VTcruising Is Living On The Edge Again: The LIVE Saga Continues (1/20/19)

[beachbunny6]

13 hours ago, vtcruising said:

 

 

Those who are organizing these events may be able to glean ideas that worked and those that didn't (and I'm sure people will have other tips). Good luck with your cabin crawl and most of all, have fun with it! 🙂

 

 

 

Just FYI, one of the people in my group had a suggestion for future cabin crawls.  Set it up for a specific time period, say 2 to 3PM only, and hand out a list of available cabins and the type of each.  Tell the hosts that they will have people arriving at their door during that time only, and no later.  That way everyone can make their own way to whichever cabins they want to see.  After all, how lost can they all get?  The ships are marked very well regarding traffic patterns, deck number, fore and aft, etc.  This would also, hopefully, help prevent the large crowds arriving at a cabin at the same time.  At the end of the specified time, the hosts can meet in whichever area is selected, such as the GP, and go together to each cabin, where the resident can open the door and show it. 

 

Marilyn, your idea was brilliant, but I think we just had too many people who wanted to be involved, and who did not like being part of a large group that needed to stay together as a group.  Patience is needed for this kind of thing and you can't have everything.  Anyway, bless you for all you did to organize it, and don't ever stop trying!  Personally, I loved it and had a great time with everyone!  I will not apply for a job as a tour leader, however.  

 

~Barbara~

[vtcruising]

4 hours ago, beachbunny6 said:

 

Aw, 'twern't nothin' as the saying goes.  Barbara and I really enjoyed meeting you and Henry, too.  Even though we have posted back and forth, we really did not know each other, but you made it feel as if we were long-time friends.  You are such a sweet and caring person.  Thank you, too, for offering to assist B2 and me with the scooter to the car.  X really did a great job, and Rita, the Front Desk Manager, had it all set up for Sunday morning, in spite of such short notice.  A staff member came to our cabin to help with the luggage, which Rita had told us to keep with us, rather than putting it outside our door.  I was able o drive the scooter one-handed, so that was a help.  Thank goodness for the controls that toggle forward and back on both sides!  Now, steering is another thing.   

 

The X staff cannot leave the ship, so they had a wonderful woman from the Port who met us at the gangplank.  She was a supervisor of some sort, but I was unable to get her name.  I am sorry for that, so will have to try to contact PE to get a thank you to her somehow. She whisked us through the terminal, immigration, and customs with barely a stop for the facial recognition!  Probably a good thing, due to my face being many colors not on the original passport photo.  

 

I want to note here that I apologize to all those waiting in the terminal at the elevators, which were being used by almost everyone due to the escalators being out of service.  I know you all were waiting patiently and there were also wheelchairs and walkers in the queue.  It was not at my direction that my group was hustled to the front of the line and into the first available elevator.  I followed my leader's instructions and, honestly was grateful for her assistance and speed. 

 

Then she handed us off to another woman who escorted us to the crosswalk to the garage, where we were again passed off, this time to a gentleman, who went the rest of the way to the car with us.  I need to add here that at the first transfer, at the gangway, there was also a luggage handler with a cart who loaded our bags on it, and made the entire trip to the car.  He and the second man not only put the luggage in the car, but loaded, secured and covered the scooter, all in record time.  Barbara said there was no way she and I could have done it, but I know we could have eventually.  Not nearly as easily or as fast, but we are both pretty good at dealing with challenges.  At any rate, we were out of the garage by 9 AM (they were supposed to come to our cabin at 8, but were late, so that gives you an idea of how fast we were moved around!) and on the way to the airport.  I know B2 had lots of time before her flight, and would have really liked to go out and get breakfast, but she bravely sent me on my way home and dallied at FLL for a loooong time alone.  I thank her and love her for that.  She is the best travel friend ever! 

 

I am very grateful to all who helped us through the disembarkation process and to the car.  As you can imagine, it is very frustrating to first of all be injured, but secondly to be unable to take care of yourself and your belongings as you know you should.  The embarrassment and pain are there, too, but frustration reigns at times such as these.  I had to just sit there and let everyone else handle it.  Now THAT is a challenge for me!  

 

Thanks, Jazz!  I am really slow, albeit methodical, in my one-handed typing of late.  The worst problem I have noticed is that the spellcheck wants to correct/change things that are correct or the way I want them.  I have to watch that little gremlin very closely!    

 

My leadership on the cabin crawl was not as great as you are making it sound, but we had a good time (at least I did and hope my group did, too).  It was really fun, regardless. 

 

Thanks, Marilyn!  You  are the best ever!  Your offer of disembarkation and scooter loading was the nicest thing ever, and I cannot tell you how much it meant to me.  I just kept hoping that X would be as good as they were, and that I wouldn't have to ask you to help.  Just knowing that you were available helped me relax enough Saturday night to catch a few short naps and that was truly helpful to me.  

 

I am doing better today, but still looking like an extra in a horror movie.  My face has colors not even seen in the 64-crayon box.  It is interesting to see peoples' reactions when I am out in public, because I forget about it, since I am not looking at me.  Kinda funny, really.  And, every day the size, position, and colors change, so it is interesting.  Yes, interesting is a good word for it.

 

Again, a huge thank you to all.  I could not ask for a better group of friends and fellow travelers.  You are all the best!

 

Bon Voyage!!

~Barbara~

(The broken and bruised Bunny. )

It's good that you still have your sense of humor! I know what you mean about the bruising. Henry got a lot of questioning looks on the ship because of my split lip, bruised jaw and bruised forehead. He was happier than I was when the bruising disappeared. 😉

 

I'm glad X took good care of you and don't worry about being brought to the head of the line - I'm sure they took one look at you and were fine! I'm glad Barbara2 was there to help - she is a gem!

 

Take care and take it easy!! 🙂

[vtcruising]

4 hours ago, beachbunny6 said:

 

Just FYI, one of the people in my group had a suggestion for future cabin crawls.  Set it up for a specific time period, say 2 to 3PM only, and hand out a list of available cabins and the type of each.  Tell the hosts that they will have people arriving at their door during that time only, and no later.  That way everyone can make their own way to whichever cabins they want to see.  After all, how lost can they all get?  The ships are marked very well regarding traffic patterns, deck number, fore and aft, etc.  This would also, hopefully, help prevent the large crowds arriving at a cabin at the same time.  At the end of the specified time, the hosts can meet in whichever area is selected, such as the GP, and go together to each cabin, where the resident can open the door and show it. 

 

Marilyn, your idea was brilliant, but I think we just had too many people who wanted to be involved, and who did not like being part of a large group that needed to stay together as a group.  Patience is needed for this kind of thing and you can't have everything.  Anyway, bless you for all you did to organize it, and don't ever stop trying!  Personally, I loved it and had a great time with everyone!  I will not apply for a job as a tour leader, however.  

 

~Barbara~

Good ideas!  I think on most ships it won't be an issue, but being a new ship everyone wanted to do this. Live and learn!! 🙂

[vtcruising]

Just wanted to put my overall review here to pull things together. I will post it on the CC reviews as well.

 

January 20, 2019 Cruise:

 

Background:

 

We are in the older demographic, but young at heart.  We still work, and we live in Vermont, so look forward to cruising each winter to help make it through the cold months.  While we look forward to some of the usual Celebrity amenities, we also enjoy trying new things. Though we have some wonderful cruising memories, we aren’t tied to the “old days” of cruising – we like new ships and the adventures they offer. We like cruising with adults at this point in our lives, especially with a mix of ages, and Celebrity has been a great fit for us for the last 7 years (previously RCI fans), are Elite Plus (after this cruise 🙂), but are open to trying other cruise lines.

 

I followed the Edge build for 2 years with great interest and booked this cruise on the first day bookings opened.  We have cruised on X in AQ, aft sky suites or Celebrity suites. When I saw the infinite verandas, I didn’t think they would be a good match for us since we like open balconies with full sun so didn’t book AQ. I decided to go with an aft sky suite (our cabin of choice) in order to try the Retreat lounge and sundeck. Getting Go Best (free gratuities, $300 OBC, free Premium drink package that we always upgrade to and free unlimited internet packages that I would have purchased) helped make the cost reasonable (paid $2999 PP). We also had $250 extra OBC because we switched from an onboard booking, so all in all, was a good deal.

 

We did sail on the Edge in November and December on 3 short preview cruises so had a taste of the Edge (and got to try the Infinite Veranda and actually enjoyed it more than we thought). While we liked many things about the ship (food, cabins, service, the beauty of the ship), we had some reservations about others (music/entertainment, bars/lounges) so were wondering if we would end up overall fans of the Edge Class after this cruise. We were very excited to get back onboard to further explore the ship and enjoy our favorite features again. Friends we met on a TA a few years ago met us onboard so we were able to share the ship with them.

 

Embarkation: Excellent

 

We arrived about 10:30 AM. The terminal was gorgeous and easy to navigate. Everyone was so friendly and said “Welcome to the Edge” wherever we went. We went to the Retreat area of the terminal (well-marked) where we were sent up to the Retreat terminal lounge by elevator. We went through facial recognition and security very quickly. We were then directed to a lounge area with snacks and drinks (nothing alcoholic). The chairs look nice, but are pretty uncomfortable – luckily we weren’t there very long. Roving agents with ipads greeted us at our seats and asked to see our passports and scanned those in. They wanted to redo our pictures so took those while seated. We were set to go.

 

They told us that the ship was ready to board about 10 minutes later so we lined up and boarded. Boarding is on 5 so there are several ramps to navigate. We made it onboard, were greeted with the usual sparkling wine and headed to out stateroom to collect our SeaPass cards. We had been in this suite before - 10147 (loved it so much on one of our preview cruises, that we switched our aft S1 to this port side S1 a few weeks ago).

 

Stateroom: Very Good (would be excellent if balcony furniture improved)

 

We had a Sky Suite 10147 (S1) – port side midship to slightly forward. I loved the bed facing the ocean more than thought I would (I thought it was an advertising gimmick). The balcony was so private that we opened the curtains in the morning and enjoyed the view in bed. I also watched a sailaway from the bed one afternoon when I was exhausted after an excursion. It was so cool to be in bed facing the ocean and shoreline as we left port.

 

The storage was amazing. There was a huge dresser with deep drawers in the living area and more drawers in a cupboard with the safe, which also had huge shelves for more stuff. The closet was not huge, but more than adequate for us. The beds are a little higher than usual and large suitcases fit easily underneath.

 

The bathroom was larger than any bathroom we have ever had on a ship (including in a CS) and bathroom storage was almost excessive (did I really say that?) – 3 huge drawers so we didn’t even use the wall storage. There was a nice vanity with makeup mirror. We both loved the tub/shower. The tub was huge, but not as deep so when used as a shower, the space felt more like being in a shower instead of a tub. My husband took baths and absolutely loved the tub because of its size – I was worried it wouldn’t be deep enough, but it was perfect. Previously, it had leaked, but they had fixed it and it didn’t leak at all on this cruise. The toilet was behind a frosted door. We enjoyed that feature very much. There is a mirror over the sink that separates and becomes a window facing the ocean – really loved that feature and brushed my teeth looking at the ocean.

 

The balcony was large and very private and quiet. We never heard anyone else while out there. There were two non-reclining chairs, no foot stools and a tiny low table for furniture. They brought us a lounger upon request.

 

The suite was beautiful. The depictions online do not do it justice. The Kelly Hoppen rocker is very comfortable and we enjoyed it, though it is large and can get in the way. It must have been very well sound -proofed. We never heard anyone on either side or in the hallway.

 

Negatives for the suite:

 

-preferred Bulgari products – soap by sink turned to mush and no lather

 

-if you start to open the curtains manually, they automatically open all the way (same with closing) – it is nice when complete opening is desired, but startling when you are just taking a peek outside and someone is not fully dressed. It could be a problem when in port next to another ship.

 

-no coffee table in living room – there just wasn’t enough shelf area anywhere in the suite so a coffee table would have been helpful (especially for room service).

 

-balcony furniture is unacceptable for a suite – our balcony furniture in AQ on our last 2 cruises was much better than the furniture on this brand new ship that heavily advertises its suite amenities (we had reclining chairs, foot stools and a larger table that could be used for room service in AQ). The depictions used to sell these suites showed lovely balcony furniture.

 

-on a breezy day, the slider has to be shut and locked or there is a loud whistling in the living area. That means that if one person is on the balcony, they will need to be locked out. Not a great design.

 

The Overall Ship: Very Good

 

The ship is gorgeous and I like the general feel of it – it’s light and open, with amazing art, lighting and many beautiful touches that just make me happy to be there.

 

Negatives:

 

- Unfortunately, some of my favorite venues are weather-dependent. We love the Magic Carpet Bar and the Roof Top Garden, but found that this cruise was breezier than our first preview cruises so we couldn’t utilize these lovely venues as much. The word is that they are looking at ways to improve this issue.

 

-Public bathrooms – the doors had controls that took time to open and to close. The locks were not intuitive to know if a stall was open or not.  It seemed like there were less stalls in the public bathrooms, but I could be wrong about that. Restrooms were sometimes difficult to find and then when you did find them, it sometimes was a one-person bathroom designed for accessibility and I wasn’t sure that I should use it, but there was nothing else close by.

 

-Since the app is pushed as the way to do everything on the ship, it is puzzling to me that there are no places for charging throughout the ship (except in your cabin, as far as I could see).

 

Dining: Excellent!!

 

We enjoyed dining on the Edge more than any other ship we have sailed. The MDRs are beautiful – we dined in one during a preview cruise and were impressed with food and service. We had a dinner in Cyprus on this cruise because it is where the Chef’s market Tour dinner was held and again we were impressed (though it was a special menu). Blu looked lovely, but we didn’t try it.

 

Our MDR was Luminae. It is a beautiful dining area with a great view and service that is impeccable. It is one big room and can get somewhat loud when busy, though we never had trouble having a conversation. They have one bathroom in Luminae but the door was broken early on and it isn’t used now. People must go upstairs.

 

We were welcomed by name on the first visit and given the same table, waiter, sommelier at dinner.  Breakfast and lunch continued to be delicious. For dinner, the new, tweaked menu was missing some of the things I liked, but I enjoyed most things I tried. They have an everyday menu that just started on this cruise, with Caesar salad, escargot, shrimp cocktail, French onion soup, steak, chicken breast and salmon to supplement the somewhat limited menu (not able to order off MDR menu because of distance from MDR galleys). They will prepare other things with prior notice. We enjoyed an elegant experience, with meticulous service and very personable staff. Anita, Maitre’d and Sokie, hostess and Dusan the waiter were amazing people – professional, but fun. They are suggesting reservations on the Edge because of the increased number of suites.

 

Specialty Dining:

 

Though we still like Murano and Sushi on 5, we have tired a bit of other X specialty dining venues. It was refreshing to try some new restaurants. In the order of which we liked the most:

 

1)      Le Grand Bistro. Unfortunately, Le Petit Chef is done at dinner. It was fun to do, but would not do it again (did it again with friends on this cruise and enjoyed it, but done with it). The food is quite good – the truffled ravioli was to die for.

 

The reason I am putting this as our favorite is because of the breakfast ($10 PP) and lunch ($20PP). The venue is done like a French café and has several tables by the windows. The staff are so friendly and the food is so good. Breakfast is amazing, with Parisian Eggs Benedict, croissant breakfast sandwich, crepes made to order being a few of the choices. Lunch has the best lobster bisque ever (with a puff pastry cover) and yummy French Onion Soup. There are salads, sandwiches, reportedly the best burger ever (wish we had tried it) and more. There is a daily main dish – we had the Rack of Lamb and Coq Au Vin – both delicious.   The wine service is amazing here. We were able to get Caymus by the glass. They also have baguette sandwiches, cheeses, pastries to go. Come hungry to this restaurant! Home run!!

 

2)      Fine Cut Steakhouse – the best steak we have had at sea was the bone in filet mignon. They have many choices of mains, sides, sauces. The service is friendly, yet professional. Great wine service. They have some tables next to the rail overlooking the Grand Plaza, which can be noisy at times, so ask for an inside table (though you will have a front row view for the Martini Bar show at ~ 8 and 10 – it only lasts about 5-6 minutes and is very fun to watch).

 

3)      Raw on 5 – We like Sushi on 5 a bit better because of the menu, but still enjoyed the delicious food here. Great service, ambiance not as nice as other specialties, IMO.

 

4)      Eden – the food was excellent, though show hard to see/follow from the dining area. Since the show is similar each night, I wouldn’t pay that dinner/show price ($65) for dinner there again. I hope they will make the dinner a separate experience and drop the price a bit. If they expanded the menu choices and dropped the show, they would have a winner!

 

5)      Roof Top Garden Grill – didn’t eat here this time, but enjoyed it before in calm weather (for lunch). Delicious food and fun atmosphere.

 

6)      Magic Carpet – our dinner here was canceled due to weather, but we did have dinner out there another night. It is lovely out there, though menu was limited. Great staff!

 

Complimentary Dining:

 

1)      Eden Café – excellent breakfast and lunch options, with inside and outside seating. Bar around the corner. Lovely venue and great food! Home run!!

 

2)      Ocean View Café – gorgeous views and comfortable seating of many types. Food is fresh and usually excellent. We love the Eggs Benedict section at breakfast. A lovely improvement in buffet dining!! Home run!!

 

3)      Mast Grill – same as other ships, though more seating, much of it covered.

 

4)      Spa Café – healthy food – looked good, but didn’t try – nice quiet atmosphere next to Solarium.

 

5)      Room Service – they offer it, but almost impossible to sit comfortably and enjoy it, even in a suite. It is not worth it to be hunched over a tiny table. Hope this is corrected for all cabins without either a coffee table or big enough balcony table for room service. Huge miss!!

 

Bars/Lounges: Very Good

 

There has been a lot written about the lack of small lounges like the Ensemble, Rendezvous and Cellar Masters on the Edge. This was something that I was concerned about as soon as the bars/lounges were announced, since we spend time every evening on cruises listening to music in the smaller lounges. There had been many improvements in programming since our early Edge cruises and we actually found great music in nice venues every afternoon and evening (some nights better than others).

 

The biggest surprise for me was Eden. There was good music every day until about 6 and then they went into the Edenist routines. This venue had the performers in front of the windows showing the wake of the ship and it was stunning! The Reckless Charms, Michael Redden and Dos Duo were all excellent performers and gave us many hours of enjoyment here throughout the cruise. Bar service was excellent.

 

The Club was also a nice venue for music – acoustics were very good in there. The bands played in there at times, including the Edge Theater Ensemble with an Edge lead singer – they were phenomenal.

 

The Grand Plaza was the main evening music venue and could be a great mellow place for music or end up being crowded and too loud to hear the music. It was hard to predict – it was about 50-50 for me. I think Celebrity will need to work on programming a bit to help distribute people better in the evening. On the whole, I liked the space and found the Martini Bar shows exciting and the whole vibe fun. It did get to be too much at times though. The bar service was always excellent, no matter how busy. If the Grand Plaza was busy, we liked sitting at Café al Bacio at the railing, if seats were available – it was a bit quieter, but we could still see the musicians. It sounds like they are looking at raising the glass next to the restaurants to help keep the noise down in those.

 

Those were the main music venues we frequented during this cruise.

 

Entertainment: Very Good Plus

 

We thought there was an improvement in daily activities since our last cruises. I attended a great Q+A by the Captain – very interesting. There was a Navigation lecture by the Staff Captain. There was meditation, trivia, both electronic and paper and pencil. One trivia session was with guitarist, Michael Redden singing song clips and people guessing the song and artist (we had fun listening to it while eating lunch at the Bistro). There was a table maze game that looked like a lot of fun – lots of people involved in those. There were arts and crafts such as origami and knitting and archery, ping pong tournaments, bean bag contests, drone racing, multiple dance classes – all were free, I believe.

 

There were movies playing in the Club or RTG every day, I think. Some were very recent movies, others were old favorites.

 

The regular theater shows (the theater was gorgeous and comfortable) included a comedian 2 nights, Celebrity shows 2 nights, violinist/singer one night and guest singers 2 nights. There were also late night events – comedians, other shows, parties, game shows, dances, concerts, etc. Eden had its show every night and the Club also had something going on. We found that the night life was pretty active and varied. The comedians were very good, the guest singers quite good (we missed the violinist who was excellent per reports). We don’t do the X performance shows. We heard mixed reviews about those.

 

All in all, we were pleased with the entertainment this time. Damien was an excellent CD and very personable.

 

Staff and Service: Excellent Plus!!

 

We had the best staff on this ship. I can’t say enough about the service, despite some of the challenges of being on a new ship. Everyone had a smile and tried so hard to make sure we were happy. We felt well taken care of and the ship had a feeling excitement and fun.

 

Denisa, our butler, worked hard to make everything perfect for us. She anticipated our needs and made our cruise so enjoyable. She got us on the list for a small group to tour the bridge. We had done that in December with the inside tour, but this was much more in depth – we loved it! She set up a nice variety of goodies for our Cruise Critic Cabin Crawl hosts. She made sure we had a lounger and took care of things for us that would have taken away from our cruise time.

 

In the restaurants, waiters Zah Zha, Maike, Dusan, Taniesha and Sansan the amazing sommelier were wonderful and made our dinners fun events.

 

Ports: Excellent

 

We got off in Costa Maya for a Maya Chan beach day on our own and had a wonderful day. We did the Chef’s Market Tour in Cozumel – it was excellent!

 

Using Destination Gateway for getting on and off the ship is a real pleasure. Great way to come back onboard! It is too bad that the tenders can rarely be used (ocean needs to be very calm).

 

 

Pool Deck and Solarium: Very Good

 

We didn’t spend a lot of time in either on this cruise, but the pool is great for laps and loungers were available. The canned music was moderate in loudness, but not the kind of music we like.

 

The Solarium was quiet and peaceful, with softer, more relaxing music.

 

The Retreat: Very Good

 

The Retreat Sundeck is wonderful. There are plenty of comfy loungers and tables for drinks. Bar and food service are excellent. Wind is pretty well blocked and sun is plentiful on a nice day. The pool and hot tub are well-utilized, but don’t seem over-crowded. It’s a nice vibe up there. This is very well-run and a great addition to the suite life. Home run!!

 

Negative:

 

-they have a really nice pool deck bar, but they have people use their SeaPass cards there – it cheapens the suite experience, IMO. We want to relax and feel taken care of after paying a premium for a suite, not have to dig out our cards and pay extra for drinks above the package.

 

The Retreat Lounge is gorgeous and has many comfortable seating areas. The concierges are excellent and wander through skillfully taking care of the guests.

 

The drink service was excellent, with friendly servers. The food service for continental breakfast late afternoon tea was very good. Lots of little bites, such as sushi, that held us over until dinner. The addition of the outside deck off from the lounge was really a nice touch. We loved having a light breakfast there before going on a shore excursion. Very peaceful way to start the day. The Tea Forte is always appreciated.

 

Negatives:

 

-we missed the evening entertainment usually offered in Michael’s – we expected that and were disappointed in the conscious decision not to offer that, especially on a ship without another small lounge to sit and listen to music.

 

-no free-standing bar – we tried to have an open mind about the lack of a bar, but realized that it is the heart of Michael’s on S Class (for us). If we are traveling alone, we like to belly up to the bar and chat with the bartender and other guests. The seating in the lounge is not conducive to chatting with others (separate seating groups and curtains between them in some areas). Sometimes we go to Michael’s without the other and had enjoyable times. In the Retreat, we would end up just sitting alone much of the time so we stopped going there alone. Not having any entertainment compounds that issue. Big, big mistake to not have a regular bar in the Retreat Lounge!!

 

It sounds like they will put one on the Apex - we booked a suite on the Apex in 2 years so will watch and switch, if needed. We booked the Edge for next year, but not in a suite – with no bar and no entertainment, the Retreat Lounge did not feel worth it (food is so good on the ship that we don’t need Luminae and the sunset veranda we booked has a large, sunny balcony so we can do without the sundeck).

 

Disembarkation: Excellent

 

When we decided to leave (around 8:30), it took about 8-10 minutes to get off the ship, go through facial recognition, find our suitcases and leave without showing passports.

 

Overall: Very Good Plus

 

We had an excellent cruise, with exceptional food, great music/entertainment and amazing  service with a smile. I was happy to wake up on the Edge every day and excited to get out there and enjoy everything she has to offer. We laughed, we savored, we relaxed, we learned and despite the glitches and misses here and there, we enjoyed this cruise very much! We look forward to getting back on the Edge next year (sooner, if we can swing it!).

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 30, 2019 by vtcruising

[TeeRick]

1 hour ago, vtcruising said:

 

Overall: Very Good Plus

 

Thanks Marilyn- awesome review as always.  A few of your comments hit home with me.

 

We requested a lounge chair pre-cruise or at least a foot rest for our CS.  Then we asked our butler when we boarded and was told that they could not accommodate us due to safety issues!  We did not like the fact that we could not lock our balcony from the outside.  Had to listen to the constant whistling from the wind.

 

Your comment on the complexity of the public bathroom slow closing door is something I heard many times during the cruise.  Also it seemed to me that there are not enough bathrooms in the design of a ship this large.  It is annoying to dine in Luminae and have to go to another floor and then find the 1-person slow closing restroom on top of that!

 

We enjoyed Eden during the day in particular.  The cafe there is quite a find!  Good music too.  Great bar.  At night is another story.  Could really never figure out the Eden show and its weirdness got boring to me after a short time. We loved the amazing theater.  Too bad you missed Greta Salome the Icelandic violinist.  She was exceptional!

 

Agree that the staff and service on the ship was excellent.  I was truly impressed with the service in the Oceanview Cafe.  Food was excellent too.  

 

A pet peeve was the Martini Bar now only serving the mini martini's for the $15 price (premium package) and I had to pay $3 more for the usual sized martini.  Is this just on Edge?? or are they going that way on other ships?

 

We had the very loud "rail table" at Fine Cut when a band was playing below.  People rushed around our table when they did the Martini show below.  Quite annoying for a nice dinner!

 

I did come out ahead in the casino!

Edited January 30, 2019 by TeeRick

[CruisingTheWaves]

VT, what other nights did you dine in Luminae? Menus any good? I’ve been comparing with Blu to see if we would like to try there dependent on availability. So far it seems like the options on Blu’s menus better...

 

2 nights in specialty planned at the moment, unless one blows us away and we decide to go back. The other nights will be based on menu selections.

[kearney]

57 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

 

A pet peeve was the Martini Bar now only serving the mini martini's for the $15 price (premium package) and I had to pay $3 more for the usual sized martini.  Is this just on Edge?? or are they going that way on other ships?

 

DH drinks his martini on the rocks... so I did not notice size.... but he was able to get a martini using the classic package at no extra charge. Did you order special brand?

[Silkroad]

Marilyn, thanks for providing such a thoughtful distillation of your Edge experiences. I hope Celebrity pays attention to your excellent suggestions for improvements. Preferably by 28 April😉 We'll report on our Concierge IV, and should our friends not wish to report on their aft Sky Suite, I'll ask them if I may include their comments in my review. I hope you're staying warm!  Michelle

[vtcruising]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

Thanks Marilyn- awesome review as always.  A few of your comments hit home with me.

 

We requested a lounge chair pre-cruise or at least a foot rest for our CS.  Then we asked our butler when we boarded and was told that they could not accommodate us due to safety issues!  We did not like the fact that we could not lock our balcony from the outside.  Had to listen to the constant whistling from the wind.

 

Your comment on the complexity of the public bathroom slow closing door is something I heard many times during the cruise.  Also it seemed to me that there are not enough bathrooms in the design of a ship this large.  It is annoying to dine in Luminae and have to go to another floor and then find the 1-person slow closing restroom on top of that!

 

We enjoyed Eden during the day in particular.  The cafe there is quite a find!  Good music too.  Great bar.  At night is another story.  Could really never figure out the Eden show and its weirdness got boring to me after a short time. We loved the amazing theater.  Too bad you missed Greta Salome the Icelandic violinist.  She was exceptional!

 

Agree that the staff and service on the ship was excellent.  I was truly impressed with the service in the Oceanview Cafe.  Food was excellent too.  

 

A pet peeve was the Martini Bar now only serving the mini martini's for the $15 price (premium package) and I had to pay $3 more for the usual sized martini.  Is this just on Edge?? or are they going that way on other ships?

 

We had the very loud "rail table" at Fine Cut when a band was playing below.  People rushed around our table when they did the Martini show below.  Quite annoying for a nice dinner!

 

I did come out ahead in the casino!

It's crazy that you couldn't get a lounger on your CS balcony. I was offered a second one, if I wanted it - our butler said she could move the two balcony chairs into the living area and either move the rocker out there or another lounger.  Your balcony was a similar size. Maybe since you had comfortable seating, they are saving the loungers for the sky suites?

 

I can't wait to see the Apex balcony furniture - I don't think that they will dare cut corners there again. I can't imagine that they talked to real cruisers or even butlers before putting the present furniture out there - with 146 sky suites, that's about 300 unhappy people, though maybe some are fine with going to the Retreat. They should also realize that people at least want foot rests and should have been included in the CS.

 

We were at the rail once at FCSH and it was a quiet night - we were there for the chandelier show, which was fun. Maybe because it was so new, we didn't have others joining us for the show. That must have been annoying. We were in Cafe al Bacio a few nights ago at the rail and when the chandelier show started, people gathered around our table and that was annoying enough, but if we had been having dinner, I probably would have asked if they were planning to join us. 😉

[vtcruising]

1 hour ago, CruisingTheWaves said:

VT, what other nights did you dine in Luminae? Menus any good? I’ve been comparing with Blu to see if we would like to try there dependent on availability. So far it seems like the options on Blu’s menus better...

 

2 nights in specialty planned at the moment, unless one blows us away and we decide to go back. The other nights will be based on menu selections.

Night 4:

The ginger crab cake was good. The lamb was good, but I prefer rack of lamb.

 

Night 6 - I had yummy scallops for an appetizer and lobster and lamb for main - both very good. Our friend got the squash dish in addition to the lobster and I tried some - it was tasty:

 

Night 7:

 

Fennel soup with lobster was delicious. We had the pasta for a main, which was so-so - seafood tasty, pasta less so.

 

There were definitely some nights better than others. I would definitely plan around the menus when making specialty reservations. Here is the link for the menus, for those who haven't seen all 7.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2624217-edge-luminae-new-menus-now-serving-everyday-items/?tab=comments#comment-56564160

 

I did ask Anita if there were 14 menus - she said they only used the same 7 each week because they only had 7 night cruises. I asked about the TA in April and she said then they would probably have 14 for that cruise.

 

[CruisingTheWaves]

Thanks VT!! so helpful!!

[msteries]

Marilyn - what will it be like for me as a solo traveller when it comes to opening and closing the veranda sliding door?  I will be in a sky suite on deck nine.  Some of the descriptions I have read here and elsewhere have left me a bit confused and worried.

[vtcruising]

6 hours ago, msteries said:

Marilyn - what will it be like for me as a solo traveller when it comes to opening and closing the veranda sliding door?  I will be in a sky suite on deck nine.  Some of the descriptions I have read here and elsewhere have left me a bit confused and worried.

That's a good question. We only had one time that was breezy enough that I had to lock Henry outside because of the noise (he was going to take a nap out there). I don't remember any other time where we heard a whistling noise out there with the door closed all the way from the outside (and not locked). I was out there alone quite a bit and didn't have any issues.  The balcony was protected from the wind so we could enjoy being out there, if it was sunny with a breeze. This cruise was windier than I am used to in the Carib (lots of weather disturbances were happening across the country). I didn't even notice the lock issue on the first cruise that we were in the suite.

 

If you go out on the balcony and the door isn't locked, just know that the AC won't come on so it will get warmer in the suite. We made sure to lock the door when we came back in and it cooled down quickly enough.

 

My gut feeling is that you will be okay, but maybe others experienced more significant door issues.

[vtcruising]

On 1/28/2019 at 10:08 AM, kearney said:

VT.... when we were on board... they took our sea passes when we got off the ship... along with our pass ports and took us to customs... I made the mistake of buying a watch on board.... Anyway... after about an hour or so we finally got up to customs... someone handed him our pass ports... but we never got our sea passes back. I have asked Celebrity on two occassions .about this and have not gotten a response. I would like them back... we collect them from our various cruises and this being a maiden voyage...was well kinda special. I am wondering if you ran into anyone that this has happened to... is this standard when you buy something on board ... I recall seeing a crew member with a stack of them... it did not occur to me to go up to that person and ask about them.

 

Sorry for the delay in responding. No, I didn't hear about that happening to anyone else. I imagine that they were working through the process on a new ship and maybe are doing things differently now. Sorry that you didn't get your card back.

 

It's funny because on the plane home, when paying for our snack boxes, I pulled out my SeaPass out without thinking....🙂

[crusingnut]

15 hours ago, vtcruising said:

It's crazy that you couldn't get a lounger on your CS balcony. I was offered a second one, if I wanted it - our butler said she could move the two balcony chairs into the living area and either move the rocker out there or another lounger.  Your balcony was a similar size. Maybe since you had comfortable seating, they are saving the loungers for the sky suites?

 

I can't wait to see the Apex balcony furniture - I don't think that they will dare cut corners there again. I can't imagine that they talked to real cruisers or even butlers before putting the present furniture out there - with 146 sky suites, that's about 300 unhappy people, though maybe some are fine with going to the Retreat. They should also realize that people at least want foot rests and should have been included in the CS.

 

We were at the rail once at FCSH and it was a quiet night - we were there for the chandelier show, which was fun. Maybe because it was so new, we didn't have others joining us for the show. That must have been annoying. We were in Cafe al Bacio a few nights ago at the rail and when the chandelier show started, people gathered around our table and that was annoying enough, but if we had been having dinner, I probably would have asked if they were planning to join us. 😉

Do you recall if the Martini Bar light show occurred at the same time every night? If so what time?

[TeeRick]

4 hours ago, vtcruising said:

That's a good question. We only had one time that was breezy enough that I had to lock Henry outside because of the noise (he was going to take a nap out there). I don't remember any other time where we heard a whistling noise out there with the door closed all the way from the outside (and not locked). I was out there alone quite a bit and didn't have any issues.  The balcony was protected from the wind so we could enjoy being out there, if it was sunny with a breeze. This cruise was windier than I am used to in the Carib (lots of weather disturbances were happening across the country). I didn't even notice the lock issue on the first cruise that we were in the suite.

 

If you go out on the balcony and the door isn't locked, just know that the AC won't come on so it will get warmer in the suite. We made sure to lock the door when we came back in and it cooled down quickly enough.

 

My gut feeling is that you will be okay, but maybe others experienced more significant door issues.

If you had a protected aft balcony then you probably had no external wind blowing across your balcony door.  Up on the deck 12 starboard side it was quite windy all the time while Edge was sailing.  Think Magic Carpet windy.  So our balcony door was very noisy at all times when unlocked.  This gives me yet another reason to pay less for an S1 aft vs a CS or RS on Edge!

[C-Dragons]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

If you had a protected aft balcony then you probably had no external wind blowing across your balcony door.  Up on the deck 12 starboard side it was quite windy all the time while Edge was sailing.  Think Magic Carpet windy.  So our balcony door was very noisy at all times when unlocked.  This gives me yet another reason to pay less for an S1 aft vs a CS or RS on Edge!

We were in an aft S1 “protected” balcony and it all depends on which way the wind is blowing as to whether or not it ends up blowing against the balcony door. I was amazed at how windy it was on our sailing. It was windy while we were docked in ports as well as at sea. There were many times when we couldn’t sit on the balcony because of the wind.  

Edited January 31, 2019 by C-Dragons

[vtcruising]

4 hours ago, crusingnut said:

Do you recall if the Martini Bar light show occurred at the same time every night? If so what time?

I remember seeing it at least 3 times at 8 PM  and at least once at 10 PM. I'm not sure if there were other times, but 8 seemed to be pretty consistent. I didn't think I would like it, but it never got old for me - the music they usually played got me on my feet and clapping every time. It was fun to see the look of joy on a lot the guests' faces (including mine) as the music played, the lights did their thing and the bartenders did their show. It's not for everyone - my DH didn't get into it as much as I did. 😉

[vtcruising]

2 hours ago, TeeRick said:

If you had a protected aft balcony then you probably had no external wind blowing across your balcony door.  Up on the deck 12 starboard side it was quite windy all the time while Edge was sailing.  Think Magic Carpet windy.  So our balcony door was very noisy at all times when unlocked.  This gives me yet another reason to pay less for an S1 aft vs a CS or RS on Edge!

We we in a port side midship and it sounds like the wind wasn't as bad. I went out on the balcony every day and never needed to have the door locked, but maybe I left the door open so it didn't whistle- I don't remember. We only had to lock it one day when my DH was out there - other times I'm not sure if we left the door open or shut all the way when out there (not latched).

 

Is the Western Carib windier (more apt to be stormy) than Eastern Crib in Jan., as a rule? We haven't done the Western route in January for quite a while, so I've forgotten. Thanks!

[ecslady]

2 hours ago, vtcruising said:

I remember seeing it at least 3 times at 8 PM  and at least once at 10 PM. I'm not sure if there were other times, but 8 seemed to be pretty consistent. I didn't think I would like it, but it never got old for me - the music they usually played got me on my feet and clapping every time. It was fun to see the look of joy on a lot the guests' faces (including mine) as the music played, the lights did their thing and the bartenders did their show. It's not for everyone - my DH didn't get into it as much as I did. 😉

 

It was also at 6 PM every day.  I never felt the urge to get up and dance (maybe I needed a few more cocktails).  Actually  by the end of the cruise,  it got kind of repetitive and old  since we saw it every night. 

Edited January 31, 2019 by ecslady

[hcat]

On 1/29/2019 at 10:11 PM, beachbunny6 said:

hcat -  So sorry I missed wishing you Happy Birthday on your very special day!   I am very glad it was a wonderful one for you!

 

Thanks you for the b day wishes and so sorry about your accident..Speedy Recovery to you !

 

When we get back from EDGE, I will be starting a thread called "Watch Your Step on EDGE"...DH tripped on the corner of the  base of the crystal scupture in the thermal suite area) ..it sticks out a bit... luckily no injury but we did report it..

 

Also some uneven flooring in the gym..saw 3 people stumble there..

Plus the spooky forest..folks bumping into that regularly..I just walk a straight  path.

Hope everyone  stays safe..

[hcat]

Hi All...we are winding things down on EDGE..Perfect weather..a few glitches  here and there but X is working on stuff all the time! Seems like alot of stuff they cut is now back in..like real trivia..We are having a great time!

 

Will post my review when we get back.. this is the necklace modeled on the pool sculpture..I really love it..it spins,  the other necklace is the magic carpet..

Wore my b day necklace tonight..

[vtcruising]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

Hi All...we are winding things down on EDGE..Perfect weather..a few glitches  here and there but X is working on stuff all the time! Seems like alot of stuff they cut is now back in..like real trivia..We are having a great time!

 

Will post my review when we get back.. this is the necklace modeled on the pool sculpture..I really love it..it spins,  the other necklace is the magic carpet..

Wore my b day necklace tonight..

Wow, nice necklace!! I like the design. Did you get some nice pictures taken in your new dress and bday necklace?  Did you end up at Fine Cut for your bday dinner?

 

I'm glad you had good weather and a good time! Just continue to watch your step. Looking forward to your review! 🙂

[C-Dragons]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

Hi All...we are winding things down on EDGE..Perfect weather..a few glitches  here and there but X is working on stuff all the time! Seems like alot of stuff they cut is now back in..like real trivia..We are having a great time!

 

Will post my review when we get back.. this is the necklace modeled on the pool sculpture..I really love it..it spins,  the other necklace is the magic carpet..

Wore my b day necklace tonight..

How nice! That particular necklace wasn’t offered on the Dec. 9th cruise. They did have the MC one though. 😊

[hcat]

We are back from the EDGE!

Visited with grandma in Pembroke Pines...then drove back to the West coast.

 

I will start my review this week..It's not going to be comprehensive like Vt and others, but I  will try to focus on the EDGE  AQ class experience, Sailaway,  cabin crawl, where we ate, shows we saw, shopping on board, our two great excursions on Tortola and St Maarten, plus the Inside Access Tour onboard.........just some recaps and observations with a few photos mixed in...

 

For now we are keeping the Nov Sunset Veranda booking to ABC islands....so I guess that means we liked the ship enough and definitely had a great cruise!