Our life on the Edge, 28 April 2019 TA, some photos & video

[Silkroad]

2 hours ago, prish said:

DH and I would love to do a TA but unfortunately the timings don’t work for us. Maybe sometime in the future...🤔

We had the same problem for many years, mostly because it's so difficult to get away from work for more than two weeks, but finally managed our first one two years ago. It was wonderful. I hope you get to try one someday😊

[vtcruising]

3 hours ago, Silkroad said:

I was a bit frustrated with some of the sommeliers in the various restaurants. Even when I specifically said I'd be willing to go a bit over the package for a special wine for my meal, only a couple sommeliers were willing to recommend anything. Sure, they would have brought me anything I ordered, but I was hoping they would display their expertise & show me a perfect wine that was new to me. But no, be prepared to be offered a Decoy or Kendall Jackson Elegance Cabernet by most sommeliers.  In contrast, on Silhouette last year, and both Summit and Reflection the previous year, I was offered many different non-default choices by the sommeliers. I hope this situation improves by the time I board Edge again next May. 

We found that in some restaurants too - they seemed spread thin in some areas. I was happy most of the time with Conundrum Red and White, Freemark Abbey, Caymus, Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. My DH likes Shiraz - some places didn't have one on their menu so helped him choose something similar and he always liked it. Once we started having the Caymus ($10 charge per glass above the premium package), it was hard to go back. 🙂

 

Not sure if you saw this thread, as I posted while you were on the ship. It has all the wine lists onboard.

 

[vtcruising]

47 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Yes! Deck 9, because someone had snagged deck 10😜

There are two more available on  9 - maybe I should move down to the niners club. 😉

Edited May 19, 2019 by vtcruising

[Silkroad]

14 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

We found that in some restaurants too - they seemed spread thin in some areas. I was happy most of the time with Conundrum Red and White, Freemark Abbey, Caymus, Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. My DH likes Shiraz - some places didn't have one on their menu so helped him choose something similar and he always liked it. Once we started having the Caymus ($10 charge per glass above the premium package), it was hard to go back. 🙂

 

Not sure if you saw this thread, as I posted while you were on the ship. It has all the wine lists onboard.

 

No I hadn't seen it. Thanks! I'll definitely save it for the next cruise. I did treat myself to some Caymus a time or two😜 I like Freemark Abbey too. I'm familiar with many California wines (SF native, so I grew up with the wine & IT industries lol) as well as some Oregon & Washington wines. I'm only somewhat familiar with wines from other regions. I've tried a great many over time, but I don't know the regions and vintners as well as I do those of California & the Northwest. That's why I like to try new wines on the ship. I expect sommeliers to know the dishes on offer that day, and have several pairing ideas (not just one or two) but I didn't get that from most of the sommeliers on Edge. Ah well, I can choose my own if necessary, but then, why am I tipping them?

Edited May 19, 2019 by Silkroad

[Silkroad]

Day 5

[SharonK]

Do you know where the elite cocktails were served? Were coupons given that could be used at any bar or was there a certain bar during the designated hours. On our past several cruises we’ve had the beverage package perk so we’ve never taken advantage of the Elite cocktail perk but we didn’t get the beverage package when we booked our Edge TA for next year.  We booked before beverage packages were offered on TAs and now it would cost us quite a bit to upgrade.

[Silkroad]

Today, we had the Captain's Club Wine Tasting at 1:00, after which we headed to the Theater for the Cello 2 Cello matinee.

[Silkroad]

[Silkroad]

Take 2

Edited May 20, 2019 by Silkroad

[Silkroad]

27 minutes ago, SharonK said:

Do you know where the elite cocktails were served? Were coupons given that could be used at any bar or was there a certain bar during the designated hours. On our past several cruises we’ve had the beverage package perk so we’ve never taken advantage of the Elite cocktail perk but we didn’t get the beverage package when we booked our Edge TA for next year.  We booked before beverage packages were offered on TAs and now it would cost us quite a bit to upgrade.

No coupons on our TA. See attachment for details😊

[Silkroad]

We had a very nice dinner with two of our friends at Tuscan, then headed back to the theater for the 9:30 show. This show (Andrew Derbyshire) was OK. After all the sitting we did today, I needed a loooong walk through all the decks, so if you spotted two people flitting repeatedly through the Haunted Forest, stopping to look at the wooden people, up the stairs to the pool deck, and around the track, it was only us😊☺️

[Silkroad]

10 hours ago, Silkroad said:

No coupons on our TA. See attachment for details😊

Sorry, I should have also given you the information below😊

[vtcruising]

I wasn't able to play the videos completely (probably my WiFi after a major storm), but heard a couple of beautiful clips and the stage looked gorgeous. It looked amazing!

 

I love that you enjoyed strolling through the Magic Forest, visited the Faceless Ones and walked the pool deck/track at night. A great way to wind down before bedtime. When there weren't pool parties going on, the pool deck was a very relaxing place - sometimes we were the only ones up there. 🙂

[hcat]

Enjoyed the music videos. Thank you.

We won't be sailing on Summit until May 2020 but sure would appreciate shows like this..  

 

Googled Cello2cello..found them on facebook ..cant log in..never joined, seems they are quite popular..

Edited May 20, 2019 by hcat

[vtcruising]

23 minutes ago, hcat said:

Enjoyed the music videos. Thank you.

We won't be sailing on Summit until May 2020 but sure would appreciate shows like this..  

 

Googled Cello2cello..found them on facebook ..cant log in..never joined, seems they are quite popular..

hcat, a quick question off topic that someone was asking on my Edge menu thread: "Can items off from the regular MDR menu be ordered in Blu?"   Thanks!

[Silkroad]

46 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

I wasn't able to play the videos completely (probably my WiFi after a major storm), but heard a couple of beautiful clips and the stage looked gorgeous. It looked amazing!

 

I love that you enjoyed strolling through the Magic Forest, visited the Faceless Ones and walked the pool deck/track at night. A great way to wind down before bedtime. When there weren't pool parties going on, the pool deck was a very relaxing place - sometimes we were the only ones up there. 🙂

I had the same problem with one of them this morning, when I tried to play it on my iPad. I'm glad you enjoyed them.

 

You must be psychic, posting about the stage! I was just about to post something about my sudden revelation during one of the shows. I was watching the backdrop changing with the music, and suddenly, I found myself humming, "we are stardust, we are golden, we are billion year old carbon, and we got to get ourselves, back to the gaaaardeeeen". Yeah, it's Deja Vu all over again😜 What a perfect place for ✌️Flower Power🌺. Once I saw the Eden show, I was certain. Two shows in the theater, two in Eden, some in the RTG and around the pool! The only potential issue is all those elevation changes in Eden, which may be even easier to miss at night, with psychedelic lights. I cringed each time I saw the spot where BB had her fall. I hope she has fully recovered. Even being very aware (and wary) of it, I slightly bonked my leg on it while side stepping to avoid an off balance gentleman. More on the Eden show later....

 

I've had some reservations about the move from stage sets to projected stage backdrops, partly because I've been endlessly impressed & charmed by the creativity of set designers & theatrical technicians (especially those having small budgets). However, the Edge theater is beautiful and very well designed (though a bit too small, at least on this TA). The projected stage backdrops are gorgeous & mesmerizing. BTW I did OK with the lights (migraines) as long as I sat above the stage. On the night we had to sit stage left & much closer to the stage, I had to shade my eyes with my hand a few times, or look away, but I did OK.

 

Yes, we do love to explore all the Celebrity ships, and we spend a lot of time roaming the upper decks late at night, when few others are there. I must admit that the beautiful lighted arches on Edge's deck are unique and special. I knew I would like the ones that remind me of Whoville (organic arch shapes with the "teeth" at the top). So cool!  But I didn't expect to love the geometric archways, because they're less compelling when they're not lit. Once on board, I loved those geometric arches too, We must have taken dozens of photos of those repeating shapes against the night sky. Is it time for my next Edge cruise yet? Time to go back to Edgies Anonymous. I'm Michelle, and I have a cruise addiction......🤣

Edited May 20, 2019 by Silkroad

[Silkroad]

Day 6 - Sea Day

[Silkroad]

On the subject of the beauty of the upper decks at night, here's one of my faves. I caught this shot of DH photographing the geometric arches. You can see the tiny repeating shapes on his phone.

[vtcruising]

21 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

I had the same problem with one of them this morning, when I tried to play it on my iPad. I'm glad you enjoyed them.

 

You must be psychic, posting about the stage! I was just about to post something about my sudden revelation during one of the shows. I was watching the backdrop changing with the music, and suddenly, I found myself humming, "we are stardust, we are golden, we are billion year old carbon, and we got to get ourselves, back to the gaaaardeeeen". Yeah, it's Deja Vu all over again😜 What a perfect place for ✌️Flower Power🌺. Once I saw the Eden show, I was certain. Two shows in the theater, two in Eden, some in the RTG and around the pool! The only potential issue is all those elevation changes in Eden, which may be even easier to miss at night, with psychedelic lights. I cringed each time I saw the spot where BB had her fall. I hope she has fully recovered. Even being very aware (and wary) of it, I slightly bonked my leg on it while side stepping to avoid an off balance gentleman. More on the Eden show later....

 

I've had some reservations about the move from stage sets to projected stage backdrops, partly because I've been endlessly impressed & charmed by the creativity of set designers & theatrical technicians (especially those having small budgets). However, the Edge theater is beautiful and very well designed (though a bit too small, at least on this TA). The projected stage backdrops are gorgeous & mesmerizing. BTW I did OK with the lights (migraines) as long as I sat above the stage. On the night we had to sit stage left & much closer to the stage, I had to shade my eyes with my hand a few times, or look away, but I did OK.

 

We love to explore all the Celebrity ships, and we spend a lot of time roaming the upper decks late at night, when few others are there. I must admit that the beautiful lighted arches on Edge's deck are unique and special. I knew I would like the ones that remind me of Whoville (organic shapes with the "teeth" at the top). So cool!  But I didn't expect to love the geometric archways, because they're less compelling when they're not lit. Once on board, I loved those geometric arches too, We must have taken dozens of photos of those repeating shapes against the night sky. Is it time for my next Edge cruise yet? Time to go back to Edgies Anonymous. I'm Michelle, and I have a cruise addiction......🤣

It would be a great ship for the FPC,  but with the majority of the guests and performers getting older, mobility might be an issue. Maybe Apex will have some of the areas fixed, with a better elevator in Eden (though ADA compliant, it doesn't seem to work for large scooters) and less low seating.

 

Every time I see that Eden stage I think of BeachBunny. I haven't heard from her on here and I couldn't find her contact info. I hope she is doing better!

 

I wasn't sure about the stage either, but loved it and was comparing it to the one on the Infinity a couple of months ago. The Edge stage can do so much more and really creates excitement and some beautiful moments. I didn't have issues with the lights either.

 

The arches on the pool deck are lovely at night, but I remember when someone predicted on the Blocks are in the House thread that they were giant frames and would each have a work of art in them (X mentioned life-sized art on the pool deck, which turned out to be the butterfly). When I saw the plain arches during the day, I was a little disappointed at first, but learned to appreciate them during the day and loved the different colors at night. I realized that this ship reminded me of Gaudi and his architecture - whimsical, unique, audacious, makes you giggle - I loved everything Gaudi in Barcelona and love much of the art on the Edge for the same reasons (not that the Edge is at Gaudi's level, just that it brought out similar feelings for me).

 

We will have to live vicariously for now - 237 days for me, though I haven't checked my lottery ticket yet....😉

Edited May 20, 2019 by vtcruising

[Silkroad]

2 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

I realized that this ship reminded me of Gaudi and his architecture - whimsical, unique, audacious, makes you giggle - I loved everything Gaudi in Barcelona and love much of the art on the Edge for the same reasons (not that the Edge is at Gaudi's level, just that it brought out similar feelings for me).

Exactly! I love Gaudi, and could spend days wandering around Parc Guell, but while the organic shapes in the Grand Plaza are extremely evocative of Gaudi (for me anyway), some of the shapes on the upper decks (arches with teeth & "trees" in RTG) take me straight to Whoville. I think it's because the shapes look both more basic & early 60's futuristic. DH was relieved that I never broke into the Whos' Christmas song unless we were alone on deck😉 I was humming very quietly😊 OMG there's probably ship video of my little Whoville Christmas song dance! I'm a marked woman🤣

[SharonK]

1 hour ago, Silkroad said:

Sorry, I should have also given you the information below😊

Thanks Michelle for posting this info!

[Silkroad]

6 minutes ago, SharonK said:

Thanks Michelle for posting this info!

You're quite welcome, Sharon. I hope you have a wonderful cruise😊

[vtcruising]

23 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Exactly! I love Gaudi, and could spend days wandering around Parc Guell, but while the organic shapes in the Grand Plaza are extremely evocative of Gaudi (for me anyway), some of the shapes on the upper decks (arches with teeth & "trees" in RTG) take me straight to Whoville. I think it's because the shapes look both more basic & early 60's futuristic. DH was relieved that I never broke into the Whos' Christmas song unless we were alone on deck😉 I was humming very quietly😊 OMG there's probably ship video of my little Whoville Christmas song dance! I'm a marked woman🤣

Oh yes, we did two bridge tours and went into the rooms where they have multiple security screens up, watching the ship's activities. I'm sure they were keeping a close eye on you!  😉

[Silkroad]

Notice:  CC has posted a notice regarding forum maintenance at 0900 tomorrow, so don’t think I’ve run off to board another ship if I suddenly go dark tomorrow😉 As I know all too well (IT career) even the simplest maintenance can have unintended consequences. Fingers crossed, because I have a work break tomorrow morning, and hope to power through a couple cruise days on my review🙂

[vtcruising]

2 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Notice:  CC has posted a notice regarding forum maintenance at 0900 tomorrow, so don’t think I’ve run off to board another ship if I suddenly go dark tomorrow😉 As I know all too well (IT career) even the simplest maintenance can have unintended consequences. Fingers crossed, because I have a work break tomorrow morning, and hope to power through a couple cruise days on my review🙂

Oh dear, hope the maintenance session goes okay and we aren't in the dark too long. I finally have some time off! 🙂