Hubby and I - 34 years old - Will we like Edge?

[lyssa13]

Hi Everyone - I'm new to Celebrity.  I am an RCCL fan but unfortunately have done too many of the Allure/Oasis/Harmony sailings and it's getting repetitive.  We prefer the bigger ships...we are in our early 30's so we like nightlife, music, specialty dining, entertainment.  The Edge has caught my eye, but I'm a little worried with the mixed reviews I see with the Edge, but I can't tell if it's because of the average demographic of Celebrity loyalists.  

 

Without hurting anyone's feelings - Is there anyone closer to our age on here (or young at heart!) that can help me decide if we would love this or hate this ship?  On past RCCL sailings, the demographic is closer to our age and we have even made lasting friendships that have gone past debarkation.  

 

I'll appreciate the honesty, hope this question comes across okay - I mean it in the sweetest most genuine way.  THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

[bigbenboys]

1 hour ago, lyssa13 said:

Hi Everyone - I'm new to Celebrity.  I am an RCCL fan but unfortunately have done too many of the Allure/Oasis/Harmony sailings and it's getting repetitive.  We prefer the bigger ships...we are in our early 30's so we like nightlife, music, specialty dining, entertainment.  The Edge has caught my eye, but I'm a little worried with the mixed reviews I see with the Edge, but I can't tell if it's because of the average demographic of Celebrity loyalists.  

 

Without hurting anyone's feelings - Is there anyone closer to our age on here (or young at heart!) that can help me decide if we would love this or hate this ship?  On past RCCL sailings, the demographic is closer to our age and we have even made lasting friendships that have gone past debarkation.  

 

I'll appreciate the honesty, hope this question comes across okay - I mean it in the sweetest most genuine way.  THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

While the Edge is not my cup of tea. I'm 60 young LOL. With a little over 50 cruises under my belt. We were very disappointed in Celebrity Edge SuiteClass. I'm trying to sum it up in a couple of words. The Edge SuiteClass has no charm. I hope the other ship dont lose their charm. Only time will tell. If we book the Edge again it will be in AquaClass. There is the silent disco, a 2 story night club and many dining options. I can see how younger generations might like the Edge. The Edge is great for the Caribbean as many of us cruisers have done most of the ports a number of time. So less time running off the ship and more time to enjoy the ship during the day and nights. But if your cruising the Med, you might be spending more time off the ship. The focus of the cruise is more itinerary driven.

[lyssa13]

35 minutes ago, bigbenboys said:

The Edge is great for the Caribbean as many of us cruisers have done most of the ports a number of time. So less time running off the ship and more time to enjoy the ship during the day and nights. But if your cruising the Med, you might be spending more time off the ship. The focus of the cruise is more itinerary driven.

 

Thank you so much.  We are looking at Caribbean in April 2020...we love the Caribbean for exactly that point, love exploring and enjoying the ship while the other guests storm the islands to shop for souvenirs (I don't get this...) 

 

We would likely be looking at a Sunset Veranda, hubby would kill me if we didn't have a real balcony.  Such a shame they failed so badly on those poor excuses for balconies that are really just windows.  

[Esprit]

I'd say definitely "yes". The Club is one of the best night club venues aboard any ship I've been on. Having four restaurants to choose from without even thinking out the speciality ones is great too.

[CAicruiser]

I am sure you will find a lot of things that you like.It is a ship for millennials generation.

[ipeeinthepool]

7 hours ago, lyssa13 said:

Hi Everyone - I'm new to Celebrity.  I am an RCCL fan but unfortunately have done too many of the Allure/Oasis/Harmony sailings and it's getting repetitive.  We prefer the bigger ships...we are in our early 30's so we like nightlife, music, specialty dining, entertainment.  The Edge has caught my eye, but I'm a little worried with the mixed reviews I see with the Edge, but I can't tell if it's because of the average demographic of Celebrity loyalists.  

 

Without hurting anyone's feelings - Is there anyone closer to our age on here (or young at heart!) that can help me decide if we would love this or hate this ship?  On past RCCL sailings, the demographic is closer to our age and we have even made lasting friendships that have gone past debarkation.  

 

I'll appreciate the honesty, hope this question comes across okay - I mean it in the sweetest most genuine way.  THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

 

I think you'll be disappointed in the execution of several features, as you and your DH are already aware, on the Edge and higher cost of the Edge sailings has skewed the age of the passengers even higher than the rest of the Celebrity fleet.  At present the Edge seems to attract the older Celebrity loyalists.  I would suggest selecting a cruise based on the itinerary and price.  The Caribbean will still look pretty good from a real balcony on most ships and you can use you savings to enjoy some of the special features on the other ships or more of the islands.  In any case, enjoy your cruise.

[hcat]

We liked Edge . We were AQ class.....thermal suite was amazing, we liked our enclosed veranda,  and  thought BLU had excellent  dining as always but no views. We are returning soon in a Sunset Veranda with the 4 mdr plan,

 

We  are in the older age category. Met many nice people, some younger but more are mid 40s, 50s,  60s and up. I think you might prefer a smaller Royal ship that caters to younger cruisers .From what we observed,  although EDGE has a varied demographic it skews older  & does not have  a  big millenial crowd. It  is not  a night life focused ship at this point, which is what you said you are looking for.  We had a great White Night deck party with an amazing DJ, everyone seemed to really enjoy it. , We found lots to do... .We  have sailed on Oasis with our  dtr and sil, both early 40s. Had the zip line etc, more nightlife, but none of us really loved it..too big, too crowded,  more for families with kiddos,  and more mall like. Dining was so so.

 

EDGE has a great art collection,  a  gym with new equipment, classes and nice views; a state of the art theater with some very good productions and entertainers. There is good music on the ship. but it is spread out .There is  a good variety of  nice restaurants but no real club life as far as we can tell.   There is the beautiful  EDEN space which offers a diff kind of show some nights and   reg performers other nights; and  it has a specialty restaurant with a very diff  type menu..heard food is  excellent..  The CLUB  offers various  activities, performers etc   Bars are limited but adequate...we liked the one in EDEN. There is the ROOFTOP area for music and movies...was too windy at night and too sunny by day  our week,  SUNSET BAR aft is nice if weather cooperates. Many like the MARTINI BAR  area,  too loud for us, due to poor acoustics,  CAFE AL BACIO is nice for coffees tea and goodies.  The BUFFET was the best we have experienced...and we liked sitting out on the MAGIC CARPET We did not use the casino..Could not do it all in 7 days..going back for 10 more!

 

We liked that EDGE was different in design and ambiance from other ships,  very upscale, folks dressing up ( new style) for chic night...most of the decor is  lovely...but much of the furniture seems to be for show rather than comfort. Shops are stocked with high priced items but nothing very special.

 

Only you can decide...read more reviews.  .If the age of fellow pasengers will be a huge negative, I'd pass but if you can overlook some  wrinkles and want a great cruise on something different, modern and upscale, then book EDGE!  You might also look at Reflection which may have a " younger " demo  but def not millenial.

 

Good luck!

Edited August 9, 2019 by hcat

[cangelmd]

9 hours ago, lyssa13 said:

Hi Everyone - I'm new to Celebrity.  I am an RCCL fan but unfortunately have done too many of the Allure/Oasis/Harmony sailings and it's getting repetitive.  We prefer the bigger ships...we are in our early 30's so we like nightlife, music, specialty dining, entertainment.  The Edge has caught my eye, but I'm a little worried with the mixed reviews I see with the Edge, but I can't tell if it's because of the average demographic of Celebrity loyalists.  

 

Without hurting anyone's feelings - Is there anyone closer to our age on here (or young at heart!) that can help me decide if we would love this or hate this ship?  On past RCCL sailings, the demographic is closer to our age and we have even made lasting friendships that have gone past debarkation.  

 

I'll appreciate the honesty, hope this question comes across okay - I mean it in the sweetest most genuine way.  THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

I haven't been on the Edge yet (Feb 2020), but I did begin cruising when I was your age and I began on Celebrity. Some things about Celebrity haven't changed, and some of the differences with RCCL (and I have sailed RCCL as well) were present back then - and I think these differences are still present on the Edge, even if it is pointed toward millenials.

Celebrity is much more about relaxing - the adventure is more reserved for the ports. We were working high pressure jobs with small children in our mid-30s and the best thing about cruising was we didn't have to make any decisions, we only had to unpack once and people brought us drinks. Then when we started to get just a tiny bit bored, we were at a port, yay! RCCL, then, and much much more now, is about activities on the ship -do this, do this... It is not that there is nothing to do on Celebrity, it's just that relaxing is first and most important activity.

Second big thing (and I don't know how much this applies to Edge, certainly does to other Celeb ships vs RCCL) is that the Celeb ships still connect with the ship - yes, they are big floating hotel behemoths, but you still don't lose sight of the sea. On RCCL, about half the time, you could have been in any generic Vegas resort.

 

There are a lot of other pros and cons, but someone said it above - the Edge prices are so inflated, that you should be certain that is what you want to do (particularly if you want a true balcony), because you can do the Caribbean for much less.

 

Wow, though that ship is cool, isn't it?

Edited August 9, 2019 by cangelmd

[lola2013]

I haven't sailed on Edge yet (have to wait another 114 days 😉)...but I totally agree with your decision to go with a Sunset Verandah.  My friend and I were originally booked in an infinite balconies on one of the preview cruises (which ended up getting cancelled).  When we switched to this sailing, we decided we absolutely have to have a balcony.  And since we did a SV on Solstice a few years ago, we know that is the only way to go!  

[waterbug123]

7 hours ago, lyssa13 said:

We would likely be looking at a Sunset Veranda, hubby would kill me if we didn't have a real balcony.  Such a shame they failed so badly on those poor excuses for balconies that are really just windows.  

 

16 minutes ago, lola2013 said:

My friend and I were originally booked in an infinite balconies on one of the preview cruises (which ended up getting cancelled).  When we switched to this sailing, we decided we absolutely have to have a balcony. 

 

Can someone please explain why everyone seems to hate the infinite balconies so much?  I'm not trying to argue, I truly don't get it.   Everyone says it's not a balcony just a window, but from what I can see, the entire upper half of the window can be opened, so that it is essentially just a glass railing....very similar to a regular balcony.  The side walls are more like regular walls than the traditional balcony divider, but the space still functions like a balcony.  What am I missing? 

[TeeRick]

33 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

 

 

Can someone please explain why everyone seems to hate the infinite balconies so much?  I'm not trying to argue, I truly don't get it.   Everyone says it's not a balcony just a window, but from what I can see, the entire upper half of the window can be opened, so that it is essentially just a glass railing....very similar to a regular balcony.  The side walls are more like regular walls than the traditional balcony divider, but the space still functions like a balcony.  What am I missing? 

You have re-opened a very hot button topic.  Your description is basically correct.  But lots of people here will line up on both sides of this topic.  My simple advice would be to perhaps pay attention to those who have actually sailed in an IV cabin on Edge and search other posts on this topic.  There are hundreds and hundreds of them.

[lola2013]

38 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

 

 

Can someone please explain why everyone seems to hate the infinite balconies so much?  I'm not trying to argue, I truly don't get it.   Everyone says it's not a balcony just a window, but from what I can see, the entire upper half of the window can be opened, so that it is essentially just a glass railing....very similar to a regular balcony.  The side walls are more like regular walls than the traditional balcony divider, but the space still functions like a balcony.  What am I missing? 

 

Part of the reason that we chose to switch to SV is location.  We are huge fans of the wake view.  

[vtcruising]

Maybe..... Of any Celebrity ships, the Edge would most likely be the best ship for you to try. We are in the older demographic, but do not necessarily gravitate to the things usually attributed to that demographic. We were Loyal to Royal for a long time (and enjoyed the excitement and choices of the Oasis and Allure), but switching to Celebrity was like a breath of fresh air (literally, because of the smoking policy). We love children in our real lives, but on cruises we enjoy Celebrity's more adult atmosphere.

 

We like good live music and were lucky to have some great performers on our Edge cruises. That can be a crap shoot, but we have found that there is always some live music onboard Celebrity ships that we enjoy, sometimes better choices than others. There is a wide variety of entertainment/activities on the Edge that you won't see on other ships (drone racing racing, archery, laser maze, Live at the Club, Hypno, The Greenroom) and the usual cruise entertainment (much appearing to target the young or young at heart). As Esprit said, the Club is a really great venue, with a huge variety of fun activities day and night, appealing to a wide variety of people. Eden is another versatile place, with meditation, arts and crafts, trivia and other low key activities in the daytime with great views and a lovely cafe with outside seating. As evening comes around, it becomes a beautiful place for music and the Eden show, with an excellent restaurant on the lower level. The nightly shows are a mix of those geared for the young at heart to the more traditional - the stage is amazing on the Edge. Here is a link to Edge entertainment. It is not necessarily a late night ship though, if that is what you are looking for - there will be less choices late at night on Celebrity than RCI.

 

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/EDGE/EDGE_Entertainment.pdf

 

I am also drawn to the 4000 pieces of art onboard, with the beautiful to the quirky. Though I have never been on a cruise that I didn't like, being surrounded with gorgeous art/decor really took cruising to a new level for me. After 14 days on the ship, there is much I have yet to see and do.

 

The food was excellent on the Edge. We felt that it was generally better than other X ships (and definitely better than RCI). We enjoyed all the specialty restaurants, some more than others.

 

We also had time to relax and be pampered. We loved hanging out on the Magic Carpet hanging out over the ocean and having drinks and friendly service. The Rooftop Garden was gorgeous and relaxing, my DH enjoyed doing laps in the huge pool every morning when weather was nice and the Retreat Sundeck was was a lovely and comfortable place to chill, if in a suite.

 

I saw all ages on the Edge - I really don't think it is an age thing with the Edge - it is a state of mind. Being older, I have some things that I definitely lean toward that generally older people lean toward, but what I learned on the Edge was that I really enjoy a lot of the things that might have been geared to the younger crowd. I loved the technology, the Martini Bar light show, the exciting vibe of the Club at night, the amazing quirky artwork, talking to the Edenist performers, trying the funky Eden drinks and can't wait to go back and try the drone racing, laser maze and archery.

 

I say maybe the Edge could be a good match for you as there are "young at heart" entertainment choices, varied specialty restaurant choices and a fun atmosphere, but not sure that there will be a lot of people up into the wee hours for an energetic nightlife (we stayed up past midnight some nights, but didn't get into anything that required a lot of energy at that time 🙂). It is an expensive ship to try out, but might be worth a shot.

 

 

 

 

[Sascol]

11 hours ago, lyssa13 said:

Hi Everyone - I'm new to Celebrity.  I am an RCCL fan but unfortunately have done too many of the Allure/Oasis/Harmony sailings and it's getting repetitive.  We prefer the bigger ships...we are in our early 30's so we like nightlife, music, specialty dining, entertainment.  The Edge has caught my eye, but I'm a little worried with the mixed reviews I see with the Edge, but I can't tell if it's because of the average demographic of Celebrity loyalists.  

 

Without hurting anyone's feelings - Is there anyone closer to our age on here (or young at heart!) that can help me decide if we would love this or hate this ship?  On past RCCL sailings, the demographic is closer to our age and we have even made lasting friendships that have gone past debarkation.  

 

I'll appreciate the honesty, hope this question comes across okay - I mean it in the sweetest most genuine way.  THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

 

Can you tell us how long your sailing is?  Shorter cruises (7-days or less) will draw more people in your age group while the longer sailings will bump up the average age a bit.  We started sailing Celebrity 20 years ago when we were in our early 30s and are now early 50s and booked on Edge for the 1st time in November.  Done 10+ cruises on Celebrity.

 

I'm more concerned that you'll have issues with the ship vs. the age of the passengers (that sounds like your concern anyway).  I'm sure you've done your research but Edge, while maybe a little more than their other ships is nothing like the RCCL ships you mentioned.  We have done those as well and while we enjoyed them, we did not care for them nearly as much as the Celebrity ships.  Celebrity is much more relaxed and while there are always things to do, many of the features and activities you've become accustomed to on the RCCL ships are not available on the Celebrity ships.  RCCL keeps you busy, Celebrity relaxes you but you can be somewhat busy if you want to.  We like it that way but everyone differs. 

Edited August 9, 2019 by Sascol

[tkline]

2 hours ago, cangelmd said:

Celebrity is much more about relaxing - the adventure is more reserved for the ports. We were working high pressure jobs with small children in our mid-30s and the best thing about cruising was we didn't have to make any decisions, we only had to unpack once and people brought us drinks. Then when we started to get just a tiny bit bored, we were at a port, yay! RCCL, then, and much much more now, is about activities on the ship -do this, do this... It is not that there is nothing to do on Celebrity, it's just that relaxing is first and most important activity.

 

This is the #1 reason we like Celebrity. We don't need to be entertained and have activities the whole time. We like to kick back and relax. We don't even go to the shows (not our thing), we spend most evenings (and days at sea) in the casino or chillin' in our room on the balcony.

 

There's still plenty of stuff to do, but IMO a Celebrity cruise is perfect for if you want to unwind rather than get wound up.

Can't speak about the Edge though, haven't sailed on her yet but we are hoping to do Edge or Apex after our Ireland & Iceland cruise next summer

[mcolem2v]

My wife (30) and I (34) went on the Edge in March 2019 and had a IV.  We really enjoyed it.  The other passengers did seem to skew older, but that didn't stop us from enjoying our time.  We ate at 3 specialty dining and all of the MDRs.  However, I am pretty easy to please.  I usually bring 5-6 books, and just read on the top deck.  Our friends did alot more of the activities on board, and thought they were fun.

[tfred]

this could turn into a "why did Celebrity change what i liked" thread from long time X cruisers

 

the new Celebrity is clean and modern vs the more traditional cruise ship.  Some people don't like that .  Marriotts don't look the same as they did 10 years ago either and they are doing well 

 

depending when you travel and how long will somewhat skew the demographic.  In general it will be RCCL type without the kids running around.  I would think that you would enjoy the cruise line in general, as they are looking for folks your age to start migrating to X

[Esprit]

2 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

 

 

Can someone please explain why everyone seems to hate the infinite balconies so much?  I'm not trying to argue, I truly don't get it.   Everyone says it's not a balcony just a window, but from what I can see, the entire upper half of the window can be opened, so that it is essentially just a glass railing....very similar to a regular balcony.  The side walls are more like regular walls than the traditional balcony divider, but the space still functions like a balcony.  What am I missing? 

We really liked our IV cabin. I prefer the wall between us and the adjacent cabins over the balcony partitions.

With the IV being an extension of our room it gave it a much airier feel.

I guess the IV's will polarise opinion, just like dressing formally and those who don't bother! 

[ipeeinthepool]

3 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

 

 

Can someone please explain why everyone seems to hate the infinite balconies so much?  I'm not trying to argue, I truly don't get it.   Everyone says it's not a balcony just a window, but from what I can see, the entire upper half of the window can be opened, so that it is essentially just a glass railing....very similar to a regular balcony.  The side walls are more like regular walls than the traditional balcony divider, but the space still functions like a balcony.  What am I missing? 

 

I'll give it a try.  The idea on an IV balcony is conceptually good but it was poorly executed on the Edge.  If you could still use the IV balcony as a conventional balcony, I doubt there would be as many complaints.  Celebrity reduced the size of the balcony and reclining chairs and a normal dinette size table no longer fit and were eliminated.  The new chairs are no where as comfortable and functional as the older chairs and the table is far to small and too low to be used to eat a meal on the balcony.  This renders the balcony useless for the functions that are important for many of us.  Celebrity really discounted the importance of a true balcony for many of us.  Many of us use the balcony while our partner uses the room and we enjoy the division of space.  In the design of the Edge, Celebrity reallocated balcony space and designed a larger bathroom and used more space in the room for a king-size bed.  The reports from the Edge seem to indicate that most people open the French doors to the balcony space and leave them open.  The room and the furniture do not allow the doors to be opened and closed conveniently without moving other furniture. ( a swinging door requires a lot of space ).   So instead of a room with a balcony, the IV balconies have largely evolved into one large room without a balcony and a window that opens.   To many this appears to be equivalent to an ocean view cabin.  If the IV balcony cabins kept the same size balcony as the standard balcony on the S-class ships, I think the Edge would have met with much more acceptance.  Perhaps Celebrity can re-visit this space trade-off on future E-class ships.

[lyssa13]

You all are so helpful, I really appreciate the time you took to respond.  We are looking at the April 5th sailing for the Eastern Caribbean.

 

We love the RCCL ships I mentioned (Allure, Oasis, Harmony) but I hate that I don't walk on and need to explore anything anymore.  I am disappointed that the Harmony is just a carbon copy of the previous ships with a couple small additions.  We travel very nicely when we do land travel with nice hotels and restaurants and so that's why I've been wanting to try Celebrity for awhile.  I'm sick of RCCL's subpar food (we don't even go to the MDR anymore, only eat at specialty restaurants and even on our last sailing they were all disappointing).   So I don't mind paying more for the room I want and a better experience. 

We aren't "stay out until 3am every night at a club" people - but we also don't want a ship to die at 10pm, so that's why I'm trying to make sure we aren't makng a mistake.  I love live music that goes later into the night and a crowd that doesn't go to bed.  I'm assuming a 7 night Caribbean cruise in April is more conducive to that energy versus a port heavy, longer, Med cruise.  

 

It sounds like something we are willing to dive into and try.  It would be hard to have a bad time on vacation - especially with unlimited drinks and ocean views!

[hcat]

The 7 night Eastern  itin was really a good one for us.  We enjoyed returning to some fav ports...although Tortola and St Maarten  are still in the process of  coming back from hurricane damage!  Much as we enjoyed AQ Class and our Inf Veranda cabin, we are excited about trying the Sunset Veranda in EDGE and APEX.

 

If you have already  booked your cruise,  I rec booking your  mdr reservations  as soon as possible if you are in Select dining.. You will get your preferred times  in each of the 4 mdrs,. You can also book the most popular specialty restaurants ahead if you have a special night in mind. Fine Cut and EDEN do fill up...as will Dinner on the EDGE ( on the Magic Carpet).

 

The spa services were wonderful...maybe consider a thermal suite pass.

Enjoy!

[lyssa13]

4 minutes ago, hcat said:

The 7 night Eastern  itin was really a good one for us.  We enjoyed returning to some fav ports...although Tortola and St Maarten  are still in the process of  coming back from hurricane damage!  Much as we enjoyed AQ Class and our Inf Veranda cabin, we are excited about trying the Sunset Veranda in EDGE and APEX.

 

If you have already  booked your cruise,  I rec booking your  mdr reservations  as soon as possible if you are in Select dining.. You will get your preferred times  in each of the 4 mdrs,. You can also book the most popular specialty restaurants ahead if you have a special night in mind. Fine Cut and EDEN do fill up...as will Dinner on the EDGE ( on the Magic Carpet).

 

The spa services were wonderful...maybe consider a thermal suite pass.

Enjoy!

Amazing, thank you so much!  

[slei15]

My wife and I loved the Edge.  We are in our mid-30s and like you are not the out all night party animals.  The average age on our sailing was probably late 60's (we went in January).  We had a blast at the martini bar every night, and the party there went until you wanted it to. Definitely did not shut down at 10.  We are going again over Xmas with our kids this time...

[tkline]

One thing, if you love good restaurants and if you can afford it I recommend getting at least a sky suite so that you can eat at the Luminae. I don't know about the edge, but one on the Solstice was probably the best restaurant we ever visited on land or sea. It spoiled us, from now on we will only book suites, but just have to save up a bit more between cruises. We go for he Sky suites, they are a little bigger than a regular balcony room and you get lots of extras including a better room service menu. We had room service for breakfast every day, and midnight burger binges almost every night 🙂

[lyssa13]

 

13 minutes ago, tkline said:

One thing, if you love good restaurants and if you can afford it I recommend getting at least a sky suite so that you can eat at the Luminae. I don't know about the edge, but one on the Solstice was probably the best restaurant we ever visited on land or sea. It spoiled us, from now on we will only book suites, but just have to save up a bit more between cruises. We go for he Sky suites, they are a little bigger than a regular balcony room and you get lots of extras including a better room service menu. We had room service for breakfast every day, and midnight burger binges almost every night 🙂

 

Thank you - you must have read my mind.  I am definitely eyeing a Sky Suite...it's a big jump from the SV but I think we would really appreciate the extras.