Currently on the Edge(12/16/18) too much misinformation and craziness on this board!

[Tao Diva]

I've seen a lot of people saying things like "EDEN is okay, but not for me". But from what I've read, I think I might be exactly the person who EDEN is perfect for. I can't wait to visit EDEN, ask the dragonfly eater if she has tried crickets, dance the night away with Edenites as an alien in Club Andromeda, and charge my crystals in the crystalarium.  My DD and I refer to the ship as "SpaShip EDGE" (a play on the word "spaceship" and a reference to the fact we booked AquaClass to take advantage of the new-age SEA spa.) We refer to the dramatically lit, tubular martini bar as the ship's "warp core". The theatre is the "holodeck" and the Destination Gateway is the "transporter room". 

I realize that a large part of the cruising population are nautical traditionalists who appreciate reserved refinements and understated elegance. That's great! But I'll be cruising as a sci-fi/fantasy water-nerd. I'm ready to suspend reality and contribute my own imagination to the innovations of the EDGE. 

Edited December 20, 2018 by Tao Diva

[hcat]

4 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

 

Didn't want to start a new thread so I though i would throw this here, I thought all the Edge cruises were sold out but today I received an email giving wife and I a free cruise on the Edge Jan. 13, really surprised because I don't gamble that much on cruise ships due to bad odds. 

Hi Don..are you goung to try a bd make it..I know you had to cancel but maybe this is something you can do

 

Sorry off topic !

[MizDemeanor]

Is there shade on The Retreat area if you know? I think that was a concern of many who booked suites. 

 

Celebrity has always had shade on both sides of their main pool deck that had little to do with the direction of the sun, it was a shaded area no matter what. Is that the case on this ship? I can't tell from your post if the shade in your photo/comment was due to the direction of the sun only. Can you clarify?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Edited December 20, 2018 by MizDemeanor

[dkjretired]

28 minutes ago, hcat said:

Hi Don..are you goung to try a bd make it..I know you had to cancel but maybe this is something you can do

 

Sorry off topic !

 

 

Thanks for  asking but we can’t do anything right now, MIL who lives with us has end stage Cancer, needs constant care, not even sure what we’re doing for Christmas. We did however get our teeth fixed but boy was it expensive. Thanks again

Edited December 20, 2018 by dkjretired

[MizDemeanor]

2 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

 

 

Thanks for  asking but we can’t do anything right now, MIL who lives with us has end stage Cancer, needs constant care.  We did however get our teeth fixed but boy was it expensive. Thanks again

 

You have to be true to your teeth or they will be false to you...

[dkjretired]

1 minute ago, MizDemeanor said:

 

You have to be true to your teeth or they will be false to you...

 

Lol

[Cruise Junky]

56 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

 

Didn't want to start a new thread so I though i would throw this here, I thought all the Edge cruises were sold out but today I received an email giving wife and I a free cruise on the Edge Jan. 13, really surprised because I don't gamble that much on cruise ships due to bad odds. 

Damn...you made me run and look at my email I received the other day from the blue chip club...no such luck..just free play. 

 

I did receive an email promoting their Christmas and New Years cruises which I was surprised about, I thought they’d be booked solid. 

[dkjretired]

16 minutes ago, Cruise Junky said:

Damn...you made me run and look at my email I received the other day from the blue chip club...no such luck..just free play. 

 

I did receive an email promoting their Christmas and New Years cruises which I was surprised about, I thought they’d be booked solid. 

 

This was a free oceanview cabin for Jan. 13....

[Freestyle Cruiser]

8 hours ago, ohhbother said:

 

I feel qualified to speak to this, as I sailed in a balcony cabin on Bliss in October and an IV cabin on Edge in December. To me, there is no comparison. Bliss has balconies. Edge has oceanview cabins with windows that open. You step outdoors on Bliss. You do not in an IV cabin on Edge. I'm a pretty loyal Celebrity cruiser, but Bliss is a better ship than Edge, in my humble opinion. We're booked in an S1 for a week on Edge in April for a week in the Haven on Bliss in May -- looking forward to comparing them again. I never expected to like Bliss more (it was our first NCL cruise), but I did. We'll see if our experiences this spring change that opinion.

 

I would love 💕  to read your comparison of the ships when you get back. We love both NCL and celebrity and like their suites. 

[jsea]

1 hour ago, MizDemeanor said:

Is there shade on The Retreat area if you know? I think that was a concern of many who booked suites.

Shade can be found in Retreat. Some

of the shadier areas tend to be “moving targets”, however, depending on time of day and direction of ship travel.

[kwokpot]

3 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

 

This was a free oceanview cabin for Jan. 13....

My husband received the same exact offer! 

[WonderMan3]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks so much for your review.   It is a breath of fresh air.

 

Quick question -  Can you identify where the designated  smoking area is now located.   I read earlier that the balcony by the pool has been moved due to an air intake air vent close by.   I'm not clear where it has been moved to.

 

 

It was moved from port side to starboard side. Before it was a small stairway up from the pool deck on the port side of the pool bar, now it is a small stairway up from the pool deck on the starboard side above the Mast Grill. The main difference is where it was before was just a dead end deck. This new deck has a stairway in the middle of it going to the deck above. I posted photos of the new location in my live from thread towards the end of it.

 

There is also still a smoking area on starboard side by the Sunset Bar.

[kkmiausa]

15 hours ago, kwokpot said:

We are pulling next to Ncl's flagship (launched April, 2018) Norwegian Bliss. 

 

Reality check. How are OUR IV 'balconies' any different than theirs? Notice any loungers or foot stools? Height of GLASS railing? Is there REALLY more of a sense of openness and exposure to the outdoors than the IV's. I'm not so sure anymore. 

Edit:

We will be on The Allure ot Seas in February and the Anthem ot Seas in March, both times in a balcony cabin. It will give me a great chance to evaluate my feelings on the IV cabins compared to a traditional balcony cabin. 

You are comparing to NCL? They are paying about 1/3 of the price  or less for their cruises. Also I am sure the advertising showed chairs and not loungers, unlike the Edge ?  Perhaps they sacrifice the luxury features to have a more affordable cruise?  If I was being comped probably would not complain either. Are you in a suite?  Can you see anywhere out the front of the ship? 

[RICCruisers]

To me they are quite a bit different. You can walk out onto the balcony anytime you want and get fresh air. Not true if the shade is down or the window is locked on Edge. You can go out on the balcony and close the slider and the A/C stays on in your cabin on Bliss. You can close the drape on Bliss and still be on the balcony and have cabin privacy or keep it dark unlike Edge. The balcony table appears to be bigger on Bliss which may make it easier to have breakfast out there. 

 

Those are are some of the functional differences I can see. I am still looking forward to cruising on Edge in February and I’m sure we’ll have a great cruise, but we will have to decide what type of cabin we select for future E Class cruises once we have experienced IV’s. 

[CoconutOne]

Thanks for the pictures and your thoughts so far. It was good to see your name on here. I used to post on the TA AC forum before the nuts took over. Different SN here, though.

[abbydancer2003]

Thanks for this.  We were on one of the preview cruises in an IV and to me it was more like an ocean view with window that opens.  

 

We did like the ship, though, and would book it again, although in a room with a real balcony, probably a Sky Suite.

 

The food was great.

[villauk]

14 hours ago, kwokpot said:

At the spa enjoying a relaxing morning in the Thermal Suite. For obvious reasons I will not be taking & posting photos. I will write up my full assessment later but my basic impression is that it is a beautiful, intimate space (hence strict capacity control) but for me, neither The Edge nor the S Class Thermal Suites are the tops in business (mass market cruise lines-haven't sailed Holland). For me NCL's Breakaway Class ships (haven't sailed Breakaway is yet) tops anything Celebrity or Royal does. 

 

 

So to clarify, you think NCL’s Breakaway ships are far superior to Edge? Is this just with reference to the spa or the whole ship?

Edited December 20, 2018 by villauk

[villauk]

6 hours ago, dkjretired said:

 

Didn't want to start a new thread so I though i would throw this here, I thought all the Edge cruises were sold out but today I received an email giving wife and I a free cruise on the Edge Jan. 13, really surprised because I don't gamble that much on cruise ships due to bad odds. 

 

Sounds like a few have received the free cruise offer. I wonder if that’s X’s new policy then: don’t heavily reduce the pricing (then it still appears that the new ship is full and demanding high pricing for future cruisers), but give offers out of free cruises to entice gamblers? Just a thought 🤔.

[OriginalBoat]

13 hours ago, ohhbother said:

 

I feel qualified to speak to this, as I sailed in a balcony cabin on Bliss in October and an IV cabin on Edge in December. To me, there is no comparison. Bliss has balconies. Edge has oceanview cabins with windows that open. You step outdoors on Bliss. You do not in an IV cabin on Edge. I'm a pretty loyal Celebrity cruiser, but Bliss is a better ship than Edge, in my humble opinion. We're booked in an S1 for a week on Edge in April for a week in the Haven on Bliss in May -- looking forward to comparing them again. I never expected to like Bliss more (it was our first NCL cruise), but I did. We'll see if our experiences this spring change that opinion.

 

I'm curious if you have thoughts on what made the Bliss more open?  They both appear to be fully enclosed on the top.  There's a couple differences I can see: the Bliss has some slight openings in the top of the side walls, a solid wall with a door behind, and maybe a slightly lower railing.  "Interior" space seems to be about the same on both ships.  We've got an Edge sailing booked and are considering Bliss for the next one.  I'm trying to decide if it's a trade-off between a convertible space that may be locked vs an always open, but separate area.  Or if there is something more to the way they FEEL.

 

[Cruise a holic]

We are sailing on the Edge for New Years in an infinite veranda- looking at the pictures and the youtube videos, I must say that the closet and cabin seem small.  While the bathroom is a good size, it is missing the closed cabinets we prefer to shelves.

 

 We have a cruise after on Royal in a suite and enjoy bringing a choice of clothing and shoes- yes we do laundry but still it will be a challenge to determine what to do with our clothes.  I guess many will stay in our luggage, under the bed.

 

We do not like direct sun, the concept of the infinite balcony will be fine.  However would have been nice to have a real table to enjoy breakfast on.  Also the idea of hot tubs on another deck in direct sunlight- doesn't appeal to me.

 

I am cautiously optimistic about our upcoming cruise.  The cost was obscene for the little cabin, but that was our choice to sail New Years week.  The following week, for much less money, we will be in a true suite on Royal.  Will report back with our review.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[kwokpot]

7:30 am and were docked in St . Maarten. We had the window opened all night and could hear the water. The movement of the ship is little to none. Usually you barely notice that we have pulled in or out of port if you're not outside or by a window. 

We will be disembarking the ship around noon(12/20) and flying to NY.  We have  a family Christmas vacation in the South of Spain and we fly out on the 23rd, the same day the cruise finishes it's week. Timing would not really have allowed us to stay the full 7 days thus the early departure. This is the second time we have done an early disembarkation on Celebrity and the technical term is 'downlining' (previous occasion was a transpacific on the Millennium when we disembarked in Japan instead of the cruise end location of China). There is an administrative fee of $65 for the privilege of leaving early. 

I will try to answer everyone's questions later this afternoon as we wait for our Jet blue flight. 

I always enjoy providing information that is helpful and accurate. As you can see from my signature information I've been on this board for many, many years but I'm definitely NOT a prolific poster. 

What people choose to do with the information I present is out of my control. 

Edited December 20, 2018 by kwokpot

[Bo1953]

9 hours ago, dkjretired said:

 

This was a free oceanview cabin for Jan. 13....

I will go in your place, if it is transferable!!!

 

😊

 

bon voyage

[kwokpot]

4 hours ago, villauk said:

 

 

So to clarify, you think NCL’s Breakaway ships are far superior to Edge? Is this just with reference to the spa or the whole ship?

I'll give a more detailed description of my day pass at the spa(no treatment) but I was comparing only the Thermal suite spa portion of Ncl's Breakaway Class to the thermal suites on the Edge and S-class Celebrity. A quick comment is that on the Edge not enough space was devoted just for to relaxation (there are no regular loungers(non-heated) within the Thermal suite. There are the hanging basket chairs and a couple of chairs close to the thermal suite entrance along with a small bench area and that's it for seating. Of course you have the 11 heated tile loungers. Part of the spa experience are areas to relax and cool down between session in the steam & sauna. Also just to have areas to relax, read, nap that doesn't involve hot or cold. 

The other misstep is not including a whirlpool or thalassotherapy pool. That can easily be remedied by placing one on the outdoor deck that's in front of Thermal suite which as a thermal suite guest you have access to. It's a huge space and there's nothing there besides a sculpture of polar bears. No loungers there either. No sure why the space is so large if you're not going to do anything with it - not even seating! 

[kwokpot]

On 12/18/2018 at 6:22 PM, djh said:

Anthony, thanks so much for the information. We are looking forward to our cruise next month. Since you are a casino player, perhaps you could answer a question for me. Do you happen to know the table minimums for three card poker and blackjack? I heard that they were higher than other X ships but that might be more “misinformation “.  Enjoy your cruise and good luck!   Debbie

$10 3 card poker
$15 blackjack
$10 Texas hold em

These were the minimums last night (12/19) around 6:45pm right after the casino reopened after leaving Tortola. 

[monk36]

On 12/18/2018 at 2:32 PM, Pennstateman said:

How’s the lounge chair availability?

I absolutely believe that there are more lounge chairs than passengers aboard.