Loved the Edge; would not sail on her again.

[smdubowsky]

To give you a background, my DW and I have taken 20 Celebrity cruises and have sailed on every ship in the current fleet except for the Eclipse and the Flora. We have also cruised on Princess, RCL, Azamara and most recently on MSC Yacht Club. Last week we were in the Western Caribbean on the Edge in Aqua Class. The ship is beautiful. The staff and crew were wonderful. The ship was in tiptop shape. The food in Blu was the best we have ever had in Blu. There were several small ideocyncracies that were different than other Celebrity vessels but there was one deal breaker and that was the "infinite veranda."

 

As others have stated it's really just a cabin with a window that opens. When we first got into the cabin we noticed that there were just two tiny chairs and a very small table in the "verandah" part of the room. We asked for them to take them out and put in one regular lounger. It didn't quite fit (the size of the "veranda" is small than the real veranda on other Celebrity ships). At least we thought one of us could read out there. Our surprise came when we were in Costa Maya and it started to rain. The breeze was coming from the other side of the ship so no rain was entering our cabin but someone on the bridge decided to close the windows and all of a sudden the window just closed. This happened to us on several occasions and on the last sea day the window was shut tight by the bridge the entire time!

 

Now I did enjoy the hi-tech influences on the ship even though it took me around ten minuted to figure out how to turn the shower on. The built in tablet that controls the temperature and lighting in the room worked well. We enjoyed the shows. The food was excellent including the OceanView and Il Bacio. WE dined at The Fine Cut specialty restaurant. It was nice but not worth the upcharge. BTW, if you want to dine in Fine Cut, book when you get on the ship or before. It fills up early. The shops were very upscale and no bargain. A bottle of coconut cream liquor that sells for $20.00 in Costco was $35.00 on the ship. You can buy a $20,000.00 Hublot watch but they don't sell a Celebrity windbreaker jacket. I will say that the retail shop staff were very nice.

 

All in all the Edge measured up to the Celebrity experience that we like except for that darned window that they call a veranda. Celebrity. if you are reading this, think about it before you build more E class ships.

[NMTraveller]

36 minutes ago, smdubowsky said:

To give you a background, my DW and I have taken 20 Celebrity cruises and have sailed on every ship in the current fleet except for the Eclipse and the Flora. We have also cruised on Princess, RCL, Azamara and most recently on MSC Yacht Club. Last week we were in the Western Caribbean on the Edge in Aqua Class. The ship is beautiful. The staff and crew were wonderful. The ship was in tiptop shape. The food in Blu was the best we have ever had in Blu. There were several small ideocyncracies that were different than other Celebrity vessels but there was one deal breaker and that was the "infinite veranda."

 

As others have stated it's really just a cabin with a window that opens. When we first got into the cabin we noticed that there were just two tiny chairs and a very small table in the "verandah" part of the room. We asked for them to take them out and put in one regular lounger. It didn't quite fit (the size of the "veranda" is small than the real veranda on other Celebrity ships). At least we thought one of us could read out there. Our surprise came when we were in Costa Maya and it started to rain. The breeze was coming from the other side of the ship so no rain was entering our cabin but someone on the bridge decided to close the windows and all of a sudden the window just closed. This happened to us on several occasions and on the last sea day the window was shut tight by the bridge the entire time!

 

Now I did enjoy the hi-tech influences on the ship even though it took me around ten minuted to figure out how to turn the shower on. The built in tablet that controls the temperature and lighting in the room worked well. We enjoyed the shows. The food was excellent including the OceanView and Il Bacio. WE dined at The Fine Cut specialty restaurant. It was nice but not worth the upcharge. BTW, if you want to dine in Fine Cut, book when you get on the ship or before. It fills up early. The shops were very upscale and no bargain. A bottle of coconut cream liquor that sells for $20.00 in Costco was $35.00 on the ship. You can buy a $20,000.00 Hublot watch but they don't sell a Celebrity windbreaker jacket. I will say that the retail shop staff were very nice.

 

All in all the Edge measured up to the Celebrity experience that we like except for that darned window that they call a veranda. Celebrity. if you are reading this, think about it before you build more E class ships.

 

 

If there was just one deal breaker for us we would point to the lack of the SkyLounge.  The second would be the lack of quiet places around the ship in the evening indoors to have a nice glass of wine.  The ship lacked the sophisticated vibe and instead was more loud and shouty.

 

If you truly loved the Edge you would sail on her again. 

 

We do like the real balconies.

 

I think that the ship was built for a different group of cruisers.  Think Disney or RCL.

 

The trend in new cruise ships tends to be bigger and better.  That trend does not match my cruising style.

Edited January 18, 2020 by NMTraveller

[jelayne]

We too aren’t fans of the IV but that isn’t a dealer breaker for us.  We rarely sail in the Caribbean but do more port intensive cruises so while we like a balcony on a 14 night cruise we may spend a total of 6-7 hours out there.

 

[Pushka]

We have discussed the IVs at home and we haven’t been in one but the thought that you cannot control whether the window is open is a complete deal breaker for us. I think we could cope with the window concept otherwise. I can imagine all sorts of reasons why it might get closed - and even though you might not want to go out on the balcony it is still your choice to do so. 

[Bjbilly]

 I agree I don't think I would like the iv balconies I don't sale on the edge until April but I did take a regular balcony the only thing I don't like about that as it's all the way in the back of the ship on the starboard side but we'll see what happens thank you

[dogs4fun]

Interesting reading this thread as we have our first cruise on the Edge coming up later this year - TA to Rome. Sure hope we like the ship as we have 15 days on her. 😉

[hcat]

17 minutes ago, Pushka said:

We have discussed the IVs at home and we haven’t been in one but the thought that you cannot control whether the window is open is a complete deal breaker for us. I think we could cope with the window concept otherwise. I can imagine all sorts of reasons why it might get closed - and even though you might not want to go out on the balcony it is still your choice to do so. 

It hardly ever happened on our cruise. Once for cleaning and once for rain. 

 

You could use the Veranda area with window closed,  but a reg balc would not be usable at all during rain or cleaning.

Just my thought!

[Pushka]

12 minutes ago, hcat said:

It hardly ever happened on our cruise. Once for cleaning and once for rain. 

 

You could use the Veranda area with window closed,  but a reg balc would not be usable at all during rain or cleaning.

Just my thought!

And it could happen frequently. As it did for OP Luck of the weather and cleaning operations.  Why risk it? And a regular balcony just gets the floor mopped and if the glass needs cleaning they do this with notice. Our balcony was painted while we were in port and it didn’t disrupt us at all. And we have sat on the balcony during a splendid torrential thunderstorm as we left Venice. That was memorable. The rain was angled away and it was so hot we didn’t care if we’d been rained on anyway. 
 

 

Edited January 19, 2020 by Pushka

[hcat]

Guess there's  diff strokes for diff folks.

We also had a large Sunset Veranda balc  on EDGE with lounger ...lots of space.  Did not us it very much by day...very sunny  and minimal.overhang.  it was lovely at sunset, night and early am... 

[cruisestitch]

And don’t forget another “feature” of the IV, when you open the window, the room A/C switches off.....it can get pretty humid in a hurry in the rest of the room.....

[Pushka]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

Guess there's  diff strokes for diff folks.

We also had a large Sunset Veranda balc  on EDGE with lounger ...lots of space.  Did not us it very much by day...very sunny  and minimal.overhang.  it was lovely at sunset, night and early am... 

 

Indeed. Probably one of the first things I do in the mornings is have a hot drink on the balcony and last thing at night is a final wine or spirit there before sleep. 

Edited January 19, 2020 by Pushka

[ipeeinthepool]

2 hours ago, smdubowsky said:

To give you a background, my DW and I have taken 20 Celebrity cruises and have sailed on every ship in the current fleet except for the Eclipse and the Flora. We have also cruised on Princess, RCL, Azamara and most recently on MSC Yacht Club. Last week we were in the Western Caribbean on the Edge in Aqua Class. The ship is beautiful. The staff and crew were wonderful. The ship was in tiptop shape. The food in Blu was the best we have ever had in Blu. There were several small ideocyncracies that were different than other Celebrity vessels but there was one deal breaker and that was the "infinite veranda."

 

As others have stated it's really just a cabin with a window that opens. When we first got into the cabin we noticed that there were just two tiny chairs and a very small table in the "verandah" part of the room. We asked for them to take them out and put in one regular lounger. It didn't quite fit (the size of the "veranda" is small than the real veranda on other Celebrity ships). At least we thought one of us could read out there. Our surprise came when we were in Costa Maya and it started to rain. The breeze was coming from the other side of the ship so no rain was entering our cabin but someone on the bridge decided to close the windows and all of a sudden the window just closed. This happened to us on several occasions and on the last sea day the window was shut tight by the bridge the entire time!

 

Now I did enjoy the hi-tech influences on the ship even though it took me around ten minuted to figure out how to turn the shower on. The built in tablet that controls the temperature and lighting in the room worked well. We enjoyed the shows. The food was excellent including the OceanView and Il Bacio. WE dined at The Fine Cut specialty restaurant. It was nice but not worth the upcharge. BTW, if you want to dine in Fine Cut, book when you get on the ship or before. It fills up early. The shops were very upscale and no bargain. A bottle of coconut cream liquor that sells for $20.00 in Costco was $35.00 on the ship. You can buy a $20,000.00 Hublot watch but they don't sell a Celebrity windbreaker jacket. I will say that the retail shop staff were very nice.

 

All in all the Edge measured up to the Celebrity experience that we like except for that darned window that they call a veranda. Celebrity. if you are reading this, think about it before you build more E class ships.

 

Thanks for your detailed review, I'm sure this will help many people.

[miched]

We sailed on the Edge in AQ  and loved everything except for the price. 

 

Recently we booked a cruise on the Equinox for 11 days and then realized that  I could book the Apex on a B2B in the same category and for less  per day doing 14 days and resulting in double perks.

 

Everyone has their own likes and dislikes, that is why there are many cruise lines, ships and etc.

 

We sailed on over 50 cruises on many ships, cruise lines, categories, etc and continue to book what we like. All  are good, but not as good as others.

 

We are outdoor people and love fresh air.   Sit out on our deck as much as possible in the summer.    Keep the windows in our house open in the summer and very rarely turn on the AC.  We loved the IV.  We did a B2B for 14 days in the Caribbean and having the window closed by the Captain was never a issue

Thanks for your opinion

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

Edited January 19, 2020 by miched

[NMTraveller]

3 hours ago, cruisestitch said:

And don’t forget another “feature” of the IV, when you open the window, the room A/C switches off.....it can get pretty humid in a hurry in the rest of the room.....

That is part of why we are one and done on E class.  My wife will do here hair while I sit out on the real balcony.  When I was on the Edge the biggest complaint was the Infinite Verandana.

 

Thanks to the OP.  

 

Some like the moveable windows  others want real balconies.

Edited January 19, 2020 by NMTraveller

[NMTraveller]

Others others have stated it's really just a cabin with a window that opens. When we first got into the cabin we noticed that there were just two tiny chairs and a very small table in the "verandah" part of the room. We asked for them to take them out and put in one regular lounger. It didn't quite fit (the size of the "veranda" is small than the real veranda on other Celebrity ships). At least we thought one of us could read out there. Our surprise came when we were in Costa Maya and it started to rain. The breeze was coming from the other side of the ship so no rain was entering our cabin but someone on the bridge decided to close the windows and all of a sudden the window just closed. This happened to us on several occasions and on the last sea day the window was shut tight by the bridge the entire time!

 

Pure comedy.  You expected a balcony and got a moveable window.  That was the complaint on day one of our cruise. But that IS the Edge and Apex.  Sorry you had to find out the hard way.

 

Thanks for your experience.   That will inform others.

 

Edited January 19, 2020 by NMTraveller

[florisdekort]

I don’t understand people’s obsession with infinite verandah cabins. If you don’t like them, don’t book one. There are plenty of normal verandah cabins on the ship as well. 

[Pushka]

1 hour ago, florisdekort said:

I don’t understand people’s obsession with infinite verandah cabins. If you don’t like them, don’t book one. There are plenty of normal verandah cabins on the ship as well. 

There aren’t that many actually from my searches. And that is the problem. I understand that there are only the SV and the various suite configurations. Neither Aqua nor Concierge, are I believe traditional balconies. I’m very happy to be corrected but when I booked many months out these were the only options available. 
 

yes, this CC link confirms my thoughts. Most non suite cabins are IV

https://www.cruisecritic.com.au/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=1130&pgtype=cabins

 

And that is why people are “obsessed”. There is little choice not to have IV unless you pay (significantly more) for a suite.

Edited January 19, 2020 by Pushka

[florisdekort]

11 minutes ago, Pushka said:

There aren’t that many actually from my searches. And that is the problem. I understand that there are only the SV and the various suite configurations. Neither Aqua nor Concierge, are I believe traditional balconies. I’m very happy to be corrected but when I booked many months out these were the only options available. 
 

yes, this CC link confirms my thoughts. Most non suite cabins are IV

https://www.cruisecritic.com.au/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=1130&pgtype=cabins

 

And that is why people are “obsessed”. There is little choice not to have IV unless you pay (significantly more) for a suite.

 

There are 512 cabins with an IV across multiple cabin categories.  (I agree that’s too much btw.) 

There are 284 Concierge class cabins with regular balconies.

There are 106 Aqua class cabins with regular balconies.

And then there are obviously lots of Suites with regular balconies too. 
 

Floris 

[Pushka]

4 minutes ago, florisdekort said:

 

There are 512 cabins with an IV across multiple cabin categories.  (I agree that’s too much btw.) 

There are 284 Concierge class cabins with regular balconies.

There are 106 Aqua class cabins with regular balconies.

And then there are obviously lots of Suites with regular balconies too. 
 

Floris 

So Cruise Critic official review is wrong then? That would be good news. But I’m not so sure, as your number suggests that all Aqua are traditional and I know that they aren’t. 
 

AquaClass: Celebrity Edge has 106 AquaClass cabins, all in the Infinite Veranda category, two of which are accessible. These spa-inspired rooms have special touches you won't find in any other room category, including a Bossini shower panel, aromatherapy diffuser, pillow menu and daily delivery of flavored tea and fresh fruit upon request. Additionally, people staying in AquaClass cabins have access to the spa-centric Blu restaurant and get unlimited and complimentary access to the SEA thermal suite. AquaClass passengers also have the service of a spa concierge who can make treatment reservations for them, or even create a spa regimen for them to follow during the cruise.

Concierge Class: There are 290 Concierge Class rooms, all in the Infinite Veranda category, six of which are accessible. People staying in Concierge Class rooms get priority check-in, a welcome aboard lunch in the Cosmopolitan dining room and access to a dedicated concierge who can help make a variety of reservations.

Edited January 19, 2020 by Pushka

[NMTraveller]

10 minutes ago, florisdekort said:

 

There are 512 cabins with an IV across multiple cabin categories.  (I agree that’s too much btw.) 

There are 284 Concierge class cabins with regular balconies.

There are 106 Aqua class cabins with regular balconies.

And then there are obviously lots of Suites with regular balconies too. 
 

Floris 

So how do you tell when you book if you are getting a real balcony or not.  I just went to Xs website and it was not clear at all.

 

How do you book a real balcony on the X website?

[cruise47]

4 hours ago, florisdekort said:

 

There are 512 cabins with an IV across multiple cabin categories.  (I agree that’s too much btw.) 

There are 284 Concierge class cabins with regular balconies.

There are 106 Aqua class cabins with regular balconies.

And then there are obviously lots of Suites with regular balconies too. 
 

Floris 

Can someone please tell us where these regular balconies cabins are located on The Edge? Thanks you.

 

We have sailed on The Edge and enjoyed our sailing. However,

I missed the regular balcony feel and enjoyments of sailing on a cruise ship.

Edited January 19, 2020 by cruise47

[ipeeinthepool]

4 hours ago, florisdekort said:

 

There are 512 cabins with an IV across multiple cabin categories.  (I agree that’s too much btw.) 

There are 284 Concierge class cabins with regular balconies.

There are 106 Aqua class cabins with regular balconies.

And then there are obviously lots of Suites with regular balconies too. 
 

Floris 

 

Hey Flo,

 

I don't see where you get these cabin counts with IV and regular balconies, can you provide more detail?

[hcat]

 

AQ class,  Concierge cabins  ALL have the  IV balconies as far as I know. They are one of the signatures of E Class.   Other cabin classes also have the IV,  and some have large non operable windows..they look  nice!

 

Sunset Verandas are a good choice for an outdoor balcony ( and a larger cabin),  but they are a long walk to the elev and there are not many of them . Other balconies are small  "cutouts" .  Many pics have been posted.

 

 

 

[Moby Jones]

5 hours ago, florisdekort said:

 

There are 512 cabins with an IV across multiple cabin categories.  (I agree that’s too much btw.) 

There are 284 Concierge class cabins with regular balconies.

There are 106 Aqua class cabins with regular balconies.

And then there are obviously lots of Suites with regular balconies too. 
 

Floris 

 

This is just plain wrong. All aqua class and all concierge class cabins on both Edge and Apex have IV cabins. 
 

Personally I really hope the remaining three E class ships waiting to be built offer more choices in terms of balcony type. But I think it unlikely unless bookings and the subsequent revenues are impacted enough to make management rethink the whole IV concept which I don;t think will happen. 

[Moby Jones]

11 hours ago, hcat said:

It hardly ever happened on our cruise. Once for cleaning and once for rain. 

 

You could use the Veranda area with window closed,  but a reg balc would not be usable at all during rain or cleaning.

Just my thought!

 

I've been out on my balcony in rain and in very cold weather. It's a complete non issue for me as I simply dress accordingly! 

You're right that you can't really use a balcony when the stateroom attendant is cleaning it, but in the real world it's a moot point as it's like saying you can't use your bathroom when it' being cleaned. I don't know about you but e're rarely in our room when it's being cleaned anyway. 

Having the bridge disable the window is not the same thing in my opinion.