rachelmle1

42 minutes ago, mafig said:

So nice of you to let us know.💗

Hoping to spread some holiday cheer for someone! 

If any of you are booked on the Celebrity Edge on the Dec 22nd holiday sailing - I just wanted to let you know that there are 2 Sunset Verandah rooms that opened up.  My family and I had to cancel last minute due to a medical issue and these are such great staterooms.  I would love for a Cruise Critic member to snag them!!!!  We are so sad to cancel....we've had this trip booked for over a year and we were so excited  :(

Happy holidays to everyone and happy new year!

Hi- this exact same thing happened to me last week!!! I booked with a $400 OBC and made a few dining reservations (back in February) using some the funds. All of a sudden last week I received a bill stating that I now owe payment for the reservations.  I was super confused so I called Celebrity.   Ends up $300 of my OBC literally vanished.  They instructed me to have my TA call them so they could reinstate the other $300.  I don’t understand why they could just reinstate it with me on the phone if they were able to see the glitch?!?! Regardless, I asked my TA to call - he did- and Celeb reinstated my $300 OBC.   

Super weird - and super shifty.   I’m so glad I caught this! That would have been money down the drain. 

OP-

We have sailed on RCCL numerous times and have had the same issue.  We were told to book online and that the children’s difference in price would be credited back automatically to us onboard.  Not only did this not happen automatically - but it was  HUGE pain in the butt to get the credits through customer service while on board.  

After a couple of cruises like this we decided to just make the reservation for a party of 2, and then when we board the ship we go straight to the Host of each restaurant, explain the situation, and change the reservation to a party of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids).  Every single time the dining  Host is aware of the booking issue and changes our reservation to reflect the proper table for 4. 

Its SO ANNOYING.  This issue has been going on for years and never fixed.  (I’m also sure they are making a pretty penny for all of the people that don’t recognize the glitch and/or forget to fight for their refunds!)

FWIW, we’ve sailed on RCCL’s Anthem of the Seas for the past 2 years during their holiday and/or NYE sailing.  For Xmas eve and NYE they had festive decorations in the main dining rooms and a special printed menu for both nights.  In the specialty dining restaurants they inflated the price greatly for those holiday dinners and had special menus.  I remember for NYE they sold tables for the countdown and midnight party anywhere from $200-$500 per table. Seemed ridiculous to us that you had to pay just to sit down.  It seemed like such a money grab to us and left us with a bad taste in our mouth.  

Hopefully Celebrity shows more class and doesn’t nickel and dime on our Xmas cruise this year.

Hi - yes, I was able to book seats, but I wasn’t able to take our United status into account when choosing the seats. (My husband is Global Services and we get automatic Economy Plus seating, along with free checked bags.) I was told that once we pay for the tickets we will be able to change our seats through the United app.  As of now, my confirmation and regular economy seats are showing up through the United app, but I am not able to change the seats since the fight isn’t paid for yet. 

I hope that that makes sense! 

9 hours ago, alcpa1 said:

OP,

If you are flying down to FLL the day of the cruise I strongly urge you to have passports for your entire family in case you don't make your embarkation and the cruise air department sends you on to one of the foreign islands on your itinerary. On a closed loop cruise like you are taking you don't NEED a passport but for flights you do.

Also continue to monitor your reservation for both schedule and/or equipment changes. 

Make sure the cruise air phone number is available with your docs too.

 

We always keep our passports on our person - also, we are flying down a day early just to be on the safe side 🙂

55 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

I wonder if “gray will be the new red and green” again this year.  These are from 2028 edge Christmas

I actually love the silver/white decorations! 

Same! Following. 

Thank you for all of the replies!! I double checked all info and went ahead and booked flights with Celebrity.  I am booked through United, and I do not owe payment until cruise final payment is due 🙂 I’ll now have to stalk the flight prices to see if they go down so I can hopefully get a price adjustment!!  

I am going on the Edge Xmas cruise with my family and flights to FLL are outrageously expensive!!!  We are frequent travelers to Florida during Winter Break, but this year is bonkers with flight prices.   I noticed that "Flights by Celebrity" has the best price I've found so far.  As I understand, we can lock this fare in - but we don't have to pay for the flights until final payment is due in September.  They also guarantee that we will make it to the ship one way or another (on their dime) if there's a delay or cancellation - along with a guarantee that we will make it to the airport in time for our departing flight after the cruise.  Has anyone used this "Flights by Celebrity" booking service?  If so, what has been your experience?

41 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

You will be assigned one of the 4 MDRs, with the possibility of trying others at 6:00, if there is availability. There are 7 regional items in each MDR that are different from the other 3 (3 starters, 3 entrees and 1 dessert and stay the same each night) - otherwise the menus will be the same in each MDR (has a 14 day rotation).

 

These Edge Dining FAQs may help:

 

EDGE_Culinary_Reveal_FAQS_2_22.pdf 232.4 kB · 2 downloads

Ahh - this is helpful!  So, you're saying that the 3 "special" starters/mains per dining room are fixed and do not vary night to night, correct?  The rest of the daily menus are the same in all 4 main dining rooms and change each night (like traditional dining on other ships)?

Does one of the 4 dining rooms on the Edge have a better reputation than the others?  Do all 4 share the same galley?

I am a little confused about the “early 6pm dinner seating” on the Edge.  Does this mean that we would only be assigned to one of the 4 main dining rooms? Or would we be able to eat at any of the 4 at 6pm on any given night?  How much do the restaurants differ in menus each night? Are the menus totally different? Or only 2 or 3 dishes?

15 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

Having sailed on both, I would say the Equinox unless you are staying in an S1 or S2 on the edge.  I would also "assume" the cost of the sailing would be more cost effective on the Equinox.  

We are in an SV (Sunset Veranda) room

4 hours ago, villauk said:

I know you have stated that you are not price conscious, but out of curiosity, what is the difference in price between the two sailings?

2 adults 2 kids in same cabin for the Xmas sailings:

Equinox is $6500 for Concierge Verandah Room - only 2 perks included

Edge is $7500 for Sunset Verandah with all 4 perks included (including Premium beverage plan)

4 hours ago, rM3panno said:

I won’t really recommend one over the other as we have sailed on both with family and both are great! 

 

Equinox is a beautiful ship and we will be on her again this Thanksgiving but we sailed the Edge over the past New Year and I think it is a great mix for all ages. The Kids club on X always treats our son like royalty and he loves it. The Edge has some unique areas which I think benefit the Kids club as it gives them some great places to play. For the adults, the Edge definitely shows it’s newness and overall feels like a swanky hotel more than a cruise ship. Either way, I think you will love it. We are Celebrity loyalists and have cruises since we were kids and now our kids go and enjoy it as well. You may see mixed reviews but we feel Celebrity has a great blend of activities and the fewer children allows for more staff supervision and interaction.

Wonderful information.  Thx for the response and input!

Where do you live? I live in NJ and have found that it just makes more sense just to Uber or take a car service to and from the port.  

2 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

I saw two SVs, with one next to the S1 corner suite and the balconies did connect. There were two couple who were friends in the cabins and they loved the SV's. Here is a picture of the connected balconies (I think they were in 10269 and 10271). They were very nice balconies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have an SV booked for January and can't wait! 🙂

So great- thanks for the pics! Yes, I looked - one cabin is next to the corner S1 and then the cabin next to that one.  Those balconies look great. 

How does the quad room work? On RCCL it was a couch that doubled as a bed and then a lower trundle bed that pulled out. Is it the same on the Edge?

27 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

I haven't brought children on X, but I imagine both ships would be wonderful for a family. Here is a Edge-specific flyer for family activities.

 

As hcat said, if you have more than one SV many do connect at the balconies, but it has been reported that the two middle ones do not connect (though each connect to the SV balconies on the other side).

 

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/Flyers/Camp_at_Sea_Flyer.pdf

Oh wow- thanks for posting that flyer. ALL of those activities look right up our alley!!!! So great. 

Good to know about the connecting SV balconies! We are on the side SV’s (not smack in the middle of the stern). I think one of the cabins is next to the corner suite and the other is right next door of that.  

2 minutes ago, jelayne said:

I would go with the Edge.  We have cruised the Equinox many times and it is a great ship.  We have also been on the Edge and it is spectacular.  Since you have booked a Sunset Veranda you will have a traditional balcony that is larger than most on the a Equinox.   Many who dislike the Edge dislike the Infinite Veranda, but since you are in a SV that isn’t a concern.

 

Since Celebrity doesn’t have the bells & whistles ( ice rink, Broadway shows, flowriders,etc) you & family may find the Equinox rather hohum. .  The Edge has  more of a WOW factor.  We found the food and service on the Edge to be a step up from the other Celebrity ships and we have always enjoy very good food and service on all their ships.

My overall main concern of sailing Celebrity with the kids is that they are going to be bored.  With that being said - we needed a change of pace from the RCCL megas.  We felt like there was so much in-your-face activity options that we were literally running from one activity to the next and didn't get a break!  As long as my kids have one activity per day while on the ship, I'm good with that.  They can entertain each other with card games, books, mad libs, etc by the pool.  

Is there really no shade on the Edge pool deck????

7 minutes ago, mhafod said:

Not really, it is still in top shape. In addition, the Equinox is going for drydock (although not as thorough as planned) in a couple of days.

 

 

I saw that - but it looks like it's going to benefit Suite guests the most.  (We will be in verandah rooms - not suites.)

7 minutes ago, mhafod said:

While we, as a family, have not cruised with the Edge yet, we sailed on Equinox three times. The last one was during christmas 2018. It was the best one from every angle.

 

Entertainement was very good and comparable to what you can find on royal (smaller ship may be since we did not  try the mega ships).

 

I would go on the Equinox in a heartbeat. Highly recommend.

Did you feel like the Equinox showed its age?

On 3/5/2019 at 10:06 PM, coloradosmom said:

We leave on Sunday on the Edge with our 10 and 12 year olds.  We booked a long time ago and were disappointed that the final reveal didn't include a basketball court or any area for them to burn off some energy.  I'm hoping because it is Spring Break they will have a little more activities than what OP described. 

 Coloradosmom - do you have any update?  how was the Edge?

My family is currently booked on the Edge in a Sunset Verandah room for the Xmas sailing.  We are a family of six (two adults- 40 yrs old, a 7 & 9 year old, and my in laws who are in their late 60's.)  We have only sailed on the large RCCL mega ships in the past and my in-laws really wanted to try out Celebrity this time around.

I've been trolling the boards and it seems like there very mixed reviews about the Edge.  There is also a Xmas sailing of the Equinox during the same week - but I'm a bit nervous about being on an older ship.  With that being said - I'm also nervous about the Edge!  It appears that there is zero shade on the pool deck and that the overall entertainment and daytime activity options are lacking.  But here's the question - are the entertainment options just a bust for the very seasoned cruisers? Or would they be of interest to our multi-generational family? 

Please take the price of the cruise out of the equation - we just want a nice fit for our family for the holiday. 

Any info or advice is well appreciated!

5 hours ago, villauk said:

 

 

From previous experience, there are usually far more kids on the holiday sailings and I would expect even more this year on Edge with the ‘kids go free’ promotion (presuming it’s not exempt from the offer 🤔).

I’m  SO GLAD you mentioned this promo! I didn’t know about the Kids Sail Free promo, called my TA, and just got around $300 knocked off our cruise fare!  I love it when that happens 🙂 Thx again for mentioning it!!