Live Trip Report - Edge 2/16-23

[mafig]

5 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

As are we!

The 29th?  We are too!

[Bo1953]

19 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

We didn’t like eden.  The food wasn’t good and menu so limited.  The wait staff was acting silly and invasive.  We will be on the edge in less then three weeks again and will not go to eden again 

 

my opinion and perhaps others like that type of shtick

We and our friends really enjoyed Eden and much of the performances...

 

I understand how it may not be for many passengers.

 

Our food was excellent, even the special menu prepared for me.

 

Seeing the menu beforehand, one would know what was on offer in advance and then decide if it was for them before going, so not sure the issue with the menu otherwise.

 

One can even view the menu during the day and cancel if not to your liking. As for it being limited, I Am happy that it is so and I would imagine so is the chef given the special nature of the venue and restaurant...

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

[calicakes]

11 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

 

Our food was excellent, even the special menu prepared for me

I'm assuming you received a vegan menu?  I don't eat beef and salmon, my wife doesn't eat seafood.  I wonder if they would be receptive to those requests?  We are on an Edge cruise in 2022( a long ways away!!)

[Cruise a holic]

9 minutes ago, calicakes said:

I'm assuming you received a vegan menu?  I don't eat beef and salmon, my wife doesn't eat seafood.  I wonder if they would be receptive to those requests?  We are on an Edge cruise in 2022( a long ways away!!)

I do not believe you will have a problem.  We sailed with our teenage granddaughter who is a vegan- but gluten free- she will eat fish- a pescatarian, they will make you a variety of dishes to enjoy.  Today, so many people are on special diets they try to accommodate all- Luminae was great about special request

Edited February 25, 2020 by Cruise a holic

[Bo1953]

30 minutes ago, calicakes said:

I'm assuming you received a vegan menu?  I don't eat beef and salmon, my wife doesn't eat seafood.  I wonder if they would be receptive to those requests?  We are on an Edge cruise in 2022( a long ways away!!)

Actually, I did not get a menu. I told the kitchen that I was vegan and to prepare what they thought would match the courses for everyone else and it was fantastic, to savour the least... LOL

 

Yes, please try to do it at least 24 hours in advance so they can prepare accordingly.

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

[registrar]

Wow! Food does look fantastic! And your commentary confirms that. I just might try it next month! Not sure what to think of what’s happening on the floor though! Just seems unappetizing looking at some of those positions going on at my eye level!! I have to admit I laughed out loud and would have to contain myself when I go! Unfortunately wine usually makes me laugh harder! Thanks so much for all the information 
 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 hour ago, registrar said:

Wow! Food does look fantastic! And your commentary confirms that. I just might try it next month! Not sure what to think of what’s happening on the floor though! Just seems unappetizing looking at some of those positions going on at my eye level!! I have to admit I laughed out loud and would have to contain myself when I go! Unfortunately wine usually makes me laugh harder! Thanks so much for all the information 
 

 

They are not always doing it - just periodically. I don't know if they went to the tables closer to the kitchen, but you could always check and ask for one of those if that would make it easier for you.

[Josie201]

Thank you for this wonderful review.  Your writing style is engaging, informative and fun.  We were “never Edgers” for the first two years but now prices have moderated and we’re booked to try it out next November.  Your review really heightened the anticipation.  Thanks for taking the time to do it.  

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 hour ago, Josie201 said:

Thank you for this wonderful review.  Your writing style is engaging, informative and fun.  We were “never Edgers” for the first two years but now prices have moderated and we’re booked to try it out next November.  Your review really heightened the anticipation.  Thanks for taking the time to do it.  

Thank you for reading!

[lilghallinsf]

On 2/24/2020 at 12:59 PM, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

I did not see any servers doing “schtick” - they explained the menu, yes. But nothing silly or invasive that I saw. Perhaps they have changed since you went.

 

I found my food excellent - and as for limited, that is the type of restaurant it is. I would never choose to spend money on the steakhouse as I can go to a steakhouse on land. I cannot have the Eden experience on land.

 

Now LPC to me seems full of schtick and silliness - and extremely limited menu, especially if you want your food to “match”. And yet it and the steakhouse were 100% sold out on my sailing.

 

Different strokes.

Amen!!  

[lilghallinsf]

On 2/24/2020 at 1:04 PM, Cruise a holic said:

The lady told us she was from a “weird” place.  She was talking like a baby!  She was wearing a costume.  I was on the ship new years week last  year.  Hopefully it has improved!   Maybe we will try again if not disney meets avitar

Edited February 26, 2020 by lilghallinsf
Art is subjective. :-)

[lilghallinsf]

On 2/24/2020 at 1:15 PM, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

My servers were servers. Period.

 

Completely different than anyone in the show. They do come into the restaurant, but while I was there it was just the 2 guys in my video. They only interacted if you engaged them. Nothing was forced.

 

(And as for “Disney meets Avatar, Pandora is my favorite land in Animal Kingdom, so that is so far from an insult in my world.)

I love your kind way of “informing” the less informed.  You must be a great teacher. We need more humans like you in the world!!!  I don’t have the patience.  

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

3 hours ago, lilghallinsf said:

I love your kind way of “informing” the less informed.  You must be a great teacher. We need more humans like you in the world!!!  I don’t have the patience.  

 

Thank you! Pre-cruise I tried hard to stay positive in the face of the naysayers, but it was hard sometimes to not get sucked into the abyss. Having experienced it for myself, I now have my positive experiences to fall back on which makes it harder (a bit) for the naysayers to get to me. 

[Bo1953]

3 hours ago, lilghallinsf said:

I love your kind way of “informing” the less informed.  You must be a great teacher. We need more humans like you in the world!!!  I don’t have the patience.  

l - I think you have it, reach way way way down and pull it out from time to time!  😇

 

bon voyage

[amarantha7]

Thank you for such  wonderful review! The embedded videos were a great addition, too.  I hope to hear your impressions of Apex once you've had a chance to sail on her.  We'll be on the Apex on a March 2021 sailing in adjoining IV rooms, so it was cool to see the verandas "in action" in your review. I have a feeling I'm really going to like Eden- both as a restaurant and as a hang-out area in general.

 

Cheers,

Amy

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

9 hours ago, amarantha7 said:

Thank you for such  wonderful review! The embedded videos were a great addition, too.  I hope to hear your impressions of Apex once you've had a chance to sail on her.  We'll be on the Apex on a March 2021 sailing in adjoining IV rooms, so it was cool to see the verandas "in action" in your review. I have a feeling I'm really going to like Eden- both as a restaurant and as a hang-out area in general.

 

Cheers,

Amy

 

Thanks for reading! I'll definitely try to do a report on Apex as well!! I booked it with the 4-perks package so I'll have internet! I definitely loved Eden as a chill-out place for reading during the day.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

OK, now that I've had time to settle back and wrap my brain around everything, I have finally gotten my Disney Cruise Line/Celebrity comparison done... I'm just going to copy and paste from a Disney-based forum. 🙂 (Spoiler alert: don't worry!!)

 

This is my comparison between Celebrity and DCL and my final verdict (if you don't like spoilers, don't look at my signature yet)... To note, I had a Single Stateroom with Infinite Veranda, so no special early boarding or restaurant perks. I did go in as a Captain's Club select member because of my status with Royal Caribbean. Also some things apply specifically to Edge Class - like their 4 dining rooms, Eden, and the Infinite Veranda

Embarkation:
You can do everything including taking your picture using Celebrity's app and have "Expedited Arrival". No going to the counter for you - a quick check with representatives with iPads (including them asking you the health questions in person) and then you can sit. They have a terminal in Port Everglades that was constructed specifically for the Edge class ships - other X ships use it when Edge is not in port (or Apex once she begins sailing out of PE). The suites are seated in a separate area - I got there about 10:30 and they were being escorted on board along with any Captain's Club Zenith cruisers (their highest level). The representatives in the terminal were having everyone sit down before they would begin boarding, so there was no crowd to weed through to board. Boarding started with Concierge guests, then Aqua Class (a category of stateroom), then Captain's Club Elite Plus, then Captain's Club Elite, then Captain's Club Select, and then anyone. I was on board before 11am.
No, you're not announced as you board, BUT you are offered a glass of sparkling cider or champagne when you board. Nice touch!
Also, you can go directly to your stateroom to get your key card (in a sealed envelope outside) and drop off your carry-ons.You can't stay in your cabin at that point, but it is SOOOOO nice to not have to schlep your stuff around.
Advantage: Celebrity

Food:
Buffet:
Those familiar with Royal's buffet will be right at home with Celebrity's Ocean View Cafe. Rather than a line - even a line with pods along the line - there are a couple of "lines with pods" but most is at stations in the center of that area. Lots of offerings every day, and they win the gluten-free desert game by a MILE!! Every day there was a variety of cakes to choose from as well as mousses, creme brulees, and ice cream (ice cream in a separate area). The last day they even has cake pops!! At breakfast they had a gluten free muffin made on board and options of gluten-free bread that was in a separate area with its own toaster. At lunch you could get gluten-free pizza that was prepared in its own oven! Lots of choices!! I did learn that (at least right now - I mentioned it and will mention it again in my follow-up email) you do need to ask with some things to be sure as the labeling is not always consistent - hopefully they will get that corrected.
Other quick service:
They have a grill for burgers and hot dogs, a coffee shop (fee) with included pastries INCLUDING fresh-made (not packaged) gluten-free macarons and one of the cake options, a Spa cafe with smoothies (fee) and light, healthy options, and Eden Cafe which has some breakfast wraps and such as well as lunch offerings. The latter two were not as gluten-friendly from the menu. I did not ask about options as I was full from the Ocean View Cafe.
Main Dining:
On Edge they have 4 main dining rooms. You either have Traditional Dining at either 6:00 or (I think) 8:30 OR Select Dining, where you can go at any point between 5:15 and 8:30 or 9. If you have Traditional, you are assigned to one of the 4 main dining rooms with a set table (usually shared) and the same service team each night. You can request to go to one of the other dining rooms, but you do have to request that and have it set via the maitre d'.
With Select (which I had), you can choose where you would like to eat. It's recommended to make reservations, which I did at a time between the fixed times but closer to Early - and I went to each of the dining rooms at least once. Each dining room has a small signature menu that remains the same each night - Normandie is French, Cosmopolitan is American, Tuscan is Italian, and Cyprus is Greek - the Celebrity Everyday items (standard type apps like escargots, caesar salad, French onion soup and entrees like chicken, steak, and salmon), and a section of the menu "Celebrity Signatures" that changes each night. Everyday and Signatures are the same in all 4 dining rooms. My favorite by far in terms of decor, service, and all around ambience was Tuscan. I was surprised by how much I liked Cyprus - decor-wise it is the least impressive (looks like an old conference hotel dining room) but service and food there was great.
Extra-charge Dining:
On Edge there are a few for-charge dining options. Raw on 5 is mainly Sushi, Le Petit Chef is a dinner where through animation you see little chefs prepare the dish that will appear (so if you're on an alternate menu it won't match) - at lunch this is a for-charge Bistro, the Rooftop Garden Grill which is steaks and other grilled things, Finer Cut Steakhouse which is steaks, and Eden which is an experience.
I only went to Eden on the final night, and I loved it! 

Advantage: Honestly it is pretty much a draw - I do love rotational dining on DCL with the same servers, but the food was every bit as good on Celebrity and other than some labeling inconsistency which is easily cleared by asking (and I have to ask period on DCL in the buffet, so...) I never felt unsafe with my wheat allergy. The extra care for gluten-free desserts that were made on board as opposed to pre-packaged Enjoy Life cookies and “soft foods” like mousse only on DCL makes me give X a slight edge. And as for pay restaurants, even with all of Disney’s creativity, there is nothing like Eden, and that completely won me over.

Stateroom:
A bit hard to do a direct comparison as Edge has single staterooms have the infinite verandas, which Disney does not have in either form.
I will freely state that the infinite verandas are a big source of debate. People love them or hate them. Basically it makes the veranda a total extension of your cabin, sort of like a Florida room. There are French doors with frosted glass that can be closed to separate the veranda area from the cabin or left open. The window area goes floor to ceiling, and the top portion can be lowered. It can be locked by the bridge for cleaning (they announce that in the Daily Planner which you receive in your stateroom nightly) or in the event of weather that necessitates them being locked - I never experienced the weather and was on an excursion on port side cleaning day.
The single staterooms are about 50 square feet larger than the interior studios NCL has, plus you have the veranda. They are on Deck 6, so the lifeboats (sorry...launches - each one cost a million dollars and have extra features) are at the bottom of the window area, and some have the hardware that holds the lifeboats that blocks some of the view. Neither is a huge deal for me.

Advantage:
Taking into account that these cabins are designed for solo travelers and as such do not have the single supplement, for me they are a game changer and it is not a true comparison as Disney does not have solo cabins. If I compare a 2-person cabin on X then often the price comes out to about the same, X maybe being a tad less. But with the single stateroom, which is perfect for me, there is no comparison. I can do 7 nights on X for pretty much what I would pay for a 4-night Dream Cruise. 
Honestly, for me as a solo, unless and until Disney does solo cabins AND has at least some that are not interior, this is game, set, and match to X.

Entertainment:
Ok, this is overall the one area where I fully expected it to be game, set, and match to Disney...but it wasn’t quite the slam dunk I anticipated.
The shows on Celebrity may not fully have the story that Disney ships do (the first one looked like it was going to have a story, but lost the thread early on; the final night show “Colors of Life” had a story that , with different (read: Disney) music could fit right in on Disney. 
The singers and dancers were all excellent and extremely talented and had some cabaret-type shows in the smaller Club venue as well.
I don’t do magicians or comedians regardless, so I cannot comment there.
There was a Cirque-type group that did a show in the Club which was generally good (even if I did roll my eyes and mutter “Called it” when it opened with the 2 girls doing a routine on 2 chandeliers to Sia’s “Chandelier”).
And then there was Eden. Eden as a whole is a 3-deck area complete with a living wall, a bar with very unique drinks available, the cafe for breakfast and lunch, many different seating areas and different types of seating, and the restaurant at night. There is a group of entertainers hired by X specifically as “Edenists” and they will interact in the restaurant but they also have a show “Revelations” that is essentially the Adam and Eve story but more generic - like the male and female sides of the world. There is some singing and dancing, and some interactive elements. Again, it elicits strong feelings on both sides. I have seen someone call it “Disney meets Avatar” but given that Pandora is my favorite world in WDW, that is hardly the insult they intended it to be.
Advantage:
This surprised me how close this one is. Based on my entertainment experience on Holland America and in particular Royal Caribbean (since it is Celebrity’s parent company) I expected Disney to win this one hands down. But I was pleasantly surprised with entertainment on X. I give Disney a slight edge simply because I love Disney's magic and story, but it's a VERY slight edge.

Service:
Nothing to really detail here - it was a draw. My stateroom host, my servers, and every crew member I encountered was polite and friendly and helpful. They were always cleaning the public areas, and the service was excellent.


General Observations:
* Celebrity does skew older, though there were a fair number of children on this sailing as it was Presidents’ Week. But they were generally well-behaved and seemed happy with their club (called Camp At Sea) experiences from little snippets I overheard.
* There is a casino onboard, but smoking is not allowed inside, so even if you walk through you do not have to deal with a nasty stench.
* Quite simply, the ship is a work of art. There are unique pieces all throughout the ship. They do offer a tour that comes with a coffee table book, but I refused to pay $139 for it.

Overall:
I loved it! I had already booked a cruise on the Apex - Edge’s twin which will be launching in the next few weeks - for summer 2021 for my 50th birthday based on the itinerary. Within a couple of hours on board, I had booked the week before so I will have my first back-to-back experience. And by the end of the cruise I had booked Presidents’ Week for 2021 and 2022. (My travel agent joked that she liked having me booked in the forward section as I seemed to keep tripping and falling into Future Cruises.) I’m sure that if the itinerary and price is right, I will be back on Disney (definitely NOT changing the summer 2021 Europe cruises...Disney's rates are RIDICULOUS) - and perhaps they will have non-interior solo cabins on the new ships - but I really have fallen in love with Celebrity. At least their Edge class ships!

[british lady]

Thank you I have enjoyed following your trip.

We board the Edge for the first time on Sunday, going with open mind and looking forward to a change from the M and S class ships 

[Cdresser]

It has been wonderful to read the reports of someone who loved their Edge experience as much as I did. Also, it has been gratifying and inspiring to read about your solo travels. Bravo!

[Cruise a holic]

Great review!  we have about two weeks until  our next Edge cruise!  

 

Happy sailing!

[Pacificlander]

Totally enjoyed your live review! Got me through the 2 weeks before our Edge cruise! This week I've spent my days off packing. I'm not near as efficient as you! Looking so forward to boarding this beautiful ship on Sunday!

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 minute ago, Pacificlander said:

Totally enjoyed your live review! Got me through the 2 weeks before our Edge cruise! This week I've spent my days off packing. I'm not near as efficient as you! Looking so forward to boarding this beautiful ship on Sunday!

 

Bon Voyage!!!!

[Bo1953]

19 minutes ago, Pacificlander said:

Totally enjoyed your live review! Got me through the 2 weeks before our Edge cruise! This week I've spent my days off packing. I'm not near as efficient as you! Looking so forward to boarding this beautiful ship on Sunday!

bon voyage

[lemons]

Great review. Thanks

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Thanks again to everyone for following along and/or reading!! I really appreciate it!!

 

And since I shared my sadness at my Mo’s passing, I thought I would share my new fur baby, Merida. We adopted each other 4 weeks ago at the ASPCA. I was not sure I would be ready so soon, but it was kismet (I fell in love with her on the website but expected her to be adopted so I did not mention her, yet my volunteer immediately said “I really want to introduce you to Skylar” (her former name) and things just went from there.