The Edge Invinate Veranada warning

[Reel Love]

8 minutes ago, cantstopingcruising said:

 

gee, is the infinity balcony cabin so terrible?  We usually book insides and this time took an Infinity cabin.

Would you advise us to change back to an inside?

Personally we (hubby and me) did not find it "so terrible."  Have never sailed an inside so I can't offer any advice about whether to change back or not.  Like bigbeergut we found that we prefer a conventional balcony, but that is just our personal preference and I can say that we found the IV to be interesting and are glad we experienced it.  Enjoy your cruise ☺️

[IrishMis]

We are Elite Plus and have loved X for a long time.  The Solstice Class to us was a huge step up, in spite of the  silly grass which always seems to be "resting".  We have enjoyed many great times on the Millennium  class ships and miss the T Pool on the newer ships. Also, we enjoy the loyalty perks X offers as well as their reciprocal agreement with RCI which we have been using more often recently.  We have never booked a suite but have cruised almost every other cabin type depending on how port intensive the cruise is and where.  We were sooo excited about the Edge and cruised with another Elite level couple first week of January  in Aqua IV cabins.  All 4 of us were VERY disappointed in the balcony and also the entertainment.  It was definitely too "edgy" for us.  On the plus side the cabin bathroom was awesome and quite well designed, far better than any other i have been in. We all loved the new lounge chairs in the Solarium even though sadly the Aqua Spa Cafe keeps dumbing things down food wise. For us, money is always a factor as to whether to pay the premium for the balcony as room size and i imagine the bathroom would be similar. Sleeping is easiest in inside rooms with money left over for extras which they push hard on the ships.  The shops were so high end i was frankly shocked.  So, hard to say what you should do. I have yet to have a cruise where i just wished i wasn't there, but the real truth for us was the Edge had more of disappointments than "wows!" for us.  

[Oville]

1 hour ago, bigbeergut said:

 

If it was better than a regular balcony, they would have used the IV balcony concept with the suites.

That’s a giant step.

[cantstopingcruising]

3 hours ago, bigbeergut said:

 

No it's much better than an inside, but it does not as good as a conventional balcony.  If it was better than a regular balcony, they would have used the IV balcony concept with the suites.

Thanks for your reply

[ipeeinthepool]

6 hours ago, Oville said:

That’s a giant step.

 

Not really that’s an interesting question, I wonder why they didn’t use this premium balcony concept on the Suites. Anything good features for the balconies should also apply to the Suites.

[ipeeinthepool]

7 hours ago, IrishMis said:

We are Elite Plus and have loved X for a long time. I have yet to have a cruise where i just wished i wasn't there, but the real truth for us was the Edge had more of disappointments than "wows!" for us.  

 

I know the feeling.  It seems to be a common theme.

[barbette165]

There's a common complaint that people see the IV cabin as an "OceanView with a window that opens".

 

Maybe -X- could use marketing to spin things in their favour and reclassify OceanView and Inside cabins

 

"OceanView cabin - an IV cabin with the window always shut"

"Inside cabin - an IV cabin with the window always shut and the blind always down"

 

[hcat]

10 hours ago, cantstopingcruising said:

 

gee, is the infinity balcony cabin so terrible?  We usually book insides and this time took an Infinity cabin.

Would you advise us to change back to an inside?

I would keep the IV.. It will be a big change from an inside.. it will not be an outside space with a  sun lounger but other than that will be very nice..

 

The Veranda space adds size to the cabin...When the window is closed 

 ( with the shade up) , the window  lets in quite a bit of  light. And you have the option to open the window  for a balcony effect. Nice breezes and great views.   You do not hear other guests as on a reg balc....very peaceful.

 

I thnk you will enjoy it!  We did 

And we enjoyed EDGE overall!

Edited May 28, 2019 by hcat

[vtcruising]

Interesting thought about the suites having IV's. The aft suite balconies are asymmetric so it wouldn't work and the port and starboard suite balconies are longer than the IV's so not sure if one large piece of glass would work engineering-wise or if would need two sections of glass, which wouldn't be pleasing for guests. Either way, I'm sure they thought of it. I'm thankful they didn't split the balcony in half and do both in the Sky Suites.

 

The sun room (loggia) thing is a theme on the Edge. Some of the upper suites do have both an open balcony and a sun room-type space, though without the glass that lowers (some of the people who booked those early on were hoping that they would have glass that lowered in their loggias like in the IV's - I know I would enjoy it).

 

The CS originally had a split balcony/loggia, but they changed the design about a year after the original design was announced. It ended up with one larger balcony instead (and redesigned floor plan that some who had booked a CS were not pleased about).

 

Original plan with small balcony and loggia (on the right):

 

 

Final plan with one larger balcony (balcony on left in this rendition):

 

 

The RS has a side by side sun room and a balcony that is too small IMO.

 

 

The PH has a long balcony with a sun room at one end (with comfy chairs 😉).

 

 

 

The IC has a little area that is similar to a sun room area, in that the flooring changes and it has separate seating area.

 

Anyway, as I said earlier, I think they took a page from the river cruise industry and have French Balcony spin offs for many cabins (IV's) and for the upper suites a combo of an open balcony with a sun room next to it (as seen in the picture of the AmaWaterways suite in the 4th picture in the article below).

 

https://www.rivercruiseadvisor.com/2014/05/river-cruise-windows-balconies-defined/

 

The suites were not unscathed by the IV, loggia, sun room theme, in that some have smaller open balconies in order to make room for the sun room (positive for some to have choices, but some would have liked more open balcony space for a dining table/chairs and loungers or maybe at least have an IV on one end so they could open the glass).

 

 

Edited May 28, 2019 by vtcruising

[hcat]

I think all those suites look great but with higher pricing  on EDGE,  we are not able to move up right now!

 

 We have 3 cruises booked  and after that we are looking at Concierge Class if the CC perks continue to increase!  Not sure which class ship yet.

 

[TeeRick]

13 hours ago, bigbeergut said:

 

I'll respectfully disagree with you on Hoppen's role.  She was the lead designer and it was her responsibility to confirm designs were functional.  The IV balcony appeared to be good if the balcony stayed the same size, but it was reduced to a non-functional level and the furniture was compromised to fit the design.  The lack of a curtain on the inner doors failed to recognize how many people use the balcony while their partner remains asleep.  Celebrity management also shares responsible for not understanding how their customers use their cabins and balconies.  But as the lead designer the buck stops with Hoppen.

 

bigbeergut, Thank you and it's fine that you disagree with my comments.  But I will attempt to explain them.   I do agree with you on the fact that Hoppen was the contracted lead designer for the cabins.  All I am pointing out (as a person who has been responsible for large building projects in my career) is that I do not really believe that she was the ship architect that decided the Edge class would have IV's. Maybe some input.  She is not a nautical or any type of engineer or ship designer.  She likely had to design cabins to the engineering-approved IV concept.   She likely presented a number of ideas and plans to the Celebrity senior design team who had to have the ultimate final sign-off along with the Celebrity and RCI CEO's (and CFO's) for a billion dollar project.  The buck actually comes from them and stops with them. So while some here correctly call out Hoppen for cabin colors, furniture and features that don't appeal to them, IMO she by no means had final say.  A lot of influence no doubt but not final say.  If you read the Forbes article in my previous post and others on Edge design you will find the names of the lead designers on interior spaces, Eden, etc.  Not all named Hoppen.

[Presto2]

I suppose how we look at it now is that we are sorry for folk who booked the IV cabins when the ship had not been launched (and did not like them) as I do think the early clips are misleading re the way that the door appears to 'seal' when the window is down and the size of the 'balcony' space. I suppose, as we discovered (as we booked a cabin that ended up being above a public area) if you book a new ship you take a chance. To be honest it was obvious that as you were in the hull of the ship more then you wouldn't have the feel of a traditional balcony, but having sailed in ships with balconies inside the hull we would have been happy (ish).

 

For us the final straw came when we realised that: a) there was that dreaded speaker below us b) the Captain could lock the window c) that the balcony space was very small d) the air con doesn't work when the window is open - to name but a few

 

Now that there are plenty of reviews, videos and comments etc etc etc about the IV cabins I would expect people who book them to know what they are buying in to. We probably would not book another one based on reviews but I am sure that some will. Edge IV cabins are going to be like 'horses for courses' / 'marmite' (if you have that in the US).

 

Each to their own

[vtcruising]

5 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

marmite' (if you have that in the US)

Luckily not too much of that around here. I have had it in New Zealand and Vegemite in Australia. I would rather cruise in IV's the rest of my life than ever have to eat Marmite or Vegemite again!! 😉

Edited May 28, 2019 by vtcruising

[C-Dragons]

11 hours ago, Oville said:

That’s a giant step.

Agreed... And if X had put the IV's in the Suites, with the eye-watering prices they have been charging for them, they would probably be discounted right now. I know many people like the concept, but we would never book a Suite with an IV.

[C-Dragons]

8 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

Luckily not too much of that around here. I have had it in New Zealand and Vegemite in Australia. I would rather cruise in IV's the rest of my life than ever have to eat Marmite or Vegemite again!! 😉

Oh, but they’re so good for you. 😉 😁

[upwarduk]

On 5/26/2019 at 4:50 PM, DebInAntigua said:

would have hated to have to close the IV blind and darken the room totally in order to get dressed each day. The frosted bifolds will fix that.

Are there peeping Toms on the ocean???

[Presto2]

9 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

Are there peeping Toms on the ocean???

 

No but I've made the mistake of throwing back the curtains one morning with not a lot on only to discover other people on their balcony on the cruise ship docked alongside us . Oooooooo errrrrrrrrrr.

[vtcruising]

42 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

Are there peeping Toms on the ocean???

I was looking out of my IV the first evening and saw this - luckily we were dressed or the Edge promo video would have been a little more interesting! 😊

 

Edited May 28, 2019 by vtcruising

[vtcruising]

BTW, I did find a video with Kelly possibly taking some credit for the IV idea (unsure if she was talking about herself and the light bulb moment). I do agree with TeeRick that she likely had less to do with the engineering and architectural design than choosing the colors and fabrics. When LLP came onboard as CEO (2014), she took the Edge plans (more traditional ship had been envisioned) and started over, wanting a game changer. Celebrity has reported more than 500 designers to incorporate the innovations of design and engineering, so I imagine Kelly was just one of many throwing out ideas.

 

See minute 4.18 in video:

https://www.celebritycruises.com/edge/#321768110

[Globehoppers]

On 5/27/2019 at 7:46 PM, cantstopingcruising said:

 

gee, is the infinity balcony cabin so terrible?  We usually book insides and this time took an Infinity cabin.

Would you advise us to change back to an inside?

 

No.  The IV balcony is much better then a regular balcony, especially in the hot Caribbean.  Adds another 40-50 sq ft of A/C interior space with and is well designed.  The powered black-out curtain works very well.  There are other challenges with the ship and even the cabin, but the IV balcony isn't one of them.  Enjoy!

 

nb: Suggest those who don't like the IV cabins select something else, even a different ship.

[TeeRick]

22 hours ago, vtcruising said:

BTW, I did find a video with Kelly possibly taking some credit for the IV idea (unsure if she was talking about herself and the light bulb moment). I do agree with TeeRick that she likely had less to do with the engineering and architectural design than choosing the colors and fabrics. When LLP came onboard as CEO (2014), she took the Edge plans (more traditional ship had been envisioned) and started over, wanting a game changer. Celebrity has reported more than 500 designers to incorporate the innovations of design and engineering, so I imagine Kelly was just one of many throwing out ideas.

 

See minute 4.18 in video:

https://www.celebritycruises.com/edge/#321768110

 

Marilyn,

Thanks for the video.  My guess is that Hoppen had to have input into the IV concept as she had to design cabin interiors around it.  But such a dramatic ship design, construction and engineering concept for Celebrity, which was a big departure from other cruise ships, needed to be fully vetted by a lot of experienced people and approved by LLP and Richard Fain.  That is all I am trying to say here. I am not defending Kelly Hoppen at all just pointing out how things likely came together.  She has taken a lot of blame here for the IV or the cabin changes in the revolutionized ships. Not sure if that is entirely fair.  People who object to Celebrity's current design direction should more focus on the final approval process.  As for me I actually liked the new colors and interiors on Edge with the exception of some of the less than functional features and uncomfortable furniture.

[villauk]

On 5/28/2019 at 1:25 PM, vtcruising said:

Anyway, as I said earlier, I think they took a page from the river cruise industry and have French Balcony spin offs for many cabins (IV's)

 

 

This was stated by a few of us on CC before the Edge was even built and it was also pointed out that surely Viking, being one of the market leaders in river cruises and so more of ‘experts’ in this field, would have considered this option for their new builds if they thought it would have been a viable option for ocean cruise ships? River cruising is at a totally different level in the water to that of ocean cruising. 

 

As someone else pointed out, each to their own of what they prefer: a true balcony cabin on another ship or a cabin with a window that opens on the Edge design.

[bkbarrym]

1 hour ago, Globehoppers said:

 

nb: Suggest those who don't like the IV cabins select something else, even a different ship.

Not much else to choose then.  IV  (including CC and Aqua) make up over 62% of the Edge staterooms. If you can't afford a suite then there are only 94 true verandas, 148 OVs and 131 inside cabins.

[vtcruising]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

Marilyn,

Thanks for the video.  My guess is that Hoppen had to have input into the IV concept as she had to design cabin interiors around it.  But such a dramatic ship design, construction and engineering concept for Celebrity, which was a big departure from other cruise ships, needed to be fully vetted by a lot of experienced people and approved by LLP and Richard Fain.  That is all I am trying to say here. I am not defending Kelly Hoppen at all just pointing out how things likely came together.  She has taken a lot of blame here for the IV or the cabin changes in the revolutionized ships. Not sure if that is entirely fair.  People who object to Celebrity's current design direction should more focus on the final approval process.  As for me I actually liked the new colors and interiors on Edge with the exception of some of the less than functional features and uncomfortable furniture.

I agree! My guess is that a group of them were looking through ship pictures and when a river cruise ship picture came up, someone said "Aha!" and the rest was history. I also think the engineers and architects did the design of the IV, not Kelly, but once approved she needed to put her two cents in about the interior design. X is big on her name, more than anything, just as they are using Nate Berkus' name recognition and who has only designed a suite tote. 🙂

[Big_G]

32 minutes ago, bkbarrym said:

Not much else to choose then.  IV  (including CC and Aqua) make up over 62% of the Edge staterooms. If you can't afford a suite then there are only 94 true verandas, 148 OVs and 131 inside cabins.

 

So suites aren't the only cabins with a regular verandas?