[hmorrow]

51 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

You'll have a great time. You're not in an inside cabin. It's a beautiful, spacious cabin with a great panoramic window. Stop overthinking it and mentally punishing yourself. 

You’re right. NEVER been on a bad cruise- just some better than others, snd we’ve been on over 100…..(but I still might downgrade- lol)

[RichYak]

5 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Did you get to try the Eden Cafe cookies and/or brownies, generally only available during lunch hours on sea days?

I've read reports that on recent Edge cruises, Eden Cafe has been closed for the entire sailing.

Edited October 4, 2022 by RichYak

[NutsAboutGolf]

2 minutes ago, RichYak said:

I've read reports that on recent Edge cruises, Eden Cafe has been closed for the entire sailing.

So sad

[D C]

42 minutes ago, kands6191 said:

I was in an infinite veranda in concierge on Edge.  We did not like the balcony, or lack thereof, at all.  I agree that it was very loud to lower the window and very slow too so the noise just dragged on.  We loved Eden and the Eden restaurant was wonderful.  When we were on, there were a couple of pop-up performances in the restaurant but overall I don't remember it being too loud.

Unlike the OP, I loved the martini bar but I can see where an intimate setting would be nice too.  We thought the Magic Carpet was a complete waste.  We tried to have a drink out there and wondered why it was completely empty.  As soon as we walked out there, we saw why.  It was a complete wind tunnel so we went back inside.  I don't know if they have done anything more to reduce the wind since I was on.

 

We are booked in two future cruises on the Beyond but we booked into Sunset Verandas.  I like the ship's design and the new features.  I love the 4 MDR's.  I just want a normal balcony room. I hate that I can't sail concierge class in order to get a balcony.  I'd really like to know if Celebrity continues with this infinite veranda concept after they complete their purchase of the Edge class ships.  

We begrudgingly accepted the mild shade of the Magic Carpet as an alternative to the full sun of the Sunset Bar.  There were 2 normal chairs forward to the outside that were sheltered enough to be out of the wind.  We rarely sat anywhere else.  Especially not in the "it's better to look good than to feel good" sofas. Omg were those horribly uncomfortable. 

[D C]

5 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Did you get to try the Eden Cafe cookies and/or brownies, generally only available during lunch hours on sea days?

We had a breakfast sandwich in the eden Cafe every morning. It was one of the bright spots on the ship.  They were understaffed (back in March) and got a panicked look when I asked for a specialty coffee.   They did great though! 

[RichYak]

6 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

So sad

Agreed. It was one of my favorite spots on my sold Edge sailing. Grab a quick bite and head outside to eat al fresco.

[D C]

45 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Agreed. It was one of my favorite spots on my sold Edge sailing. Grab a quick bite and head outside to eat al fresco.

Same here. But why is the cute little shaded/sheltered area out the port side doors SMOKING??  "Here's a nice little space... let's ruin it" 

[RichYak]

2 minutes ago, D C said:

Same here. But why is the cute little shaded/sheltered area out the port side doors SMOKING??  "Here's a nice little space... let's ruin it" 

On Edge, the outdoor seating area immediately adjacent to Edge Cafe is starboard and was non-smoking.

[alyssamma]

I find this thread fascinating. My wife and I are in our late 50s and we only have one X sailing under our belts - Apex last Feb. But we liked it so much that we booked 4 more (Beyond in a couple of weeks, Apex again next Feb, Edge in Oct 23 and Ascent in Feb 24).

 

We were among the youngest on the ship. We found it very quiet compared to Carnival and Royal. And we *loved* the martini bar (but hey, we also like the IV cabins...I'm afraid of heights and this was a way for me to have a "balcony" without a true balcony...also gave us extra space in the room...but I 100% get why some don't like it).

 

The Apex was hands down the most beautiful ship we'd been on and also had the best food. Before this our favorite ships were MSC/Yacht Club.

 

All of that being said, so many people talk about the other X ships that I think we will eventually try them also...but the Edge class ships are perfect for us. But now I'm wondering if our one good experience was an outlier - hopefully not 🙂

 

[TxnAquarian]

1 hour ago, RichYak said:

I've read reports that on recent Edge cruises, Eden Cafe has been closed for the entire sailing.

 

Yes, the Eden Cafe and Le Grand Bistro were both closed on our sailing. 

[RichYak]

2 minutes ago, alyssamma said:

But now I'm wondering if our one good experience was an outlier - hopefully not 🙂

My take of your experience is that it was not an outlier. E-class ships are works of art with something interesting to look at at every turn. If you enjoy the concept, including IV cabins, then these ships are for you. Enjoy your upcoming sailings.

[RichYak]

1 minute ago, TxnAquarian said:

 

Yes, the Eden Cafe and Le Grand Bistro were both closed on our sailing. 

Le Grand Bistro too?! Good grief. I hadn't heard that.