Looooong trip report of our Mediterranean extravaganza and the Celebrity Edge

[cricketgirl]

06/24/19 – Ibiza, Spain

 

We slept in this morning, which is such an unusual occurrence and was just marvelous.  We didn’t have any plan in Ibiza and were planning on just getting off the ship and roaming around a bit.  However, after breakfast we just decided to relax and spend some time at the pool today.  DW had a massage scheduled early afternoon so we checked out the spa so she would know where to go…

 

 

 

The view from the magic carpet was gorgeous!

 

 

 

Adults only solarium was very relaxing…

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/24/19 – Ibiza, Spain cont.

 

I think we ate lunch at Eden Café just so I could have the potato salad again!  There was trivia going on in Eden while we were there.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 16, 2019 by cricketgirl

[cricketgirl]

06/24/19 – Ibiza, Spain cont.

 

Tonight we had reservations at the main dining restaurant Normandie (French themed).  I ordered two starters because I just couldn’t decide between the two.  The first was Alsatian Potato and Gruyere Tart (whipped herb crème fraiche) and the second was the Baked Brie Cheese (caramelized apples, port wine syrup, grilled baguette).  DW had the Countryside Chicken Pate (roasted chicken gelee, toasted bread, pistachios).  All were just okay, nothing special.

 

 

 

 

We both had the Beef Tenderloin En Croute as an entrée (puff pastry, Roquefort fondue, bordelaise mushroom sauce).  These were delicious.

 

 

After dinner we spent some time gambling at the casino.  We weren’t overly successful.  The casino bar is nice.  We ended the night once again with our IV open and lulled to sleep with the sounds of the ocean.  This was the last night we were able to sleep with it open, because a massive heat wave hit the next day and progressively got worse throughout the trip.  Oh well, it was good while it lasted.

 

Edited August 16, 2019 by cricketgirl

[cricketgirl]

06/25/19 – At Sea, the beautiful Mediterranean!

 

Today was an ultra lazy day.  We were gearing up for the next four days of 7+ hour excursions in excessive heat so wanted to take it easy.  We spent a bit of time at the pool, and attended the Captains Club welcome reception in Eden.  They passed out cocktails and some very good hors d'oeuvres.

 

 

 

 

Later on we relaxed in the room and I ended up taking a nap (a rare luxury for me).  We then we headed to the martini bar for pre-dinner cocktails. 

 

 

 

[misterkevin]

28 minutes ago, cricketgirl said:

06/23/19 – Valencia, Spain cont.

 

After lunch at the Eden Cafe we continued to roam around and explore the ship…

 

Thank you so much for these pictures of the amazing art around the Edge! Truth be told, it's the art and the music around the fleet that sealed the deal to set Celebrity as my line of choice. It has a truly contemporary and provocative edge which fits the modern luxury branding, and me! 😍

[cricketgirl]

06/25/19 – At Sea, the beautiful Mediterranean! (cont.)

 

 

Tonight we had a reservation for Le Petite Chef, which is located at the Le Grand Bistro.  By day this venue is a French bistro (for a fee), and at night this is Le Petite Chef, which is basically dinner and a show on your table.  The “show” is projected onto your table from above, and you watch characters “make” each course of your meal before it is served.  The food was good, it wasn’t amazing but the entertainment of the show makes the extra fee worth it (at least for us).  I’m not sure if we would do this again, just because for me it was kind of a one and done, but we both enjoyed it. 

 

There is a set menu but they offer an alternate menu as well.  Note that the “show” you watch is making the set menu only, so if you order off of the alternate menu the dish they make in the projection will not be the same you are served.  We both selected the set menu; I included a picture of the menu below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/25/19 – At Sea, the beautiful Mediterranean! (cont.)

 

After dinner we attended the silent disco at The Club, which was quite fun.  Everyone is given headphones and you can select music between three different stations.  Watching everyone dance to different music and different beats is cute.  I liked that your headphone lit up with a different color for each station, so you could easily see who was listening to the same music as you.  Afterwards we made our way to the upper outside decks to check out the lighting – don’t miss this as it is very pretty. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Provence55always]

Loving your review.....just finished catching up. Looking forward to a cruise on the Edge. I think we would enjoy the IV Balcony for the reasons your describe so well.

[cricketgirl]

1 hour ago, misterkevin said:

Thank you so much for these pictures of the amazing art around the Edge! Truth be told, it's the art and the music around the fleet that sealed the deal to set Celebrity as my line of choice. It has a truly contemporary and provocative edge which fits the modern luxury branding, and me! 😍

 

I too love the art and the ambiance of Celebrity ships, the Edge hands down being my favorite.  We're in the same boat (pardon the pun)!

[micruiser12]

Thank you Cricketgirl for responding to my question regarding the bed placement in the IV cabin!  I think we will be happy either way, but will check to have an idea what the set up will be.

Will continue to follow your thread and can't wait to experience it for ourselves in 2 months!  Thank you again for posting!

[cookiersmom]

 Question:  when you sleep with the IV open, (or anytime the IV is open) is the cabin AC off? 

thanks

[daydreamer16]

On ‎8‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 9:37 AM, cricketgirl said:

 

This is great advice and even though others may think I'm a germophope I will definitely be following your advice going forward.  The virus I picked up coming home was really a doozie and I've learned my lesson now about not wiping things down!

I always do the same thing & I never get sick! Our kids say only old people do it ( I'm in my 60's) but it works!

Denise

[cricketgirl]

27 minutes ago, cookiersmom said:

 Question:  when you sleep with the IV open, (or anytime the IV is open) is the cabin AC off? 

thanks

 

This is a great question, and to be honest I'm not entirely sure.  I had read before our cruise that as long as you turn off the "green" function on the thermostat the a/c will stay on even when the IV is open.  That's the first thing I did when I got in the room.  Our room didn't get hot the first few days when our IV was open, so I'm assuming the a/c stayed on although I never actually checked to make sure.  But after the massive heat wave hit on Wednesday, even if the a/c was working it would have been no match for long in 100+ degree heat.  We could leave the IV open for an hour or so, but after a while it would start to get hot in the room.

 

One of the things I really loved about the IV is that when it was hot we could leave the IV window up but still have a gorgeous floor-to-ceiling view of the outside and still have the extra balcony space and chairs to use.  For me, with a traditional balcony if it's too hot outside that whole balcony space if off limits.  I liked being able to use the IV space and the chairs all the time.  But that's just me!

[hcat]

5 hours ago, misterkevin said:

Thank you so much for these pictures of the amazing art around the Edge! Truth be told, it's the art and the music around the fleet that sealed the deal to set Celebrity as my line of choice. It has a truly contemporary and provocative edge which fits the modern luxury branding, and me! 😍

I'm a big fan of all the art on EDGE..except for the pierced head shown with your post.  Too tortured for me.

 

We have a group lobbying for a curated EDGE art tour.  Please let  X know if you think that would be a great idea. Til then, on our next EDGE cruise, I will try  to organize a small EDGE art crawl with anyone on our roll call who is  interested.

 

This review with amazing photography is renewing  my  enthusiasm  for EDGE.!

[cricketgirl]

06/26/19 – Marseille, France

 

The first of our four-day excursion spree and the first day of the massive heat wave that hit southern Europe.  I believe the high ended up being 96 degrees, and cumulatively worsened throughout the week.  But we made the best of it.  Out tour today we booked through Viator.  I do not typically book excursions through the cruise company because the groups are too large for my taste.  Although this cruise we did end up on two Celebrity excursions.  More to come on that later.  Anyway, today we booked the “Marseille and Cassis Tour” through Viator.  This was a 7 hour tour and we were picked up and dropped off at the cruise port.  We ended up with two other couples, so six of us and our guide in a wonderfully air-conditioned mini-van.  The tour description on Viator’s website is as follows:

 

https://www.viator.com/tours/Marseille/Marseille-Shore-Excursion-Marseille-and-Cassis-Tour/d485-3547PRTMRSPTM10

 

See the highlights of the French Riviera on this 7-hour shore excursion through Marseille and Cassis! This guided excursion takes you from Marseille port through the beautiful Marseille-Cassis calanques for panoramic views of the Côte d’Azur from Cape Canaille. Explore the ancient seaside village of Cassis or enjoy a cruise to view the ‘fjords of the French Riviera’ before returning to Marseille to tour the city’s main sights like Notre-Dame de la Garde and the Abbey of St Victor.

 

·         Marseille and Cassis full-day shore excursion from the Marseille cruise port

·         Travel along the beautiful Route des Crêtes for panoramic views over the Côte d'Azur

·         Tour the coastal village of Cassis, famous for its cliffs and inlets

·         Take an optional sightseeing cruise to see France's version of fjords

·         Visit top Marseille attractions including Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde, looming over the Vieux Port

·         Covered by Viator's worry-free policy: guaranteed on-time return to your ship

 

We reversed the itinerary above and toured Marseille first then headed to Cassis.  Once off the ship we easily found our guide waiting for us at 9am.  We said goodbye to our ship and headed out, first stopping at a lookout point that provided pretty views of the harbor.

 

 

 

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/26/19 – Marseille, France (cont.)

 

She then brought us to a bakery that I THINK she said may be the oldest bakery in Marseille.  But please don’t quote me on that, as I may have misunderstood or remember that incorrectly.  Either way, you could tell the place had been around for a while (according to the sign since 1781).  It smelled delicious and we were able to taste some fresh bread.  There was a pretty view from this bakery as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 16, 2019 by cricketgirl

[cricketgirl]

06/26/19 – Marseille, France (cont.)

 

From the bakery we walked about a block to the Abbey of St. Victor, an 11^th century monastery built upon ancient Roman ruins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 16, 2019 by cricketgirl

[cricketgirl]

06/26/19 – Marseille, France (cont.)

 

We then drove through parts of Marseille, oogling the many beaches, churches, shops, etc. and slowly started climbing up to Marseille’s highest point at the Basilique Notre-Dome de la Garde.  This Neo-Byzantine Catholic church was stunning and offered some incredible views.  We had about an hour to roam around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/26/19 – Marseille, France (cont.)

 

Next we began our 45 min drive to Cassis along the Route des Crêtes in the mountains.  To say the views were stunning would be an understatement.  We stopped at a lookout point for pictures, and saw some mountain climbers here as well!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/26/19 – Cassis, France

 

Cassis is a small fishing port known for its pebble beaches and calanques (steep limestone cliffs).  I think we were given 3 hours free time here and we loved every minute of it.  There was an outdoor market set up that I believe closed about an hour after we arrived.  We bought a bunch of items for friends and family here at (what we felt) were fair prices.  This village is charming and we loved the laid back atmosphere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are a ton of cafes along the harbor; we selected one at random and enjoyed a leisurely lunch.

 

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/26/19 – Cassis, France (cont.)

 

There are boat tours offered from the harbor to view the stunning scenery and calanques (limestone cliffs).  You can choose from multiple durations; we selected the 3 calanque tour which was 45 minutes and 16 euros each. There was a ticket office right along the water and they were easy to purchase.  The boat ride offered amazing views and we were very happy we chose to do this, but beware that if it is really hot it might not be too comfortable.  Our boat offered little shade, and those seats filled up quickly.  We got stuck in the beating down sun waiting for 20 minutes to load the rest of the boat before we left.  This was not ideal.  However, once we got going I felt sorry for the people in the shade because the only pictures they could take were through windows.  So not sure what was worse.  Perhaps we came out on top because once we were moving the breeze made the heat more tolerable.  I’m not sure if that was the case inside the shaded area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/26/19 – Marseilles, France (cont.)

 

After the boat ride we met up with our guide and headed back to Marseille.  It was a full day and we were happy to get back to the ship.  Once the ship left port I snapped a few photos as the sun was beginning to set.  So pretty!  We ate dinner in the main dining room Cyprus (Greek theme) that night.  I must have been exhausted because I did not take any pictures of food for the rest of the night.  I don’t think the dinner was too memorable.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 16, 2019 by cricketgirl

[GeorgiaPeach51]

We are on the Edge in November and your review is so helpful.  Thanks so much for taking the time to post in so much detail.  Appreciate you!

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Nice/Villefranche, France

 

We anchored in Villefranche today, which is close to the city of Nice.  Because we were anchored we used tenders to get to shore.  This was the first time we saw the magic carpet on level two and it was used for getting onto and off of the tender boats.  Very convenient.  The boat we rode in was not a Celebrity tender, but merely a local tender company the Celebrity had hired.  Celebrity was using their own tenders as well.

 

Anyway, whenever we are at a tender port I prefer to book a ship excursion.  This avoids having to line up the day before for a tender number and running the risk of not getting off the ship in time to meet our guide.  For me this is too much aggravation and I prefer the ship excursion in which you meet in the theater and you have tender priority.  To each their own of course.  The excursion we selected was “Nice, Eze & Monaco Discovery”.  The excursion description was as follows:

 

“Experience the three jewels of the French Riviera: Nice, Eze, and Monaco. Begin with a scenic drive down Nice’s palm-lined beachfront Promenade des Anglais and admire the city’s Baroque architecture and chic boutiques on a guided city walk. Discover Nice’s charming Flower Market or Antiques Market. Then, visit the hilltop village of Eze, perched 1,400 feet above the Mediterranean Sea. Stroll along picturesque cobblestone streets and take in the city’s stunning views. Finally, you’ll travel to Monaco to experience the stately grandeur of its old town. Monaco is the second smallest independent state in the world. See the Prince’s Palace, Cathedral, and Oceanographic Museum. Marvel at the jet-setters at the home to the Formula One Grand Prix. Then, journey to the modern glamour of Monaco’s glittering Casino Square and see the Grand Casino of Monte-Carlo, the world-famous luxury casino.”

 

The day we boarded the ship our Celebrity excursion tickets were delivered to our room the first night of the cruise.  The ticket told us to meet in the theater at 7:45am.  We arrived about 7:40 and our number was called in less than 10 minutes.  We were led to deck two and boarded the tender from the magic carpet.  It was a short, scenic and beautiful ride to the port and we met our guide right when we got off the tender boat.  She led us to our bus and off we went!  Very easy and stress free, which is what I was hoping for so I was a happy camper.  Keep in mind this was a Celebrity excursion, so there were a ton of people on this tour and we were on a huge bus.  Not usually what we aim for, but we traded group size for convenience in this case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 19, 2019 by cricketgirl

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Nice, France

 

We started out driving through Nice and admiring the beautiful architecture.  

 

 

 

We passed by the famous Hotel Negresco, often visited by celebrities and dignitaries.  Note this is a great place to spot cars you might not typically see, WAY out of my price range!  If you are not familiar with the history of this hotel it covered nicely here: https://perfectlyprovence.co/the-fascinating-story-of-the-hotel-negresco-in-nice/. 

 

 

 

Our first stop was Massena square in the historical district.  This is a huge (and beautiful) area and in the center is a huge fountain with a marble statue of Apollo.

 

 

 

Edited August 19, 2019 by cricketgirl