Edge or Equinox for Xmas - need advice

[rachelmle1]

My family is currently booked on the Edge in a Sunset Verandah room for the Xmas sailing.  We are a family of six (two adults- 40 yrs old, a 7 & 9 year old, and my in laws who are in their late 60's.)  We have only sailed on the large RCCL mega ships in the past and my in-laws really wanted to try out Celebrity this time around.

I've been trolling the boards and it seems like there very mixed reviews about the Edge.  There is also a Xmas sailing of the Equinox during the same week - but I'm a bit nervous about being on an older ship.  With that being said - I'm also nervous about the Edge!  It appears that there is zero shade on the pool deck and that the overall entertainment and daytime activity options are lacking.  But here's the question - are the entertainment options just a bust for the very seasoned cruisers? Or would they be of interest to our multi-generational family? 

 

Please take the price of the cruise out of the equation - we just want a nice fit for our family for the holiday. 

 

Any info or advice is well appreciated!

[mhafod]

While we, as a family, have not cruised with the Edge yet, we sailed on Equinox three times. The last one was during christmas 2018. It was the best one from every angle.

 

Entertainement was very good and comparable to what you can find on royal (smaller ship may be since we did not  try the mega ships).

 

I would go on the Equinox in a heartbeat. Highly recommend.

[rachelmle1]

7 minutes ago, mhafod said:

While we, as a family, have not cruised with the Edge yet, we sailed on Equinox three times. The last one was during christmas 2018. It was the best one from every angle.

 

Entertainement was very good and comparable to what you can find on royal (smaller ship may be since we did not  try the mega ships).

 

I would go on the Equinox in a heartbeat. Highly recommend.

 

Did you feel like the Equinox showed its age?

[mhafod]

Not really, it is still in top shape. In addition, the Equinox is going for drydock (although not as thorough as planned) in a couple of days.

 

 

[rachelmle1]

7 minutes ago, mhafod said:

Not really, it is still in top shape. In addition, the Equinox is going for drydock (although not as thorough as planned) in a couple of days.

 

 

 

I saw that - but it looks like it's going to benefit Suite guests the most.  (We will be in verandah rooms - not suites.)

[jelayne]

I would go with the Edge.  We have cruised the Equinox many times and it is a great ship.  We have also been on the Edge and it is spectacular.  Since you have booked a Sunset Veranda you will have a traditional balcony that is larger than most on the a Equinox.   Many who dislike the Edge dislike the Infinite Veranda, but since you are in a SV that isn’t a concern.

 

Since Celebrity doesn’t have the bells & whistles ( ice rink, Broadway shows, flowriders,etc) you & family may find the Equinox rather hohum. .  The Edge has  more of a WOW factor.  We found the food and service on the Edge to be a step up from the other Celebrity ships and we have always enjoy very good food and service on all their ships.

[rachelmle1]

2 minutes ago, jelayne said:

I would go with the Edge.  We have cruised the Equinox many times and it is a great ship.  We have also been on the Edge and it is spectacular.  Since you have booked a Sunset Veranda you will have a traditional balcony that is larger than most on the a Equinox.   Many who dislike the Edge dislike the Infinite Veranda, but since you are in a SV that isn’t a concern.

 

Since Celebrity doesn’t have the bells & whistles ( ice rink, Broadway shows, flowriders,etc) you & family may find the Equinox rather hohum. .  The Edge has  more of a WOW factor.  We found the food and service on the Edge to be a step up from the other Celebrity ships and we have always enjoy very good food and service on all their ships.

 

My overall main concern of sailing Celebrity with the kids is that they are going to be bored.  With that being said - we needed a change of pace from the RCCL megas.  We felt like there was so much in-your-face activity options that we were literally running from one activity to the next and didn't get a break!  As long as my kids have one activity per day while on the ship, I'm good with that.  They can entertain each other with card games, books, mad libs, etc by the pool.  

 

Is there really no shade on the Edge pool deck????

[jelayne]

I don’t spend a lot of time at the  pool.  I went for about 90 minutes twice and wasn’t looking for shade.  I did see some loungers in shade as I was using the walking track  and some corners with shade.   Maybe someone who spent more time around the pool area can chime in.

[Pier290]

2 hours ago, rachelmle1 said:

 

My overall main concern of sailing Celebrity with the kids is that they are going to be bored.  With that being said - we needed a change of pace from the RCCL megas.  We felt like there was so much in-your-face activity options that we were literally running from one activity to the next and didn't get a break!  As long as my kids have one activity per day while on the ship, I'm good with that.  They can entertain each other with card games, books, mad libs, etc by the pool.  

 

Is there really no shade on the Edge pool deck????

Took our 2 kids ages 11 and 7 on a 10 day Equinox cruise.  THEY LOVED IT!!! They were treated like gold by the staff.  They loved the Kids Club as they had many unique activities planned.   They LOVED the food and ice cream etc.  The waiters in the MDR attended to them like royalty!!! One even cut my daughter's steak for her!!  And made animals out of napkins and went above and beyond for our kids!!!   We and they can't wait to go on Equinox again as they didn't have to wait in long lines for kid activities, water slides etc like other cruises they went on ......Edge seems way too stuffy for kids!  😎🌴

[mhafod]

4 hours ago, rachelmle1 said:

 

My overall main concern of sailing Celebrity with the kids is that they are going to be bored.  With that being said - we needed a change of pace from the RCCL megas.  We felt like there was so much in-your-face activity options that we were literally running from one activity to the next and didn't get a break!  As long as my kids have one activity per day while on the ship, I'm good with that.  They can entertain each other with card games, books, mad libs, etc by the pool.  

 

Is there really no shade on the Edge pool deck????

 

We did cruise during christmas and also July (eastern and western caribbean). The ship has a different vibe in december and the summer months. My kids did make a comparison with royal as far as activities are concerned but overall we like to have a relaxed vacation (or I should say a more "balanced" vacation).

[hcat]

Edge has a very nice activity center for children..but it is  on a low deck...interior from what I recall. They do have indoor games in the Club....archery etc, . and movies up at the Rooftop grill.  Very good lively shows in an amazing theater, EDEN at night is more adult!  Over  the holidays there will likely be more activities geared to families with many of them on board.

 

Sunset Veranda  looks great on EDGE..we saw one on our Cabin crawl in Jan and have one booked for Nov.   The balc  are  very large... If you have 2 SV s side by side not sure you can open balc dividers..(I assume you are not able to  fit 6 in  one SV)

 

On the other hand, Equinox is one of our fav ships,...I' d lean toward that for families..more traditional layout, dining and programs....not sure if prices compare well to EDGE...

 

 

[vtcruising]

I haven't brought children on X, but I imagine both ships would be wonderful for a family. Here is a Edge-specific flyer for family activities.

 

As hcat said, if you have more than one SV many do connect at the balconies, but it has been reported that the two middle ones do not connect (though each connect to the SV balconies on the other side).

 

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/Flyers/Camp_at_Sea_Flyer.pdf

[rachelmle1]

27 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

I haven't brought children on X, but I imagine both ships would be wonderful for a family. Here is a Edge-specific flyer for family activities.

 

As hcat said, if you have more than one SV many do connect at the balconies, but it has been reported that the two middle ones do not connect (though each connect to the SV balconies on the other side).

 

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/Flyers/Camp_at_Sea_Flyer.pdf

 

Oh wow- thanks for posting that flyer. ALL of those activities look right up our alley!!!! So great. 

Good to know about the connecting SV balconies! We are on the side SV’s (not smack in the middle of the stern). I think one of the cabins is next to the corner suite and the other is right next door of that.  

[vtcruising]

13 minutes ago, rachelmle1 said:

 

Oh wow- thanks for posting that flyer. ALL of those activities look right up our alley!!!! So great. 

Good to know about the connecting SV balconies! We are on the side SV’s (not smack in the middle of the stern). I think one of the cabins is next to the corner suite and the other is right next door of that.  

I saw two SVs, with one next to the S1 corner suite and the balconies did connect. There were two couple who were friends in the cabins and they loved the SV's. Here is a picture of the connected balconies (I think they were in 10269 and 10271). They were very nice balconies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have an SV booked for January and can't wait! 🙂

Edited May 3, 2019 by vtcruising

[rachelmle1]

2 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

I saw two SVs, with one next to the S1 corner suite and the balconies did connect. There were two couple who were friends in the cabins and they loved the SV's. Here is a picture of the connected balconies (I think they were in 10269 and 10271). They were very nice balconies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have an SV booked for January and can't wait! 🙂

 

So great- thanks for the pics! Yes, I looked - one cabin is next to the corner S1 and then the cabin next to that one.  Those balconies look great. 

 

How does the quad room work? On RCCL it was a couch that doubled as a bed and then a lower trundle bed that pulled out. Is it the same on the Edge?

[vtcruising]

12 minutes ago, rachelmle1 said:

How does the quad room work? On RCCL it was a couch that doubled as a bed and then a lower trundle bed that pulled out. Is it the same on the Edge?

Hopefully someone can jump in and answer that for sure. The deck plans say "double sofa" for the quads.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Want great food Equinox hands down.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

All I can say is given the LACK of the promised Revolution on the Equinox, I an seriously wishing I had gone with the Edge for February. Because they make it way too difficult to simply change a cruise, I am seriously considering going back to the consistency of Disney, trying Princess, or doing a different kind of trip all together.

[rM3panno]

I won’t really recommend one over the other as we have sailed on both with family and both are great! 

 

Equinox is a beautiful ship and we will be on her again this Thanksgiving but we sailed the Edge over the past New Year and I think it is a great mix for all ages. The Kids club on X always treats our son like royalty and he loves it. The Edge has some unique areas which I think benefit the Kids club as it gives them some great places to play. For the adults, the Edge definitely shows it’s newness and overall feels like a swanky hotel more than a cruise ship. Either way, I think you will love it. We are Celebrity loyalists and have cruises since we were kids and now our kids go and enjoy it as well. You may see mixed reviews but we feel Celebrity has a great blend of activities and the fewer children allows for more staff supervision and interaction.

[cruisestitch]

How do you feel about gray as a Christmas color? I was on edge just before Christmas last year. All the decor was gray silver or white. Mono chromatic. Here are some photos.  I guess they were trying for showy and elegant.  I prefer more traditional colors, which you are likely to find on Equinox.

[rachelmle1]

4 hours ago, rM3panno said:

I won’t really recommend one over the other as we have sailed on both with family and both are great! 

 

Equinox is a beautiful ship and we will be on her again this Thanksgiving but we sailed the Edge over the past New Year and I think it is a great mix for all ages. The Kids club on X always treats our son like royalty and he loves it. The Edge has some unique areas which I think benefit the Kids club as it gives them some great places to play. For the adults, the Edge definitely shows it’s newness and overall feels like a swanky hotel more than a cruise ship. Either way, I think you will love it. We are Celebrity loyalists and have cruises since we were kids and now our kids go and enjoy it as well. You may see mixed reviews but we feel Celebrity has a great blend of activities and the fewer children allows for more staff supervision and interaction.

 

Wonderful information.  Thx for the response and input!

[villauk]

I know you have stated that you are not price conscious, but out of curiosity, what is the difference in price between the two sailings?

[Cruise a holic]

Having sailed on both, I would say the Equinox unless you are staying in an S1 or S2 on the edge.  I would also "assume" the cost of the sailing would be more cost effective on the Equinox.  

[rachelmle1]

4 hours ago, villauk said:

I know you have stated that you are not price conscious, but out of curiosity, what is the difference in price between the two sailings?

 

2 adults 2 kids in same cabin for the Xmas sailings:

 

Equinox is $6500 for Concierge Verandah Room - only 2 perks included

 

Edge is $7500 for Sunset Verandah with all 4 perks included (including Premium beverage plan)

 

 

Edited May 11, 2019 by rachelmle1

[rachelmle1]

15 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

Having sailed on both, I would say the Equinox unless you are staying in an S1 or S2 on the edge.  I would also "assume" the cost of the sailing would be more cost effective on the Equinox.  

 

We are in an SV (Sunset Veranda) room