How Sweet Will The Suite Life Be On The Edge?

[omarchs]

28 minutes ago, WonderMan3 said:

 

If you watch that Affluent Journeys Edge tour video I shared in the Edge blocks thread he walks through the whole Retreat Lounge and there is no bar there. There is a bar up on the sundeck. I assume that when sitting in the lounge there will at least be cocktail service even though there is no bar to sit at.

Thanks! Seems like a strange decision when they are trying to create a dedicated suite area. Can’t expect the pool bar to stay open too late unless they have to staff it to allow waiters to get drinks there at night in the lounge. Suite lounges on NCL and MSC were always fun at night with the bar. Definite miss here In my opinion.

[WonderMan3]

2 minutes ago, omarchs said:

Thanks! Seems like a strange decision when they are trying to create a dedicated suite area. Can’t expect the pool bar to stay open too late unless they have to staff it to allow waiters to get drinks there at night in the lounge. Suite lounges on NCL and MSC were always fun at night with the bar. Definite miss here In my opinion.

 

Yeah, I'm a bit surprised too. I guess they wanted to have one bar and felt like the one on the deck would get utilized more, especially when you've got some very high profile interior bars like the Martini Bar that are very popular. NCL only has one bar in The Haven although it is inside.

[Mcampo]

47 minutes ago, WonderMan3 said:

 

If you watch that Affluent Journeys Edge tour video I shared in the Edge blocks thread he walks through the whole Retreat Lounge and there is no bar there. There is a bar up on the sundeck. I assume that when sitting in the lounge there will at least be cocktail service even though there is no bar to sit at.

Thank you! I need to watch that video you posted but my DH wants me to wait and be surprised, since we board on 12/6 for 10 days. Just seems weird not to have a bar inside especially since  the retreat lounge but not pool deck is suppose to be open to zenith. However, as long as they have servers who can bring drinks available all the time, it shouldn’t be an issue. We shall see in just 9 days!!! Can not wait. 

[Dr. Cocktail]

21 minutes ago, omarchs said:

Thanks! Seems like a strange decision when they are trying to create a dedicated suite area. Can’t expect the pool bar to stay open too late unless they have to staff it to allow waiters to get drinks there at night in the lounge. Suite lounges on NCL and MSC were always fun at night with the bar. Definite miss here In my opinion.

 

I've been lurking on the Edge boards for a while taking it all in.  I took what I thought was my last Celebrity Cruise 5 years ago after about 250 nights on board but have two booked this coming year because of the new Suite Class.

 

I'm frankly shocked at the Retreat and how "unspecial" it is. While I can't say MSC always has the most subtle interior design, the Topsail Lounge and One Pool deck with their numerous bars, buffets, antipasto stations and common areas leave Celebrity in the dust. Totally agree how much fun the bars in the Haven and Yacht Club are.

[C-Dragons]

5 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

 

If you watch that Affluent Journeys Edge tour video I shared in the Edge blocks thread he walks through the whole Retreat Lounge and there is no bar there. There is a bar up on the sundeck. I assume that when sitting in the lounge there will at least be cocktail service even though there is no bar to sit at.

I was speaking to a X agent today (while booking another cruise 😁) and mentioned that from recent reports from the Edge there didn’t appear to be a bar in the Retreat Lounge. She said that there was one in the Retreat pool area, and after checking with a supervisor, confirmed that there is indeed a bar in the Retreat lounge. Perhaps there is no seating area surrounding the bar for guests to sit at. Hopefully someone else on board can confirm this. 😊

Edited November 27, 2018 by C-Dragons

[WonderMan3]

32 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

I was speaking to a X agent today (while booking another cruise 😁) and mentioned that from recent reports from the Edge there didn’t appear to be a bar in the Retreat Lounge. She said that there was one in the Retreat pool area, and after checking with a supervisor, confirmed that there is indeed a bar in the Retreat lounge. Perhaps there is no seating area surrounding the bar for guests to sit at. Hopefully someone else on board can confirm this. 😊

 

You can judge for yourself by watching that video. He was very thorough walking the lounge from end to end and did not mention a bar nor did I see one. Maybe the person you spoke to was referring to the counters where they have coffee stations, drink coolers and snacks as a bar? You know, like a breakfast bar?

 

The Retreat Lounge section starts at around 3:49.

 

 

[C-Dragons]

2 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

 

You can judge for yourself by watching that video. He was very thorough walking the lounge from end to end and did not mention a bar nor did I see one. Maybe the person you spoke to was referring to the counters where they have coffee stations, drink coolers and snacks as a bar? You know, like a breakfast bar?

 

The Retreat Lounge section starts at around 3:49.

 

 

I did watch the video, which is why I asked X the question. 😊 I can only state what I was told. (As a disclaimer, we all know that X agents are not always fully informed.) 😉

Perhaps there is a prep area in the Retreat Lounge behind closed doors where the drinks will be prepared. The Retreat is quite large compared to Michael’s Clubs on other X ships. If the drinks are prepared behind closed doors it would allow the staff to work more efficiently (hopefully) when the Lounge is packed, which will probably become a common occurrence during happy hours. Can't wait until we personally experience it next week!

Edited November 28, 2018 by C-Dragons

[vtcruising]

Met one if the concierges today and he seems like he will be very good. He spent a great deal of time with us and is trying to arrange a special dinnner tomorrow night - we will see. I too haven’t seen a specific bar area - I wondered about it after I left. I’ll ask him tomorrow. 

 

I did the Retreat embarkation lounge today. Very nicely done with crab salad mini sandwiches , pastries, etc and drinks, coffee, tea  I went up on the roof and no one was there except 2 guards -apparently people have gone up there and then jumped down  and tried to board the ship. There was  a delay in clearing the ship so advantageous to be in a suite.

 

Luminae waiter said they have made some small changes to the menu and will be making more changes soon.

 

Love my S 1  bed facing the ocean more than I thought I would. Brushing your teeth and looking out at the ocean is cool. The tub/shower is wonderful except they didn’t put in a door and water leaks out- that will need to change. Kelly Hoppen rocker is long at base and leans back some - I put the soft

card the Tom- Tom up and used it as a footstool and was very comfortable. Others in suites at dinner were complaining about lack of loungers.

 

So far we are enjoying th suite life on the Edge. The commercial cruise this weekend will be a better test - all of the execs are onboard now....

 

 

 

 

[Tall-Cruiser]

1 hour ago, vtcruising said:

 

Luminae waiter said they have made some small changes to the menu and will be making more changes soon.

 

Love my S 1  bed facing the ocean more than I thought I would. Brushing your teeth and looking out at the ocean is cool. The tub/shower is wonderful except they didn’t put in a door and water leaks out- that will need to change. Kelly Hoppen rocker is long at base and leans back some - I put the soft

card the Tom- Tom up and used it as a footstool and was very comfortable. Others in suites at dinner were complaining about lack of loungers.

 

Glad to hear you are enjoying your S1. It wa a long wait but sounds like it was well worth it. The part about the discussion of loungers at dinner doesn't surprise me. Let's hope Celebrity is listening and will do something about it. 

 

All the best and enjoy your cruise. 

[TeeRick]

10 hours ago, vtcruising said:

Met one if the concierges today and he seems like he will be very good. He spent a great deal of time with us and is trying to arrange a special dinnner tomorrow night - we will see. I too haven’t seen a specific bar area - I wondered about it after I left. I’ll ask him tomorrow. 

 

I did the Retreat embarkation lounge today. Very nicely done with crab salad mini sandwiches , pastries, etc and drinks, coffee, tea  I went up on the roof and no one was there except 2 guards -apparently people have gone up there and then jumped down  and tried to board the ship. There was  a delay in clearing the ship so advantageous to be in a suite.

 

Luminae waiter said they have made some small changes to the menu and will be making more changes soon.

 

Love my S 1  bed facing the ocean more than I thought I would. Brushing your teeth and looking out at the ocean is cool. The tub/shower is wonderful except they didn’t put in a door and water leaks out- that will need to change. Kelly Hoppen rocker is long at base and leans back some - I put the soft

card the Tom- Tom up and used it as a footstool and was very comfortable. Others in suites at dinner were complaining about lack of loungers.

 

So far we are enjoying th suite life on the Edge. The commercial cruise this weekend will be a better test - all of the execs are onboard now....

 

 

 

 

 

So the S1's don't even have the reclining chairs with the separate foot stool like on other ships?  No way to put your feet up unless you improvise something?  Do I have that correct?  

[shirazcruiser]

Thanks for the review. We have a SS booked and wondered about the shower ourselves. I do love the bed facing the ocean, but does the TV on the side wall swing out enough to fully view?

[vtcruising]

15 hours ago, C-Dragons said:

I did watch the video, which is why I asked X the question. 😊 I can only state what I was told. (As a disclaimer, we all know that X agents are not always fully informed.) 😉

Perhaps there is a prep area in the Retreat Lounge behind closed doors where the drinks will be prepared. The Retreat is quite large compared to Michael’s Clubs on other X ships. If the drinks are prepared behind closed doors it would allow the staff to work more efficiently (hopefully) when the Lounge is packed, which will probably become a common occurrence during happy hours. Can't wait until we personally experience it next week!

So I asked Joao the concierge and there is no Retreat Lounge Bar. He said corporate (I think that is what he was implying) decided to do away with the division between bartender and guests. They have the prep area in back of the food area. They will prep the drinks there and distribute them and mix with guests as opposed to having a bar between them and guests. It didn’t make a lot of sense to me because they will be behind closed doors a lot (separated from guests). Oh well I’ll see how it works later!! Happy to try it out!

 

He  talked about the MC dinners a lot. It’s not just the discomfort of wind, it’s the safety they are concerned about. The DOTE may not happen a lot of the time. They will have to be absolutely sure it is safe. It will most likely be canceled for tonight because if the winds. Too bad because Joao was working hard to get us on it. May have to “settle “ for Raw in 5. 😀

 

They have bites from 2-4 on the Retreat Sundeck. You can see by the pool bar menu that the po bar will be charging for drinks and up charges.

 

The loungers are comfortable in the Retreat and drinks are good.  The high glass keeps most of the wind out but let’s the sun in. 

 

 

Edited November 28, 2018 by vtcruising

[C-Dragons]

2 hours ago, vtcruising said:

So I asked Joao the concierge and there is no Retreat Lounge Bar. He said corporate (I think that is what he was implying) decided to do away with the division between bartender and guests. They have the prep area in back of the food area. They will prep the drinks there and distribute them and mix with guests as opposed to having a bar between them and guests. It didn’t make a lot of sense to me because they will be behind closed doors a lot (separated from guests). Oh well I’ll see how it works later!! Happy to try it out!

 

He  talked about the MC dinners a lot. It’s not just the discomfort of wind, it’s the safety they are concerned about. The DOTE may not happen a lot of the time. They will have to be absolutely sure it is safe. It will most likely be canceled for tonight because if the winds. Too bad because Joao was working hard to get us on it. May have to “settle “ for Raw in 5. 😀

 

They have bites from 2-4 on the Retreat Sundeck. You can see by the pool bar menu that the po bar will be charging for drinks and up charges.

 

 

The loungers are comfortable in the Retreat and drinks are good.  The high glass keeps most of the wind out but let’s the sun in. 

 

 

Thanks for confirming the “bar” behind doors! 😊

I can understand why Corporate might have made this decision. We observed separate incidents on two different S-class ships where guests sitting at the bar became abusive to the bartenders. Allowing them to work in a separate area eliminates the potential for this to happen. Besides, it will be nice if they are able to mix with the guests instead of being confined behind the bar all day.

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 minute ago, C-Dragons said:

Thanks for confirming the “bar” behind doors! 😊

I can understand why Corporate might have made this decision. We observed separate incidents on two different S-class ships where guests sitting at the bar became abusive to the bartenders. Allowing them to work in a separate area eliminates the potential for this to happen. Besides, it will be nice if they are able to mix with the guests instead of being confined behind the bar all day.

 

It will also make it easier to secure the bar supplies during the hours when the Retreat is not staffed.  Of course that implies that passengers might steal things, so Celebrity would want to use a different explanation 

[WonderMan3]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

It will also make it easier to secure the bar supplies during the hours when the Retreat is not staffed.  Of course that implies that passengers might steal things, so Celebrity would want to use a different explanation 

 

Isn’t that the same situation with Michael’s Club on the other ships though? It is 24 hours but not always staffed and they have a bar.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Just now, WonderMan3 said:

 

Isn’t that the same situation with Michael’s Club on the other ships though? It is 24 hours but not always staffed and they have a bar.

 

Right.  Maybe Celebrity has had problems with that set-up which they are fixing on Edge?

[C-Dragons]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

It will also make it easier to secure the bar supplies during the hours when the Retreat is not staffed.  Of course that implies that passengers might steal things, so Celebrity would want to use a different explanation 

True.

But the hard liquor and wines are taken down off the shelves at night and stored in a locked container when the bar is not staffed. I would warn anyone with itchy fingers that I am pretty sure there are surveillance cameras in MIchael's Clubs and they are probably in the Retreat as well. 😉

[vtcruising]

I talked to him about the pool bar not being complimentary and he said that at this time that was true. It is a work in progress and they’ve talked about it being crazy to have the beer and soda available to take for free in the Lounge but up the stairs charge. They are looking at having things like that available free up by the pool (kind of like what we saw in the hippie bus), but not the cocktails  - those would usually be covered by the package.

 

He said a lot of things have evolved, such as the layout of the Retreat and even his desk - again they want to not separate the concierge from the guests so have a round table with chairs instead of a typical desk.

Edited November 28, 2018 by vtcruising

[MizDemeanor]

Celebrity has to relieve itself in the Retreat of the Michael's Club persona. Its a real conflict. If they can't get past MC right now then the Retreat will not be able to accelerate beyond The Haven. 

 

I'm Ok to wait a few more weeks, but the Retreat is falling a bit short for me sorry to say. A lot of seating but a good bit missing for a ship within a ship idea. 

Edited November 28, 2018 by MizDemeanor

[BurBunny]

10 minutes ago, MizDemeanor said:

Celebrity has to relieve itself in the Retreat of the Michael's Club persona. Its a real conflict. If they can't get past MC right now then the Retreat will not be able to accelerate beyond The Haven. 

 

I'm Ok to wait a few more weeks, but the Retreat is falling a bit short for me sorry to say. A lot of seating but a good bit missing for a ship within a ship idea. 

 

But was the Retreat intended to be a ship within a ship concept... or an enhanced suite experience?  Since so few cabins are actually "within" the Retreat area, as opposed to the Haven, I'd maintain the SWS notion wasn't the goal.  It's natural to compare to Haven or Yacht Club, but those areas have far fewer eligible suites to serve.  

[MizDemeanor]

It was my impression that it planned to be. If not, then what, MikesClub in its own right was at least a reliable offering. What is the enhancement now, a private pool area? Without a bar? Haven and Yacht Club are superior to all of this effort. Celebrity retains Aqua Class and that sets them apart, but with the costliest cabins not getting any real Edge over other lines that offer such an enveloping experience for its suite guests, it is falling flat for me for they very high prices that have garnered for the 'experience'. So much so that lines like NCL have jacked up prices Haven prices since Celebrity has been able to 'get' pricing with this ship. 

[BurBunny]

18 minutes ago, MizDemeanor said:

It was my impression that it planned to be. If not, then what, MikesClub in its own right was at least a reliable offering. What is the enhancement now, a private pool area? Without a bar? Haven and Yacht Club are superior to all of this effort. Celebrity retains Aqua Class and that sets them apart, but with the costliest cabins not getting any real Edge over other lines that offer such an enveloping experience for its suite guests, it is falling flat for me for they very high prices that have garnered for the 'experience'. So much so that lines like NCL have jacked up prices Haven prices since Celebrity has been able to 'get' pricing with this ship. 

 

Even if the Retreat experience is less in comparison than Haven, I'd still much rather sail in a Retreat cabin than the Haven (and yes, I have sailed Haven) because I'll also enjoy the rest of the ship on Celebrity.

[MizDemeanor]

3 minutes ago, BurBunny said:

 

Even if the Retreat experience is less in comparison than Haven, I'd still much rather sail in a Retreat cabin than the Haven (and yes, I have sailed Haven) because I'll also enjoy the rest of the ship on Celebrity.

 

Enjoy!!! 

 

We had stopped sailing Celebrity because we thought they fell short with higher end suites, service levels lacked and it was mediocre at best. Since then they added Luminae. But in that time we found favor in Haven on NCL. We booked Edge to come back to Celebrity based on the idea that it could match or better the offering.

 

Sorry, just not seeing it so far.

 

One person, the Concierge, a big deal to a Suite Guest on other lines....on this line placed at an obscure desk area, seemingly marginalized and put out of the way to make them fit into a 'round' design...why??? 

 

 

 

 

[omarchs]

I agree with everyone’s comments. Not overly impressed with this new suite setup so far, but will reserve judgement until we sail in just over a week.

 

Basically the Edge suite class provides a pool deck which is nice, but probably too small for the number of suite guests. Personal preference is to sit at a bar so think Retreat lounge is a downgrade to Michael’s IMO. The ship seems to have a shortage of nighttime lounges compared to other ships which is why I would have preferred a full scale Retreat lounge with bar.

 

Luminae menu is 1/2 the size compared to the other Celebrity ships since they don’t offer the main dining room menu.

 

VT’s pictures of the suite area in the new terminal do look nice so there is one big plus 😎

 

 

[MizDemeanor]

9 minutes ago, omarchs said:

I agree with everyone’s comments. Not overly impressed with this new suite setup so far, but will reserve judgement until we sail in just over a week.

 

Basically the Edge suite class provides a pool deck which is nice, but probably too small for the number of suite guests. Personal preference is to sit at a bar so think Retreat lounge is a downgrade to Michael’s IMO. The ship seems to have a shortage of nighttime lounges compared to other ships which is why I would have preferred a full scale Retreat lounge with bar.

 

Luminae menu is 1/2 the size compared to the other Celebrity ships since they don’t offer the main dining room menu.

 

VT’s pictures of the suite area in the new terminal do look nice so there is one big plus 😎

 

 

I'll be looking for your comments if you would be so kind as to share your impressions once you return from your sailing. TIA!