iflyjets

7 hours ago, zitsky said:

Harumph.

 

One does not drink wine with popcorn.  One drinks beer or a scotch and coke.

 

Next you will tell me that you drink white wine with salmon!  🙂

I would think a wine such as champagne or a nice sparkling ( a Prosecco or Cava for example) would work with popcorn…you know…something that “pops” when you open it🤪😁

17 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

I booked Eden for a Dec cruise months ago, but even though I selected OBC, it was charged to my credit card.  Last week I saw the book your dining ahead of the cruise and save. “It will never be cheaper” or something like that was the tag line.  I thought great, a chance to use up our large OBC.  Cancelled the original booking.  Rebooked and confirmed it was charged to OBC.  I was very surprised to see the  “discount” price was higher than the original booking because they added the 18%. It’s not the few dollars, as we usually tip in specialty dining.  It’s the point of advertising a lower price that simply isn’t anymore.

Same here. I added another night of specialty dining a few days ago and used OBC. The price after “early booking discount” and then 18% gratuity added was about $7.20 more than my previously made reservations for the same restaurant. Not really an issue, but the new policy just seems different and a little off-putting for those who have cruised Celebrity for decades.

But, I used OBC (“funny money”), so, no problem.

21 hours ago, Texter2 said:

We reserved/prepaid the dining package before the Apex April 30 TA and before they started adding the 18% gratuity. We were not charged extra. The upcharge came into effect right before our cruise. Anyone who booked a specialty restaurant on board was charged the upcharge. 

Thank you. That seems reasonable. We will certainly find out come our November Beyond cruise. I booked five nights of specialty dining and pre-paid them all back in April using OBC.

So, if you reserved and prepaid fully for your specialty dining before the “new” policy of adding in 18% gratuities to prepaid reservations, will you expect to receive a bill for the 18% at the end of your dining experience?
 

To rephrase, I realize that they now add 18% to all online/prepaid/pre-cruise dining charges, but will they “retroactively” surprise those who paid months ago with a bill at the end of the meal for the additional 18%?

And I assume that they can track those who now book and pay pre-cruise with the 18% included so those reservations are not charged an additional 18% at the end of the meal…now that would be double tipping🤨.

5 minutes ago, Freestyle Cruiser said:

 

Well said. 

We meet suite people or all ages and from all walks celebrating milestone birthdays and marriages and life. Wealthy or not, it’s nice to be able to treat yourself sometimes. A friend always does a basic cabin, but comes home with thousands of dollars in jewelry. Some of our land based neighbors spend thousands of dollars in new iPhones, new cars and eat out daily,  which we don’t do,  but they never go on a vacation. 

 

It is definitely a choice. Let’s count our blessings that we are free to make those choices and the products abound so we can choose. 

 

 

Excellent points about how we all choose to spend our money.  So glad we are even foruntate enough to have choices!

26 minutes ago, IMNiles said:

Wow.  Very polarized opinions!  There is no question that Edge is quite different from previous X vessels (and other ships in general), and this is bound to cause some agita among those accustomed to the older vessels.  Yet, it is also a clear extension of trends we’ve already been seeing on X and indeed industry-wide, including an increasing array of extra-charge “specialty” restaurants and “ship within a ship” areas reserved for suite passengers.  Having been on the ship, I can easily say that it is already among my favorites, but I can also see that it will not be for everyone (nor does it need to be!).

 

First the disclaimer : I sailed on a two day non-revenue “preview” cruise as an invited guest.  This said, we were (and remain) already booked to sail over New Years, a trip for which we paid full price, and a hefty premium at that.  

 

As others have noted, it’s hard to judge overall atmosphere and entertainment options on a pre-inaugural cruise.  All the entertainment we saw was very good (if a bit “edgy” in Eden), but I’m withholding judgement (and an actual review) until our first “real” cruise.  

 

What we CAN judge, though, is the hard product.  Count me in the group that thinks the ship is gorgeous.  Yes, the palette is very muted, but if you visit a premium hotel these days (think “W”) you’re likely to encounter the same.   Did it look cheap?  No, anything but.  The finishes were all to an extremely high standard, and the art was just as diverse and interesting as the rest of the fleet.  It was definitely a much more modern aesthetic though - much more so even than the S class.  If you’re looking for luxury in the form of over-the-top scale, marble, and crystal chandeliers, then this is not your ship.  

 

Was there a lot of natural wood?  No.  Neither were there acres of marble or other traditional trappings of luxury.  Instead, we have decor that is refined and anything but cookie-cutter.  Everywhere you look (even the ceilings!) there is something interesting to see, and that’s before you even get to the art.  The best word I can use is “details.”  Little details were everywhere, and I noticed new ones each time I passed - it really seems like they put a lot of effort into creating a beautiful and engaging space, and resisted the temptation to throw a lot of wood and marble at it.  

 

I found Eden, a particularly polarizing space, to be an extremely peaceful spot to hang out in the morning - far from the hustle and bustle of the buffet, I sat with a coffee and a fresh-made breakfast sandwich from the Eden Cafe and gazed out at the wake through the expansive two-deck high windows.  This space was previously wasted (in my mind) for the dining rooms, given that for many people it would be dark by the time they were there.  Was the entertainment at night (after 10) “edgy” and even a bit weird?  Yes.  Even so, we enjoyed our engagement with the “Edenists,” as did (apparently) everyone else who stuck around - those who found it was not to their taste just left.  This is fine.  I did find that the drinks in Eden were expensive, though.  The specialty cocktails were all priced above the threshold of the premium package (it’s unclear whether X will adjust the threshold for this ship).

 

We really liked the buffet - it seemed a lot brighter and more open than other ships, and there seemed, somehow, to be more connected to the outside.  The food was varied and excellent.  We particularly appreciated the good selection of Indian and Asian food - an X hallmark we miss when on other lines.

 

We were not in a suite, and are also not in a suite for our upcoming sailing, but we did get a chance to visit the retreat and eat one meal in Luminae.  I’ll admit I will miss not being able to hang out in the outdoor spaces of the retreat - they were much more serene than the regular pool deck - but even so I had no trouble finding quiet nooks on the ship to hang out, both inside and out.  Do I begrudge the suite guests their space?  No.  That’s part of what they’re paying for and by definition you cannot have a “retreat” like that if it’s open to everyone.  The whole point is capacity control and atmosphere.  I thought it was a particularly nice touch that some of the suites had “back doors” that led directly to the retreat.  The food in Luminae was good, but in line with my previous experience on other ships, I found it to be a little fussier than I like for more than the occasional meal.  I’ll happily stick to the MDR or Blu.  

 

Our stateroom was a concierge-class infinite verandah.  Having also been on several river cruises, we found the infinite verandah to be a welcome addition.  The room did feel slightly narrower (I haven’t checked the actual measurements), but the extra depth and wall of glass at the end made it feel palpably larger and infinitely brighter.  The bathroom was also generously proportioned for a non-suite stateroom.  We left the window open most of the time, and found that this dramatically increased our enjoyment of the stateroom - there was no production of fighting with the heavy curtains and door to get outside.  The motorized shades reliably made the room VERY dark, so we slept extremely well.  Like others have already noted, though, I will miss the ability to “peek outside” or to sit on the balcony while my traveling companion sleeps.  This could probably be solved with a curtain at the bifold doors, but I think we’ll just solve it with a sleeping mask.  Storage was also dramatically improved over S class - we had plenty of drawers and hanging space, and were glad to say goodbye to those awful over-bed cabinets.  We did not encounter a time when the window was locked by the captain, but we did learn that when we leaned on the sill, we blocked a little light sensor that made the window stop, so don’t lean on the sill while operating the window.

 

We ate one meal in “cosmopolitan” - I thought it was really good, as good or better than what I’m used to on X, but I do find the multiple dining room concept a little off-putting.  We’re “traditional dining” folks because we like not to have to deal with getting reservations, and enjoy having the same staff and companions each night.  Unfortunately, those on traditional dining are automatically placed in one of the four dining rooms for the entire trip.  While the menu is the same in each venue, there is a small selection of special items available only in each dining room.  I would have rather had a more Disney-like rotational dining experience, but I know that didn’t go so well when Royal tried it on Oasis class.  We have traditional dining on our next cruise, but in future may switch to “anytime” and just make reservations for 8:30 every night in various dining rooms right up front.  

 

We did not try the specialty restaurants, but look forward to experiencing “Le Petit Chef” on our next cruise.  I love the idea that the specialty restaurants have al fresco dining, but I don’t think it was especially well-executed.  It seemed insufficiently protected from wind, separated from passing traffic, and shielded from unlovely views of lifeboats (Blu).

 

We didn’t spend any time in the Casino, but our muster was there and it seemed nice.  I liked the fact that it was neither required nor actually really possible (without special effort) to pass through the casino to go between other venues.  I think the bar would have been better placed in the middle, but I did note that for the first time I recall, they’ve added bar-top gaming machines.

 

The Grand Plaza was always quite lively, and it seemed rather easier to navigate than on other ships, but I think they may regret putting the bar at one end, because it’s comparatively difficult to get to when full - perhaps they expect most people to use table service.  As others have noted, this space was often quite loud, especially in the evening hours.  That may be an issue for folks in the specialty restaurants that overlook it.  The Grand Plaza Cafe seemed not to be open much, and when it was I found the food looked better than it tasted.

 

We weren’t able to spend much time at the rooftop garden, because during our preview cruise it was mostly closed for private events.  I for one will really miss the real grass from S class, but I also acknowledge that the lawn was tragically underused on many sailings.  I’m sure we will continue to sail S and M class, as itineraries dictate, so I’m OK not having it when on Edge.  I’ll agree with the poster who calls out the sunset bar as a missed opportunity.  It seemed very narrow to me, and a step backwards from Reflection in that bar patrons face the bar and not the ocean.

 

The theater is fantastic.  The stage juts out into the room, so seating is around 3/4 “in the round” - we really felt much closer to the action than on other ships.  There’s even a small section of cocktail tables right down near the stage that we didn’t notice until after our show or we would have sat there.  The technical capabilities are clearly a cut above the other ships in the fleet, and the one show we saw, “Jewelry Box,” was a lot like a cirque du soleil show in that it was quite abstract, but the performances were very good and the production values very high.  This certainly blows the socks off of the last batch of X shows (R.I.P “Maxx”), which we thought were frankly awful.  It’s hard to judge more until we take a “real” cruise and see the full lineup.

 

We didn’t get a chance to try a ride on the Edge Launches (tenders) but they do look a lot more comfortable.  The destination gateway seems like it will be a much more pleasant place to embark/disembark than the typical “bowels of the ship down by the infirmary”.  The teen club (“The Basement”) was closed for an event, but I did poke my head into the kids club, which was chockablock with video games, robot kits, and other stuff that should keep the kids plenty engaged.

 

We had a cocktail on the magic carpet, and it was really cool to be right out there “at the edge” over the water.  We didn’t eat there when it was positioned as a restaurant.  I think it’s a big win for tender embarkation when positioned at the bottom.  

 

If I had to sum up my impressions, I’d say that they definitely nailed the “modern luxury” aesthetic, but I do think it’s going to turn off a segment of more traditional cruisers.  The “retreat” will both appeal to suite guests and annoy those who think all spaces should be for everyone (for what it’s worth, there is no shortage of public space open to everyone).  I do think we might be missing one “show lounge,” but it’s also possible that I just never found it.  It seems clear to me that X is trying to push themselves a bit further up-market and are catering to a slightly younger, more affluent,  well-traveled crowd who may not have ocean-cruised before, and will appreciate all the details that set the Edge apart from a typical cruise ship.  Unfortunately for X, these aren’t necessarily the folks who write cruise ship reviews, so I think they’ll continue to be skewed to the negative “not like other ships” type for at least the next few months.  I encourage people to see for themselves, and decide if Edge is for them.  I for one am really looking forward to re-boarding in just a few weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great review with well-thought out opinions and lots of information.  Thanks for this post!

Class distinction exists in just about every industry.  Think "club level" rooms in hotels with open bars and other amenities for higher paying guests. Airlines have business class verusus economy. There is even concierge medicine now. It is everywhere.

So, having classes with varying levels of privileges is not something new.  It is just more pronounced now on Celebrity and has come as a "shock" to many cruisers. 

I have seen this coming for years and it exitsts in some form or another on most other cruise lines. Even the much touted Viking Ocean cruises, which is an "all balcony" ship, has varying "reservation" windows for restaurants and for the "included" excursions as well as slightly different amenities based on what you are willing to pay.  It is one way the cruise lines can keep the basic fares reasonable.  Honestly, I paid significantly more in 2000 for a basic oceaniview cabin aboard the Explorer of the Seas than I did for a balcony cabin aboard the Equinox this month (and it will be a holiday sailing at that).

Oveall, I find that cruise prices have been pretty stable as compared to other travel indusry prices.  To achieve this, the cruise lines listened to folks who made clear they would rather have affordable cabins and then the option of buying their amenities/extras as THEY choose to do than to pay higher cruise fares in general.  That's what the cruise lines have done.

On 12/8/2018 at 1:21 PM, Teacher42 said:

We love to hear those fortunate ones that have never met a cruise they did not like. Your so lucky. We experienced a time aboard the Regent Sea some years ago, when a fire broke out aboard ship. The ship stopped dead in its tracks. Crew were racing down to the pool to fill buckets of water and race back to the fire.  No electricity, no air conditioning, panic began to set in amongst the passengers. Passengers were fighting over lounge chairs to sleep out on deck.  The ship set out an SOS and the passengers quieted down when they saw a freighter come to our rescue.  Word passed around to be prepared to abandon ship if necessary. The freighter stayed along side us until the ship was able to get things under control and power was restored. The freighter's leaving was then a reassuring sign to all of us. To this day I always carry a small flash light to find our way to and from our cabin.Also we learned to always count the number of steps from our cabin to the nearest exit. Do not count on the emergency lighting to work. This incident changed my opinion of my fellow man, I became the misanthrope I now claim to be. No women and children first with this group, just every man for himself. It was one of the most unpalatable experiences of our lives. The cruise line gave everyone a voucher for a free weeks cruise any time in the future. The following day the injured crew member, all bandage up from his burns was introduced and given a standing ovation at the pool deck for saving the ship.

A very comprehensive and quintessential review of human behavior.  You have perfectly described changes in human dynamics from what I have expereienced in my youth, which lead me to be less trusting as well. Every now and then, however, someone kind and genereous renews my faith in people! It seems that much of it is about the "connection" and relationship you have with someone.  It is so easy to "ignore" strangers, even on a cruise ship where folks vie for "resources" (such as,  the loungers around the pool, or the lines to board/disembark or at the buffets...rudeness can too often rule because we impersonalize others).

As for carrying a flashlight and counting doors/steps to an exit...a GREAT safety plan for a cruise ship, a hotel, a plane, or even your own home! We do this everywhere.

Now back to topic at hand...reviews of the Edge.

In 2000, we had a negative experience aboard one of the first Millenium sailings.  It was also more of a "shakedown" situtaion and all the "issues" popped up (including the back-up in the toilet system..such fun).

I will be aboard the Edge next month, and despite all the reviews about disliked Edge elements on this thread, I am looking forward to what I consider an "adventure,"  exploring something new with an open mind.  For months, I noted the IKEA-like furnishings with a "jaundiced eye," but I placed those negative thoughts into the back of my mind until I experience it for myself. Then, I will simply make a decision as to whether or not the Edge will meet my future cruising needs and whether to sail her again.  There is something for everyone in this industry, fortunately, so I have lots of choice.  So to all, go explore!

Sky Suites have traditional balconies with sliding glass doors.

I do like the look of the full length, full width windows, however. And I am happy with a sliding door, which is what they appear to be. Be nice if 2 of what appears to be 3 panels would stack.

I truly hope you were not serious about this. Any leaky or wet bottle especially over the 220 Volt outlet will cause a french fried passenger:rolleyes:

Read other posts by Spif...just a wicked sense of humor eminating from this poster. Often very funny. This was not a serious storage suggestion.

I am a parsimonious packer, but even I am concerned about space to unpack basic clothing items and my sparse pairs of shoes.

I am very glad I now pack by items into packing cubes. This way I can either sort items into cubes by day (full ensemble in each cube) or by category (t-shirts in one, shorts in another, etc...) and keep these cubes neatly packed with my extra or yet unworn items inside my suitcase and store them under my bed (assuming, of course, there will still be a space to store our luggage under the bed). It can be tedious to have to get into your luggage more regularly, but it helps keep the cabin neater, easier to find items, and makes repacking before disembarkation a snap.

I usually unpack a few days worth of clothes, hang suits and dresses in the closet, put polo and t-shirts on the shelves and undies/personal items in the drawers. But even this efficiency may be challenged by what appears to be limited space in the closet, drawers and shelves. We shall see.

Agree.. but I actually like most of the spaces..just not the pics of the Inf Balc staterooms..nothing hi end..except bathroom and toiletries that were mentioned!

 

Maybe they,ll be better in person.

I think the overall ship is stunning and architecturally beautiful. I would like to know, however, their real thoughts behind furniture choices for cabins (and I should add that I have advanced academic studies in ergonomics/human factors, so this will be an interesting cruise for me).

I think not having AC vent over the bed by balc is actually a plus!

 

Sorry for "moaning" but my dtrs college dorm was much nicer as was my room at summer camp many yrs ago..paying alot more per night for the ship. Cabins are not equal to the rest of the ship...unless maybe a suite

 

Furniture looks like stuff you buy at Furn a kit to self assemble.

I think if it was an RCCL ship we could call it IKEA of the Seas😏

Okay, now I'm going to think of a squirrel when I see it! :D Hope they aren't serving the poor critter who donated his coat for the reception table.... ;)

All baaaaahd comments;p

We're in 10141 on Dec. 6. If you're after that, I'll post my impressions.

We are January, so yes, please post:)

I’m on 12/16 sailing on Aquaclass A2 with go best. Our price was $3400 total not pp.

When did you book for this price?

Good move !

Pure luck;)

We originally had another S2 booked midship, but moved forward many months ago to be closer to the retreat area for convenience. When I first saw the exterior views, I was worried about my decision to move.

Well, ironically, according to the nicely highlighted deck plans, our former cabin had a pole right in the center of the balcony while our current cabin does not. So, overall, it was a fortuitous decision to move months ago.

continued....

 

 

I was concerned about the bed facing the ocean and whether the blasted pole would ruin our view from the bed. This is where it got interesting. If you look at the sky suite plans with the bed facing the balcony, they have a doorway on one side and the bed on the other. When you look at the deck plans, all of the suites have the bed on the side without the obstructive pole (the pole is on the same side as the doorway) so we will be able to see the ocean straight out from our beds (and from the bathrooms when we open the bathroom mirror/window) without the pole in the way. Coincidence? Maybe or maybe not! ;)

 

 

Of course in the picture below, they don't show one with a pole.

 

 

 

 

Here are all of the deck plans of the S1's (non-aft) and S2's. The unmarked ones do not have a pole obstruction and the others have a red mark on the side that the pole obstructs. Notice the cabin doorways are on the side of the pole.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I personally wouldn't panic about this until the reports come back. If you think it will bother you, you could try to switch to one of the ones above that is without a pole (50% don't have the pole). If you can't switch, I think that since the pole is to one side of the other, we will probably be able to work around it, decorate it and hopefully learn to embrace it. :D

Thank you for marking the deck plans and posting this. It was immensely helpful.

If this is accurate, then we are in the lucky group that is pole free, albeit with a structural beam and solid wall next to us, but that is where cabin dividers are anyway.

Deck 11, Port side. Celebrity Suites

 

 

 

Thanks for the photo. Looks like our S2 will be one of those with the pillar/wall as part of the balcony.

 

Best I can tell, this will not terribly affect us as we were planning not trying to open our balcony to share with a neighboring cabin. It will simply give us a wall rather than a divider between our cabin and our neighbor. Our view will still be there and we can see fine when we look over our balcony railing, much the same as if we had a divider next to us.

 

Interestingly, I moved our cabin choice from a midship cabin to this location to be closer to the retreat area due to mobility limitations. Figured I would at least visit the pool, lounge, and easier to get to Luminae.

 

In any case, thanks for posting the pix and circling the pillar. This way less of a surprise when we board.

Once prices drop down we will go with a sky suite to try the suite life.

My gut tells me it will be quite awhile before the prices drop for suites or AQ class on the Edge. We are booked aboard Edge for Jan. 2019 for a suite, and I was looking at trying out an AQ cabin on a Nov. 2019 edge sailing. The fare for 2 in an AQ is almost 26% higher than what we paid for our initial suite booking...so, I am guessing the word is out on the Edge, and it will be at least 1-2 years before fare prices even begin to drop, unfortunately.

OK, I am a child of the 60's and...nope, nope. nope...take the van away! I am with that group that thinks the VW distracts from the simplicity, serenity and clean lines of the retreat area. For the money, I want a restful, but elegant area...not something I see at a surfer beach;p

Thank you both for reconfirming. I went ahead before I even saw these reconfirmations and canceled our specialty dining for day 5 as I liked what the MDR had on the menu. We already have one specialty dining for night 3, and given the menu posted, I kept that one in place.

Much appreciated the help, reconfirmation, and the posted menus:D. We are easren sailing, so should match up with info you have all shared.

Honestly, it surprised me that the second formal night was on day 5. I am used to it being on day 6.

Thanks for posting the menus as I will probably adjust my existing specialty restaurant reservations for our Oasis May 20 cruise based on these menus.

My thanks, again, to all who posted.

And, like the poster above, would appreciate confirmation that day 5, not day 6, was the second formal night.

Hello Onthebalcony and CintiPam -

 

I've learned from Hotel Operations that most European Union countries will have taxation policies and that the percentage varies from country to country. The taxation in Europe is very complicated and often the local authorities will change their rules and not notify the ship's management of those changes until the very last moment.

 

Also, the taxation is applied on anything sold onboard in the gift shops as well as on wine and beverages.

 

Thank you for asking about this situation which I did not realize was in place.

 

Regards,

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative o ACC)

Does this mean that there will be some kind of tax on all complimentary wine served with meals aboard Azamara ships (including Discovery MDR) if they only sail to EU ports? And, if so, how is that tax collected, as a surcharge each time you have a glass of wine or as an overall fee included in the cruise fare (with thre new pricing)?

We will be trying Azamara for the first time aboard the Quest on April 12, 2013, so all of this is new to me anyway.

Thank you in advance for your answer.