03.24.19 Live EDGE, Suite Life with Kids

[washdcguy]

We’ve posted reviews in the past, but have not been disciplined enough to do a live review.  But given the lack of reviews “with kids” we thought it worth the effort.  We know there are a solid group of Celebrity loyalists that feel this thread is sacrilege in and of itself, and we encourage you to move on to the next thread rather than to spread your kids don’t belong on X.  We embrace X as a sophisticated family experience.  Good food and libation with quality entertainment appealing specifically to our demographic.

 

We booked our Edge adventure 2 years ago on a similar Spring Break adventure, at that time with our 3 year old and in-laws.  They (the in-laws) are more of the uber-luxury type (Silversea, Seabourn, Viking, etc.) but want to sail with their granddaughter.  And just in complete disclosure, we’re a gay couple blessed with an adorable 5 year old daughter.  We also lean to the uber-luxury lines, but X is our go to for family trips.

 

Embarkation:

Perfect.  Despite fighting with our taxi driver to convince him that the Special Services sign was really for us (he said there was no special boarding on the Edge), we had the lovely curb side suite check in.  We didn’t fuss with trying to find a stapler/tape at our hotel and opted for curb side written luggage tags.  While this was definitely the expedient route, our bags were among the last to arrive…  (suffer… have the hotel staple and tape your baggage tags)

 

We arrived at 10:25.  Our only slow down was that I had two laptops, two tablets, and lots of batteries during the inspection.  The Retreat waiting area was PACKED.  I’m not exaggerating when I say we may have grabbed the last seat when we got in there.  It was 10:35 and boarding started 10 minutes later.  It was efficient, friendly, and “exclusive”. 

 

We got all our on board booking necessities taken care of… dining, spa treatments, etc.   All but the kids’s club.  The registration hours were awkward and we missed them. Ugh.

 

Lunch.  We knew Luminae would be crazy for embarkation lunch. It has been in the past, and we expected the worst.  That said, we were seated immediately.   The service and food was SLOW, molasses slow.  The food, however, was mostly excellent.  The branzino was remarkable.   The lobster roll was good, but lacking the “mass” to make it a true roll.  Our daughter was well accommodated.  There is no kids menu but they were able to quickly make a lovely “mac’n’cheese” appear.  We greatly appreciated the accommodation, because really who likes a HANGRY 5 year old.  Somehow the hangry 40 & 70 year olds are just mildly passive aggressive rather than disruptive.   Prioritization.

 

Suite Life:

So we’re fans.  Suite life is for us.  We’ve loved the X suite life.  So far for us on the Edge, it’s a very mixed bag.

 

Outside of the cabin, butler, & service, the suite life is great.  We love The Retreat.  We were concerned it was going to be too much of a “sun deck” but are delighted that it truly is a retreat.  I don’t think the previous reviews do justice to the number of unique “niche” spots to resign oneself to.  There are as many seat options as there are people.   We have yet to find an uncomfortable seat.  Our DD has tried out as many seats as she possibly can and is in heaven. 

 

The service in the Retreat is not quite up to the suite life.  We have yet to been waited upon rather than having to go find someone to help us.  The poorest example was flagging an X staffer down only to be told his job is to take care of future bookings not drink orders, but he’d ‘try’ to find someone to help.  But he emphasized the latter point to our friends twice rather than trying to find a waiter… they’re in a Royal Suite.  It’s day 1, so we’ll see how this pans out over the week. 

Concierges met= 0  (unlike our previous cruises)

 

Room:

Lovely.  While we were looking forward to the “rocker”, it clearly would have dominated the space.  Knowing it’s a work in progress, we have little to complain about in regards to the cabin.  Perhaps the lack of a table for breakfast will be an issue tomorrow…  Our only two nits are:  1) the bathroom door is absurdly loud.  We’ve turned the lock on so as to damper the extremely strong magnet that will create a deafening sound in the middle of the night.  2)  The make-up counter & mirror.  Yes, we’re gay men and have no layers to apply (ok, so we’re in the minority in not adding some touches).  But despite the complete waste of space, the mirror is awkward.  It doesn’t neatly fold, but instead sits as an odd obtrusion in the area that cannot be properly dealt with.  To be more clear, it doesn’t have an option to fold nicely away and make the space useful. 

 

While the technology for the room confuses our traveling companion (in-laws), it’s intuitive and perfect for us.   It’s March Madness, and the quality of the satellite TV is GREAT!  Frankly, the internet is pretty awesome too.

 

Service:

So far, a massive failure.  No butler to be seen.  We recognize we’re in a lowly Sky Suite, but we also know what we paid for such.  We also know the attention we’ve been given in the past in a Sky Suite.  This is a major fail.  Our biggest disappointments:

 

Bed.  The bed for our DD.  Instead of being pulled out and prepared, they threw the mattress on top of the ‘sofa’ and made it up.  While she is indeed a princess, the setting was meant for the Princess and the Pea.  Regretfully, we’re OPDs (over protective dads) and the 3 foot clearance from the floor was unreasonable.   12 minutes on hold trying to reach our butler/guest services to fix the problem was annoying.  Someone came quickly to resolve the problem.  Unfortunately, 5 minutes after she was asleep the ever diligent customer service folks CALLED back to see if it had been resolved.  Hello… 5 year old, bedtime, sleeping.  Ignorance.  It’s not like we hadn’t specifically said that the issue was for our 5 year old going to bed.  ::roll eyes:: 

 

Our biggest frustration, outside the bed debacle, is the missing butler.  Perhaps he’s AWOL, left for a better gig with MSC, Silversea, or Seabourn.  We miss you!  Our cabin attendant is more attentive.  And yet, we’ve paid for a butler?!  Do we really use our butler, no.  But as our DD said, “I thought you said we’d have a butler to make our trip even more magical, did he or she miss the boat?”   Yes, DD.  He or she must have missed the boat.  Guest services even confirmed the butler was unreachable at the ungodly 9pm hour.  Sky Suite or Aqua Class, you be the judge.  (Ok, yes we ate in Luminae and have access to the Retreat.)

 

Luminae:  The food is better than we remember.  The wine, not so much.  Seriously, the fish and the beef have been remarkable.  The service unreasonably slow.  We know the first day is tough, so we’re holding judgement here. 

 

Kid’s Club (the only thing that makes this post unique):

We always wondered why the kids club on the other X ships was allocated prime “ocean view” space.  We know our DD doesn’t care about the windows but only her new friends and what they were doing together.  X has got it right here.  We’re not fans (right now) with the age break outs (2-5, 6-14) given our 5 ½ year old is an old soul… but given her old Dads who are dragging her on a X cruise anyway, do you expect something else?

 

Like I said, we missed the sign up during the day.  Long lunch at Luminae, quick tour of the ship, and lots of play (for young & old) in the Retreat. 

 

They’ll consider moving her up with the other girls she’s already met after she spend “3 hours in the age-appropriate group.”  Ok.  We’ll see.  She’s a great “self advocate” (as the teachers at home very graciously say).  Stay tuned. 

 

So far, there are ~70+ kids on board.  So we’ll continue to monitor and report.

 

... despite being promised the kids club info would be waiting in our suite, we had to go hunt it down.  

 

Overall:

This ship is absolutely awesome.  We’re probably the 40-something upper middle class gay couple with kids it’s meant to market to (okay perhaps maybe it’s meant to market to a slightly broader demographic), and we love it.  We joked it’s a 21^st century Four Seasons at Sea, noting the Retreat images are a clear “trademark” play.  The soft product has a VERY LONG WAY to go to meet the hard product.  Again, we hope that’s just embarkation day issues.

 

Seriously, the ship, the art, the spaces, and the décor are stunning.

 

Other notes:

The beds are firm. 

There is a slight sewer smell in the hallways.  It is ever so slight.

We don’t like the large toiletries (soap, shampoo, conditioner), but we do like the quality of such.

We love the plugs & USB ports at the head boards / side tables. 

The bathrooms, despite being technologically advanced in automatically opening/closing, are awful for those of us in need of the bathroom quickly.  I could have done my business, washed my hands, and been on my way before the door managed to close.  God help us when the DD has an emergency and we fight with the darned auto-door.

 

Until tomorrow, be on the lookout for our Butler who may have abandoned ship.  Our daughter has a few small requests.

[PSU]

Looking forward to reading the next installment. We were in a Celebrity Suite on Equinox and didn’t meet our butler until the second day. I had to ask the Michael Club concierge to find out what was going on. He met us in Luminae and gave the excuse that we were never in our cabin.

[JFontaine]

Thanks for the report.

 Mechanical bathroom door?  Really?  

Hope your butler shows up.  

[TeeRick]

Thanks for posting your experience so far.  I'm surprised that you have not met your butler yet.  Very unusual.  You should ask the concierge in the Retreat Lounge about your butler.

[parrothead33]

Enjoy your cruise.

[tomservo]

14 hours ago, washdcguy said:

We’ve posted reviews in the past, but have not been disciplined enough to do a live review.  But given the lack of reviews “with kids” we thought it worth the effort.  We know there are a solid group of Celebrity loyalists that feel this thread is sacrilege in and of itself, and we encourage you to move on to the next thread rather than to spread your kids don’t belong on X.  We embrace X as a sophisticated family experience.  Good food and libation with quality entertainment appealing specifically to our demographic.

 

Amen brutha! If you don't want to see kids on your cruise, go to Viking or Virgin. Oceania and Azamara have little to no kids. X is still a mass market line and they do want and cater to families with kids (the Family Veranda cabins are awesome). 

[villauk]

A refreshing Edge review - well done 👍. Perhaps your butler has got lost in Eden 🤣?

[the_dylaness]

12 hours ago, JFontaine said:

Thanks for the report.

 Mechanical bathroom door?  Really?  

Hope your butler shows up.  

 

Modern luxury: When you don't have to be bothered to close your own bathroom door, but you can't find your butler to do it for you.

[Richard&JohnSTX]

2 hours ago, the_dylaness said:

 

Modern luxury: When you don't have to be bothered to close your own bathroom door, but you can't find your butler to do it for you.

You have misunderstood the post about the auto closing bathroom doors. I think I understand that he is talking about the bathrooms in the common areas. They are auto closing and cannot be pulled in manually. I am recently cured of colorectal cancer but have a 'sensitive' system. On the Edge in January for my 62nd birthday I often had to run to go to a bathroom - can you imagine not being able to close a door quickly to have privacy? I hope you never have that problem in your life.

[washdcguy]

Day 1 Update.

 

Butler found.  He’s caught up on our limited requests, and the DD is delighted to have the butler who’s spoiling her with cookies and chocolate milk, extra slippers, etc. 

Princess bed issues… fixed.

Hold issues… fixed, Retreat Manager called this morning and insisted we call them direct 24 hours a day rather than “messing with” guest relations.

Kids club separation… fixed.  DD played with her older friends with ease.  No separation of arbitrary age limits. 

Still underwhelming is the service in the Retreat area.

 

Overview:  Today, despite the ton of activities that sounded fun (virtual archery!), we chilled.  Despite the 715 wakeup call from the DD, Hotel Transylvania let us sleep in a bit.  Off to Luminae for breakfast, which was delicious… though we weren’t too hungry ourselves.   DD enjoyed the Kid’s Club in the morning and the Retreat all afternoon.  We enjoyed live music in the Retreat Lounge before Le Petit Chef.  We managed to squeeze in cocktails on the Magic Carpet while DD enjoyed Kid’s Club before Kaleidoscope - AMAZING. 

 

Kids Club/Camp at Sea:  I just wanted to note my error in the age brackets.  Shipmates (3-5), Cadets (6-9), and captain (10-12). 

 

She’s having a blast and every time we peek in the counselors are extremely engaged.  We haven’t seen the new STEM activities, but we’re not really auditing the programs.  If the DD is happy, we’re happy.  She either wants to be at Camp at Sea or in the Retreat pool with her friends. 

 

They seem to have a cleaning person stationed at the Camp at Sea and she is always cleaning.  Very impressed.

 

Retreat: 

The hard product, again, is awesome.  Both the Lounge and the Deck.  Even when it was packed yesterday with a day at sea, it never felt it.  It can get a bit windy, but the breeze is nice in the heat.  It’s surprisingly not as windy as I’d expect for the top / front of the ship. 

The soft product is abysmal. 

We tried to have lunch in the bar area of the retreat.  We knew there was a limited menu, but we were looking for something light.  No one comes to your table, so we had to ask someone to come over.  The bartender would take food orders.  When the waitress came over, she tried to tell us that we couldn’t get anything but the cold items (salad, shrimp cocktail).  We were in the lunch hours, and when we pressed she said she would have to go down to the Luminae kitchen to get them… When we pressed a bit more, she relented to go down and get them.  And later, when asking for a bit more of the aioli, the same.  “No I can’t get you any more. / Why? / I have to go down to the Luminae kitchen. / Could you please. / Frustrated = Ok, I guess I can. 

 

While sitting in the retreat the entire afternoon, we were never offered a drink… just self service at the bar.  Perhaps we have unrealistic expectations, but it seems that the service level is not what is should be for a suite exclusive environment.  Frankly, suites on X are more expensive that similar trips on true luxury ships (Silversea, Seabourn, etc.) in the Caribbean right now.  X needs to significantly step up the service level in the Retreat. 

 

The food, once we were able to order it, was delicious. 

 

The Retreat lounge staff was a bit more helpful.  When requesting a snack for the DD in the mid-afternoon (after lunch service, before the tea service), they did accommodate by bringing a cheese plate up.  It took a bit of cajoling, but we were delighted by the accommodation (so was the DD, and a hangry Snickers-commercial like situation was averted.

 

Prior to dinner, we went to the live music in the Retreat Lounge.  It was the guitar soloist, and he was amazing.  While we were promptly taken care of (a little princess dressed up always draws attention), the couple we sat next two finally flagged someone down and we overheard them say that no less that six staff had passed them without offering a cocktail / snack.

 

Dinner at Le Petit Chef:

There have been multiple reviews on this already, and it is as special and entertaining as has been previously described.  While the show is lots of fun, the food was equally terrific.  We enjoyed it and highly recommend it!

 

Cocktails on the Magic Carpet:

So the DD wanted to change and go to Kids Camp before the show.  We said ok and enjoyed a cocktail on the Magic Carpet.  It’s a great space, though definitely more of a day / sunset spot.  We enjoyed it and will be back again.

 

Kaleidoscope:  We’ve read the fantastic reviews of this show on multiple threads, and Kaleidoscope was remarkable!!!  The singers, the dancers, the theatre, and the songs… it was incredible.  We think X really knocked it out of the park with this one!  The intro from Captain Nestoroudis was equally entertaining.  This kind of show is really a draw for us, and it’s clearly targeted at a younger crowd. 

 

We’re having a great time and have so much left to explore on this beautiful ship. 

[clampsa]

Love reading your live review. My wife and I feel like we have similar tastes and expections for what we pay for the suite class on Celebrity. We’ll actually be getting on the ship when you depart. I’m interested in knowing if you mention any of the service letdowns to the Retreat Concierges. And if you notice any improvements. While we hate to complain while on vacation we feel like there are only so many misses we can take.  Plus if you mention it the right way the outcome will hopefully be a learning experience for Celebrity management and their employees. 

Question for you: I’ve read they have added a shower curtain to the sky suites showers because the initial design caused too much water to splash out of the shower. Then I read a post where someone said they added a glass door....just wondering what’s the shower like in your cabin.....what’s been your favorite drink so far or if you’ve found any good wines since Luminane has been a let down with their wine choices. 

[the_dylaness]

22 hours ago, Richard&JohnSTX said:

You have misunderstood the post about the auto closing bathroom doors. I think I understand that he is talking about the bathrooms in the common areas. They are auto closing and cannot be pulled in manually. I am recently cured of colorectal cancer but have a 'sensitive' system. On the Edge in January for my 62nd birthday I often had to run to go to a bathroom - can you imagine not being able to close a door quickly to have privacy? I hope you never have that problem in your life.

 

I am sorry to hear of your health issues but glad you are cured!  I was hoping to just point out the silliness in having bathroom doors that are difficult to close, combined with the fact that the person who is supposed to make "cruising easier" can't be found... Seems like we should all be able to have easily closing bathroom doors and easily found butlers!  

 

 

[Magik Bee]

On 3/25/2019 at 12:21 PM, villauk said:

A refreshing Edge review - well done 👍. Perhaps your butler has got lost in Eden 🤣?

 

Let’s not talk about how many times I’ve watched people complain about Eden but It was so cozy and comfortable I'm not surprised the crew go there to unwind!

 

I just unpacked without the butler and honestly not much went unused! 2 pairs of shorts and one bathing suit!

[Ma Bell]

Butlers are off duty after 9 pm on all Celebrity ships. Use your phone and dial stateroom attendant and someone will be on duty for your requests.

[washdcguy]

On 3/25/2019 at 11:05 PM, Richard&JohnSTX said:

You have misunderstood the post about the auto closing bathroom doors. I think I understand that he is talking about the bathrooms in the common areas. They are auto closing and cannot be pulled in manually. I am recently cured of colorectal cancer but have a 'sensitive' system. On the Edge in January for my 62nd birthday I often had to run to go to a bathroom - can you imagine not being able to close a door quickly to have privacy? I hope you never have that problem in your life.

Thanks, you’re right on our issue.  Specifically, the bathrooms in the retreat are single stalls.  They open and close automatically and are extremely slow.  Outside of the fact that if you’re in a hurry the doors are extremely slow to close, there is no indication on the outside that the restroom is occupied. So the entire time someone is frantically touching the “hands-free” door opener and trying to manually open the door.  Again, not their fault, they just think the door failed.  

 

This evening, even the staff couldn’t get the ladies’ door to close in the Retreat lounge. My MIL and two other ladies we chatted with shared stories of struggling to get out of the loo,  

[Magik Bee]

11 hours ago, washdcguy said:

Kids Club/Camp at Sea:  I just wanted to note my error in the age brackets.  Shipmates (3-5), Cadets (6-9), and captain (10-12). 

 

She’s having a blast and every time we peek in the counselors are extremely engaged.  We haven’t seen the new STEM activities, but we’re not really auditing the programs.  If the DD is happy, we’re happy.  She either wants to be at Camp at Sea or in the Retreat pool with her friends. 

 

They seem to have a cleaning person stationed at the Camp at Sea and she is always cleaning.  Very impressed.

 

 

I think a lot of people shy away from Edge if they're traveling with children, but we found it to be PERFECT for some families on our trip!

Yes, it's amazing what those CAS members and performers will do for you!

[tomservo]

Regarding your complaints about the quality of service with the soft product, what are you comparing it to? Other X sailings, or other cruise lines?

[washdcguy]

2 hours ago, clampsa said:

Love reading your live review. My wife and I feel like we have similar tastes and expections for what we pay for the suite class on Celebrity. We’ll actually be getting on the ship when you depart. I’m interested in knowing if you mention any of the service letdowns to the Retreat Concierges. And if you notice any improvements. While we hate to complain while on vacation we feel like there are only so many misses we can take.  Plus if you mention it the right way the outcome will hopefully be a learning experience for Celebrity management and their employees. 

Question for you: I’ve read they have added a shower curtain to the sky suites showers because the initial design caused too much water to splash out of the shower. Then I read a post where someone said they added a glass door....just wondering what’s the shower like in your cabin.....what’s been your favorite drink so far or if you’ve found any good wines since Luminane has been a let down with their wine choices. 

Despite our very candid reviews on CC, we are not the folks lined up at the concierge threatening to get off the ship.  (Frankly, I’m always shocked that those folks really exist until I see it).  

 

We give the feedback when there is an appropriate opportunity and it’s usually just gently sharing our expectations. My MIL, however, is less subtle and much more direct. While I love her dearly and she gets things fixed, I find myself apologizing for the accommodations she requires often when they travel with us.  My issue, not hers...

 

But to your point, we did discuss with the Retreat manager and she seemed to take the feedback.  There was more staff today, but no change in service level. That said, our lovely waiter at Luminae launched into the “let me know if anything is less than a 10” story, and we made it clear to him our dinner and dessert wines came in the middle or after the courses... which resulted in apologies from the sommelier and manager.  Major issue, no. Service flaw, yes. Have they bent over backwards to make our daughter happy.... absolutely.  

 

Like you, we hope the service recovery rights the ship by the end of the week. 

 

Cheers

 

 

[washdcguy]

4 minutes ago, tomservo said:

Regarding your complaints about the quality of service with the soft product, what are you comparing it to? Other X sailings, or other cruise lines?

Good question.  In our mind, Edge with the Retreat isn’t comparable to the rest of the fleet (noting the overhauls in progress).  Our comparison is MSC Yacht Club and our Uber lux experiences (Silversea, Seabourn, Regent).  We haven’t done NCL Havens.  

 

Again, for what suites are going for on Edge, one can go on the Uber-lux lines on similar itineraries.  For that reason, we make the comparison.  We recognize that there are trade offs. None of the Uber-lux have the same quality of kids programming nor the quality of entertainment. 

 

Final note... as we all know, after final payment X is struggling to keep the suites sold. Our cruise went from 99% sold in suite class before final payment to 65% post FP. Once the upgrade emails went out, the numbers dropped.  Our conversations with other suite guests have revealed many buy-ups.  If X wants to maintain the price point in the long term (with multiple Edge class ships), the experience is going to have to deliver. 

 

 

[maggipie]

washdcguy, thanks for your live review, looking forward to hearing more! Our family of 4 will be getting on June 5, and our 2 kids grew up cruising on Celebrity.  This upcoming cruise is the first that DD will have aged out of the kids program, she'll probably have withdrawal 😱 We have always loved the family events with the kids programs, like scavenger hunts and bingo (we've seen grandparents there too); your DD will probably be thrilled you're all there with her at these fun events! I absolutely agree that all the Celebrity's kids' counselors we've ever met have been incredibly enthusiastic and engaging; on our first X cruise when DD was 3 (and DS was in utero), she didn't want to ever leave the "Fun Factory," as it was called back then, in part due to the counselors. 

 

It sounds like the Retreat hasn't been overly crowded despite the number of suites on this ship. Can't wait to board ... just 70 more days!!

[tomservo]

14 hours ago, washdcguy said:

Good question.  In our mind, Edge with the Retreat isn’t comparable to the rest of the fleet (noting the overhauls in progress).  Our comparison is MSC Yacht Club and our Uber lux experiences (Silversea, Seabourn, Regent).  We haven’t done NCL Havens.  

 

Again, for what suites are going for on Edge, one can go on the Uber-lux lines on similar itineraries.  For that reason, we make the comparison.  We recognize that there are trade offs. None of the Uber-lux have the same quality of kids programming nor the quality of entertainment. 

 

I've seen similar complaints about NCL's Haven, i.e. lackluster butler service, no drink service in the Haven lounge, etc

 

I guess X and NCL would argue that what they have over the lux lines is something close to the lux experience but with big ship amenities (kids clubs, production shows, mini-golf and go karts on NCL, etc). But I agree that when prices approach or exceed the lux lines then food and service need to match as well.

[hcat]

14 hours ago, washdcguy said:

Good question.  In our mind, Edge with the Retreat isn’t comparable to the rest of the fleet (noting the overhauls in progress).  Our comparison is MSC Yacht Club and our Uber lux experiences (Silversea, Seabourn, Regent).  We haven’t done NCL Havens.  

 

Again, for what suites are going for on Edge, one can go on the Uber-lux lines on similar itineraries.  For that reason, we make the comparison.  We recognize that there are trade offs. None of the Uber-lux have the same quality of kids programming nor the quality of entertainment. 

 

Final note... as we all know, after final payment X is struggling to keep the suites sold. Our cruise went from 99% sold in suite class before final payment to 65% post FP. Once the upgrade emails went out, the numbers dropped.  Our conversations with other suite guests have revealed many buy-ups.  If X wants to maintain the price point in the long term (with multiple Edge class ships), the experience is going to have to deliver. 

 

 

Are there many  kids in the Retreat area this week ?

 

It might be nice if they set up a lite lunch/ burger bar outside at the suite pool area ...less stress on waitstaff...and then put in a real bar inside the Retreat  which many seem to miss. Just a thought..

 

We peeked in to the kids Club on our all access tour..seemed like a HAPPY PLACE!

Edited March 27, 2019 by hcat

[vtcruising]

16 hours ago, washdcguy said:

Thanks, you’re right on our issue.  Specifically, the bathrooms in the retreat are single stalls.  They open and close automatically and are extremely slow.  Outside of the fact that if you’re in a hurry the doors are extremely slow to close, there is no indication on the outside that the restroom is occupied. So the entire time someone is frantically touching the “hands-free” door opener and trying to manually open the door.  Again, not their fault, they just think the door failed.  

 

This evening, even the staff couldn’t get the ladies’ door to close in the Retreat lounge. My MIL and two other ladies we chatted with shared stories of struggling to get out of the loo,  

I agree that the public bathrooms are a major flaw for this ship and had to plan accordingly when onboard. After I heard about the poor woman who was locked in the Luminae bathroom for 40 minutes until they took the frame off the door, I didn't dare use any of the bathrooms with that type of door. I am hopeful that they will come up with a fix or at least not repeat this design flaw on the Apex, Opus and Luxe (or whatever they end up naming 3 and 4).

[vtcruising]

15 hours ago, washdcguy said:

Good question.  In our mind, Edge with the Retreat isn’t comparable to the rest of the fleet (noting the overhauls in progress).  Our comparison is MSC Yacht Club and our Uber lux experiences (Silversea, Seabourn, Regent).  We haven’t done NCL Havens.  

 

Again, for what suites are going for on Edge, one can go on the Uber-lux lines on similar itineraries.  For that reason, we make the comparison.  We recognize that there are trade offs. None of the Uber-lux have the same quality of kids programming nor the quality of entertainment. 

 

Final note... as we all know, after final payment X is struggling to keep the suites sold. Our cruise went from 99% sold in suite class before final payment to 65% post FP. Once the upgrade emails went out, the numbers dropped.  Our conversations with other suite guests have revealed many buy-ups.  If X wants to maintain the price point in the long term (with multiple Edge class ships), the experience is going to have to deliver. 

 

 

It is an interesting strategy - we'll see how long they hold out... I downgraded for the next cruise because I love the ship. If the prices go down, I'll be back in a suite most likely - I think the overall suite experience will improve over time. X is cutting their Retreat teeth on this ship and also dealing with a huge increase in the number of suites, so are still juggling things, I'm sure.  I thought it would big a big mess initially, to be honest, but we have had 3 good experiences and service in the Retreat and excellent butlers and concierge service.

 

Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences! Enjoy the rest of your cruise! 🙂

[washdcguy]

Day Two Update – San Juan

 

With a late arrival into port, we enjoyed a quiet morning. 

 

Room service for the DD was promptly delivered (we called and ordered with the Butler rather than planned ahead the night before). 

 

DH had a spa appointment, the Bamboo massage.  The massage was excellent, but the locker room situation was odd.  Instead of changing in the locker room and relaxing in a robe in the “relaxation room,” you change in your treatment room.  No access to the spa area with a treatment.  To avoid the assessment (i.e. marketing spiel about what you need to buy) let the therapist know that this tip will decline with the pitch.  It did the charm for both DH and MIL.  (MIL’s treatment was on Day 3)

 

DD loved her time in the Kid’s Camp.  I parked myself in the Retreat to catch up on some work with the excellent WIFI.  I was there for 90 minutes and exactly 0 staff offered a drink / water. 

 

Oceanview Café:

We all had lunch (with the in-laws) in Oceanview Café (OC).  We’ve never been an OC family.  We grab a piece a of sushi or a cookie (or a decent curry), but otherwise just find buffets not to our liking.  Well, who can go wrong with roasted duck, crispy roasted pork, etc.  We were very impressed with the quality of the much of the food.  Desserts were disappointing as was beverage service (our drinks arrived after we had finished our second buffet run). 

 

The space is great.  The windows on the port side are larger/taller.  Despite being crowded, we had no issue finding seats.  There was a small seating area in the front of OC that was especially quiet that we enjoyed. 

 

Afterwards we headed to the Retreat to relax (DD play in the pool).  I know I’m going to sound like a broken record, but it was 60 minutes before we could flag someone down for a drink.  Yes, we could have gone to the bar had ween so desperately need our fix, but we were enjoying our conversation and had met another lovely couple. 

 

We journeyed into San Juan to hit the Walgreens, Polo Store, and get the pictures of the umbrella canopy on Calle Fortaleza.

 

We got back on the ship and immediately went to the Martini Bar.  (Note – No Suite class special Service was great and we relaxed, missing our 6:30 Luminae reservation.  While the MIL fretted about how we were going to get a table, we enjoyed our drinks. 

 

We were immediately seated at Luminae.  MIL had a conversation with the Retreat Manager about the pace of dinner with DD (unbeknownst to us, her parents) and the staff were accommodating wanting to know how we’d like dinner expedited.  They brought DD’s food quickly and then she left for Kid’s Camp while we were finishing appetizers.  While she’s well behaved and goes to nice restaurants with us all the time, a two hour dinner can be taxing.  We appreciated the accommodation.

 

The show tonight was Marcus Terell & The Serenades.  It was a decent show, but DH summed it up the best… there were a really good high end wedding ensemble/band. 

 

Despite these two old dads being ready to go to bed, DD had heard the CD talk about the white party and insisted that we go.  15 minutes of dancing and we were finally off to bed!

 

In know I’ve spent a lot of space complaining about service, but given the differentiation of this Live Post is the “with Kids” I just want to go back to that.  Camp at Sea is awesome.  DD wakes up and wants to know when we can go.  We’re fighting with her to eat her meals because she negotiating how many bites before she can get back to Camp.  The only other thing she likes (equally to C@S) is playing with her new friends at the Retreat Pool.  The staff are engaged with the kids, there are always different activities (they don’t park them in front of a movie screen), and most importantly everyone (counselors and kids) are HAPPY.  That means - - - WE ARE TOO!  C@S is 100x better than the Disney kid’s club from our perspective.