Aug 7th W-E-W Caribbean Edge Cruise - B3B

[Gracie115]

23 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

 So far we have enjoyed all the specialty dining restaurants, but we also enjoy eating in Luminae. So, in the future if we are in a SS but have to spend our own money to eat in a specialty restaurant, I’m not sure we will. The food as well as the chocolate desserts are that good IOHO in the Luminae.

 

 

The last couple of times we've cruised on X we ate all of our dinners in Luminae but one group dinner in Qsine/LePetitChef.  So we agree with you and many others about the quality of the food and even more so the service in Luminae.  It is a wonderful venue that I can't wait to get back to when we finally sail on X again in 2022.

[cricketts]

How are the ports this cruise?  What are the guidelines and restrictions for going ashore?

[Ken the cruiser]

4 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Once you start sailing suites you are hooked.  Particularly if your spouse enjoys them.😀

As long as an S2 is under $390 pp/day, we’re all in. We’re booked on the Nov 4 Apex cruise in a SV as they want almost $700 pp/day for a S2. 😎

 

[Ken the cruiser]

4 hours ago, countess5 said:

Yes, RCCL. 

Have sailed other suites on X, just not Sky. 

Learned RCCL JR suites were not worth the cost unless you needed more space. 

Really like the Sky Suite offerings. 

 

Did not mean to take the thread off track. 

Appreciate all the feedback.

 

Cheers! 

You’re fine. You’re really going to enjoy the sky suite ambiance along with all of its perks. Just remember in the morning to open the bathroom shutters to get the full experience! 😎

[Ken the cruiser]

58 minutes ago, cricketts said:

How are the ports this cruise?  What are the guidelines and restrictions for going ashore?

Plan on wearing your mask from the time you leave the ship to the time you get back.
 

We only took Celebrity arranged excursions, as they were cheap and we had plenty of OBC to spend. If you’re interested in the private excursions, I’m not sure about those, but I wouldn’t be placing any deposits down until I got some official feedback from X saying you can at certain ports.
 

Most of X’s excursions involve beaches, playing with the dolphins and/or snorkeling targeting the younger crowd, with usually just one or two involving a 3-4 hour bus tour for those older folks like my DW and I that like doing those types of excursions. But I must say we did have a great time on the harbor tour in Nassau. 😎

 

[spammie]

Do you know if the water taxi is running in St Maarten?

[Ken the cruiser]

23 minutes ago, spammie said:

Do you know if the water taxi is running in St Maarten?

Not a clue. Sorry. 

[jcpc]

On 8/17/2021 at 9:41 AM, Ken the cruiser said:

So far we have enjoyed all the specialty dining restaurants, but we also enjoy eating in Luminae. So, in the future if we are in a SS but have to spend our own money to eat in a specialty restaurant, I’m not sure we will. The food as well as the chocolate desserts are that good IOHO in the Luminae.

 

Ken,

 

Thanks so much for all your posts.  I thoroughly enjoy reading about your experiences.

 

Funny you should say something about specialty restaurants vs. Luminae.  For our September 4 Edge sailing I "bit the bullet" and upgraded to a PH Suite.  Our suite comes with complimentary lunch and dinner in all the specialty restaurants.  But we've only booked 2 nights in Specialties because we have always in the past gotten OUTSTANDING food and service in Luminae whereby our experience with Specialties (whether they be on Edge or other Celebrity ships) varies greatly.....some good and some not so good experiences.  Luminae, in my opinion, is the best restaurant onboard all the ships.

Edited August 18, 2021 by jcpc

[Ken the cruiser]

I have a discovery to report, but you can’t tell anyone. 🤫 On some of the older cruise ships we’ve sailed on, many had a covered promenade deck that circled the ship where we used to walk our 2 miles a day to burn the extra calories. But, with the newer ships, they’re becoming harder to find and we pretty much concluded there wasn’t one on the Edge.
 

But yesterday, 4 days into our second leg, we found one on the Edge, pretty much by accident. Now, it doesn’t circle the ship, but it does have three sections, two on one side separated by Fine Cuts and one long one on the other side. That’s all I’m going to say, as finding the various entrances was part of the fun for us. But if you enjoy quiet walks on the promenade without a lot of folks to contend with, you may want to check it out.
 

But, remember, don’t tell anyone. 😎

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[Silkroad]

16 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

But, remember, don’t tell anyone. 😎

Lol DH and I logged quite a few miles on the first Edge TA, but we certainly won’t tell anyone😎😎

Edited August 19, 2021 by Silkroad

[CruisinMama2003]

30 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

 

 

But, remember, don’t tell anyone. 😎

 

It will be "our" little secret 😁

 

Seriously though, I love the promenades that circle all the way around the older ships, nice for walking off alllll that dinner i over indulge in 😃 

[Ken the cruiser]

I have another minor discovery to report; although it’s probably only applicable to those folks like me who enjoy sitting on an outdoor balcony, but would also like some reason for booking the cheaper S3 cabin which is located in line with the Magic Carpet slide path.

 

Well, here are a couple of thoughts to ponder. First, we haven’t seen the MC move once since we started this cruise 12 days ago. It has always been positioned up top. Second, check out this picture. Notice there is a window in the S3 cabin’s side panel. Nice touch for having the option to also look directly forward (or aft depending on which cabin you select) while sitting in your balcony chair.
 

Just thought I’d pass this along in case someone was looking to save a few bucks by booking a S3 cabin. 😎

 

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[TeeRick]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I have another minor discovery to report; although it’s probably only applicable to those folks like me who enjoy sitting on an outdoor balcony, but would also like some reason for booking the cheaper S3 cabin which is located in line with the Magic Carpet slide path.

 

Well, here are a couple of thoughts to ponder. First, we haven’t seen the MC move once since we started this cruise 12 days ago. It has always been positioned up top. Second, check out this picture. Notice there is a window in the S3 cabin’s side panel. Nice touch for having the option to also look directly forward (or aft depending on which cabin you select) while sitting in your balcony chair.
 

Just thought I’d pass this along in case someone was looking to save a few bucks by booking a S3 cabin. 😎

 

 

Yes the MC pretty much does not move unless it is being used (rarely) at a tender port.  So the S3's are a pretty good deal.

[Ken the cruiser]

42 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Yes the MC pretty much does not move unless it is being used (rarely) at a tender port.  So the S3's are a pretty good deal.

Just checked and the connecting cabin door on the 2 outside S3 cabins to the adjacent non suite balcony cabins is in the inner hallway rather than in the room which would have been a big negative. 

[cricketts]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

Yes the MC pretty much does not move unless it is being used (rarely) at a tender port.  So the S3's are a pretty good deal.

 

I thought the MC also regularly goes down to Raw on Five

[cricketts]

3 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I have a discovery to report, but you can’t tell anyone. 🤫 On some of the older cruise ships we’ve sailed on, many had a covered promenade deck that circled the ship where we used to walk our 2 miles a day to burn the extra calories. But, with the newer ships, they’re becoming harder to find and we pretty much concluded there wasn’t one on the Edge.
 

But yesterday, 4 days into our second leg, we found one on the Edge, pretty much by accident. Now, it doesn’t circle the ship, but it does have three sections, two on one side separated by Fine Cuts and one long one on the other side. That’s all I’m going to say, as finding the various entrances was part of the fun for us. But if you enjoy quiet walks on the promenade without a lot of folks to contend with, you may want to check it out.
 

But, remember, don’t tell anyone. 😎

 

 

I promise I won't tell!... But, do the deck plans show this?  I can't find it... what about back around Eden?

Edited August 19, 2021 by cricketts

[Ken the cruiser]

29 minutes ago, cricketts said:

 

I thought the MC also regularly goes down to Raw on Five

That may have been the case prior to the March 2020 shutdown, but it definitely hasn’t moved on the cruises we’ve been on and they definitely have not been offering to serve Raw On 5 dinners on it either. Hopefully one day that will change, but it hasn’t changed yet. 

[Ken the cruiser]

13 minutes ago, cricketts said:

 

I promise I won't tell!... But, do the deck plans show this?  I can't find it... what about back around Eden?

Yes. If you look real close at the deck 5 layout, you can see the 3 sections that I described above. Put there is no written references to them that I can see.
 

As far as the Eden goes, yes, there is an enclosed back ramp you can enter from inside of Eden where you can also sit and enjoy the aft views in an air conditioned space.

[Casachicstore]

5 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I have another minor discovery to report; although it’s probably only applicable to those folks like me who enjoy sitting on an outdoor balcony, but would also like some reason for booking the cheaper S3 cabin which is located in line with the Magic Carpet slide path.

 

Well, here are a couple of thoughts to ponder. First, we haven’t seen the MC move once since we started this cruise 12 days ago. It has always been positioned up top. Second, check out this picture. Notice there is a window in the S3 cabin’s side panel. Nice touch for having the option to also look directly forward (or aft depending on which cabin you select) while sitting in your balcony chair.
 

Just thought I’d pass this along in case someone was looking to save a few bucks by booking a S3 cabin. 😎

 

 

Ken, are you on the sixth floor? do the life boats block your view at all? 

[Ken the cruiser]

36 minutes ago, Casachicstore said:

Ken, are you on the sixth floor? do the life boats block your view at all? 

No, our cabin is on deck 10, well  above the life boats. 

[peanut head]

On 8/18/2021 at 12:46 PM, jcpc said:

Ken,

 

Thanks so much for all your posts.  I thoroughly enjoy reading about your experiences.

 

Funny you should say something about specialty restaurants vs. Luminae.  For our September 4 Edge sailing I "bit the bullet" and upgraded to a PH Suite.  Our suite comes with complimentary lunch and dinner in all the specialty restaurants.  But we've only booked 2 nights in Specialties because we have always in the past gotten OUTSTANDING food and service in Luminae whereby our experience with Specialties (whether they be on Edge or other Celebrity ships) varies greatly.....some good and some not so good experiences.  Luminae, in my opinion, is the best restaurant onboard all the ships.

Please post your PH experience.  I don't find enough info on the PH in CC and I've checked all areas. It would be nice to get a real perspective from people actually staying in the suite.  Thanks in advance.

[Ken the cruiser]

More trivial information. Just found out from our steward, as we were heading downstairs to get our antigen test to go on the next cruise, that there are only 850 passengers booked (29% of capacity) on the next cruise. That kind of fits as there were 53 vacant sky suites when I counted yesterday when I did a fake booking. Our steward had 8 cabins last cruise (20 vacant SS), 11 cabins this cruise (all SS booked) and only 3 cabins next cruise (53 vacant SS).

 

Should be another relaxing cruise with plenty of space to roam! 😎

 

[Ken the cruiser]

It appears we have passed another antigen test and have been cleared for our third leg. Yes!!! 😎

 

[terrydtx]

25 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

More trivial information. Just found out from our steward, as we were heading downstairs to get our antigen test to go on the next cruise, that there are only 850 passengers booked (29% of capacity) on the next cruise. That kind of fits as there were 53 vacant sky suites when I counted yesterday when I did a fake booking. Our steward had 8 cabins last cruise (20 vacant SS), 11 cabins this cruise (all SS booked) and only 3 cabins next cruise (53 vacant SS).

 

Should be another relaxing cruise with plenty of space to roam! 😎

 

Several people in our RC for our Equinox cruise next Friday are reporting that they are being told we only have about 800 passengers booked. Several have said they got their move up offers for SS and CS category suites for very low pricing, which tells me we have a lot of empty Sky suites too. I believe the new  pre boarding Covid testing and rise of the Delta variant has caused a lot of people to cancel bookings.  Last month when my TA checked with Celebrity she was told we had between 1550 and 1600 people booked on our cruise.  I will enjoy the low passenger luxury feel of our cruise at 800 pax.

[Silkroad]

5 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

It appears we have passed another antigen test and have been cleared for our third leg. Yes!!! 😎

 

Excellent! Wishing you and DW a wonderful cruise😎