Magic Carpet dining stopped

[C-Dragons]

4 hours ago, upwarduk said:

I’ve been saying all along that I think the MC needs to be counterbalanced and I’ve been criticised. I wouldn’t like to be on a TA ( especially an autumn one) on the Edge.

We are on Edge's Inaugural TA this April to Southampton, and are very much looking forward to it.

[C-Dragons]

4 hours ago, hcat said:

It was concerning when early reviews  and (photos ) said there were long lines to use the new tenders..and  that excursion guests were taken to another portal for transport by local tenders!

 

Wonder why  tendering was  so backed up.?  The early PR bragged about how many could be loaded and transported onto these luxurious tenders quickly  They even had a little  demo movie

 

We rode the tenders both ways to/from Grand Cayman on the Dec. 9 cruise. The water was choppy which did affect loading but I don’t remember any long lines or other problems.

[kearney]

21 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

We rode the tenders both ways to/from Grand Cayman on the Dec. 9 cruise. The water was choppy which did affect loading but I don’t remember any long lines or other problems.

Why did they start using local tenders and not use MC, according to reports... or did this not happen?

 

[C-Dragons]

9 minutes ago, kearney said:

Why did they start using local tenders and not use MC, according to reports... or did this not happen?

 

I have no idea and can only comment on my personal experience from the Dec. 9th sailing. We took the ship's tenders both ways, and they’re very nice, btw.

[kearney]

4 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

I have no idea and can only comment on my personal experience from the Dec. 9th sailing. We took the ship's tenders both ways, and they’re very nice, btw.

Sorry I misunderstood. 

[bigbeergut]

1 hour ago, C-Dragons said:

According to Capt. Costas the weight of the MC is not dependent on any structures or specials features on the ship for counterbalance. The Edge weighs a total of 129,500 tons and the MC weighs 90 tons which the Capt. implied was insignificant. So, you are probably correct that the MC could be “easily” removed. However, personally, I don’t see that happening.

 

My original comment about the MC referred to the Apex,  I was wondering if it is too late to eliminate it from the Apex.  As far as the Edge is concerned,the MC is there for the indefinite future, but I could see it being removed at the first drydock.

[johhnnyt]

duplicate

Edited January 16, 2019 by johhnnyt
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[johhnnyt]

5 hours ago, boscobeans said:

 

If this is an accurate rendition it looks like the new vertical bow, the odd stacks that form the X logo as well as the Magic Carpet are out. Can't tell from the artist's rendition if the non-veranda verandas are still in the design.  Just looks like a photo shop job. LOL

It's an artist rendering from someone with limited photoshop skills

[ecslady]

1 hour ago, C-Dragons said:

I have no idea and can only comment on my personal experience from the Dec. 9th sailing. We took the ship's tenders both ways, and they’re very nice, btw.

 

I also took the ships tenders on the Dec. 9th cruise, and they were very nice and comfortable. No lines when I went , but I did not get off first thing in the morning.

[loupana]

I also took the tender on December 9th and loved the Tender boats compared to the GC Tenders. The issue was the people operating the Edge Tenders seemed to not have enough experience operating them so it took some time to get lined up with the MC. I expected this to get better in time.

 

 

We also had lunch on the MC while in port in Costa Maya and really enjoyed our lunch, We were in port so weather & wind was not an issue. My only complaint was the seating for dining was not very comfortable. We had to sit at a high top and the stools were too high for the table. 

 

[MisterBill99]

8 minutes ago, LouTheGlue said:

 

We also had lunch on the MC while in port in Costa Maya and really enjoyed our lunch, We were in port so weather & wind was not an issue. My only complaint was the seating for dining was not very comfortable. We had to sit at a high top and the stools were too high for the table. 

 

 

But I'm sure they were very stylish! 

Edited January 17, 2019 by MisterBill99

[The_Big_M]

7 hours ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

And once again, it's a doctored photo (of Reflection, apparently).

 

BTW why would artist renderings have tender boats present? Duh. And this is why posting doctored photos is a poor idea, since not everyone gets the "joke".

 

The same reason new building drawings have people walking, and trees...

[MisterBill99]

22 minutes ago, The_Big_M said:

 

The same reason new building drawings have people walking, and trees...

 

Except in this case I'm pretty sure it's a photo.

[C-Dragons]

3 hours ago, bigbeergut said:

 

My original comment about the MC referred to the Apex,  I was wondering if it is too late to eliminate it from the Apex.  As far as the Edge is concerned,the MC is there for the indefinite future, but I could see it being removed at the first drydock.

In my opinion, the MC will remain on both the Edge and Apex. It is not only unique, but serves a purpose as well. 

[Littlegov]

23 hours ago, Cloudybay said:

We just got off Sunday and went to the Dinner on the Magic Carpet the 6th night. It was a terrible mess. It was so windy that people were leaving before finishing. Women's hair completely messed, scarves and napkins flying away. I even saw crab shells flying off plates. It was a calm day leading up to the event, too.

Not worth it.

Also, they stopped using the Magic Carpet for tendering in Grand Cayman about one hour in, and started using the forward door. They mostly didn't use their own tenders, but rather large obnoxiously uncomfortable "barges" owned by the island.

I agree , was really annoyed at those terrible tenders, rocking and rolling and very windy.

[hvsteve1]

I was on the Dec. 9 cruise and recall some complaints about long lines at the start of the day in GC.  However, by the time I got there we had no waiting and it was a good ride. Those large GC tenders were hanging around the ship but I saw none used. There were some issues with the tender pilots docking at the MC but this was the first use of the tenders on a revenue cruise.  I had heard that the large GC tenders were used from another location on the ship for those going on ship's tours as they are so much larger and can take more people at a time. I believe everyone returned to the ship in the regular tenders. 

So far as the MC, keep in mind it was designed strictly for tendering but needed the elevator function because it can't ride at water level. I understand the use of it elsewhere on the ship was an afterthought. If they stop using it for any food service it's back to the original purpose.  I used it as a bar and it was great.

[TFLG]

I doubt it was designed strictly for tendering since a much simpler solution would be a hinged fold down platform (like the small ones many other ships have).  Way less complication to get the same large platform. If they want I will design it for them for the beyond.

[boscobeans]

13 minutes ago, TFLG said:

I doubt it was designed strictly for tendering since a much simpler solution would be a hinged fold down platform (like the small ones many other ships have).  Way less complication to get the same large platform. If they want I will design it for them for the beyond.

 

It looks like it could easily be converted to load and off load cargo-tainers.😮  

Edited January 17, 2019 by boscobeans

[vtcruising]

The launch experience we did on a non-revenue cruise was pretty slick. We were given bloody Mary's and boarded a launch for an outside tour of the ship, encircling the whole ship fairly closely. The whole operation was pretty impressive. It was such a pleasant experience, from boarding in Destination Gateway and the MC, to the ride itself and disembarking. I'm sure there are bugs to work out, but it felt like such an improvement in tendering - I really hope that it works out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MisterBill99]

2 hours ago, Littlegov said:

I agree , was really annoyed at those terrible tenders, rocking and rolling and very windy.

 

Would the Celebrity tenders have been more stable, given the wind and choppy water? Be happy they didn't cancel your visit. I missed GC on our MSC Seaside cruise last January. They cancelled all tendering for the day due to bad weather (and BTW, MSC does not refund port charges for missed ports). I had lunch reservations at a great restaurant in GC and had to cancel them. I hope to have better luck this time (next Friday, to be exact).

Edited January 17, 2019 by MisterBill99

[The_Big_M]

4 hours ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

Except in this case I'm pretty sure it's a photo.

 

Indeed, which explains in either case why there would be tenders present.

[jagoffee]

21 hours ago, vtcruising said:

We had drinks there a few times at different times of the day and dinner one evening. There was a breeze by the rail, no crabs flying by - we sat toward the hull and there was no wind. It is one of our favorite bars - great, friendly staff and drinks. I realize that it is weather-dependent, but hopefully stays an option (I cruised 7 days and probably was on the MC 4-5 of those days or nights without any issues).

 

 

 

 

Oh no.  Someone who has actually used the MC and enjoyed the experience.  Aren’t we suppose to leave the critiques to the people who have never experienced it?

Edited January 17, 2019 by jagoffee