On the Edge now (7/17-24)- Out experiences so far..

[lbryant]

Like so many of you, this vacation is a dream come true for us. We’ve planned, booked and then cancelled so many trips since January 2020.. including a big family trip for our 30th anniversary that I had been planning since 2018. So when the Edge sailing lined up with the vacation days everyone already blocked out, it was kismet.  
For references, we’re a family of 6 (3 adult daughters and one new son in law). We have 3 Aqua class cabins on deck 9 aft. 
I posted about our check-in experience but I’ll recap here. We had a 12:30-1p arrival time. We arrived at 12:10, dropped bags, and saw what looked like several lines including a long line for retreat guests. There were also people not in line standing around. It looked a bit chaotic, but we found some employees, showed our arrival time and they walked us to the 12:30-1p line. We were inside the building by 12:25 or so, did the Vaccine card check where they confirm your health status, take a picture of your vax card and send you upstairs. No line at security. Then onto the Xpress pass checkin to show passports, then onto the ship. We officially boarded by 12:40.  No wristbands were given out. Glass of champagne in hand we toasted the start of our vacation, found our rooms to drop bag, cried a little at how beautiful our IV cabins were, and went to lunch.  I don’t know the official passenger count nor do I know if there are any unvaxxed adult passengers. I’ve seen some kids but don’t know how many are onboard.  The crew are no longer required to wear masks though a few still are.  Lots of smiling faces.  The safety drill was very simple. We watched the videos in the app earlier that morning and just showed up at the muster station to get marked off. 
Here’s what we’ve experienced in our first 24 hours. 
The ship does not feel crowded at all. Everywhere we’ve gone there have been seats for our group. We’ve gone to the Magic Carpet a couple of times as well as the Sunset bar and the Martini bar and always found a table and chairs for our group.We had dinner at Le Petit Chef with same day reservation. I didn’t see the dining rooms so don’t know if there was a wait   There was one show in the theater last night. We arrived 15 min before it started and easily found seats for 6 together. It was a little more full at the start of the show but still plenty of seats for groups of 2 or 4. .  After the main show, we wandered around some more and while there were plenty of people about, you could still find tables open around the Plaza to enjoy the entertainment there. 
This morning we had breakfast at Blu. Got there a little before 8am, we’re seated right away and enjoyed a very nice meal. Service was wonderful.  Getting off the ship in Nassau could not have been easier. The Gateway is very open and we didn’t experience any waits.  We’re in

port with Freedom of the Seas. Even so, there was no wait to get a cab to the beach. We went to Cabbage beach for a couple of hours and had plenty of room to spread out. 
The elevators have been really fast and easy to get so far.  
We’re leaving Nassau soon and the pool is crowded but I see plenty of chairs in the sun and the shade. The solarium also had lots of open loungers even at mid day. 
We’ll try out the Thermal suite this afternoon and then dinner in Normandie because the menu looks delicious. 
I hope this helps those planning their upcoming trips.  Really it’s been a wonderful experience so far. Though this is our first Celebrity cruise, I can already tell I’m in love. 
 

[mafig]

Thank you for posting.  I'm so glad you are enjoying your first (of many) Celebrity cruises.

Edited July 18, 2021 by mafig

[PTC DAWG]

Sounds great..

Edited July 18, 2021 by PTC DAWG

[El Crucero]

You have just discovered what most of us have known for years!  Soak it in!

[Jomadderatz]

43 minutes ago, lbryant said:

Like so many of you, this vacation is a dream come true for us. We’ve planned, booked and then cancelled so many trips since January 2020.. including a big family trip for our 30th anniversary that I had been planning since 2018. So when the Edge sailing lined up with the vacation days everyone already blocked out, it was kismet.  
For references, we’re a family of 6 (3 adult daughters and one new son in law). We have 3 Aqua class cabins on deck 9 aft. 
I posted about our check-in experience but I’ll recap here. We had a 12:30-1p arrival time. We arrived at 12:10, dropped bags, and saw what looked like several lines including a long line for retreat guests. There were also people not in line standing around. It looked a bit chaotic, but we found some employees, showed our arrival time and they walked us to the 12:30-1p line. We were inside the building by 12:25 or so, did the Vaccine card check where they confirm your health status, take a picture of your vax card and send you upstairs. No line at security. Then onto the Xpress pass checkin to show passports, then onto the ship. We officially boarded by 12:40.  No wristbands were given out. Glass of champagne in hand we toasted the start of our vacation, found our rooms to drop bag, cried a little at how beautiful our IV cabins were, and went to lunch.  I don’t know the official passenger count nor do I know if there are any unvaxxed adult passengers. I’ve seen some kids but don’t know how many are onboard.  The crew are no longer required to wear masks though a few still are.  Lots of smiling faces.  The safety drill was very simple. We watched the videos in the app earlier that morning and just showed up at the muster station to get marked off. 
Here’s what we’ve experienced in our first 24 hours. 
The ship does not feel crowded at all. Everywhere we’ve gone there have been seats for our group. We’ve gone to the Magic Carpet a couple of times as well as the Sunset bar and the Martini bar and always found a table and chairs for our group.We had dinner at Le Petit Chef with same day reservation. I didn’t see the dining rooms so don’t know if there was a wait   There was one show in the theater last night. We arrived 15 min before it started and easily found seats for 6 together. It was a little more full at the start of the show but still plenty of seats for groups of 2 or 4. .  After the main show, we wandered around some more and while there were plenty of people about, you could still find tables open around the Plaza to enjoy the entertainment there. 
This morning we had breakfast at Blu. Got there a little before 8am, we’re seated right away and enjoyed a very nice meal. Service was wonderful.  Getting off the ship in Nassau could not have been easier. The Gateway is very open and we didn’t experience any waits.  We’re in

port with Freedom of the Seas. Even so, there was no wait to get a cab to the beach. We went to Cabbage beach for a couple of hours and had plenty of room to spread out. 
The elevators have been really fast and easy to get so far.  
We’re leaving Nassau soon and the pool is crowded but I see plenty of chairs in the sun and the shade. The solarium also had lots of open loungers even at mid day. 
We’ll try out the Thermal suite this afternoon and then dinner in Normandie because the menu looks delicious. 
I hope this helps those planning their upcoming trips.  Really it’s been a wonderful experience so far. Though this is our first Celebrity cruise, I can already tell I’m in love. 
 

Having the same wonderful experience over on the Summit.  I almost cried when we boarded the ship as we were cheered walking though the middle of the crew all lined up welcoming everyone back.  So happy to be cruising again!!! Enjoy the edge my kids are going on the edge in December.

[cruise47]

To the OP and all on the Celebrity Edge please enjoy your cruise. 

[KKB]

SOOO glad to hear of your wonderful experience so far!

ENJOY your time with your adult chidren--those family cruises are the best!

Hoping you will find time to add a few more thoughts as the week ensues...

[Ken the cruiser]

Thanks for opening this thread as I definitely need a continual Edge cruising fix until we sail in now less than 3 weeks!! Here's hoping you have a great cruise!!  😎

[graphicguy]

YAY!  Have fun!

[stinsowm]

Enjoy each moment! I board the edge next week and I am so happy!

 

Walter

[NutsAboutGolf]

Following, thank you for sharing your experience with us.  Now for the important question, is the Oceanview Pasta Station open on this sailing?  😅

[cangelmd]

Keep the updates coming, but don’t interrupt your good time!

[Reel Love]

My question lbryant......you mentioned in your first post that you toasted the beginning of your cruise with champagne.....has Celebrity reinstated the "welcome aboard" glass of bubbly or was this something you ordered at one of the bars?? 

I believe in some reviews of the first few cruises people said that the welcome aboard glass of bubbly was eliminated for now.  For me, that is one of the best feelings when stepping onboard a Celebrity ship and receiving that glass to start the cruise!   Have a fabulous cruise and looking forward to reading more about your experiences onboard!!  

Edited July 18, 2021 by Reel Love

[wrk2cruise]

On the 7/3 sailing the sparkling wine was offered around the ship, not at the end of the gangway.  I think they were trying to keep people from congregating in that spot and getting them to spread out across the ship.  I had my glass while touring Eden.

[Unlvswezel]

Thanks for your insight. Like you I have a block of AQ rooms booked for next week. Really appreciate your specific experience! Enjoy your travels, share when you can!

[Reel Love]

1 hour ago, wrk2cruise said:

On the 7/3 sailing the sparkling wine was offered around the ship, not at the end of the gangway.  I think they were trying to keep people from congregating in that spot and getting them to spread out across the ship.  I had my glass while touring Eden.

Thank you.  And ooops, I actually did mean sparkling, lol.

[INSIDERS CABIN]

Have a wonderful cruise! I liked the walking path on the top deck, which actually is a bit more interesting, some elevation,  than usual;  eating on the outside deck area of Blu on nice evenings; cookies and tea to go from El Baccio. I always ask the waiters what looks good before ordering and they do help with that all important decision! Aqua Spa Cafe is perfect for me for breakfast and lunch. Eden brekkie and lunches, and especially dinner, all super.  When in a suite, afternoon tea is served by the butlers in the Retreat, and sometimes I’d go just to look! If the computer guy is on board, buy a spot in one of his classes because his iPhone tips are always helpful. Fond memories of a month onboard in 2019.......

[VitaminSea53]

How is the food at dinner in Blu?

[3red7s]

6 hours ago, lbryant said:

Like so many of you, this vacation is a dream come true for us. We’ve planned, booked and then cancelled so many trips since January 2020.. including a big family trip for our 30th anniversary that I had been planning since 2018. So when the Edge sailing lined up with the vacation days everyone already blocked out, it was kismet.  
For references, we’re a family of 6 (3 adult daughters and one new son in law). We have 3 Aqua class cabins on deck 9 aft. 
I posted about our check-in experience but I’ll recap here. We had a 12:30-1p arrival time. We arrived at 12:10, dropped bags, and saw what looked like several lines including a long line for retreat guests. There were also people not in line standing around. It looked a bit chaotic, but we found some employees, showed our arrival time and they walked us to the 12:30-1p line. We were inside the building by 12:25 or so, did the Vaccine card check where they confirm your health status, take a picture of your vax card and send you upstairs. No line at security. Then onto the Xpress pass checkin to show passports, then onto the ship. We officially boarded by 12:40.  No wristbands were given out. Glass of champagne in hand we toasted the start of our vacation, found our rooms to drop bag, cried a little at how beautiful our IV cabins were, and went to lunch.  I don’t know the official passenger count nor do I know if there are any unvaxxed adult passengers. I’ve seen some kids but don’t know how many are onboard.  The crew are no longer required to wear masks though a few still are.  Lots of smiling faces.  The safety drill was very simple. We watched the videos in the app earlier that morning and just showed up at the muster station to get marked off. 
Here’s what we’ve experienced in our first 24 hours. 
The ship does not feel crowded at all. Everywhere we’ve gone there have been seats for our group. We’ve gone to the Magic Carpet a couple of times as well as the Sunset bar and the Martini bar and always found a table and chairs for our group.We had dinner at Le Petit Chef with same day reservation. I didn’t see the dining rooms so don’t know if there was a wait   There was one show in the theater last night. We arrived 15 min before it started and easily found seats for 6 together. It was a little more full at the start of the show but still plenty of seats for groups of 2 or 4. .  After the main show, we wandered around some more and while there were plenty of people about, you could still find tables open around the Plaza to enjoy the entertainment there. 
This morning we had breakfast at Blu. Got there a little before 8am, we’re seated right away and enjoyed a very nice meal. Service was wonderful.  Getting off the ship in Nassau could not have been easier. The Gateway is very open and we didn’t experience any waits.  We’re in

port with Freedom of the Seas. Even so, there was no wait to get a cab to the beach. We went to Cabbage beach for a couple of hours and had plenty of room to spread out. 
The elevators have been really fast and easy to get so far.  
We’re leaving Nassau soon and the pool is crowded but I see plenty of chairs in the sun and the shade. The solarium also had lots of open loungers even at mid day. 
We’ll try out the Thermal suite this afternoon and then dinner in Normandie because the menu looks delicious. 
I hope this helps those planning their upcoming trips.  Really it’s been a wonderful experience so far. Though this is our first Celebrity cruise, I can already tell I’m in love. 
 

where is Cabbage Beach? how much to get there? open swimming with facilities?  

[lbryant]

4 hours ago, Reel Love said:

My question lbryant......you mentioned in your first post that you toasted the beginning of your cruise with champagne.....has Celebrity reinstated the "welcome aboard" glass of bubbly or was this something you ordered at one of the bars?? 

We were handed glasses just inside the ship (so not on the deck but just as you come inside). 
 

 

1 hour ago, VitaminSea53 said:

How is the food at dinner in Blu?

we’ve only had breakfast in Blu so far. Dinner tonight was Normandie. The food was good to very good. A couple of service hiccups but stuff happens. 
 

1 hour ago, 3red7s said:

where is Cabbage Beach? how much to get there? open swimming with facilities?  

Cabbage beach is over on Paradise Island (Atlantis area). We took a cab for $4 per person to the public part of the beach. Didn’t rent chairs but they were available from vendors. 
 

One of the ship officers said there were just under 1,600 passengers. I dont know how many are kids. It doesn’t feel crowded anywhere though that’s not to say venues aren’t full of people.  But I don’t feel like I have to arrive very early to get a seat whether it’s in the theater, a lounge chair at the pool or solarium, or at a seat at popular bar.   
 

 

[hoopslover]

Thanks for sharing your vacation with all of us.

[cricketts]

Thank you for posting and sharing!!  We're doing this same itinerary in August and we're anxious to hear how the different ports are handling the cruise passengers!

[Covepointcruiser]

So glad to hear that the crew are not masked on your sailing.   That is the only change on our current, non celebrity, sailing in the Mediterranean.    We have self serve buffets for breakfast and lunch with table service available.   I would love to see the full faces of our outstanding crew.   Under the new rules it may be worth a quick Edge getaway.

[Tee & Chilli]

Glad you and your family are able to sail after previous cancellations. Have a great cruise full of fun and lasting memories.

 

Can you please post St Maarten information when it becomes available?

Is there a test if someone is not disembarking?

Thank you

[KKB]

On 7/18/2021 at 1:02 PM, lbryant said:

I hope this helps those planning their upcoming trips.  Really it’s been a wonderful experience so far. Though this is our first Celebrity cruise, I can already tell I’m in love. 
 

I understand the love!

A few questions:

1--How many passengers are sailing?

2--How many unvaccinated adults are sailing?

3--Are ALL passengers required to get a COVID test prior to St. Maarten or just those actually getting off the ship?

THANKS!