Edge and Equinox

[southernbreezes]

1 hour ago, D C said:

 

Equinox vs Edge:
Quasar = The Club
Ensemble = Eden
Martini Bar = Martini Bar
Casino Bar = Casino Bar
Pool Bar = Pool Bar
Sunset Bar = Sunset Bar
Cellar Masters = (missing)
Mast Bar = (missing)
Sky Lounge = (missing)
World Class Bar = (missing)
Passport Bar = (missing)

Oceanview Bar = (missing)
(missing) = Magic Carpet
 

That's a lot of missing on the Edge, and a lot of those are smaller venues. 

Here is the list...https://postcardjar.com/guide-to-bars-on-the-celebrity-cruises-edge/

Eden replaced the Sunset Bar, 10 times nicer an much larger. Edge has the Mask Grill which is also a bar on deck 14. Edge Martini Bar is 3 times the size different location and has live music, so no need for the Ensemble Lounge. Edge has three pool bars one of them is on the resort deck. The Magic Carpet and Eden are far superior to any bar on the M class or S class ship so the venues are not the same. I like the S class ship fine but they do not come close to the E class in any way.

65 cruises and the Edge so far is my favorite. Apex is next!

.

[Oceangoer2]

On 9/23/2022 at 10:18 AM, AstoriaPreppy said:

Unless one member of your stateroom needs complete darkness in the early morning while the other member of your party wants to be on the balcony starting at 5 am, you’ll be fine. (A bigger question I’d ask is who exactly are these randos with completely different sleep schedules from their partners, but I digress).

That would be us!  I waken early and prefer to be on the 'balcony' while DH sleeps.  Bring early coffee/danish so we both can enjoy the 'balcony'.  I've never booked an IV and wonder how that would work.  Can't you draw shades between the balcony portion and the cabin?

[George C]

Edge is newer , if in suite definitely pick edge , even in regular cabin I would give edge a slight preference since you have more entertainment and food options, of course cost and ports also matter. 

[D C]

1 hour ago, southernbreezes said:

Here is the list...https://postcardjar.com/guide-to-bars-on-the-celebrity-cruises-edge/

Eden replaced the Sunset Bar, 10 times nicer an much larger. Edge has the Mask Grill which is also a bar on deck 14. Edge Martini Bar is 3 times the size different location and has live music, so no need for the Ensemble Lounge. Edge has three pool bars one of them is on the resort deck. The Magic Carpet and Eden are far superior to any bar on the M class or S class ship so the venues are not the same. I like the S class ship fine but they do not come close to the E class in any way.

65 cruises and the Edge so far is my favorite. Apex is next!

.

The Mast Grille is in no sense a bar on either ship class.  

The S-class martini bar seats more people than the Edge by a long shot

There is but one pool bar on Edge. Same as the others.  

And I'll wholeheartedly disagree with your assessment of the Magic Carpet being superior to the others.  With horribly uncomfortable seating and a small bar, shade is the best thing it has going (which is coincidentally where the Edge Sunset bar fails miserably).

[D C]

1 hour ago, Oceangoer2 said:

That would be us!  I waken early and prefer to be on the 'balcony' while DH sleeps.  Bring early coffee/danish so we both can enjoy the 'balcony'.  I've never booked an IV and wonder how that would work.  Can't you draw shades between the balcony portion and the cabin?

No you can't.  The shades are at the window and come up/down like a projector screen.

The bifold doors that can be used for separating the rest of the room from the 'balcony' are frosted, not shaded.  

[southernbreezes]

1 hour ago, D C said:

The Mast Grille is in no sense a bar on either ship class.  

The S-class martini bar seats more people than the Edge by a long shot

There is but one pool bar on Edge. Same as the others.  

And I'll wholeheartedly disagree with your assessment of the Magic Carpet being superior to the others.  With horribly uncomfortable seating and a small bar, shade is the best thing it has going (which is coincidentally where the Edge Sunset bar fails miserably).

Really one pool bar...Picture of The Retreat Pool Bar.

[D C]

2 hours ago, southernbreezes said:

Really one pool bar...Picture of The Retreat Pool Bar.

Yes, really one pool bar.  Anything in the retreat is irrelevant for the vast majority of cruisers.  

[woneill63]

Yeah, I am not counting the retreat pool bars as we are not staying in a suite and will not have access to it.  Looking at Celebrity's deck plans, there are not nearly as many bars on the Edge class compared to the Solstice class, plus the Solstice class has less passengers.

We know that both cruises will be fantastic, just different.  We sailed on the Allure a few years back, while our then 12 year old son loved it, we just thought it was too many people all crowded together.  I would rather pay more and not have to deal the masses. 

 

[southernbreezes]

5 hours ago, woneill63 said:

We sailed on the Allure a few years back, while our then 12 year old son loved it, we just thought it was too many people all crowded together.  I would rather pay more and not have to deal the masses. 

 

I agree the mega, mega ships are just to big. Stopped doing RCCL ships years ago in fact we stopped doing any cruise under 14 nights unless we do a back to back. After more than 50 Caribbean cruises we stopped doing them also. We are from Michigan so before I semi-retired to FL we wanted the warm weather and the beaches. Now we want to see the world.

[southernbreezes]

10 hours ago, D C said:

Yes, really one pool bar.  Anything in the retreat is irrelevant for the vast majority of cruisers.  

Not true it frees up the other pool bar for the others. And if its not a pool bar what is it?

My only point is you have more than enough bars on both shops in fact every ship I have ever been on I have yet been to all the bars on a short 7 night cruise.

If you look they do have deals on suites maybe $200.00 a day extra is what I watch for.

[AstoriaPreppy]

On 9/26/2022 at 8:32 AM, D C said:

 

Equinox vs Edge:
Quasar = The Club
Ensemble = Eden
Martini Bar = Martini Bar
Casino Bar = Casino Bar
Pool Bar = Pool Bar
Sunset Bar = Sunset Bar
Cellar Masters = (missing)
Mast Bar = (missing)
Sky Lounge = (missing)
World Class Bar = (missing)
Passport Bar = (missing)

Oceanview Bar = (missing)
(missing) = Magic Carpet
 

That's a lot of missing on the Edge, and a lot of those are smaller venues. 

 

Eh, but the spaces on the Edge are almost always better than the spaces they’ve replaced on older ships. Edge took lots of venues that didn’t work/were tired, and turned them on their head.

 

Compare Quasar and The Club: Quasar was always an odd space/location, which the line eventually hacked part of off to make a future cruise sales office. It just didn’t work. The Club is completely different; rethought and restyled. As a nightclub it’s a multi-deck, tiered venue like something you’d find in NY/Vegas, with plenty of seating, an expansive dance floor, and a huge bar (all much better than prior Celebrity nightclub spaces). The venue also doubles as a cabaret-style performance space, with smaller, more intimate shows throughout the cruise… something that absolutely would not be possible in Quasar. For comparison to the older ships, those iffy (at best) small shows featuring the production cast singers that used to take place in the Sky Lounge have now been expanded moved to a much more functional and innovative venue, and the quality has increased exponentially. 

 

On 9/26/2022 at 9:39 PM, woneill63 said:

Yeah, I am not counting the retreat pool bars as we are not staying in a suite and will not have access to it.  Looking at Celebrity's deck plans, there are not nearly as many bars on the Edge class compared to the Solstice class, plus the Solstice class has less passengers.

We know that both cruises will be fantastic, just different.  We sailed on the Allure a few years back, while our then 12 year old son loved it, we just thought it was too many people all crowded together.  I would rather pay more and not have to deal the masses. 

 

 

Oddly, we found Edge to feel very non-crowded, even when sailing full. The design of the ship spreads people out, and unlike Oasis (or even Solstice) class ships, there’s an expanse of glass/ocean views throughout the ship that seems to decrease that mega ship claustrophobia vibe. I’ve always said Oasis was like being in a mall in NJ. Edge feels very different. 

[D C]

3 hours ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

Eh, but the spaces on the Edge are almost always better than the spaces they’ve replaced on older ships. Edge took lots of venues that didn’t work/were tired, and turned them on their head.

 

Compare Quasar and The Club: Quasar was always an odd space/location, which the line eventually hacked part of off to make a future cruise sales office. It just didn’t work. The Club is completely different; rethought and restyled. As a nightclub it’s a multi-deck, tiered venue like something you’d find in NY/Vegas, with plenty of seating, an expansive dance floor, and a huge bar (all much better than prior Celebrity nightclub spaces). The venue also doubles as a cabaret-style performance space, with smaller, more intimate shows throughout the cruise… something that absolutely would not be possible in Quasar. For comparison to the older ships, those iffy (at best) small shows featuring the production cast singers that used to take place in the Sky Lounge have now been expanded moved to a much more functional and innovative venue, and the quality has increased exponentially. 

 

 

Oddly, we found Edge to feel very non-crowded, even when sailing full. The design of the ship spreads people out, and unlike Oasis (or even Solstice) class ships, there’s an expanse of glass/ocean views throughout the ship that seems to decrease that mega ship claustrophobia vibe. I’ve always said Oasis was like being in a mall in NJ. Edge feels very different. 

"better" is highly subjective.
The Sunset Bar is dismal on the Edge.  Cramped.  Full sun all the time.  Poor decor. Looks like an afterthought.
The Edge Martini Bar is a very bland, almost sterile space. 
The missing venues are most certainly done better on the other ships 🙂

[SbbquilterUT]

We absolutely did enjoy our cruises this summer on the Apex - she is beautiful.  I did not like that there is no public access to the bow of the ship unless you are in the Retreat - we had beautiful moonlit nights and I could not enjoy them as we sailed.  I also missed the lounge areas for pre-dinner music and beverage - the central bar area often had very loud music so we would move away.    Loved the stage in the theater, being forward (in the round) you could enjoy everything going on during the performance.  Headed out next on Solstice - have always enjoyed the S class ship with the outdoor spaces.

[PTC DAWG]

On 9/24/2022 at 7:22 PM, D C said:

Glad to see we're not alone! 

Pre-dinner drink? There isn't anywhere comparable to ensemble or cellar masters.  We had a group of 20 that met pre-dinner in ensemble every night.  No such luck on the Edge.  The loud open martini bar area that infects so many other places is poor design. 

I am the exact opposite, I feel like I am walking through the walking dead area when headed to Blu, Tuscan etc on Equinox…although I do appreciate that they offer the venue for those who prefer it..choices are good.  
 

Martini or Casino Bar are more my Wife and I’s speed..

 

I agree totally on lack of forward of forward access unless in a suite on E Class..I enjoy that on Equinox..Sky Lounge is a nice spot for many things..

Edited September 28, 2022 by PTC DAWG