Semi-live from the Edge | February 3-13 | Southern Caribbean

[horseymike]

Great review. Thanks for posting. Hope the rest of your cruise 🚢 is wonderful.

[Tarheeler]

We’re onboard with you!  We loved Eden so much that we booked another reservation toward the end of the cruise!  

[OrcaGirl]

Okay, it’s finally time for thoughts on the Concierge Infinite Verandah.

 

I actually hesitated to even post this until we were done the cruise, as I know people have very strong opinions and, quite frankly, I don’t want this thread to turn into another debate that’s already been covered ad nauseam.

 

General room thoughts

 

We love the bright and airy aesthetic, and think the decor is tasteful and modern. We don’t find the room too big or too small.

 

 

Lots of clever storage, but I’d love more hooks on the walls. 

 

The bathroom is a great size, and the 6’5” husband fits comfortably in the shower. He especially likes the little nightlight under the bathroom counter. But I’m not a fan of just how strong (and therefore loud) the magnetic door closure if — I keep expecting to break a nail just opening the bathroom door.

 

The husband finds the king bed to be too hard; our lovely steward brought not one but TWO foam toppers and folded them on just the husband’s side of the bed. I’m tempted to slip a coffee bean in between the layers, and make it a princess and the pea situation.

 

Being a new and modern ship, I would have expected to have USB plugs on both sides of the bed, but they’re only on one side. But it’s a minor inconvenience, as the charging station on the desk is more than sufficient.

 

The AC is sooooo quiet, it’s so nice to not be woken up when it kicks in. And I appreciate being able to control the AC and the lights from my phone.

 

Room location

 

Normally I would have studied deck plans and had a spreadsheet of preferred cabins. But since this was a very last-minute booking via BCC, we didn’t have a choice of rooms so we took what we were offered.

 

That said, we’re very happy with what we got. We’re on deck 12, close to the forward stairs/elevators. A short walk up to the spa, the solarium, and the pool. 

 

We’ve felt a bit of ship movement and shimmy while in the cabin (which we actually like) and not rices some occasional noise/vibrations from the pool deck above (eg when they’re rolling a towel cart). But nothing so loud as to wake or disturb us.

 

Concierge amenities

 

As mentioned earlier, this was the only cabin category available to us when I called BCC, at a small upcharge. If I was booking at regular rates, I’d have gone with a regular verandah cabin and been perfectly happy.

 

We haven’t taken advantage of the free sparkling wine or daily canapés yet, and I doubt we will. We’re also not the sort of people who even notice what brand of toiletries are in the bathroom, so upgraded toiletries are a bit lost on us.

 

We haven’t used the umbrellas, and the binoculars aren’t very good. I wish I’d packed my good binoculars, but we also haven’t spent as much time watching for whales as we did on our last two cruises in Alaska and the Mexican Riviera.

 

I think the only Concierge ‘amenity’ we’ve taken advantage of is the pillow menu (and I’m sure that’s available to everyone if they asked). We requested two body pillows on the first night, and they are big and fluffy and perfect.

 

 

Infinite Verandah

 

The husband’s thoughts: “It’s a hit; it’s like seeing a wall of ocean each time I come into the room; perfect.”

 

 

As for me, I do really like it but perhaps not as much as the husband does. Maybe I love the concept more than the practical execution?

 

My few quibbles are related to how we tend to use the balcony — I’m typically the early riser, and would go get coffee and then enjoy it on the balcony with the ocean breeze while the husband sleeps in. With the IV, it’s a bit harder to do that without disturbing him, as the whole process of lowering the window is loud and the folding French doors aren’t really made to keep the outside noise from the sleeping area.

 

With the IV there’s also no way to quickly close the blinds, eg if your husband comes out of the bathroom naked without realizing that we’re now facing another ship. 😳

 

 

But overall I don’t understand the dislike that some folks have for the infinite verandah (and that’s okay; please don’t feel the need to explain it! 🤣) … it’s different for sure. But different doesn’t always mean bad.

 

I’d be interested in seeing for myself what the IV experience is like on an itinerary like Alaska.

 

Summary

 

We are incredibly happy with the infinite verandah cabin and wouldn’t hesitate to book it again.

 

9/10

[kirtihk]

1 hour ago, Tarheeler said:

We’re onboard with you!  We loved Eden so much that we booked another reservation toward the end of the cruise!  

I agree.  Eden is the best!  I spent hours there (on the Edge) every day during our 2 cruises in April-May 2019 15-day Transatlantic crossing and February 2022 7-day Caribbean.  We booked 2 more - 10-day April 2024 on Beyond and 7-day April 2025 on Ascent.

[sdnich]

32 minutes ago, OrcaGirl said:

 

 

 

General room thoughts

 

We love the bright and airy aesthetic, and think the decor is tasteful and modern. We don’t find  big or too small.

 

 

Lots of clever storage, but I’d love more hooks on the walls. 

 

The bathroom is a great size, and the 6’5” husband fits comfortably in the shower. He especially likes the little nightlight under the ip movement and shimmy while in the cabin (which we actually like) and not rices some occasional noise/vibrations from the pool deck above (eg when they’re rolling a towel cart). But nothing so loud as to wake or disturb us.

 

Concierge amenities

 

As mentioned earlier, this was the only cabin category available to us when I called BCC, at a small upcharge. If I was booking at regular rates, I’d have gone with a regular verandah cabin and been perfectly happy.

 

We haven’t taken advantage of the free sparkling wine or daily canapés yet, and I doubt we will. We’re also not the sort of people who even notice what brand of toiletries are in the bathroom, so upgraded toiletries are a bit lost on us.

 

We haven’t used the umbrellas, and the binoculars aren’t very good. I wish I’d packed my good binoculars, but we also haven’t spent as much time watching for whales as we did on our last two cruises in Alaska and the Mexican Riviera.

 

I think the only Concierge ‘amenity’ we’ve taken advantage of is the pillow menu (and I’m sure that’s available to everyone if they asked). We requested two body pillows on the first night, and they are big and fluffy and perfect.

 

 

Infinite Verandah

 

The husband’s thoughts: “It’s a hit; it’s like seeing a wall of ocean each time I come into the room; perfect.”

 

32 minutes ago, OrcaGirl said:

Okay, it’s finally time for thoughts on the Concierge Infinite Verandah.

 

I actually hesitated to even post this until we were done the cruise, as I know people have very strong opinions and, quite frankly, I don’t want this thread to turn into another debate that’s already been covered ad nauseam.

 

General room thoughts

 

We love the bright and airy aesthetic, and think the decor is tasteful and modern. We don’t find the room too big or too small.

 

 

Lots of clever storage, but I’d love more hooks on the walls. 

 

The bathroom is a great size, and the 6’5” husband fits comfortably in the shower. He especially likes the little nightlight under the bathroom counter. But I’m not a fan of just how strong (and therefore loud) the magnetic door closure if — I keep expecting to break a nail just opening the bathroom door.

 

The husband finds the king bed to be too hard; our lovely steward brought not one but TWO foam toppers and folded them on just the husband’s side of the bed. I’m tempted to slip a coffee bean in between the layers, and make it a princess and the pea situation.

 

Being a new and modern ship, I would have expected to have USB plugs on both sides of the bed, but they’re only on one side. But it’s a minor inconvenience, as the charging station on the desk is more than sufficient.

 

The AC is sooooo quiet, it’s so nice to not be woken up when it kicks in. And I appreciate being able to control the AC and the lights from my phone.

 

Room location

 

Normally I would have studied deck plans and had a spreadsheet of preferred cabins. But since this was a very last-minute booking via BCC, we didn’t have a choice of rooms so we took what we were offered.

 

That said, we’re very happy with what we got. We’re on deck 12, close to the forward stairs/elevators. A short walk up to the spa, the solarium, and the pool. 

 

We’ve felt a bit of ship movement and shimmy while in the cabin (which we actually like) and not rices some occasional noise/vibrations from the pool deck above (eg when they’re rolling a towel cart). But nothing so loud as to wake or disturb us.

 

Concierge amenities

 

As mentioned earlier, this was the only cabin category available to us when I called BCC, at a small upcharge. If I was booking at regular rates, I’d have gone with a regular verandah cabin and been perfectly happy.

 

We haven’t taken advantage of the free sparkling wine or daily canapés yet, and I doubt we will. We’re also not the sort of people who even notice what brand of toiletries are in the bathroom, so upgraded toiletries are a bit lost on us.

 

We haven’t used the umbrellas, and the binoculars aren’t very good. I wish I’d packed my good binoculars, but we also haven’t spent as much time watching for whales as we did on our last two cruises in Alaska and the Mexican Riviera.

 

I think the only Concierge ‘amenity’ we’ve taken advantage of is the pillow menu (and I’m sure that’s available to everyone if they asked). We requested two body pillows on the first night, and they are big and fluffy and perfect.

 

 

Infinite Verandah

 

The husband’s thoughts: “It’s a hit; it’s like seeing a wall of ocean each time I come into the room; perfect.”

 

 

As for me, I do really like it but perhaps not as much as the husband does. Maybe I love the concept more than the practical execution?

 

My few quibbles are related to how we tend to use the balcony — I’m typically the early riser, and would go get coffee and then enjoy it on the balcony with the ocean breeze while the husband sleeps in. With the IV, it’s a bit harder to do that without disturbing him, as the whole process of lowering the window is loud and the folding French doors aren’t really made to keep the outside noise from the sleeping area.

 

With the IV there’s also no way to quickly close the blinds, eg if your husband comes out of the bathroom naked without realizing that we’re now facing another ship. 😳

 

 

But overall I don’t understand the dislike that some folks have for the infinite verandah (and that’s okay; please don’t feel the need to explain it! 🤣) … it’s different for sure. But different doesn’t always mean bad.

 

I’d be interested in seeing for myself what the IV experience is like on an itinerary like Alaska.

 

Summary

 

We are incredibly happy with the infinite verandah cabin and wouldn’t hesitate to book it again.

 

9/10

We had an IV booked for March but a sunset veranda came available so we switched. But looking at you pictures and summary I am sure we would have been happy there also .And I do think it would great for a cold weather cruise since you would get the beautiful views but stay nice and warm.

[sdnich]

I did not post that correct ! But after reading your summary and looking  at the pictures we would’ve been fine with the IV cabin on our upcoming edge cruise!! If a Sunset veranda did not come available.
 

Edited February 8, 2023 by sdnich

[OrcaGirl]

2 hours ago, Tarheeler said:

We’re onboard with you!  We loved Eden so much that we booked another reservation toward the end of the cruise!  

We were considering going back to Eden too, but the husband now wants to try the Rooftop Grill.

 

[mystic51]

with your bbc offer, did you receive complimentary drink package and gratuites. of not. what was the cost associated with them... thank you!

[natshala]

You may have said and I missed it…Do you how many pax onboard?

[OrcaGirl]

16 minutes ago, mystic51 said:

with your bbc offer, did you receive complimentary drink package and gratuites. of not. what was the cost associated with them... thank you!

We didn’t get any of the extras that bigger gamblers typically do. We purchased the drink package and wifi outright, with a small BCC discount stacked on top of the Captain’s Club discount. I can’t remember offhand what the final cost was but with the US-Canadian exchange it wasn’t cheap! A couple thousand maybe?

 

I saw that someone quoted me in another thread about BCC, seemingly to make the point that infrequent/low $$$ gamblers like us getting offers was a slap in the face of higher status big spenders, but… don’t hate the player, hate the game. 🤣

 

 

We may not drop big bucks in the casino but we’ll spend a pretty penny on drinks and wifi and spa etc. while on board.

 

After my Solstice cruise in October, I didn’t expect to get any future offers, since the Fox and I only gambled a little and actually came out ahead by a few bucks. (But it turns out that she was waaaay better good luck charm than my husband so that won’t be the case on this cruise. He’s lucky he’s pretty.)

[OrcaGirl]

2 minutes ago, natshala said:

You may have said and I missed it…Do you how many pax onboard?

I did say but now can’t remember. It’s a page or two back. ~200 under capacity.

 

And yet every picture I send my mom she asks “where are all the people?!?!” 😂

[natshala]

Just now, OrcaGirl said:

I did say but now can’t remember. It’s a page or two back. ~200 under capacity.

 

And yet every picture I send my mom she asks “where are all the people?!?!” 😂

 

Just now, OrcaGirl said:

I did say but now can’t remember. It’s a page or two back. ~200 under capacity.

 

And yet every picture I send my mom she asks “where are all the people?!?!” 😂

Pretty full, then? Are there long lines at Al bacio? Bars? Thanks.

[OrcaGirl]

58 minutes ago, natshala said:

 

Pretty full, then? Are there long lines at Al bacio? Bars? Thanks.

It’s only felt really busy in the buffet at breakfast and by the pool on the sea days. Maybe a 2-3 minute wait at each of the al Bacio cafes at peak times. I wait longer at Starbucks back home.

[mystic51]

1 hour ago, OrcaGirl said:

We didn’t get any of the extras that bigger gamblers typically do. We purchased the drink package and wifi outright, with a small BCC discount stacked on top of the Captain’s Club discount. I can’t remember offhand what the final cost was but with the US-Canadian exchange it wasn’t cheap! A couple thousand maybe?

 

I saw that someone quoted me in another thread about BCC, seemingly to make the point that infrequent/low $$$ gamblers like us getting offers was a slap in the face of higher status big spenders, but… don’t hate the player, hate the game. 🤣

 

 

We may not drop big bucks in the casino but we’ll spend a pretty penny on drinks and wifi and spa etc. while on board.

 

After my Solstice cruise in October, I didn’t expect to get any future offers, since the Fox and I only gambled a little and actually came out ahead by a few bucks. (But it turns out that she was waaaay better good luck charm than my husband so that won’t be the case on this cruise. He’s lucky he’s pretty.)

Thank you!!

[sdnich]

Besides the two nights we have in Eden we will be eating in one of the four main dining rooms.We  booked a couple nights but then after reading hear on cruise critic that we don’t need reservations? How busy and how long are the wait times if we were to go at 7 pm after CC happy hour is over ??

[OrcaGirl]

37 minutes ago, sdnich said:

Besides the two nights we have in Eden we will be eating in one of the four main dining rooms.We  booked a couple nights but then after reading hear on cruise critic that we don’t need reservations? How busy and how long are the wait times if we were to go at 7 pm after CC happy hour is over ??

We tend to be early eaters so we can make the 7pm theatre show, but we haven’t made any MDR reservations and haven’t waited more than a minute or two.

[Hoya2112]

This is the best cruise log in a long time and this really helps with my wife’s and I upcoming cruise on Apex.

 

Totally don’t get the appeal of White Lotus. Tried but turned off after two episodes.  But like the IV, opinions can vary.

[Tyler414]

6 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

 

Being a new and modern ship, I would have expected to have USB plugs on both sides of the bed, but they’re only on one side. But it’s a minor inconvenience, as the charging station on the desk is more than sufficient

There is a USB on the phone, so both sides have one.  

[dodger1964]

8 minutes ago, Tyler414 said:

There is a USB on the phone, so both sides have one.  

Thanks for that info

25 minutes ago, FRMinBG said:

 

Totally don’t get the appeal of White Lotus. Tried but turned off after two episodes.  But like the IV, opinions can vary.

We thought 2nd season better than first. Really enjoyed location and I thought a great ending!

[OrcaGirl]

2 hours ago, Tyler414 said:

There is a USB on the phone, so both sides have one.  

Not in our cabin.

[OrcaGirl]

3 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

We tend to be early eaters so we can make the 7pm theatre show, but we haven’t made any MDR reservations and haven’t waited more than a minute or two.

Further update: there were lines of only 1-2 groups at each of the MDRs tonight around 7:30pm as we finished our dinner.

[poffles]

18 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

Infinite Verandah

 

The husband’s thoughts: “It’s a hit; it’s like seeing a wall of ocean each time I come into the room; perfect.”

 

As for me, I do really like it but perhaps not as much as the husband does. Maybe I love the concept more than the practical execution?

 

My few quibbles are related to how we tend to use the balcony — I’m typically the early riser, and would go get coffee and then enjoy it on the balcony with the ocean breeze while the husband sleeps in. With the IV, it’s a bit harder to do that without disturbing him, as the whole process of lowering the window is loud and the folding French doors aren’t really made to keep the outside noise from the sleeping area.

 

With the IV there’s also no way to quickly close the blinds, eg if your husband comes out of the bathroom naked without realizing that we’re now facing another ship. 😳

 

 

 

This is exactly what I expect to not like about the IV.  I get up early (6:30 usually late for me) and sneak out onto the balcony and just sit there peacefully while my travel partner is still sleeping in a dark room.  With the IV, it appears that even if you close the inner French doors they are not black out so assume the room would end up quite bright from the daylight.  I am sad that this part of my day will be spoiled by the way this is designed.  I wish the French doors area would have offered full black out so that you could still turn this 'infinite' area  into a truly closed off area like the curtains did for the balcony.  I hadn't even considered the noise of lowering the window.  😞

 

I am very much looking forward to finally experiencing this stateroom, I had a deluxe inside on my prior Edge sailing so I am thankful to be able to see and hear the ocean from my room this time.

Edited February 9, 2023 by poffles

[OrcaGirl]

Barbados afternoon & evening recap

 

I had a chill day, hanging by the pool, consuming many delicious beverages (BBC FTW), and having a lovely chat with a fellow Canadian about our respective travels in Tanzania.

 

 

The husband got back on board around 1:45pm and after rinsing all his scuba gear, we headed up for lunch. Yummy fried fish!

 

 

After a crash nap, we headed to visual trivia which was not exactly what I was expecting based on the description.

 

 

Instead it was ‘interpret the emojis’? And almost everyone got 15/15, and the tie-breaker trivia question was ridiculously obscure. 🤷‍♀️

 

For general knowledge trivia, we’re keeping up our alternating streak of either “bringing shame upon our families” or “tying for first but losing the tie-break.” Oh well.

 

For dinner, we went to the Tuscan MDR. Service was a bit awkward and we felt the food was only so-so.

 

 

We had the French onion soup (good) and eggplant caponata bruschetta (meh).

 

 

Followed by the chicken saltimbocca (okay) and the strozzapretti carbonara (good but kind of one note).

 

 

 

For dessert we had the apple tarte tatin (delightful) and tiramisu (amazing).

 

 

 

Since we had missed the start of the 7pm show, we moseyed back to our cabin (via the casino, quickly losing $20 apiece) to attempt some diving video transfers between PC and Apple.

 

Tonight’s show was Magical Bones. As was the case on the Solstice, any performer who starts with a video reel saying how amazing they are generally isn’t. Magical Bones was definitely better than the last magician, but still not my favourite magic show at sea.

 

 

 

 

Random observations:

 

The husband noted and I agreed, there are fewer bar servers in the theatre compared to NCL. 

 

After now dining in all four MDRs, our current rankings are:

 

Me:

1. Cyprus

2. Cosmopolitan

3. Normandie

4. Tuscan

 

Him:

1. Cyprus / Normandie (tied)

3. Tuscan

4. Cosmopolitan

 

I’d like to know where Cruise Director Giuseppe gets his jackets; dude has style.

 

The ship was rocking and rolling and bouncing tonight, to the point that the magician-breakdancer didn’t quite land his backflip (but still grabbed the right card ‘from the air’).

 

We’re currently 3/3 for spotting rainbows on port days.

 

[Surfguyxxx]

Question you might be able to answer.  I'll be in a Concierge Class stateroom and definitely want to go to Eden, understanding that the reservations are super hard to come by.  Does the concierge class host contact us prior to sailings?  Can I get a reservation through them?  I ask because the husband hates getting on the ship early 😴😴 😴 and I'm thinking of going on without him  LOL.  Thanks if you or someone has this answer.  Loving your postings. 

[Mda1964]

We’re on this cruise departing 24 Feb, and this review is absolutely the best we’ve read. Happy to hear your thoughts on the IV as we’ve a similar Concierge IV on deck 12 and had some angst after reading so many negative reviews. The restaurant reviews and the “random thoughts” are very helpful. THANK YOU so much!