The”show” is spilling out of Eden

[BarbarianPaul]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

I suppose that you could block all 499 Cruise Critic reviewers that gave the Edge a lower rating than the S Class.

 

Or you could listen to the reviewers and see if they aligned with your cruising style.

 

The Edge is a different ship.  Some give it 5 stars others 2 for an average of 3.5.  I would see which group you are in.  If you like Disney the Edge could be your ship.  If you like a lot of people around in order to be fulfilled the Edge could be your ship.

 

I have not seen a ship that is such a negative or positive for Cruise Critic reviews.  I figure that it is a younger vs seasoned cruiser rating.  An RCL vs Celebrity rating.  See which bin you belong to and see if it will work for you.  I like more smaller intimate venues and not the fewer venues crammed into one.  That is the reason I abondonded RCL.  That is the reason that I will not sail Edge or Apex again.

 

If I am annoying you with my truthful experience then I hope that you will join Cruise 5 Star (another happy to glad board) sponsored by Celebrity.

 

Any ship review less than a 4.0 is a joke on Celebrity.  But the Edge manages to get lower reviews.  Don't shoot the messenger.  Process the data.

 

Yes there are some intimate venues on the Edge during the day.  We did not find a single one on our European sailing during the evenings.  Seriously.  In the evenings you skip the pool deck as the wife has spent time on the hair,  That leaves you with Eden, Grand Foyer, and the Club.  The Club does not open until later in the evening.  So it is pretty easy to go back and forth between Eden and the Grand Foyer on the Edge.  Do you need a schedule?  No.  You just walk back and forth and see what is going on.  Of course you stop by the Club to see if anything is going on.

 

For our cruising style we like to go to the spa and relax.  It was more packed on sea days than S class.

 

I fully applaud the critic part of this board so that I can adjust my cruise and/or select a different ship.   I am fully annoyed by the happy to glad cruisers where nothing can go wrong no matter how bad it is.

 

If the Edge is sailing a 7 day itinerary in the Carib this is not the best itinerary either.  Geez sail down to the ABCs for 12 days or better.

 

While I do recognize that sailing the Carrribean could be different than the Greek Isles,  I don't think that you can get past them taking out half of the entertainment venues  and consolidating them into large LOUD and SHOUTY venues.

 

While I did not see the Edenists spilling into other venues I thought that the shows were silly at best.  The entertainers were highlighly skilled but the show was less than so.

 

For the gentleman that said that I have never said anything positive about the Edge.  LOL!  I have said that the Edge's decor is shiney and new.  It is a plus.  I have also said that the Edge boarding is a plus as well as the disembark.  I have also said that the Magic Carpet is a plus for getting off of the ship for tendinging.  Of course most of these positives can be added to the S class for minimal expense except for the Magic Carpet.  My views fully align with the reviews and polls on this board.

 

It is not my cup of tea and I will always prefer smaller cruise ships and better experiences.

 

So block me if you will.  That will work out for both of us.

 

Whatever.  We sailed the 7 day itinerary in the Caribbean on the Edge and had a blast. And we didn’t find the spa particularly crowded. Of course the shows were a little silly in Eden, but if you look at the stories Cirque de Soleil creates around their shows, they’re even sillier. But fun!

 

We really enjoyed all the venues at night. Loved the infinite veranda. Loved the restaurants. We normally cruise for itinerary, but we so enjoyed The Edge that we booked the inaugural trans atlantic on The Apex next October. 
 

Not sure why you’d ever take this ship if you enjoy smaller ships exclusively. 

[NMTraveller]

21 minutes ago, BarbarianPaul said:

Whatever.  We sailed the 7 day itinerary in the Caribbean on the Edge and had a blast. And we didn’t find the spa particularly crowded. Of course the shows were a little silly in Eden, but if you look at the stories Cirque de Soleil creates around their shows, they’re even sillier. But fun!

 

We really enjoyed all the venues at night. Loved the infinite veranda. Loved the restaurants. We normally cruise for itinerary, but we so enjoyed The Edge that we booked the inaugural trans atlantic on The Apex next October. 
 

Not sure why you’d ever take this ship if you enjoy smaller ships exclusively. 

Having seen Cirque de Soleil in Vegas.  There is no comparison.  LOL!  If Cirque de Soleil was on the ship this thread would be a plus!  If they put Blue Man Group or others in Eden then yay!  I probably could put up with crowded and loud and shouty.

 

If there was we would have been in the front row an hour before the show, not making fun of Duh I lost my stick.

 

We ARE the ones in the front row on S class.

Edited December 22, 2019 by NMTraveller

[Oville]

2 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Having seen Cirque de Soleil in Vegas.  There is no comparison.  LOL!

 

If there was we would have been in the front row an hour before the show.  Not making fun of Duh I lost my stick.

LOL, what does “Duh I lost my stick” even mean.?  Same as “loud and shouty”?

 

Again, why are you trying soooooooo hard to ruin the cruises of those who are currently booked on Edge who are cruising soon? 🙃

[BarbarianPaul]

38 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Having seen Cirque de Soleil in Vegas.  There is no comparison.  LOL!  If Cirque de Soleil was on the ship this thread would be a plus!  If they put Blue Man Group or others in Eden then yay!  I probably could put up with crowded and loud and shouty.

 

If there was we would have been in the front row an hour before the show, not making fun of Duh I lost my stick.

 

We ARE the ones in the front row on S class.

Of course cirque is superior! If you read my post correctly, you’d realize that I wasn’t referring to the cirque acts, but the loose storyline that’s used as a framework for those acts. And yes, they’re every bit as silly, and thin, as Duh I lost my stick.

I think acrobatic acts of any type are quite difficult to do at sea. Kudos to Celebrity for bringing them to Eden.

[NMTraveller]

31 minutes ago, BarbarianPaul said:

Of course cirque is superior! If you read my post correctly, you’d realize that I wasn’t referring to the cirque acts, but the loose storyline that’s used as a framework for those acts. And yes, they’re every bit as silly, and thin, as Duh I lost my stick.

I think acrobatic acts of any type are quite difficult to do at sea. Kudos to Celebrity for bringing them to Eden.

For Cirque de Soleil you did not notice the absence of plot because the show was such a gradiose show.  They pushed the envelope.

 

Every ship I have ever been on has acrobats, magicians, singers, dancers.   Seriously the acrobatics in the S class shows trumped any acrobatics I ever saw in Eden.  We ate in the Eden restaurant 3 times.  The food was very good.  We thought the shows were strange.  We were impressed with the talent but not the production.

 

I have seen less talent but better productions on RCL.  Not an RCL fan.  They seriously need someone to put together a good show with the talent they have.  Perhaps they should look at their RCL ships to find that person.  Seriously a good production trumps the talent,

 

If this was not a miss you would not be reading about it in a thread.  

Edited December 22, 2019 by NMTraveller

[ipeeinthepool]

8 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

.. BIG difference between that and inherent issues...You are never going to admit that others can have different experiences and opinions and I am never going to be close-minded based on one person’s harping over and over.

 

Really?  The Edge does have inherent problems for many of us that sail in suites.  The poorly executed IV balconies and lack of a Sky lounge and other forward facing common areas are inherent design issues that are serious for many passengers.  Please stop demeaning people that feel the design of the Edge class ships is a miss and allow those people to provide a balanced opinion to people that claim the Edge is the best ship ever.  If you enjoyed the Edge, I'm glad, great go again.  That will leave space on the "S" class ships.  Just because the Edge class was a big miss for many passengers, sounds like about half the people to get a 3.5 rating, should not affect your enjoyment of the ship.  I get it, some people like the Edge.  Please allow a balanced discussion of the Edge ships so people can get a complete picture of the Edge before they spend their valuable time and money.

[Cruise a holic]

To be fair, each class of ship has positives and negatives.  As does each cruise line.  We have sailed on most Royal, Celebrity , princess , Disney and Carnival, ships.  The edge has great innovative features, excellent service and good-very good food.  However if entertainment is very important to you, IMO, Royal Caribbean Oasis class ships entertainment wins- Celebrity or others not even close.  Disney good for young kids and Disney freaks.

[TeeRick]

4 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Really?  The Edge does have inherent problems for many of us that sail in suites.  The poorly executed IV balconies and lack of a Sky lounge and other forward facing common areas are inherent design issues that are serious for many passengers.  Please stop demeaning people that feel the design of the Edge class ships is a miss and allow those people to provide a balanced opinion to people that claim the Edge is the best ship ever.  If you enjoyed the Edge, I'm glad, great go again.  That will leave space on the "S" class ships.  Just because the Edge class was a big miss for many passengers, sounds like about half the people to get a 3.5 rating, should not affect your enjoyment of the ship.  I get it, some people like the Edge.  Please allow a balanced discussion of the Edge ships so people can get a complete picture of the Edge before they spend their valuable time and money.

Really? Back at you.  I do very much support balanced discussions here as you state.  I'm in total agreement with you.  Most are balanced and I personally enjoy hearing a range of opinions.  But some posts and posters are all about their continuous ranting and baiting the board and then their previous valid opinions become somewhat less valued because of the way they are expressed.  They lose credibility.  That is why the discussion has taken the direction it has here.  I sailed Edge.  I did not like everything including the Eden show.  I also found a lot I liked too.  Same as most other ships I have had the great pleasure of cruising.  

[ipeeinthepool]

4 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Really? Back at you.  I do very much support balanced discussions here as you state.  I'm in total agreement with you.  Most are balanced and I personally enjoy hearing a range of opinions.  But some posts and posters are all about their continuous ranting and baiting the board and then their previous valid opinions become somewhat less valued because of the way they are expressed.  They lose credibility.  That is why the discussion has taken the direction it has here.  I sailed Edge.  I did not like everything including the Eden show.  I also found a lot I liked too.  Same as most other ships I have had the great pleasure of cruising.  

 

Understood, but doesn't the same apply to all of the posters that believe that the Edge is the best ship ever?  Every chance they get, they tell us that everything is great on the Edge.  Don't you discount and devalue their opinions? Don't these Edge fanatics lose their credibility?

[TeeRick]

1 minute ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Understood, but doesn't the same apply to all of the posters that believe that the Edge is the best ship ever?  Every chance they get, they tell us that everything is great on the Edge.  Don't you discount and devalue their opinions? Don't these Edge fanatics lose their credibility?

I actually see very few posting here stating that Edge is the greatest ship ever.  But in general I personally discount all posts that are at either end - extremely positive or extremely negative.  But that is me.  Who cares really what I find valid or less valid?  

[Mojogurued]

9 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Understood, but doesn't the same apply to all of the posters that believe that the Edge is the best ship ever? 

 

Because it is the hottest new ship of 2019 and folks are allowed to have that opinion. Reinventing the wheel by a woman and not everyone is comfortable with a female leading the way and changing the industry. If it is not a good change for you then move along.

[Oville]

9 hours ago, TeeRick said:

I actually see very few posting here stating that Edge is the greatest ship ever.  But in general I personally discount all posts that are at either end - extremely positive or extremely negative.  But that is me.  Who cares really what I find valid or less valid?  

Nor do I.  But of course some of the biggest haters have never stepped foot on Edge.😉

Edited December 23, 2019 by Oville

[hcat]

15 minutes ago, Oville said:

Nor do I.  But of course some of the biggest haters have never stepped on Edge.😉

So true.

We sailed a 7 day and 10 day itin on EDGE  in  different non suite  staterooms, and very much enjoyed ourselves both times. We are also looking forward to Summit, Connie and APEX in the future.

 

And contrary to one  poster who has imaginary pigeonholes/ stereotypes of who likes which  ships, we are seasoned cruisers loyal  to X,  not young hipsters by any means, and do not think EDGE  is a Royal C clone! 

 

EDGE is so  much more than one show in EDEN!

 

 

Edited December 23, 2019 by hcat

[Oville]

30 minutes ago, hcat said:

So true.

We sailed a 7 day and 10 day itin on EDGE  in  different non suite  staterooms, and very much enjoyed ourselves both times. We are also looking forward to Summit, Connie and APEX in the future.

 

And contrary to one  poster who has imaginary pigeonholes/ stereotypes of who likes which  ships, we are seasoned cruisers loyal  to X,  not young hipsters by any means, and do not think EDGE  is a Royal C clone! 

 

EDGE is so  much more than one show in EDEN!

 

 

Can’t agree more.  You and I like the Edge and we have another coming up in January.  After that a March ABC cruise on Silhouette, June on Summit, November on Apex and Jan ‘21 on Constellation.

 

Back-on topic, the Eden show has evolved and is presented a few nights per cruise for about an hour on the late side 10 pm+.  The lunch time and pre-dinner shows are as you described above.

Edited December 23, 2019 by Oville

[ipeeinthepool]

7 hours ago, Mojogurued said:

Reinventing the wheel by a woman and not everyone is comfortable with a female leading the way and changing the industry. If it is not a good change for you then move along.

 

WOW, where did this come from?  No one ever said anything about female leadership.  Please remember that female leadership teams also make mistakes and must deal with the consequences.

[ipeeinthepool]

 

7 hours ago, Mojogurued said:

Because it is the hottest new ship of 2019 and folks are allowed to have that opinion. 

 

Are folks also allowed to have the opinion that the Edge is the biggest miss of 2019?  With a 3.5 rating it suggest that probably about half the people view it as a miss.  The fact that many people believe the Edge was poorly executed should not take away from your enjoyment and the reasons for this viewpoint should continue to be discussed so that future cruisers can make an informed decision.

[TeeRick]

6 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

 

Are folks also allowed to have the opinion that the Edge is the biggest miss of 2019?  With a 3.5 rating it suggest that probably about half the people view it as a miss.  The fact that many people believe the Edge was poorly executed should not take away from your enjoyment and the reasons for this viewpoint should continue to be discussed so that future cruisers can make an informed decision.

ipee - what did you mean by poorly executed?  Just trying to understand.  I know some do not like the design, the IV's, the Hoppenization,  the prices, etc and that is all very fair.  To each his/her own.  But it seems to me that Celebrity executed the build and launch of the ship, and its marketing, right on the money (literally!).  Is it a big miss as you believe?  Well it seems to be making money for shareholders so that is more of a direct factor for Celebrity in building more of the same.

[TeeRick]

14 hours ago, Oville said:

Nor do I.  But of course some of the biggest haters have never stepped foot on Edge.😉

Some here might call me an Edge cheerleader but I am just trying to offer balanced discussions.  After I sailed Edge I had a few posts  and a cabin review (a CS) describing what I liked and what I did not like.  I think I was kind of neutral to positive if I had to sum it up.  I have left it at that.  But then here are my actions which speak louder than words.   I have not booked another cruise on Edge or Apex.  Mostly because of boring itineraries (to me and dw). Our next two are on Eclipse (S.America) in two weeks and Reflection (Ire and Iceland) in July.  If Edge or Apex sailed one of those itineraries that appealed to us and if the price was reasonable we would not hesitate to book.

Edited December 23, 2019 by TeeRick

[Bo1953]

On 12/21/2019 at 10:29 AM, kimlovesfl said:

My DH and I look forward to someday going on the Edge, when maybe the prices come down. It looks beautiful and different and intriguing. We LOVE live theater, and at least for me, if it's quirky and unusual, I usually love it (big Fringe Festival fan).

 

Cruise lines, like all businesses, need to change with the times to stay profitable and attract new clientele.

k - I recommend that you visit X's website often when there are sales abound and ever changing, you might find one which will fit into your budget, especially if prices are lowered between the time of booking and final pay date.

 

The Eden show is very different, I must say. They had a performance during our dinner time of 6p...

 

Even the five (5) yo with us sort of enjoyed it, even if a bit perplexed initially.

 

bon voyage

[Bo1953]

On 12/21/2019 at 10:34 AM, VitaminSea53 said:

Does the Eden show still use the incense “smoke”?  I haven’t heard any comments about that lately and it used to be a common complaint. 

 

Also, in Eden when the “show” is not performing, do they have live music (guitar player or classical duo) ?  It sounds like it would be a wonderful place to hang out for a quieter evening than the Grand Plaza. 

v - no incense, BUT we were told during one visit that some of the trees do give off an 'aroma' which can be controlled vis-a-vis how and when they are watered and a plan has been implemented to cut down on this...

 

In the upper area of Eden there is a bar and performance/music area.

 

bon voyage

[Bo1953]

On 12/21/2019 at 11:38 AM, VitaminSea53 said:

Hmmm.... so there are NO solo music acts around the ship like acoustic guitar or a small classical duo?

Yes, there are in many places.

 

The DP will show when, who and where...

 

While I did not look at the DP until night, for that day, we found them when wandering around going from one place to another...

 

bon voyage

 

bon voyage

Edited December 23, 2019 by Bo1953

[ipeeinthepool]

3 hours ago, TeeRick said:

ipee - what did you mean by poorly executed?  Just trying to understand.  I know some do not like the design, the IV's, the Hoppenization,  the prices, etc and that is all very fair.  To each his/her own.  But it seems to me that Celebrity executed the build and launch of the ship, and its marketing, right on the money (literally!).  Is it a big miss as you believe?  Well it seems to be making money for shareholders so that is more of a direct factor for Celebrity in building more of the same.

 

I initially liked the idea of the IV balcony, I assumed there would be the same amount of space on the balcony the same amount of space in the cabin.  From my perspective I don't think they appreciated how people really use the balconies.  I don't think the appreciated that many people like to eat meals on the balcony.  I don't think that they appreciated how often one person is enjoying the balcony and the other person wants a separate space inside to sleep or do something else.   Unless you have exact measurements from cabins on several ships it's difficult to compare, but the combination of balcony and cabin space appears to be nearly the same on E class and S class ships.  However the difference seems to be the E class ships have larger bathrooms and king size beds (both of these would be desirable) and in order to make room for these features they've made the balconies smaller.  In addition area required to swing the French doors open also required more space be taken away from the balcony.  The result is a balcony that is too small for the reclining hairs and a large table that are on the S class ships.  The low back chairs on the IV balconies are far less comfortable than the high back reclining chairs and that little table is useless for eating.  Many people have reported that they don't really use the French doors because they need to re-arrange furniture each time they open and close the doors.  This has led to the common observation that the IV balconies are often perceived as an ocean view cabin with a large picture window.  So yes, I think the IV balconies were poorly executed because they made the wrong trade-offs and reduced the balcony size and the French doors really aren't functional.

 

In addition I don't think they appreciated how many people like the forward facing Sky lounge as well as forward facing open deck space.  The Edge eliminated this type of space for the non-suite guests.

 

Hopefully, this helps you understand why I suggest that the IV balconies were poorly executed.  Unless Celebrity makes the Apex and other ships wider, unlikely to happen, I think this is an inherent problem.  Given the space they want to allocate to the cabin interior, they don't have a way to make the balcony deeper.  

 

IP

[Quo Vadis?]

We just returned from a ship to ship back to back experience on Edge/Silhouette.

 

We truly enjoyed our Edge experience enough to book two more in Jan/Feb at a fantastic rate.. Infinite for 2k including grats.

Now the surprise was the rate was way below last year's cost for an Infinite Ocean view ( don't even think this is a balcony).

Not once did we venture into Eden for the sinfulness that was promised..

Food in Blu was great.  The Ocean view was so spectacular with its high ceilings and glass wall exteriors.

The retreat alone was worth sailing for those who love ocean front property.

Loved our bathroom... the grey walls in the hallways are a bit much..

We love the challenge of finding our way around a new ship design because I got lost every day.

Put me in the plus column for those favoring E over S ...

Oh by the way we booked Apex 4 in a row because we liked the ship design so much.

Where are you parking your money if you approve or don't like the new direction of X?

[Oville]

4 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Some here might call me an Edge cheerleader but I am just trying to offer balanced discussions.  After I sailed Edge I had a few posts  and a cabin review (a CS) describing what I liked and what I did not like.  I think I was kind of neutral to positive if I had to sum it up.  I have left it at that.  But then here are my actions which speak louder than words.   I have not booked another cruise on Edge or Apex.  Mostly because of boring itineraries (to me and dw). Our next two are on Eclipse (S.America) in two weeks and Reflection (Ire and Iceland) in July.  If Edge or Apex sailed one of those itineraries that appealed to us and if the price was reasonable we would not hesitate to book.

I think we were on the same cruise in January but not sure we met.  Our cabin was an S1 corner aft and it was a bit bumpy back there the first 4 days but the weather settled down and we really loved the cabin and large balcony.  We were on again in April in an AQ cabin and almost canceled due to the negativity about the IVs on CC.  Fortunately we didn’t mainly because we realized the biggest naysayers on here had never sailed the Edge.  Our cruise ended up great and we had no issues with the cabin or the IV.

[BarbarianPaul]

1 hour ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

I initially liked the idea of the IV balcony, I assumed there would be the same amount of space on the balcony the same amount of space in the cabin.  From my perspective I don't think they appreciated how people really use the balconies.  I don't think the appreciated that many people like to eat meals on the balcony.  I don't think that they appreciated how often one person is enjoying the balcony and the other person wants a separate space inside to sleep or do something else.   Unless you have exact measurements from cabins on several ships it's difficult to compare, but the combination of balcony and cabin space appears to be nearly the same on E class and S class ships.  However the difference seems to be the E class ships have larger bathrooms and king size beds (both of these would be desirable) and in order to make room for these features they've made the balconies smaller.  In addition area required to swing the French doors open also required more space be taken away from the balcony.  The result is a balcony that is too small for the reclining hairs and a large table that are on the S class ships.  The low back chairs on the IV balconies are far less comfortable than the high back reclining chairs and that little table is useless for eating.  Many people have reported that they don't really use the French doors because they need to re-arrange furniture each time they open and close the doors.  This has led to the common observation that the IV balconies are often perceived as an ocean view cabin with a large picture window.  So yes, I think the IV balconies were poorly executed because they made the wrong trade-offs and reduced the balcony size and the French doors really aren't functional.

 

In addition I don't think they appreciated how many people like the forward facing Sky lounge as well as forward facing open deck space.  The Edge eliminated this type of space for the non-suite guests.

 

Hopefully, this helps you understand why I suggest that the IV balconies were poorly executed.  Unless Celebrity makes the Apex and other ships wider, unlikely to happen, I think this is an inherent problem.  Given the space they want to allocate to the cabin interior, they don't have a way to make the balcony deeper.  

 

IP

For all of your inherent problems, Celebrity has now ordered 5 Edge Class ships.