ohhbother

Hi all. Enjoying a relaxing day aboard the Edge as she’s docked in Nassau. Some observations from today:

- I’m not loving the Oceanview Cafe. There’s not a wide variety of food at lunch. Maybe it’s just because I’m craving Asian and there’s none to be found, but the selections have seemed limited. 

- There were plenty of loungers on the top decks today. My DH and I sat on Deck 15 for awhile and had a whole section to ourselves. We then went to the main pool area after lunch and grabbed loungers in the second row from the pool. There were plenty to choose from. 

- The hamburgers at Mast Grill are really tasty. DH and I split one after deciding we didn’t like the Oceanview Cafe choices. 

To answer some questions from the thread:

- Regarding room keys, when we got to the room, the door was unlocked. We came on in and looked around. We didn’t want to leave our stuff since we didn’t have keys, so we went back to the hall. We ran into our stateroom attendant in the hall, and she gave us a folder with our keys in them. I don’t know that this is more efficient than just giving them out at check-in. I assume if we hadn’t run into her, she would have delivered the keys to our room at some point. 

- There are photographers around the ship. Last night, we had candid photos made outside the restaurant after dinner, while walking through the Grand Plaza and as we entered Eden. 

-  I’m not sure there’s a “schedule” for the martini bar light show. It seems like there’s a five-minute show with music and lights every few minutes. We haven’t stayed in that area long enough to determine if there’s a regularity/pattern. 

- We asked for a table for two in Normandie and were seated by ourselves at a table for four. So there were no other diners near us. It did seem some of the two-tops are pretty close together, but we have no firsthand experience with those yet. 

Some neat things we’ve noticed:

- The “do not disturb” signs for the staterooms are actually magnets. They say “deep sleep.” I like them - they stay put rather than falling in the floor like the plastic ones tend to do. You just slap the magnet on the outside of the door when you want to be left alone. 

- The layout of the stateroom is very functional. We have the bed near the balcony and like the flow. We have so much storage that we have entire drawers that are empty. I’m confident we’d have plenty of storage space for a seven-day cruise. 

- The bathroom is really spacious. Love the bigger sink. And the shower is very nice. The “shaving ledge” is such a nice touch - wish more places did that. No shower acrobatics trying to shave my legs!

- We’re really torn on the IV. It allows a ton of light into the cabin. And in the sense of the window, we use it far more than we do a traditional balcony - we can relax on the bed and clearly see the ocean - love that! But because it gets hot in the room, we don’t open the window very much. So it’s much more like an Oceanview room with a really big window.  I’m sitting on the bed now. Here’s my current view. Much better than you’d have from a traditional balcony. So in that sense, the IV is nice. 

Agree with the comment about wishing there were outlets on both sides of the bed. I often stay awake on my phone after my husband goes to sleep, and we literally just noticed the outlets are on his side but not mine. Oh well - first-world problems for sure!

A couple of our photos taken by the ship’s photographers. The digital package is really easy to use. I was able to go online and download these directly to my phone. Very cool!

Just came back to the stateroom. Some recap thoughts for day one:

- As someone else noted, check-in was incredibly easy. No lines of any sort. Just walked in, someone scanned my pass on my phone and scanned my passport, asked us if we’d had flu symptoms in the past seven days and then that was it. Easy peasy. No forms to fill out. No keys to pick up. Keys were delivered to our stateroom by our steward. 

- Dinner at Normandie was delicious. I had the baked Brie, crispy Thai beef spring roll, beef tenderloin and guava sorbet. Mark had the potato tart, some sort of salad with arugula, the beef tenderloin, opera cake and guava sorbet. The standouts were the appetizers - all three were delicious. The baked brie was divine. 

- The “light show” above the martini bar is a lot of fun. If you’ve ever seen Trans Siberian Orchestra perform, it’s very similar. Dancing lights synchronized to electric-pop-classical music. Very loud. Fun vibe but I imagine it was impossible to have dinner conversation in the nearby restaurants. 

- We bought the unlimited digital photo package for $130. We’ve already had more than a dozen photos made. We’re going to get our money’s worth!

- Went to the solarium after dinner, and it - and all of deck 14 - was deserted. We had the HUGE hot tub in the solarium to ourselves for awhile. Seriously, 20 people could fit in that hot tub. There’s only one in the solarium, but it’s a big one!

- As for questions about the IV, we haven’t closed the bifold doors to see what effect - if any - that has on the AC. We might try that tomorrow. 

- Part of the reason we haven’t closed the veranda doors is because the space over there is SO tight. You have to move the chairs to get “on” the veranda,

and you have to move them again to get out. There’s no floor space at all. The two chairs and table take it all up. I do have to say the chairs are much more

comfortable than they look!

- I do think the IV rooms would be great on a cold-weather cruise. We would have loved having that huge “window” in Norway and the Bristish Isles. 

- We have a dinner reservation at Eden Monday night but are canceling it. We don’t eat seafood, and most of the courses have no options other than seafood. I was hoping the menu had more choices than what’s listed on the app, but it doesn’t.  We went by tonight and looked at the actual menu - a no-go for us. 

- We do plan to have lunch at the Eden Cafe. Went by there today and the sandwiches look really good. Snack note - they have bags of Lays chips just sitting out. We grabbed a couple for in-room snacking. A nice treat!

- We’re really enjoying exploring all the nooks and crannies of the ship. The furniture is really colorful and eclectic - just like the artwork. 

With that, I think we’re going to turn in. We hope to get an early start to what should be a packed day tomorrow. I wonder if anyone at all will get off the ship in Nassau. We’re sure not. The ship IS the destination!

1 hour ago, kearney said:

Out of curiousity... what cabin number. They did update their obstructed cabin list... but missed a few. This one should have made the list because of the davit.... the thingy that holds the lifeboats and tenders. VT located this document somewhere... not sure of her source... but I do know that they missed a few near the back of the ship...

EDGE_50Percent_Obstructed_View.pdf

The cabin number is 6243. It’s not a terrible obstruction. For three days, I’m not sweating it. If this were a longer cruise, I’d be unhappy. I hadn’t seen the list of obstructed view cabins - oh well. It’s really not that big a deal. 

I’m not sure what I think of the infinite veranda. It’s really not like a balcony. It’s more like having an open window in the room since you never step outside. You don’t get the feeling of being outdoors. At the moment, we have the window open and it’s becoming uncomfortably warm in the room. Going to have to close it so the AC can cool it down in here. 

Biggest complaint so far - and it’s a minor one — the broadcast of the SEC championship game isn’t working. There are some very unhappy football fans onboard! 

We have dinner reservations at 7

in Normandie, so we’re anxious to see what that’s like. Normandie was also our muster station.

I did make it to the shops when they opened. I’m $250 poorer but now have an Edge ship model, two Edge shirts and a pair of Edge yoga pants. 

Other random notes:

- The Magic Carpet was “at capacity” at sail away. You couldn’t go in until someone left. 

- The sweet treats at the various cafes

differ at each location. It’s nice having some variety. 

- The all-female group performing by the martini bar is really good. Folksy. I enjoy that style of music. 

- There’s a ton of storage in the IV staterooms, and the bathroom is quite spacious. A really good use of space!

19 minutes ago, dides said:

 

Thanks for the review so far and great pictures.  Where do you go to get added to the Dinner on the Edge list?

We saw the hostess at Cosmopolitan Restaurant. That’s where the host on the Magic Carpet directed us. I’m not super confident in the process. She literally wrote our stateroom number on a notepad - no other notes or anything. We’ll see if anything comes of it!

Off to muster drill now!

And here’s a view of our IV - I would think this should be labeled as obstructed view going forward. We wouldn’t book it again. 

OP here. We are on board the Edge! We got to the terminal around 10:30 and boarded with Select guests right at 11 am. 

Staterooms weren’t ready until 1, but we were able to drop our bags by the room. We are IV Cabin 6243. Be forewarned - the view is somewhat obstructed by a lifeboat. An unwelcome surprise but not terrible. We can still see out. I’m very glad we’re booked in an S1 corner aft for our weeklong cruise in April and won’t have to worry about obstructions. 

Thus far, we’ve toured the ship and grabbed a light lunch in Oceanview Cafe. Initial impressions - the ship feels smaller than I expected. I guess because we were just on the mammoth NCL Bliss a few weeks ago, this one is definitely smaller in comparison. 

The artwork on the ship is beautiful. Everything is very understated and elegant - live saxophone music beside the martini bar, for instance. Very soothing.

Thus far, our favorite spaces are the Rooftop Garden and Eden. Eden is really a beautiful space. 

We’ve put our name on a list for Dinner on the Edge if it’s offered. They’re supposed to call us to confirm when they decide if the weather will allow it. 

Were now resting in our stateroom for a bit and just getting oriented. Btw, unlimited WiFi for two devices for duration of the cruise was $93. 

Here are a few random photos thus far:

And there she is! Off to breakfast downstairs, and then we’re heading to the terminal!

13 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

We are at the 15th Street Fisheries for dinner. Scored an outside seat by the guitar player. If any Edgies are here, I’m in a black Edge hat - come and say hi!😀

Enjoy! We're ordered dinner in. Our day started with a 5 am wakeup call, so we're curled up in our PJs and getting ready to watch college football in a bit. Look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow. I'll be on the lookout for your black Edge hat. I'm blonde, 5'6 and will be wearing green capris with a navy top. Hope we can say hi!

The Silhouette is heading out. Tomorrow, that will be us on the Edge!

We booked the hotel shuttle to the port. $9 per person seems reasonable and hopefully hassle-free. We’re planning on heading over around 9:30 tomorrow morning. We want to have time to check out the new terminal. 

Getting excited now! If anyone has any specific requests for info about the ship, let me know. I’ll do my best to seek answers and report back once on board. 

We’re safely tucked in our room at the Embassy Suites on 17th. Amazingly, our room was ready when we arrived around 10:30. From our balcony, we can see the beautiful Celebrity Silhouette, as well as Veendam and Serenade of the Seas. 

We’re pleased with the hotel thus far. Accommodations are nice - not luxurious, but nice. And the room comes with free hot breakfast in the morning and free drinks in the afternoon. All in all, a comfortable place to spend this pre-cruise night. We also have a room booked here before our April 7 cruise on the Edge. 

We did have one sour note thus far. We had an unscrupulous taxi driver who wanted us to pay $20 cash for the short drive from the airport. I insisted on using a credit card. Amazingly, the fare was only $12 when I did that. He did NOT get a tip. 

Now we’re just relaxing in the room since our day started with a 5 am wake up call for our early flight. We’ll walk to Panera soon to grab some lunch, and then we shop. I can see TJ Maxx from my balcony. 🙂

OP here. We’re on board our flight, about to depart chilly Myrtle Beach, SC,

for the much warmer Florida coast. We’re scheduled to land in Ft. Lauderdale around 10:55, and then we’re heading to the Embassy Suites. Not sure what we’re going to do to pass the time today - Google Maps tells me there’s a TJ Max nearby, so it may be a day for some laid-back Christmas shopping. Good thing we have extra room in the luggage!

I do have to say packing for this trip was a challenge. With forecasted highs in the 80s for the cruise but lows in the 40s when we’re back at Disney World, we had to bring everything from shorts to coats and sweatshirts!

I can’t believe we’re finally on our way!

Hi everyone.

It's almost our turn! I'm Amy, 46, and my DH, Mark, 50, and I are flying from our home in Pawleys Island, SC, to Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow morning on an 8:10 am flight. We're looking forward to a quiet day at the Embassy Suites - and then on Saturday morning we board the Edge! This three-day cruise was a fairly last-minute decision. We booked an IV cabin once we realized the dates aligned perfectly with our annual Christmas-season visit to Disney World (we're annual passholders and go several times a year). We're sailing the Edge for a seven-day cruise in April for our 24th wedding anniversary -- we booked an S1 corner aft in March '17 and have been counting down the days ever since. So this three-day cruise will be the "appetizer" before the main course in April.

Mark and I are seasoned cruisers, and Celebrity is our preferred line. We do cruise multiple lines, though, and actually just enjoyed a five-day Pacific coast cruise on the brand-new Norwegian Bliss in early October. So it will be a treat to contrast NCL's newest ship with Celebrity's new entrant to the market. The Bliss was an amazing ship -- definitely exceeded expectations. Hopefully, the Edge will as well.

I'll do my best to update this post throughout the cruise - I know lots of people are looking for every kernel of new information. We're planning to dine in Normandie, Tuscany and Eden, so we'll have dinner reviews from each. We'll also be taking in as many activities as we can.

Hopefully, we'll be able to share some insight and information that will help our fellow Edge enthusiasts!

8 minutes ago, WonderMan3 said:

A look at some Eden performers. Looks a bit...eclectic..

That does look ... interesting. Guess we’ll see for ourselves shortly. We have dinner reservations there on Monday night. 

1 hour ago, jcCruiserNYC said:

 

Was this "Texas chili" an off-the-menu item? If it was in the menu, then wouldn't the crew know the proper preparation of it?

Nope. It was on the lunch menu in the dining room that day. No idea how the issue happened. But several of us at the table all got ice-cold "chilly" chili. On the positive side, we had the best dessert I've ever had on a cruise ship for lunch that same day -- a delicious (and warm) blueberry cobbler.

Would love to see the dinner menu from Eden if someone on board can share it. I'm wondering if what's showing in the app is the entire menu. We don't eat seafood, so I hope there are more options than what the app shows. If not, we'll be canceling our Dec. 3 dinner reservation. 

We'll be joining you on Dec. 1. Can't wait! Haven't ever been this excited for a three-day cruise!

We'll be on board with you. Looking forward to a wonderful, albeit brief, adventure!

1 hour ago, BNBR said:

And you sure do gotta love all of the snarky, passive aggressive "what did your insurance say?" comments.

Agreed. Those comments paint such an unflattering portrait of the individuals posting them. The smugness on display in this thread  is alarming!

Not on NCL but on Disney years ago. Had lunch in the dining room on a sea day. Several people at our table ordered the "Texas chili" as an appetizer. When the cups of chili were served, they were cold. Not lukewarm but refrigerated ice cold. We all politely expressed concern to the server, but he just kept saying "chili." We figured out the kitchen staff was thinking "chilly." Needless to say, no one at the table ate any of the chilly chili. My husband and I still laugh about it anytime we have chili all these years later.

We're booked in an S1 corner aft on the 4/7/19 sailing. Booked in March '17 and paid $6600 total for two people with Go Best and $300 obc.  Same room is currently $12K for two people. So we're pretty happy with our price.

We're sitting at LAX - just left the beautiful Norwegian Bliss. We're experienced cruisers, having sailed more than 20 times with Celebrity, Princess, RCCL and Disney. This five-day Pacific Coast cruise on the Bliss was our first experience with NCL, but it won't be our last.

First, the ship is beautiful. Stunning, really. Our BA stateroom, 11182, was fantastic with a large angled balcony. We booked a guarantee at a great rate, so we were thrilled to get this centrally located cabin with the lovely larger balcony.

Our biggest surprise on the ship had to be the food quality. We most recently cruised Princess (two-week European cruise in April) and found the food to be anywhere from mediocre to nearly inedible. Bliss was the exact opposite. From the Garden View cafe to all the specialty restaurants, the food was just fantastic. We particularly enjoyed La Cucina and Los Lobos. My husband remarked several times that the food was "restaurant quality" and not "banquet hall quality."

The other really nice surprise was how pleasant the crew was. People were just very friendly - a big departure from our most recent Princess experience. The "washy-washy" song is stuck in my head permanently, I fear.

We bought Thermal Suite passes beforehand and definitely got our money's worth. We spent hours every day enjoying the therapy pool, the sauna, the snow room and the heated loungers.

We didn't do any excursions -- just chose to enjoy the beautiful ship. We did walk around Victoria a bit just to explore on foot, but that was it.

We loved the waterslides! Didn't do go carts or Laser tag, but we plan to next time. We've already booked the Bliss to Alaska next May. And we're taking our entire extended family with us this time. We know they'll love this wonderful ship as much as we do!

Oh - and sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge twice was so cool. We got up at 6:30 am and sailed in under beautiful clear skies. We sailed out at 7 pm, and the fog was so thick you couldn't see the iconic bridge until we were basically directly underneath it. We were on the top deck for that, and it was quite the experience. Everyone cheered as we slipped right under the bridge, fog horn blaring and cutting through the dense fog. A spectacular memory!

If you have any questions, let me know. I'll do my best to answer.

We'll be joining you on the ship Sunday!