Loved the Edge; would not sail on her again.

[Silkroad]

I've been following this thread with great interest, because like the OP, I loved the Edge (despite some issues), but I am sailing on her again this year. I can understand being disappointed about aspects of a stay in an Infinite Veranda cabin. I had mixed feelings myself, and wrote an extensive review about our experiences on the first Edge TA (as did many others who were on the early Edge cruises). I booked our cruise the day the initial Edge schedule appeared, and I knew the IV cabins did NOT have traditional verandas. Those of us who booked early did not have the advantage of numerous passenger reviews and photos. Instead, we watched the build, read & viewed the marketing materials as they appeared, and crossed our fingers that we'd be happy early adopters. Before final payment, it was quite clear to us that the IV as built was not the same as the IV in early marketing materials, but the cabin itself appeared beautiful and spacious. We crossed our fingers and made final payment. Yes, we were frustrated with aspects of the IV, but that didn't ruin our cruise, and some of our issues have since been resolved. We would book an IV again, for certain itineraries.

 

I do not understand the utter shock and unhappiness expressed by people who booked late enough to have ample resources available make an informed decision about the Infinite Veranda cabins. Clearly everyone on these boards has access to Cruise Critic and the Celebrity web site.

 

A few clicks on that web site would get you here, and you would see that there is something very different about the IV.  https://www.celebritycruises.com/things-to-do-onboard/staterooms/veranda-stateroom

 

A simple search on "Edge Infinite Veranda", on the Cruise Critic site, or a search engine such as Google, would give you dozens of hits on reviews and photos of the IV cabin class. I don't see how Celebrity is to blame if we eschew rudimentary research about a new ship class, and a new cabin class, before booking our cabins.

Edited January 20, 2020 by Silkroad

[edgee]

On 1/19/2020 at 1:26 AM, 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 

I believe you are mistaken. All AQ class cabins have IV balconies. So, if you want to dine in Blu, you must stay in an IV cabin.

[kearney]

I did not mind the IV cabin. I burn easily and seldom go out on a traditional veranda. I like being able to walk up to the window and have a nice open view... that I don't quite get with a regular veranda. What I did mind, however, was the small size of the veranda. Now if you look at the literature... they say it is around 40sq ft. BUT if you measure the actual useable space... it is closer to 32sq ft. Our cabin had the bed by the window. If you wanted to close the folding door...you could only have one person on the veranda and you had to move the furniture to do so. Or you had to move some of it onto the bed to have enough room to close the folding doors... absolutely ridiculous. If you are going to have a veranda... it has to feel like a veranda and not a bay window. It was a terribly cramped place to sit. My theory is that the measurements did not factor in the width of the walls or the face that the folding doors are actually about 6" in from the cabin... both impacted sq ft of useable space.

 

If you look at the veranda there is no drain on the floor... so they have to be able to close the window to avoid the veranda and cabin from being soaked when the car wash like washer comes by and sprays the windows with a fire hydrant like pressure. No way around this... but they could do a better job of coordinating how long it is locked based on where the equipment is. DH said the window was locked for an hour or two while we were in port... that seems excessive since the equipment took only minutes to pass by the cabin.  DH did not like IV cabin and frankly felt there were enough public spaces to hang out at vs S class. So doubtful we will sail this class again. S class has just the right balance.   Now I do think the IV design would be great for colder climates like an Alaskan cruise... where you can stand inside and enjoy the view in the comfort of your cabin.

[edgee]

37 minutes ago, DavietheScot said:

Could not agree more with the original post the Infinity Veranda is one thing I really dont want again, but it's not the only thing that made us decide not to repeat a Edge class cruise, the ship for us is all about design over practically and enjoyment.

The lack of variety in bars and and space was in our opinion stark, plus they so called entertainment in Eden and the Alice in Wonderland type characters really was pretentious and totally pointless. Again our opinion. So even with the food and restaurant choices being up to Celebrity standard overall it has to date been our least enjoyable Celebrity cruise.

However the good thing about cruiseing is there are plenty of choice and I fully except one mans food is anothers poison so, we will continue to sail with Celebrity by only on the other class of ships, my only worry is the Edge inspired upgrades going on to the whole fleet dont destroy this product. 

I would add to your list the fact that the ship is "under elevatored" for the ship's capacity. We have cruised over 45 times on a variety of ships, mostly on Celebrity, and have never seen a pattern of long waits and crowded elevators like we saw on our November Caribbean cruise on the Edge.

[Wisteria101958]

I’m not completely ruling Edge or Apex out, but if I do sail with them in the future I will opt for nothing more than an Oceanview stateroom. The IV offering prompted my group of friends to choose the Reflection for an upcoming TA. We all love a regular balcony- in all sorts of weather.

[GRBlizz]

We haven't cruised in a few years, but in the past have generally booked balconies. We just booked an IV on Edge in the Mediterranean for this year. I really appreciate all the discussion, because it helped me calibrate how we would probably feel about the IV based on how we used our verandas in the past.

 

For those who made heavy use of their balconies as a "second room" of their cabin, I can see how the IV may present an unwelcome change. But for us, it looks amazing.

 

My husband uses a wheelchair, and some of the past balconies have been pretty rough to get out on, so we mostly just used them for watching sunrise/sunset, and approaching and leaving port. We never ate there. Given that, the idea of having that extra room and light IN the cabin is very appealing. Also, hubby will more easily be able to approach the window. 

 

One caveat is that we do have an accessible IV, so it will be wider, and the doors are sliding instead of folding. So some of the issues with logistics of opening/closing should not be a factor for us.

 

Anyway, thanks to all for the lively discussion.

 

 

[Oville]

56 minutes ago, edgee said:

I would add to your list the fact that the ship is "under elevatored" for the ship's capacity. We have cruised over 45 times on a variety of ships, mostly on Celebrity, and have never seen a pattern of long waits and crowded elevators like we saw on our November Caribbean cruise on the Edge.

Interestingly we did not have elevator issues on the Edge cruise we just got off. Perhaps it is a matter of timing, but forward lifts were all but empty.  The midship ones were busier but with the exception of yesterday morning, disembarkment day, we never waited for long periods.  In all fairness, we are late eaters so probably missed the busy lunch and dinner crush.  Also our cabin was midship forward so we had easy access to both sets of elevators and often used the forward ones.

[drakes2]

On 1/18/2020 at 6:00 PM, 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.

I originally booked a CC cabin with that God awful infinite verandah then after reading so much negativity dropped down to an oceanview balcony on the Apex and saved $600. 

[Alsmez]

2 hours ago, edgee said:

I would add to your list the fact that the ship is "under elevatored" for the ship's capacity.

 

I was surprised when I saw the plans for E-class that they didn't include a rear elevator bank, given the complaints about the lack of a rear elevator on S-class. I don't mind the long walk from aft to midship, but only having two banks really makes for slow going. We really noticed the difference on our Summit cruise this summer - there was NEVER a wait at any elevator bank. One of the few things I liked better about M-class!

[edgee]

2 hours ago, drakes2 said:

I originally booked a CC cabin with that God awful infinite verandah then after reading so much negativity dropped down to an oceanview balcony on the Apex and saved $600. 

They are not God awful! Some like them, some do not. We found the extra space in our cabin very nice to have and found we could open our window almost any time we wanted to. There are certainly many other things to not like about the Edge--lack of elevator capacity, lack of cozy areas to hang out, lack of "normal" specialty restaurants, weird layout of the gym with inadequate restroom facilities nearby....but the IV cabins are an interesting feature...again, some like them, some do not.

[gfkcruiser]

I am considering booking the Edge in 2022 but only because of the itinerary.  It is a partial transit of the Panama Canal.  I don't know how I would feel about the IV vs traditional veranda.  It seems that the only darkening shade is the outside window. So if one person wants to sit out with the window open there is not a curtain for the folding doors.  Is that correct and did it bother anyone?

 

Thanks for any comments.

[drakes2]

14 minutes ago, edgee said:

They are not God awful! Some like them, some do not. We found the extra space in our cabin very nice to have and found we could open our window almost any time we wanted to. There are certainly many other things to not like about the Edge--lack of elevator capacity, lack of cozy areas to hang out, lack of "normal" specialty restaurants, weird layout of the gym with inadequate restroom facilities nearby....but the IV cabins are an interesting feature...again, some like them, some do not.

From what I read on these boards and also people who have sailed on Edge the majority do not seem to like them. I for one originally booked a CC cabin and downgraded to a traditional balcony.  I enjoy sitting outside reading a book having a coffee early in the morning without disturbing the other cabin occupant.

[Pushka]

Well quite clearly, as evidenced on this thread, and with CC members, there are still many cruisers who don’t expect the CC and Aqua cabins to to have the IV. If even CC members don’t understand the new concept or expect it to be as widespread as it is, then what hope does the average Joe making a booking for the first time have? And if they’ve used a TA who hasn’t done their work, well, it’s a pickle. 
 

Most of the cabins on these ships are IV’s. Celebrity have differentiated themselves this way, which is sometimes a great thing but these days luxury cruise lines promote the fact that all cabins/suites have their own balcony. This is what Viking does. I’d have thought the younger passengers whom the Edge is promoted at, would want a traditional balcony. 

I know that the IV will not work for us. My love of the cruises is being out on the balcony. We live on the ocean foreshore. I’m always on the balcony. 

It is good that some like them - great really - or else Celebrity would be in trouble financially. But it’s like why some like tea and some coffee and some both and some neither. 

Edited January 20, 2020 by Pushka

[RICCruisers]

46 minutes ago, gfkcruiser said:

I am considering booking the Edge in 2022 but only because of the itinerary.  It is a partial transit of the Panama Canal.  I don't know how I would feel about the IV vs traditional veranda.  It seems that the only darkening shade is the outside window. So if one person wants to sit out with the window open there is not a curtain for the folding doors.  Is that correct and did it bother anyone?

 

Thanks for any comments.

You are correct that the only way to darken the cabin is by lowering the shade on the window and the window must be closed to do that. It is my understanding that X has done an experiment with adding a film to the folding doors that would provide privacy to the cabin but does not darken it. 

[Oville]

40 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

From what I read on these boards and also people who have sailed on Edge the majority do not seem to like them. 

 

Where did you find the stat that says “the majority do not seem to like them”.  There are people on CC who cruised in them and didn’t like them or some aspect of them.  There are also folks who don’t like the concept and would never sail in one which is fine.  Using words like “God awful” and “majority” I don’t believe are factual.

 

 

 

[edgee]

46 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

From what I read on these boards and also people who have sailed on Edge the majority do not seem to like them. I for one originally booked a CC cabin and downgraded to a traditional balcony.  I enjoy sitting outside reading a book having a coffee early in the morning without disturbing the other cabin occupant.

Seems you have a great reason for not liking the IVs. However, majority viewpoints on cruise critic usually do not reflect a fair assessment of overall opinion (IMHO) since the folks with negative feelings about any subject are more likely to express their view that those with positive feelings.

[Pushka]

4 minutes ago, edgee said:

Seems you have a great reason for not liking the IVs. However, majority viewpoints on cruise critic usually do not reflect a fair assessment of overall opinion (IMHO) since the folks with negative feelings about any subject are more likely to express their view that those with positive feelings.

Agree with that but most cruisers have not even heard of CC. 😱

[hcat]

24 minutes ago, Oville said:

Where did you find the stat that says “the majority do not seem to like them”.  There are people on CC who cruised in them and didn’t like them or some aspect of them.  There are also folks who don’t like the concept and would never sail in one which is fine.  Using words like “God awful” and “majority” I don’t believe are factual.

 

 

 

There are  those of us who enjoyed EDGE..and the IV cabin....It worked well for us and offered an alt to an outside balcony. We liked some features of  it better than the SV &  would book one again..

 

It's  fun  and  helpful to read reviews and  opinions but I would not generalize as to what the majority does or does not like. Some threads  and postings  are positive, some  negative. Each person must decide what works for their needs!

 

 

[drakes2]

33 minutes ago, Pushka said:

Agree with that but most cruisers have not even heard of CC. 😱

I agree wholeheartedly with your statement, however, it appears that these boards have become more popular through the years.  CC members have grown by leaps and bounds. I still feel that the IV cabins are not being welcomed to the extent of  those on the S class ships.  My Celebrity Vacation Planner was recently in one on the Edge and was unimpressed. JMO. 

[helen haywood]

I’m one of the supposed minority who loved Edge and also our IV cabin!!!  OK by me if others don’t!

[PTC DAWG]

I saw a comment re not liking the walking track...what could be wrong with it? 
 

Anyways, sailing Edge on 3/29..  

[NMTraveller]

8 hours ago, Oville said:

FYI, the captain’s quarters has side by side IVs, no traditional balcony.😉

Poor captain...  Perhaps they will get her a real balcony for Christmas. 🙂

 

Anyways I would think that she has some say into whether her window opens or not.

 

Is not the bridge in place of where they would put the real balcony cabins anyways?

Edited January 20, 2020 by NMTraveller

[RICCruisers]

54 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

I saw a comment re not liking the walking track...what could be wrong with it? 
 

Anyways, sailing Edge on 3/29..  

I’m not sure. We loved the track with the incline between decks. It was longer than the S Class and involved less pedestrians. The only thing I can think of is that is more of an actual walking track where people want to get some exercise and not one to just stroll with a cup of coffee in the morning. My only issue was the crossover after the Rooftop Gardens and that narrow passageway from Port to Starboard.