Live from Celebrity Edge (3/27 - 4/3)

[cangelmd]

3 hours ago, zaxanon6 said:

This morning, I woke up to an alarm instead of the sunrise; vacation is definitely over. We had our last breakfast in Luminae, grabbed our bags, and hung out in the Lounge for about 45 minutes. They were running ahead of schedule for disembarkation. In no time at all, we were off the ship, through customs, and on the way to the airport.

 

Since this was an experiment in 'the Suite Life', some thoughts:
First of all, the cruise was very enjoyable. There were some minor issues, but that's not unexpected on any vacation. Edge has redeemed herself - in fact, we booked another cruise on her while we were onboard.

Are we going to pick only suites from now on? No. It's nice to get pampered every now and then, but I'm actually looking forward to a non-suite cruise. The larger stateroom is nice, but if you're not taking full advantage of the other perks that come with it, the extra square footage alone doesn't seem worth the cost. 

- I've heard a lot on this site about the special food and treatment at Luminae. I don't have any significant complaints, but also have no issues with the MDR food, layout, or service. If you feel differently, Luminae will probably be more important to you. We've received great service in the MDRs, and since COVID, at least, it seems like their staff is less rushed than Luminae. Maybe we've just been lucky to be seated away from the main walkways, and we'll see what happens to MDR service once the passenger counts increase.
- We loved having the beds in our Sky Suite face the wall of windows; this was unique from any other stateroom we've been in. We spent 5 days onboard the ship and part of 1 day on shore, so there was a lot of time to enjoy the view. The larger bathroom was also very nice - two people could actually be getting ready at once. If you're on a port-intensive cruise or spending a lot less time in your suite, the extra space may not be as useful.
- A suite on M-class seems like a better value than on E-class, even if they were the exact same price. There are fewer places to go and things to do onboard an M-class ship (not a complaint, just an observation) so it's better to have special amenities and more space in your cabin. There's SO MUCH going on onboard an E-class ship. Staying in just the Retreat areas seems like a waste, but also not using the Retreat areas you paid for seems like a waste. Too much internal conflict for a vacation!

 

So this isn't a recommendation one way or the other for anyone else, just what we're thinking based on how we like to take vacations. I'd be happy to answer more questions if anyone has them. Thank you to everyone who has followed along this week. ♥️

I just read this last post of yours and I agree with your observations, although I haven’t been on M class. I was very disappointed in Luminae on Edge, for a number of reasons, some due to apparent staffing issues on our cruise, some that are inherent to the layout of Luminae on Edge. We were so meh about Luminae that we had dinner in Cyprus one night and the differences in food and service were not that great, and Cyprus was a much more pleasant atmosphere. I have felt totally different about Luminae vs MDR on S-class and that is both before and after Covid - Luminae on S-class, even with suites full was a different experience than what we had. 2 weeks ago.

Having said that, though we have 2 upcoming Apex sailings, one in an IV and one in a suite, and this Edge trip has made fairly certain we made good cabin choices - the shorter, port intensive sightseeing trip is in an IV and the longer transatlantic is in a suite, where we will have time to take advantage of that fantastic cabin

You guys are in a different place in life and we’re doing very different activities with you sons and friends, but our obs about Edge and suites was very very similar. We got more mileage out of the lounge and sundeck, but we barely got off the ship and a lot of that time was when most people were gone.

[zaxanon6]

1 hour ago, dreamer321 said:

Is the deck area immediately in front of the Thermal Spa (see above) open to passengers? That would seem like a nice spot for sail-away if one could get access to it.

It's only open to those with a pass for the Thermal Suite (so Aqua Class or those with a 1 day or whole voyage pass). The access is from within the Thermal Suite, and you have to have a special card to get in there. Also, if it matters, there's no seating out there.

[zaxanon6]

1 hour ago, cangelmd said:

You guys are in a different place in life and we’re doing very different activities with you sons and friends.

I believe you're thinking of the other Edge live report from this week that was written by mcclarke1. I was traveling with my mother this week (Boomer + Gen Y). 😊 But thank you and I hope you enjoy your Apex sailings. Doing a TA in a suite sounds very nice.