Silversea and 3 other lines: Strengths and weaknesses

[JSR]

We took 5 cruises on 4 cruise lines in the last year. (Listed in chronological order). We were first time cruisers on both Silversea and Cunard. Long time cruisers on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.  While some things will be universal to all cruises on a given ship such as layout of the cabin, and common areas; others will be specific to the cruise we were on such as food, service, and itinerary. I am happy to elaborate on any of these observations if anyone wishes.

 

Please remember this is one women’s opinion and may not reflect other people’s experiences. Each cruise was both unique and a wonderful time.

 

Silversea Moon – Norwegian Fjords 2022 – Vista cabin 409

A note on Vista cabin: the cabin does not have a balcony which we did not miss one due to the port intensive itinerary and the weather. The location is odd, to get to the entrance to the restaurant or the aft elevators one must walk through either Salt or the main dining room as there is no hall. We also did not do any ship organized tours so cannot comment on those due to misinformation about accessibility from land-based SS sources. We did book our own tours in every port, some of which were the same as offered by the ship and some that were more unique. At the last port several people joined our tour as opposed to what the ship offered.

What was Excellent to Very Good:

              Itinerary- wonderful ports.

              Cabin Layout

              Accessible Cabin Bathroom- the best of any ship I have been on

              Cocktails, Caviar, and bar snacks

              Observation Library

              Food, fresh and well prepared however a bit bland and uninspired (Main dining room)

What was Good to Average:

              Service – staff was over extended as Covid was still on the ship and our butler was the first to let us know how overworked she was. The wait staff was spread thin. I assume this will improve as Covid is less virulent and staffing numbers are up.

What was Weak:

              Entertainment – even the few musicians, while skilled, lacked any passion in their performance.

              Accessibility of the ship in general- no automatic doors to any outside areas, one public accessible bathroom, thick carpet making it hard to roll.

 

Cunard Queen Mary 2 – Westbound Transatlantic – June 2022 and June 2023 – Queens Grill Cabin 8127

A note on the QM2 – This is an ocean liner and not a cruise ship .It is a bit of a throwback in tiny ways to a bygone era of crossing the Atlantic.  She is also a class-based ship with 4 classes providing different levels of service, separate dining areas, and benefits. We were in the highest class, Queen’s Grill, which is all suites, a butler, a separate main dining room, a concierge lounge, a shared bar with Princess Grill, a separate sunning area, drinks and gratuities included in the price. For dinner you are assigned a table in the Queen’s Grill, which is yours for every meal throughout the cruise, there is no assigned seating time, and the same wait staff. We always opt for a large table, 6-8 people, as we enjoy other’s company at meals.

What was Excellent to Very Good:

              Food – exceptional. It was so good and the company so enjoyable we did not even use our complimentary specialty dinning certificate.

              Service in the dining room – seamless

              Outdoor promenade – real teak with teak deck chairs, 3 laps equal 1.1 mile.

              Lectures

              Bridge classes

              Embracing of dressing up for meals and formal nights ship wide

              People we met.

What was Good to Average:

              Service in general

              Cabin bathroom design - dated.

What was Weak:

              The ship is showing her age with dings, scrapes, chipped paint, and worn carpet. (My husband says this is part of the charm, I would prefer less charm).

              Accessibility of the ship in general due to its overall length and some unique level changes

 

Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas – Caribbean – July 2022 – Loft Suite 1746

Suites come with butlers, Wi-Fi, drinks, gratuities, dedicated restaurant, dedicated bar, dedicated concierges, reserved seating at shows, priority boarding and departure, and priority tendering If applicable.

What was Excellent to Very Good:

              Traveling with our daughter and her now fiancé

              Cabin, a Two-story suite with 2 full bathrooms, an interior elevator, an amazing space

              Things to do.

              Entertainment from shows to live music in bars.

              Private Islands

What was Good to Average:

              Service

What was Weak:

              Food

 

Celebrity Edge June 2023 Mediterranean B2B infinity balcony cabin 9230 and Retreat Sky Suite 11123

This is the newest Celebrity class ship, it is asymmetric, very modern, it as a mass market ship or premium depending on who you ask. An infinity cabin is a cross between an ocean view and a balcony cabin, to best understand I suggest finding a video. This was our second time on The Edge, the first in 2019 when we found it new and exciting, our response was meh the second time around. For us, the best category is Aqua class which we did NOT have as it was not available when we booked, has its own main dining room, standard cabin, and spa privileges. We found the concierge class to be a waste as it really did not provide any additional benefits other than a concierge which was unnecessary. We were in Retreat, suite class the second week, while I really enjoyed this in 2019, I do not think it is worth the extra cost. We were using up Covid FCC so it did not matter but other than a few times having cocktails in the lounge and having a separate main dining room I would only consider this on an itinerary that I did not plan to go to port.

What was Excellent to Very Good:

              Buffet – of all things, I have not eaten in the buffet in decades, we tired of the served meals as we ate often in port and wanted something quick, light and simple. They made fish to order on the grill, some of which was loaded on the ship that day and not frozen.    

              Ship accessibility

              The people we met on leg one.

              The Retreat concierge in helping us with faxes, printing etc. when we had an unexpected and unpleasant situation at home to deal with.

What was Good to Average:

              Service

              Infinity cabin layout and bathroom 

              The Retreat suite balcony 

What was Weak:

              Food

              The Retreat suite layout was average and the bathroom accessibility layout

 

Bonus: Two Exceptional Hotels in everyway: Waldorf Astoria Rome and Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam

 

Conclusion: Given a choice we would rather be on a cruise than not be on a cruise therefore we enjoy all of them. Different ships suite different people, situations, and itineraries better. For us, we will take the QM2 across the Atlantic home any time we are in Europe and it is available. While I have heard that Princess Grill is the sweat spot between service and price, as long it is available and we can afford it, we will continue to do Queen's Grill. Silversea is our next cruise for 71 days, it checks the boxes on itinerary and is the right size for port intensive cruises. Royal Caribbean is our go to for the family fun cruises and we will continue to try the bigger ships as they come out, though we will now stick to suite class. Celebrity Edge class ships have fallen out of favor with us for the moment and I believe we will not gravitate to them any time soon. 

 

Feel free to ask questions and your thoughts.

[mysty]

Thank you JSR for your thoughtful, detailed reviews!  🥰

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thank you for this detailed comparison.  The only one I also have experience with is Celebrity Edge, and my experience mirrors yours – which gives me much trust in your other opinions.  Thanks again.

[Rothko1]

Thanks for your reviews.  

 

I do think that it could almost be broken down into two sections:  Silversea vs. Cunard; and then Royal vs. Celebrity.  In any event though, it's great to compare multiple options, and see which lines excel at what.

 

The QM2 transatlantic is, in my opinion, a bit like stepping back into time, especially if you are Queen's Grill.  I've never encountered anything else like it; it's just an amazing experience to watch the days at sea just meld into each other as you enjoy fantastic food, beverages, and service.

[bitob]

11 hours ago, Rothko1 said:

Thanks for your reviews.  

 

I do think that it could almost be broken down into two sections:  Silversea vs. Cunard; and then Royal vs. Celebrity.  In any event though, it's great to compare multiple options, and see which lines excel at what.

 

The QM2 transatlantic is, in my opinion, a bit like stepping back into time, especially if you are Queen's Grill.  I've never encountered anything else like it; it's just an amazing experience to watch the days at sea just meld into each other as you enjoy fantastic food, beverages, and service.

Everyone should do it once. We are on a b2b transatlantic on qm2 in September. Sold out!  Titanic without the iceberg 

[Lois R]

Hi JSR,🙂 thanks for sharing all these experiences with us. The comparisons/contrasts are very interesting.  I sailed with Celebrity for 15 years before finding SS (never sailed on any of the Edge class ships though). I have Dawn and Nova booked for this year but nothing going forward in 2024😮 I hope to be able to stay with SS but will have to figure out some things first......I hope it all works out.

[canderson]

15 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Hi JSR,🙂 thanks for sharing all these experiences with us. The comparisons/contrasts are very interesting.  I sailed with Celebrity for 15 years before finding SS (never sailed on any of the Edge class ships though). I have Dawn and Nova booked for this year but nothing going forward in 2024😮 I hope to be able to stay with SS but will have to figure out some things first......I hope it all works out.

Our history is the same as yours.  Long time X cruisers, never Edge class, just now moving to Dawn for our first SS cruise.  What caused you to 'jump ship'?

[Lois R]

31 minutes ago, canderson said:

Our history is the same as yours.  Long time X cruisers, never Edge class, just now moving to Dawn for our first SS cruise.  What caused you to 'jump ship'?

Hi,🙂 I knew I recognized your screen name.......from the Celebrity board. I found SS in 2017 and have over a dozen sailings with them now. Why did I leave X? I had some life changing events happen and was able to try SS. For me? I may look at things a bit differently than a couple. (I sail solo) but I LOVE the experience. I LOVE the smaller ships.  I know there have been plenty of food topics but overall I find it very good to excellent BUT that is not to say it is perfect. Nothing in life is perfect. If something is not to my liking or if something is wrong, I bring up the topic to the appropriate person.

 

Overall though, I think comparing SS to X is like apples to oranges. I never booked a suite on X so I don't have the experience to compare it. But one of the major items? It is the amount of people. Can't really compare 600 to 3000.  They know my name after day 1. It just has a more intimate feeling (in my opinion).. And they go out of their way to make solo guests feel welcomed with drinks every night (If you want to participate) and they will have dinners together too (if you up for it). Never any pressure to attend but always there with a welcome feeling and they are a great fit for me.

[Dolcevita Diva]

Thank you for this excellent comparison JSR.  One addition that would be super helpful - would you consider including a comparison of the average cost per day for each of these voyages? 

[TLCOhio]

40 minutes ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

Thank you for this excellent comparison JSR.  One addition that would be super helpful - would you consider including a comparison of the average cost per day for each of these voyages? 

 

Yes, excellent and interesting comparisons and useful points by JSR.  Excellent sharing!!  

 

Agree with Lois as to "I think comparing SS to X is like apples to oranges."  We have done a couple of cruises with Celebrity, plus Princess once, plus Seabourn, Crystal, etc.  There are always various and important pro/con factors to consider.  For us, the itineraries are the top priority, but we also like quality service and reasonable "value".  Nothing is perfect.  Things also change and evolve from cruise to cruise, even on the same ship with the same crew.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

[canderson]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Overall though, I think comparing SS to X is like apples to oranges. I never booked a suite on X so I don't have the experience to compare it. But one of the major items? It is the amount of people. Can't really compare 600 to 3000.  They know my name after day 1. It just has a more intimate feeling (in my opinion).. And they go out of their way to make solo guests feel welcomed with drinks every night (If you want to participate) and they will have dinners together too (if you up for it). Never any pressure to attend but always there with a welcome feeling and they are a great fit for me.

We had been booking RS cabins on M and S class ships, so there was never an issue of whether our names (or faces, from what we heard about posted photos) were known, especially on M class, so it would be a bit closer to apples to apples for us in that regard.

 

Although still a cut above the other mass market lines in terms of the crew:passenger ratio, we felt that Celebrity was moving more and more in that direction in other ways. 

 

Realizing that we had preferred the (relatively) smaller size of the M class ships, downsizing further seemed like something we might enjoy, and trading an M class RS for a Silversea Silver Suite looked like a comparable swap.

 

Considered Azamara briefly, but ship age and vibe weren't exactly what we had in mind.

[Lois R]

25 minutes ago, canderson said:

We had been booking RS cabins on M and S class ships, so there was never an issue of whether our names (or faces, from what we heard about posted photos) were known, especially on M class, so it would be a bit closer to apples to apples for us in that regard.

 

Although still a cut above the other mass market lines in terms of the crew:passenger ratio, we felt that Celebrity was moving more and more in that direction in other ways. 

 

Realizing that we had preferred the (relatively) smaller size of the M class ships, downsizing further seemed like something we might enjoy, and trading an M class RS for a Silversea Silver Suite looked like a comparable swap.

 

Considered Azamara briefly, but ship age and vibe weren't exactly what we had in mind.

Well, I guess you will have a better way to compare then. I started sailing with Celebrity in 2003. First ship was CENTURY.........I loved her!  It was one of my most wonderful cruises and really got me hooked. She was 70,000 tons so still larger than SS ships but much smaller than S or E class. Oh, I only book a regular veranda on SS so I couldn't tell you what extras you get with those BIG ones. I am guessing you will be quite pleased though.

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise🙂

[canderson]

50 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Well, I guess you will have a better way to compare then. I started sailing with Celebrity in 2003. First ship was CENTURY.........I loved her!  It was one of my most wonderful cruises and really got me hooked. She was 70,000 tons so still larger than SS ships but much smaller than S or E class. Oh, I only book a regular veranda on SS so I couldn't tell you what extras you get with those BIG ones. I am guessing you will be quite pleased though.

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise🙂

Our first X cruise was on Galaxy, as were several others.  Our only Century cruise was a side-to-side after returning on a westbound Constellation TA (side-to-side being a bus trip FLL/MIA) right after they did the structural modifications, added suites, etc.  Feels like eons ago.  That class ship had one thing that I've consistently rated better than any other ship we've ever sailed -- a real thalassotherapy pool.  You could stand under those vertical pipes of water and hammer your neck and shoulders into submission with that water pressure if you wanted to!  

 

The 'extras' on Silversea at Silver Suite only amount to free laundry, I think.  On Celebrity, it included free laundry, and no-upcharge dining in all of the $ restaurants (unlike Silversea in Kaiseki and La Dame), and a few other goodies.  All in all, not a great deal of difference in that regard.  It was sometimes a little weird on Celebrity, though - felt like we had stalkers everywhere!  One day on Constellation we decided there was a menu item that appealed to us in the main dining room at lunch.  We hadn't set foot in the MDR for the entire cruise until then, but we were greeted by name at the door.  Seems the rumors of photos posted in the back wait-stations of various venues were true. 

[JSR]

@mysty@Host Jazzbeau and everyone- Thank you for your kind words. I am enjoying sharing and with your support will continue to going forward. Esp. as we embark on our first long cruise ever. 

 

@Rothko1@bitob Can not beat the old school feeling on the QM2 cruising the Atlantic. We did our first crossing last year because my husband wanted me to experience as close as one can get in the 21st century the crossings of his youth on the SS United States in the 60s. We of course did not have the dog, the hamster, and the car. He was concerned I would be bored, but I never was. I am glad our first one was a rough crossing and our second one smooth sailing and not vice versa. Looking forward to seeing what comes of the October dry dock. 

 

@Lois R I know our paths crossed on the Celebrity boards. I have a vague recollection of meeting you on a cruise, but it was a while ago. Did you ever cruise Royal? I am not at all adverse to cruising Celebrity again (or just about any cruise), we will just stick to the M and S class on the ships that have been recently refreshed. I certainly understand the appeal of a smaller and more intimate ship when sailing solo. I have often considered sailing solo when my husband is off on one of his fishing trips, as a paraplegic I am a bit concerned about abilities in port on my own, time will tell. 

 

@TLCOhio thank you. I agree, all different, apples, oranges, bananas, and pears...

 

@Dolcevita Diva prices. As you know price varies based on when you booked, what week you travel, what promotions are running. We started cruising in 1999 because it was a very economical family trip. We picked shoulder season weeks, researched prices closely, and watched our costs. That is no longer the case, we are in a different phase of life and we are more concerned with: is it going where we want to go, when we want to go, and do they have an accessible cabin. These prices do not reflect any discounts given us, or OBC, or insurance, they do include port fees and tax.  Nor were any of them shopped, they were just booked, some way in advance, some a few days before sailing. The prices are per cabin for 2 people per night. 

SS Moon 12 night 2022  $992 (2/3 capacity)

Cunard QM2 Queens Grill 9 night 2022 $1676

Cunard QM2 Queen's Grill 7 night 2023 $1791 (sold out cruise)

Royal  Harmony Loft Suite 7 night 2022 $1176

Royal Harmony Jr Suite 7 night 2022 $583 (Our daughter and BF)

Celeb Edge Concierge Infinite Balcony 2023 $580

Celeb Edge Sky Suite Retreat 2023 $1280

SS Nova Premium Balcony 2024 $1423 (Upcoming GV SA)

Notes: Cunard does not include Wi-Fi

Silversea is the only one to include shore excursions. I can not remember if it included Wi-Fi

Royal Jr Suite and Edge Concierge do not include drinks, wi-fi, or gratuities. 

 

As an additional comment - Wi-Fi on Royal was excellent, on Celebrity decent, on Silversea fair, on Cunard only worked in public places. 

@canderson see next post. 

 

 

[JSR]

@canderson What brought us to Silversea? Our cruising has gone through phases, Phase one was family cruising that was economical while we did Europe and Alaska during this phase we did a lot of the Caribbean. At the time we were perplexed by people who did not get off the ship, we hit the beaches, did all kinds of activities and really could not understand why people would stay on the ship. Phase two, was couples cruising or with other couples and the occasional family cruise. Since we were still working and parenting we wanted a chill cruise, we eventually became the people that did not care if they got off the ship. Our latest phase is itinerary driven, we want to see places we have never been. At our age while we still travel on land, cruising is our first choice, we prefer our hotel to travel with us. I also, wanted to change things up and try new things. We have embraced the, "if not now, when" philosophy.  Most of our friends turn their noses up to large ships (even though most do not cruise, do not get me started as I find this ridiculous since they have never cruised) so I wanted to see what the small ship experience was like. I like RCI products in terms of there attitude towards disabled passengers and did not want to cruise on old R class ships so that eliminated several options. I really liked the Captains "can do" response to my inquiry about tender ports. I still want to try more cruise lines just for fun. Newer ships tend to be more wheelchair accessible then old ships. We are diving in to SS with two feet on our next cruise in January. I am eyeing trying to sneak another one in between now and then though it is hard as it is fishing season and my husband is an avid fly fisherman. Almost had a friend convinced but she is still working part time and three weeks was too much time away. hmmm...

 

Our first cruise on Royal in 1999 was on there brand new, large ship, Grandeur of the Seas at 2400 passenger capacity. At the time it was a beautiful ship, elegant in everyway with exceptional service. The alternative dining was at the buffet, we took our then 3 year old up there for a bite and found it was converted to white table clothes and table service for dinner. Times have changed and you won't find anything like that on Royal any more. It is nice to have the memories and to create new ones. 

[Lois R]

JSR, I have sailed Royal maybe  4 times total in the past 20 years. Once on Sovereign of The Seas, once on Monarch, once on Enchantment and once on Serenade.  I can't think of any others on Royal. 

I was on HAL once too and Azamara once. I probably had 40 or 50 sailings with Celebrity but cannot remember for sure anymore.  The BIG Floating cities really don't appeal to me. 

[Rothko1]

Your history of cruising is probably how a lot of people get into it.  Same with us:  when kids were little, it was the Disney cruise line.  Once they were gone, we switched to Silversea.

 

With the massive new ships coming out, there really isn't a need to get off those megaliners.  They are resorts in and of themselves.  My son was telling me about the new Icon of the Seas which is coming soon, and it sounds like it is a combination of every resort on the Vegas strip.

[JSR]

19 minutes ago, Lois R said:

JSR, I have sailed Royal maybe  4 times total in the past 20 years. Once on Sovereign of The Seas, once on Monarch, once on Enchantment and once on Serenade.  I can't think of any others on Royal. 

I was on HAL once too and Azamara once. I probably had 40 or 50 sailings with Celebrity but cannot remember for sure anymore.  The BIG Floating cities really don't appeal to me. 

I’m pretty sure it was the Monarch. Back in the day out of San Pedro. We were on it with 3 other couples one rainy weekend to Ensenada. 

Edited July 14, 2023 by JSR

[JSR]

20 minutes ago, Rothko1 said:

Your history of cruising is probably how a lot of people get into it.  Same with us:  when kids were little, it was the Disney cruise line.  Once they were gone, we switched to Silversea.

 

With the massive new ships coming out, there really isn't a need to get off those megaliners.  They are resorts in and of themselves.  My son was telling me about the new Icon of the Seas which is coming soon, and it sounds like it is a combination of every resort on the Vegas strip.

So agree!!! Vegas meets Club Med but more family friendly. Can’t wait to go on the Icon with the family. No need to even look at the itinerary. 

[Lois R]

JSR, nope, it was not out of San Pedro. I sailed on Monarch out of Pt Canaveral many, many moons ago. It was a short cruise too so I would never have flown to Cali for a weekend cruise.

[canderson]

52 minutes ago, Rothko1 said:

My son was telling me about the new Icon of the Seas which is coming soon, and it sounds like it is a combination of every resort on the Vegas strip.

When RCL started putting out the illustrations for Icon, the nickname that came immediately to mind was "Six Flags Over the Mariana Trench".

[Mr Luxury]

On 7/13/2023 at 8:09 PM, JSR said:

We took 5 cruises on 4 cruise lines in the last year. (Listed in chronological order). We were first time cruisers on both Silversea and Cunard. Long time cruisers on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.  While some things will be universal to all cruises on a given ship such as layout of the cabin, and common areas; others will be specific to the cruise we were on such as food, service, and itinerary. I am happy to elaborate on any of these observations if anyone wishes.

 

Please remember this is one women’s opinion and may not reflect other people’s experiences. Each cruise was both unique and a wonderful time.

 

Silversea Moon – Norwegian Fjords 2022 – Vista cabin 409

A note on Vista cabin: the cabin does not have a balcony which we did not miss one due to the port intensive itinerary and the weather. The location is odd, to get to the entrance to the restaurant or the aft elevators one must walk through either Salt or the main dining room as there is no hall. We also did not do any ship organized tours so cannot comment on those due to misinformation about accessibility from land-based SS sources. We did book our own tours in every port, some of which were the same as offered by the ship and some that were more unique. At the last port several people joined our tour as opposed to what the ship offered.

What was Excellent to Very Good:

              Itinerary- wonderful ports.

              Cabin Layout

              Accessible Cabin Bathroom- the best of any ship I have been on

              Cocktails, Caviar, and bar snacks

              Observation Library

              Food, fresh and well prepared however a bit bland and uninspired (Main dining room)

What was Good to Average:

              Service – staff was over extended as Covid was still on the ship and our butler was the first to let us know how overworked she was. The wait staff was spread thin. I assume this will improve as Covid is less virulent and staffing numbers are up.

What was Weak:

              Entertainment – even the few musicians, while skilled, lacked any passion in their performance.

              Accessibility of the ship in general- no automatic doors to any outside areas, one public accessible bathroom, thick carpet making it hard to roll.

 

Cunard Queen Mary 2 – Westbound Transatlantic – June 2022 and June 2023 – Queens Grill Cabin 8127

A note on the QM2 – This is an ocean liner and not a cruise ship .It is a bit of a throwback in tiny ways to a bygone era of crossing the Atlantic.  She is also a class-based ship with 4 classes providing different levels of service, separate dining areas, and benefits. We were in the highest class, Queen’s Grill, which is all suites, a butler, a separate main dining room, a concierge lounge, a shared bar with Princess Grill, a separate sunning area, drinks and gratuities included in the price. For dinner you are assigned a table in the Queen’s Grill, which is yours for every meal throughout the cruise, there is no assigned seating time, and the same wait staff. We always opt for a large table, 6-8 people, as we enjoy other’s company at meals.

What was Excellent to Very Good:

              Food – exceptional. It was so good and the company so enjoyable we did not even use our complimentary specialty dinning certificate.

              Service in the dining room – seamless

              Outdoor promenade – real teak with teak deck chairs, 3 laps equal 1.1 mile.

              Lectures

              Bridge classes

              Embracing of dressing up for meals and formal nights ship wide

              People we met.

What was Good to Average:

              Service in general

              Cabin bathroom design - dated.

What was Weak:

              The ship is showing her age with dings, scrapes, chipped paint, and worn carpet. (My husband says this is part of the charm, I would prefer less charm).

              Accessibility of the ship in general due to its overall length and some unique level changes

 

Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas – Caribbean – July 2022 – Loft Suite 1746

Suites come with butlers, Wi-Fi, drinks, gratuities, dedicated restaurant, dedicated bar, dedicated concierges, reserved seating at shows, priority boarding and departure, and priority tendering If applicable.

What was Excellent to Very Good:

              Traveling with our daughter and her now fiancé

              Cabin, a Two-story suite with 2 full bathrooms, an interior elevator, an amazing space

              Things to do.

              Entertainment from shows to live music in bars.

              Private Islands

What was Good to Average:

              Service

What was Weak:

              Food

 

Celebrity Edge June 2023 Mediterranean B2B infinity balcony cabin 9230 and Retreat Sky Suite 11123

This is the newest Celebrity class ship, it is asymmetric, very modern, it as a mass market ship or premium depending on who you ask. An infinity cabin is a cross between an ocean view and a balcony cabin, to best understand I suggest finding a video. This was our second time on The Edge, the first in 2019 when we found it new and exciting, our response was meh the second time around. For us, the best category is Aqua class which we did NOT have as it was not available when we booked, has its own main dining room, standard cabin, and spa privileges. We found the concierge class to be a waste as it really did not provide any additional benefits other than a concierge which was unnecessary. We were in Retreat, suite class the second week, while I really enjoyed this in 2019, I do not think it is worth the extra cost. We were using up Covid FCC so it did not matter but other than a few times having cocktails in the lounge and having a separate main dining room I would only consider this on an itinerary that I did not plan to go to port.

What was Excellent to Very Good:

              Buffet – of all things, I have not eaten in the buffet in decades, we tired of the served meals as we ate often in port and wanted something quick, light and simple. They made fish to order on the grill, some of which was loaded on the ship that day and not frozen.    

              Ship accessibility

              The people we met on leg one.

              The Retreat concierge in helping us with faxes, printing etc. when we had an unexpected and unpleasant situation at home to deal with.

What was Good to Average:

              Service

              Infinity cabin layout and bathroom 

              The Retreat suite balcony 

What was Weak:

              Food

              The Retreat suite layout was average and the bathroom accessibility layout

 

Bonus: Two Exceptional Hotels in everyway: Waldorf Astoria Rome and Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam

 

Conclusion: Given a choice we would rather be on a cruise than not be on a cruise therefore we enjoy all of them. Different ships suite different people, situations, and itineraries better. For us, we will take the QM2 across the Atlantic home any time we are in Europe and it is available. While I have heard that Princess Grill is the sweat spot between service and price, as long it is available and we can afford it, we will continue to do Queen's Grill. Silversea is our next cruise for 71 days, it checks the boxes on itinerary and is the right size for port intensive cruises. Royal Caribbean is our go to for the family fun cruises and we will continue to try the bigger ships as they come out, though we will now stick to suite class. Celebrity Edge class ships have fallen out of favor with us for the moment and I believe we will not gravitate to them any time soon. 

 

Feel free to ask questions and your thoughts.

Well done for being a chameleon with so many ships and styles I know that i couldn't do it.

[JSR]

3 hours ago, Lois R said:

JSR, nope, it was not out of San Pedro. I sailed on Monarch out of Pt Canaveral many, many moons ago. It was a short cruise too so I would never have flown to Cali for a weekend cruise.

Well that shows how poor my memory is. Lol

[drron29]

Another perk for Silver suites and above is that premium wifi is included as against standard wifi in the lower suites.

Now in the past SS wifi was awful but on our March Moon cruise which was the second voyage with Starlink I found the standard wifi perfectly adequate and was able to keep my photo intensive cruise report up to date easily.

Of course that cruise was around the Mediterranean so I presume adequate satellite coverage there which is probably not so good in more remote places.

[JSR]

4 hours ago, canderson said:

When RCL started putting out the illustrations for Icon, the nickname that came immediately to mind was "Six Flags Over the Mariana Trench".

That’s funny. We call it the monstrosity of the seas.