Live From the Edge 12.16 Sailing!

[blue925]

Hi all!  I wrote up a rather long post yesterday on my phone and my phone ate it -- I think there were too many photos.  A little annoying, but now I'm writing on my laptop and I'll post the pictures from my phone in a separate post.

 

Boarding was quite smooth, although at the Retreat there wasn't much rhyme or reason as to who was helped first with check-in once we got through security.  We waited about 10 minutes, and then once checked in were able to board immediately.  (I should mention that I could not find my passport before this trip, so I bought along my driver's license, birth certificate and Global Entry card...  The first two were all that was needed to board.)

 

On board we headed straight to our room, picked up our keys outside and were in!  Loved how smoothly that went.  Our room feels gigantic, much bigger than our Sky Suite on Millennium.  I will post a picture of our balcony (we have a pole -- it's definitely an obstruction but really, it's fine) and our full closet.  There is so much storage space.  Like, everywhere you look, there's a different cubby or drawer.  It's awesome!

 

I did notice that after just a month of use, some of the items in the room are already showing a little wear.  Our rocker has a chip on the arm, and the pillows on our couch have some marks.  It will be interesting to see how these items hold up after months of 7-day and longer cruises.

 

We FaceTimed with our daughters for a few minutes, then headed out to lunch at Luminae.  (Logging into the Wifi was super easy.)  

 

Line for Luminae was out the door and it took five to 10 minutes to get seated.  Lunch was good (prawn ceviche was awesome, but the lobster roll was not great due to the over toasted bun and minimal amount of filling) and our server was very kind and apologetic for the embarkation day hiccups.  These were mostly in the form of delays for everything, including more than 15 minutes for our first drinks.  I was also a little grossed out by the family next to us where the teenage son immediately took off his shoes and crossed his legs, so his bare foot was in my face for most of the meal.

 

After lunch, time to explore!

 

We rambled into the fitness center (classes start at $19/class and go up, and you can buy a seven-day class pass for as many classes as you like for $119).  A staff member there mentioned that Suite guests can use the Peloton bikes for free (YAY!) and that if we request it from our butler, we can actually have one brought to our suite!  I don't plan on doing that since I like to lift weights after I ride, but it's a great option.  The fitness center is stunning -- literally every machine you can dream of, plus kettle bells, dozens of treadmills, ellipticals and regular bikes, and a lot of open space.  I need to see whether there are barbells in addition to the dumb bells and kettle bells that I saw.

 

Our next stop was Sunset Bar, where we easily grabbed a seat.  Interestingly, we were able to get seats everywhere we went, but noticed that within a few minutes, places got packed.  Then within a few minutes, people cleared out and went to the next spot.  We will be watching to see if that's the normal rhythm or if people were just trying to see as many places as possible on the first day.  I had two glasses of rose (the Spanish one is ick, but the French one is delightful).

 

Then we went to Cafe Al Bacio for coffees (I got mine spiked!  YUM) and sat in Martini Bar to drink them and wait for muster drill.

 

Our muster drill was in the Club, so tons of seating.  However, there was a funky modern Christmas tree right in front of us, so I couldn't really see the video.  I heard it, though -- how has no one mentioned it?!  It was definitely trying really hard to be hip by giving information through some sort of spy caper.  That said, I did tear up at the end due to a scene involving a mom greeting her young daughter since I miss ours very much.  🙂

 

We rounded out the day by hustling over to Martini Bar right after drill to grab two seats at the bar and enjoyed the delightful bartenders.  We met some amazing guys and headed back to Sunset Bar for sailaway and it was just gorgeous up there.  The light was so soft and it really highlighted how beautiful this ship is.  We had dinner at Luminae (pork belly, duck and cheese plate were all delightful) then headed to bed early.  Overall, a great day and the ship is exceeding our expectations!

 

 

[blue925]

Timeline from Renaissance to in room:

 

[blue925]

Pictures from around the ship! 

[blue925]

I didn’t take a ton of room photos since others have documented the suites very well. However, here is one showing the pole on the balcony and another showing how spacious the closet is despite me bringing about 25 different dresses and tops. 

[FM]

On ‎12‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 8:24 AM, blue925 said:

If anyone would like to follow me on Instagram, feel free to request and I will approve -- @curryclaire.  In the meantime, I will start posting once we get to Fort Lauderdale in a few hours.  We will be in the "suites" on JetBlue LAX-FLL and I plan to enjoy all of the downtime after a hectic work year!

How much was the suite btw if you don't mind, as have never flown JetBlue ...

[blue925]

1 minute ago, FM said:

How much was the suite btw if you don't mind, as have never flown JetBlue ...

$2700/ticket. I bought them the day the new schedule was released so we could get the private suites. They don’t cost more than the other Mint seats; you just have to be first to pick them. 

 

Yes, they were super pricey, but it is a fun splurge. Plus I haven’t paid for a plane ticket in more than a decade since I typically use my American miles for everything. 

[blue925]

Woke up feeling a little queasy from the ocean movement. I slept well; the bed is definitely on the extremely firm side. Quickly got ready and had breakfast in Luminae. Once I had food (egg white wrap, cherry danish, chicken apple sausage and baked beans) and coffee in my stomach I felt much better. The fresh orange juice was insanely good. 

 

Headed out to the Retreat and easily snagged loungers at 9:30. Relaxed for about 15 minutes then went through a brief shower so we escaped to the Solarium (along with everyone else). Saw on our roll call that people are surprised how many children there are on board — I agree. I had also thought Solarium was adults only, but there are definitely kids in here. They’re quiet, but it was visually surprising. I think we will head back up the Retreat soon since the sun has emerged!

[Jim_Iain]

Thanks for taking time from you vacation to post a live blog.   Enjoying it immensely. 

[Lastdance]

Yes, thank you for all the information on the gym and free P bikes for suites!  The gym sounds awesome!  

 

You are are doing such a great job with your review!  

[hcat]

Nice live review!

Can,t wait to hear more....

Maybe the children were admitted to the Solarium because of the rain..  They also sometimes have family swim hr posted...around dinner time..Not sure about EDGE rules!

 

Hope you can find out more ..Solarium is supposed  to be Adult space..  Did you enjoy it,  was it quiet?  Did they play any spa type music?

 

Glad the sun came out for you!

[blue925]

Lunching quickly-ish at Eden before a packed afternoon (wine blending event followed by a couples deep tissue massage — I know, life is hard). So glad for the recommendations from previous live bloggers for this place. I’m enjoying my lentil-quinoa-chicken salad (be aware that the lentils, quinoa and chicken are pre mixed so I don’t think it can be made vegetarian) and my husband is waiting for his Reuben panini. The music is just lovely — four ladies doing folk versions of popular songs. I made a short recording of Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey. 

 

After my husband sits down I’m going to grab a flat white and a slice of banana nut bread from the little coffee place here. It really is an idyllic, airy and bright space. 

[blue925]

Let’s try the video again...

[blue925]

Had to post a photo of our sweet treats. The banana nut bread is good, but the blueberry muffin stole the show! So light and fluffy. 

[blue925]

42 minutes ago, hcat said:

Nice live review!

Can,t wait to hear more....

Maybe the children were admitted to the Solarium because of the rain..  They also sometimes have family swim hr posted...around dinner time..Not sure about EDGE rules!

 

Hope you can find out more ..Solarium is supposed  to be Adult space..  Did you enjoy it,  was it quiet?  Did they play any spa type music?

 

Glad the sun came out for you!

Likely the case that they were admitted due to rain, although no one was really monitoring, it looked like. The Solarium has a moderate conversational buzz and spa-ish music playing quietly in the background. It was pleasant but crowded and more packed by the minute due to the rain. The loungers are quite close together. We went back up to the Retreat and it was quite noticeable how well spaced everything is in comparison. 

[vtcruising]

31 minutes ago, blue925 said:

Lunching quickly-ish at Eden before a packed afternoon (wine blending event followed by a couples deep tissue massage — I know, life is hard). So glad for the recommendations from previous live bloggers for this place. I’m enjoying my lentil-quinoa-chicken salad (be aware that the lentils, quinoa and chicken are pre mixed so I don’t think it can be made vegetarian) and my husband is waiting for his Reuben panini. The music is just lovely — four ladies doing folk versions of popular songs. I made a short recording of Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey. 

 

After my husband sits down I’m going to grab a flat white and a slice of banana nut bread from the little coffee place here. It really is an idyllic, airy and bright space. 

Good luck with Blendtique! Hope your team wins. It was a lot of fun and we came in third! 🙂

 

Is it the Reckless Charms playing in Eden? We loved that group - hope they are still there in January.

 

Great food photos! It looks good. Thanks!!

[blue925]

53 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

Good luck with Blendtique! Hope your team wins. It was a lot of fun and we came in third! 🙂

 

Is it the Reckless Charms playing in Eden? We loved that group - hope they are still there in January.

 

Great food photos! It looks good. Thanks!!

 

We came in second...out of two teams! Haha. We still got a bottle of bubbly to bring back to our room, which is nice!

 

I will say we were a little disappointed about the event in that we signed up in advance and paid for — World of Wine — was turned into the blending event with really no notice. We LOVED WoW when we did it in Alaska, mostly because we got to meet so many fun crew members and try great wines. This event was nice but not as dynamic, plus we really just had about a glass of wine per person so it came out as kind of pricey. The food and wine pairing seemed like a much better event based on what the other passengers said since they did that right before the blending thing. 

[blue925]

Also, just checked and it was the Reckless Charms playing in Eden when we were there. Great music and well worth checking out. 

[Oville]

1 minute ago, blue925 said:

Also, just checked and it was the Reckless Charms playing in Eden when we were there. Great music and well worth checking out. 

Thanks to you and Marilyn for this tip, they sound right up our alley.  We’ll be sure to check them out if they’re still on January 20th.

[hcat]

2 hours ago, blue925 said:

Let’s try the video again...

58BF667A-6B0E-49B4-9DF2-1F7A665B52B4.MOV

Looks like good lunch and a lovely vibe! Thanks for sharing!

[alishac]

Loving your review so far and very interested in your perspective, as my husband and I are the same ages as you and your husband.

Did you happen to notice if Raw on 5 was open on embarkation day? What other lunch options are open that day?

[blue925]

7 minutes ago, alishac said:

Loving your review so far and very interested in your perspective, as my husband and I are the same ages as you and your husband.

Did you happen to notice if Raw on 5 was open on embarkation day? What other lunch options are open that day?

Yes, Raw on Five was open and looked fairly popular, although certainly not packed.  From what I can tell, almost everything was open for lunch, although that may not be totally accurate since we were focused mostly on Luminae and the bars. 😄

[Sandy1975]

8 hours ago, blue925 said:

 

 

We rambled into the fitness center (classes start at $19/class and go up, and you can buy a seven-day class pass for as many classes as you like for $119).  A staff member there mentioned that Suite guests can use the Peloton bikes for free (YAY!) and that if we request it from our butler, we can actually have one brought to our suite!  I don't plan on doing that since I like to lift weights after I ride, but it's a great option.  The fitness center is stunning -- literally every machine you can dream of, plus kettle bells, dozens of treadmills, ellipticals and regular bikes, and a lot of open space.  I need to see whether there are barbells in addition to the dumb bells and kettle bells that I saw.

 

Our next stop was Sunset Bar, where we easily grabbed a seat.  Interestingly, we were able to get seats everywhere we went, but noticed that within a few minutes, places got packed.  Then within a few minutes, people cleared out and went to the next spot.  We will be watching to see if that's the normal rhythm or if people were just trying to see as many places as possible on the first day.  I had two glasses of rose (the Spanish one is ick, but the French one is delightful).

 

Then we went to Cafe Al Bacio for coffees (I got mine spiked!  YUM) and sat in Martini Bar to drink them and wait for muster drill.

 

Our muster drill was in the Club, so tons of seating.  However, there was a funky modern Christmas tree right in front of us, so I couldn't really see the video.  I heard it, though -- how has no one mentioned it?!  It was definitely trying really hard to be hip by giving information through some sort of spy caper.  That said, I did tear up at the end due to a scene involving a mom greeting her young daughter since I miss ours very much.  🙂

 

We rounded out the day by hustling over to Martini Bar right after drill to grab two seats at the bar and enjoyed the delightful bartenders.  We met some amazing guys and headed back to Sunset Bar for sailaway and it was just gorgeous up there.  The light was so soft and it really highlighted how beautiful this ship is.  We had dinner at Luminae (pork belly, duck and cheese plate were all delightful) then headed to bed early.  Overall, a great day and the ship is exceeding our expectations!

 

 

Thanks for looking at the prices for the classes! Wow, I better reserve them online. They seem to be doubled the price I see in my cruise planner!

Edited December 17, 2018 by Sandy1975

[Schmoe38]

Would like to hear how Luminae adjusts throughout the itinerary.

 

We have sailed on both the S Class and M Class ships since the introduction of Luminae and we have never experienced a wait of any kind, no matter what day we came. There has been more than one review commenting on the wait time on Edge, especially on embarkation day, and we would hope this would be a temporary speed bump as opposed to a longer term trend.

 

We are not on Edge until November of 2019, but we would be pleased to know if these wait lines are a trend during your cruise, or if they were, in fact, a short term inconvenience.

 

Thank you for what you are doing.

 

Randy

 

 

 

 

Edited December 18, 2018 by Schmoe38

[Sandy1975]

5 hours ago, Sandy1975 said:

Thanks for looking at the prices for the classes! Wow, I better reserve them online. They seem to be doubled the price I see in my cruise planner!

So, I could not stop thinking about these prices, especially as I am doing my very intense workouts with Beachbody on demand. I think I might completely skip this and do a hybrid on my own.  I checked old invoices (last November) and the classes were $11. I didn't mind if the intensity was there because it was only 11 but at slmost double it better be a damn good class and knowing how it may not be, I will jusy skip it. I will run in the track and use the good looking kettle bells. Fyi, I never saw  barbell bells in my prior sailings. Thanks again  and X might need to rethink the per class charge!

Edited December 18, 2018 by Sandy1975

[Bo1953]

8 hours ago, Sandy1975 said:

So, I could not stop thinking about these prices, especially as I am doing my very intense workouts with Beachbody on demand. I think I might completely skip this and do a hybrid on my own.  I checked old invoices (last November) and the classes were $11. I didn't mind if the intensity was there because it was only 11 but at slmost double it better be a damn good class and knowing how it may not be, I will jusy skip it. I will run in the track and use the good looking kettle bells. Fyi, I never saw  barbell bells in my prior sailings. Thanks again  and X might need to rethink the per class charge!

You can always go and take a look to get a feel as to if the classes will be up to your expectations/standards at no charge.

 

bon voyage