Fantastic Vacation on Edge - 3/24/2019 Aqua Class

[Sandy1975]

Hi everyone! Here is another Edge review for those that are interested!

I booked this cruise 2 years ago and I obsessed about it by following the “Edge Blocks are in the House” thread from the very beginning. Just like many of you, I became concerned about my choice as the first reviews started to come out and pretty much every one hated the ship. Concentrating on what is important to us: Food and Service (was receiving good reviews) plus the crazy prices kept me from cancelling. After experiencing Edge and everything she had to offer to us I can say that I am very happy that I kept my reservation. We are in our early 40’s and this was my 11^th or 12^th cruise with Celebrity and I think it ranks in the top in terms of overall experience. In case you want to skip the review, what will make us choose Edge again (at prices that make sense) are the experiences we had with Food, Service, the Infinity Veranda and Eden. So now onto reviewing this in more detail!

We did the online checking and uploaded our pics so getting to the waiting area was very quick, however, Embarkation while quick was a bit chaotic. They are no longer splitting groups by stateroom class or CC status so there is a mad dash to line up once your group is called. I think it was better when they sat people in groups and lead them to the embarkation points. Once I entered the ship, I had my first “WOW, this is beautiful feeling”

Ship is beautifully designed and I enjoyed exploring it but it was easy to get lost! I am very familiar with S and M classes and I find it that it flows very nicely when you go from one end to the other. On Edge, many times I hit dead ends. It is not a big deal but something to be aware of, especially if you have mobility issues and can’t walk long distances. Elevators were fast once you got in one but sometimes the wait to get one was longer than I am used to.

I was in an Aqua A1 cabin and location was very good (last cabin on the part that sticks out on the Aft section, deck 10, port side). Our cabin was quiet and nicely decorated. We had the infinity veranda and loved it! It was a bit noisy to move it up and down but it was not a big deal to us. The only annoying thing is that you have to hold the button until it is completely up or down but that could be a safety feature. I was very concerned about the infinity veranda and what my husband would think about it but I am glad to report that we LOVED it and I know we are in the minority but we prefer it to a regular balcony. We never closed the French doors and kept the window down the majority of the time. We liked the privacy it offered and how it made the cabin bigger. We didn’t feel the room getting hot because of AC been off when the window was down but I think that is something unique to every person. Yes, we had to move the chairs around to get to the window but that didn’t bother us. My other concern was having the windows locked for extended periods of time and while I think our windows were locked twice for window cleaning and refueling it didn’t impact us because we were not in the cabin. The daily would let us know when the cabins would be lock. Bathroom was roomy and very nice and we loved the shower! I went to the thermal suites a couple of times but to be honest I really didn’t care for it. Maybe if I was on a longer cruise or with more sea days I would be able to fully appreciate the value it adds to Aqua.

Food in Blu was very good overall. Breakfast was fantastic and I loved the freshly squeeze OJ and grapefruit. Dinner was also good but it was a bit inconsistent towards the end of the trip. Service was the stand out in BLU and I can honestly say it was the best we have had in our cruising experience. Service was so good that it will be a driver for us when selecting Aqua again in the future. We had a table for 2 by the curtains and we found it was very quiet and the tables allowed for good personal space. Jeshna was our waitress the entire sailing and she was phenomenal. She was very accommodating to some requests we had and quick in learning our preferences.  

Ocean View Café: a lot of people have raved about OV café but I found it to be just OK. We had most of our lunches there and while there was variety I felt like the S class selection is better. My husband thought it was comparable. I loved the floor to ceiling windows and on a couple of occasions we saw whales jumping while we were having lunch.

The next section will be about the various bars on Edge:

The Martini Bar is a favorite place for me in the S class but on Edge, I barely frequented. The few times I went there it was too crowded and service while quick was spotty in terms of quality of drinks. It was however a great place to listen to live music.

Sunset Bar: I found this place to be a good place in you wanted to catch some rays while enjoying coffee and cocktails. I never smell any sewage smell that has been reported in the past. I only wish I spent more mornings there as it was not very crowded. And the view is very nice!

Magic Carpet: I liked the views from the Magic carpet but to us this did not have the WOW factor that was advertised. It is a nice place to have drinks while sailing away.

Al Bacio: was as good as always. The area dedicated to Al BACIO seems bigger and more comfy. Quality was good as usual.

Eden: this was my favorite place in the entire ship. I loved the ambiance, music, space and views! Here is where we had our pre, in between, and post dinner drinks! I found a familiar face tending the bar and he along with the rest of the team provided great service to us. Drinks were tasty and very consistent. My favorite drinks in the menu were the Garden and Shaman. Around 730 pm or so, a diffuser machine would aromatized the area with something similar to incense. It was pretty strong at the beginning but it dissipated throughout the night. It didn’t bother us but I can see how it can be bothersome to others. This place was a standout for us and in our opinion the best lounge / place out of all the Celebrity ships today.

Entertainment was better than we have experienced in the past. There was a lot of live music and more unique shows than your usual Broadway type. Still pretty heavy on singing shows which at this point I don’t really care for. Lots of comedian shows on my sailing but I only attended one. I like it that they have incorporate more acrobatic acts. I really liked the EDEN shows early in the evening and Revelations at night. My husband thought it was pretty weird but enjoyed nonetheless.   

SMELLS! I wanted to pay particular attention to the smells of Edge. I was praying that we would not encounter the famous “sewage fragrance” a lots of people talks about. I am glad to say that I DIDN’T experience anything close to sewage during my cruise. I did however smell something on the last sea day when I was watching a movie on the Roof Top Garden. Once in a while depending on wind, I would detect a smell but I don’t know what it was. It was definitely not offensive (at least to me and others watching the movie).

Some minor things that I believe Celebrity needs to work on:

Resort Deck pool: I was swimming every morning on sea days. On the first sea day you could see underwater from end to end but by day 5 you could barely see at arm’s length. I think a better job needs to be done in the maintenance of the water.

Chair hogs: this is an area that has been a sore point in other sailings and it continues to be something that Celebrity needs to be better at. They need to enforce the 30 minutes rule. I saw a guy every day holding 10 to 12 chairs early in the morning. The same thing happened around the pool: lots of books and bags were enjoying some Vitamin D.

Shades: I love the sun but I would have to agree with others that more shaded areas are needed in the Roof Top Garden and Sunset bar.

My husband went once to one of the main dining rooms and the said service was very slow. I also heard that quality was not as good.

One last thing, we thought this sailing was rockier than others we have been on. Waters were pretty calm in my opinion, however, I felt a lot of movement on the ship especially at night and in the early morning. This was almost every day. Somehow it would stabilize during the middle of the day. It seems like this was unique to my sailing based on what I have read in the last few days but I thought I would mention it so that people are aware of it.

Would I sail Edge again? Absolutely! I wanted to book something but prices are just too out of control (even for S class!). I am willing to pay similar prices to what this cruise cost me so I am waiting for prices to come down to normal levels. Once that happens I will be back on Edge or Apex! I highly recommend this ship and to those that are concerned about reviews I think you need to form your own opinion because everyone is different and will have a different experience even on the same sailing.

Now if I can figure out how to post pictures I will upload some later. I hope this was helpful to others and while I may come off as been very positive about this sailing compared to others reviews, it is truly how I feel about Edge and our vacation this past week.

[hcat]

Sandy...

So glad you really enjoyed your cruise on EDGE.. We did too...

Thanks for a very well written and upbeat review..,hope to sail with you sometime!

[cricketgirl]

Great review, thanks for providing your input.  Only time will tell, but I think I am going to love the IV - so looking forward to the privacy it provides that the traditional balconies do not.  Glad you have a great time!

[Sandy1975]

20 minutes ago, hcat said:

Sandy...

So glad you really enjoyed your cruise on EDGE.. We did too...

Thanks for a very well written and upbeat review..,hope to sail with you sometime!

I think we have been on the same sailing before! Infinity to the ABC islands maybe a couple of years ago or so. I was not able to get the connections party but I remember your posts! Or maybe I am just confusing things! Who knows!

Edited April 3, 2019 by Sandy1975

[FM]

Thanks for the review … will be onboard the Edge later in about two weeks!

[hcat]

19 minutes ago, Sandy1975 said:

I think we have been on the same sailing before! Infinity to the ABC islands maybe a couple of years ago or so. I was not able to get the connections party but I remember your posts! Or maybe I am just confusing things! Who knows!

 

Yes...now I remember your screen name.....ABC on Infinity...Halloween! It was a great cruise. Thanks for reminding me...Some of the other roll call members are going too...but they are in suites!

 

We are actually doing ABC  islands again...on EDGE  in Nov..Sunset Veranda and the 4 mdr  select dining  plan..check it out..prices have come down on some itins

[Sandy1975]

View from the cabin, cabin and view through the balcony glass while window is down

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[Sandy1975]

Entertainment

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[Sandy1975]

Drinks and food

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[deedle7544]

what is an infinity balcony?

 

Love your review, thanks!

[Sandy1975]

26 minutes ago, deedle7544 said:

what is an infinity balcony?

 

Love your review, thanks!

Infinity balcony is the one that is connected to your cabin in a way that you can keep the doors open and still have a view of the ocean. You can lower the window creating the veranda. This is how we kept our cabin most of the time, window down and french doors open. Some people call it an ocean view with a window but I don't think that is quite accurate. 

[BecciBoo]

I just switched to the Sunset Veranda from an IV this morning after having read so many negatives about it.  Hope I didn't make a big mistake!  I so wanted to experience the IV but some reviews scared me off because it seemed so small compared with the Sunset Verandas. I will love that too...any cruise is better than no cruise!

[Silkroad]

4 hours ago, Sandy1975 said:

They are no longer splitting groups by stateroom class or CC status so there is a mad dash to line up once your group is called. 

Following. When you say there’s a mad dash once your group is called, which groups do you mean? By cabin type (Concierge, Aqua, etc.) or by Captain’s Club level? Thanks very much for posting your review and photos😊

 

[Sandy1975]

1 hour ago, Silkroad said:

Following. When you say there’s a mad dash once your group is called, which groups do you mean? By cabin type (Concierge, Aqua, etc.) or by Captain’s Club level? Thanks very much for posting your review and photos😊

 

First at all people were just hovering at the entrance where your passport is scanned and didn't listen to the multiple requests to take a seat. When that finally happened, "visitors to the Edge" were called and that was mad dash #1, then service man and women, then Concierge and expedite boarding and that was  mad dash #2 where I guess some tried to sneak in or thought were called, but it looked as if the entire terminal lined up. Finally Aqua and I don't know what after that 

[twodjs]

Curious what time you arrived at the terminal for boarding? We had no waiting at all. We had loaded our photo during the check-in process several weeks before and the total time from curb to ship was less than 10 minutes with no crowds at all. I think we arrived around 11:30 to 12:00.

[Silkroad]

17 minutes ago, Sandy1975 said:

First at all people were just hovering at the entrance where your passport is scanned and didn't listen to the multiple requests to take a seat. When that finally happened, "visitors to the Edge" were called and that was mad dash #1, then service man and women, then Concierge and expedite boarding and that was  mad dash #2 where I guess some tried to sneak in or thought were called, but it looked as if the entire terminal lined up. Finally Aqua and I don't know what after that 

That sounds more like the old Southwest Airlines “boarding process” than an appropriate welcome to a beautiful new ship. I guess it’s too much to hope they’ll improve their process before I board on the 28th😂 Ah well, I can well believe some passengers refused to listen to the staff. I’ve seen similar behavior at muster drills. Thanks for the warning😉

[hcat]

For our cruise  when AQ was called...it was a huge stampede....no  staff control whatsoever.,   no clue!

 

  And in the usual order   AQ should precede Concierge...

 

They ignored anything about Elite and E plus..

Edited April 3, 2019 by hcat

[Sandy1975]

7 minutes ago, twodjs said:

Curious what time you arrived at the terminal for boarding? We had no waiting at all. We had loaded our photo during the check-in process several weeks before and the total time from curb to ship was less than 10 minutes with no crowds at all. I think we arrived around 11:30 to 12:00.

I just get really excited on boarding day that I can't help it but be at the terminal by 1030 at the latest! So I always see this but I think every one wa so anxious to get on board that it is just a bit chaotic.

[Sandy1975]

8 minutes ago, hcat said:

For our cruise  when AQ was called...it was a huge stampede....no  staff control whatsoever.,   no clue!

 

  And in the usual order   AQ should precede Concierge...

 

They ignored anything about Elite and E plus..

I didn't know Aqua precedes Concierge.

Oh and with this trip I made it to Elite! I can't believe I forgot to mention that!

[Silkroad]

32 minutes ago, Sandy1975 said:

I didn't know Aqua precedes Concierge.

Oh and with this trip I made it to Elite! I can't believe I forgot to mention that!

Sometimes it’s the opposite, Concierge before Aqua. Congratulations! My upcoming Edge cruise will be my first as Elite. Woo hoo! Laundry benefits on a TA. That will be handy😉

[Caribbean Chris]

4 hours ago, deedle7544 said:

what is an infinity balcony?

 

Love your review, thanks!

 

Also known as IV = infinite veranda

[Sandy1975]

3 hours ago, BecciBoo said:

I just switched to the Sunset Veranda from an IV this morning after having read so many negatives about it.  Hope I didn't make a big mistake!  I so wanted to experience the IV but some reviews scared me off because it seemed so small compared with the Sunset Verandas. I will love that too...any cruise is better than no cruise!

I am sure you will love your Sunset Veranda!

[BecciBoo]

Yes, we've done aft before and love the bigger balconies but I'm a techi married to a techi and we like gadgets.  Just worried that we'd not get to experience it if they wash the windows all the time.  Plus now we'll be next door to our cruise buds anyway.  Ah well..........I saved $200 believe it or not so can't complain now...

[hcat]

11 hours ago, Silkroad said:

Sometimes it’s the opposite, Concierge before Aqua. Congratulations! My upcoming Edge cruise will be my first as Elite. Woo hoo! Laundry benefits on a TA. That will be handy😉

Congrats on making Elite...Enjoy your cruuse..

 

Sorry to digress from this great review....

 

They may now call Concierge 1st  to get pax onboard in time for the lunch.  I guess it is now equal to AQ although AQ is usually  more expensive to book.

 

For us from FLL, it  has  usually been Suites/Zenith, wheelchair, AQ/ Elite Plus, Concierge/ Elite....( can vary based upon numbers) .  But it has always been orderly. 

 

With the new terminal, suites and Zeniths go to another area  to board. We hear it is very nice..Not  very nice where the rest of us board,  but we've been to worse terminals over the years and  it  honestly was not a long wait.

 

On our cruise  in Jan ,they did call AQ/Elite  first but  a crowd  was blocking the entry way to the ship, and it was a mad scene.. The long circular benches trapped people, no diff waiting or seating areas by  cabin class or cap club level;   and lack of staff inhibited an orderly line up.  Felt like we were going to board  a 3rd class bus or cattlecar!

 

I think many including us arrived early due to a predicted heavy rain storm...Luckily we dropped off our luggage,  and  dh  back tracked to the garage and walked back...no rain. Also lucky dry weather on disembark when we dragged luggage to the garage..long walk!   Doable but not great!

 

We have a new strategy for  our next 2 cruises from that terminal.   We will no longer  cruise   in January ( driving from the W coast of Fl , doing 1 night pre cruise hotel and parking our car at the port garage). Instead, we will cruise in Nov, fly to FLL , do a pre cruise hotel and take a cab to the terminal door with our luggage .

 

Post cruise we'll take a rental car to the west coast for the  snowbird   season,..

Edited April 4, 2019 by hcat

[Silkroad]

35 minutes ago, hcat said:

Congrats on making Elite...Enjoy your cruuse..

Thanks😊 On a TA, I’ll still be a minnow swimming amongst the hundreds of big fish (Elite Plus and Zenith) but I’ll thoroughly enjoy my new benefits😎🍷

 

Thanks for adding your description of the port experience. We’re in a Concierge cabin on our Edge cruise, so I hope we make it to the luncheon. It’s one of the few benefits of CC, especially on this ship (no room for footstools in an IV). Your description sounds as though I’ll need to get past a large football team that is determined to block the end zone (aka the entrance to the ship). I hope I won’t be trampled by steaming masses🤣

Edited April 4, 2019 by Silkroad