is the Edge class over the Edge?

[D. B.]

4 hours ago, maxsales said:

We just switched our fall 2023 trans Atlantic from the Beyond to the Constellation, we had booked the Beyond before we did this fall's Ta on the Edge.  Having now sailed the Edge class I am not impressed at all, so I am wondering how the majority of veteran Celebrity cruisers feel.

 

My dislike is based on the lack of bars and lounges, the new dining concept and the amount of deck space devoted to high end boutiques.  To us the Edge was very different from all of the other Celebrity   ships we have sailed on.

 One and Done on the E class ships.

 I Know Why Celebrity has made these changes but for Us we are So Glad the M and S class ships are still sailing and suit our taste of what a Cruise Ship should be like.

    

[davekathy]

12 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

See?  This just shows how different we all are.  We loved Eden!!  So much so that it made up for the lack of an S Class Sky Lounge.

I'm interested in others experiences or opinions but exactly why we would never book or not book a cruise line, ship, intinaries, etc. based on others positive or negative opinions or experiences. 

[Bo1953]

1 hour ago, Pinboy said:

Absolutely--That's the way it should be, however, some people ( not only suite passengers ) do feel " entitled".

I "assume" the same people act in the same manner whether on a cruise or not.

We have always received excellent service and made to feel " special " -- just treat the Staff with the respect they deserve. 

(And we don't stay in a suite).

My experience has been that often times, the crew and staff think I Am in The Retreat, that is until they see my SeaPass... LOL

 

Then they call Security to escort me out.... LOL

 

Cheers and bon voyage

Edited November 21, 2022 by Bo1953

[SbbquilterUT]

Sailed Apex this summer - loved our larger interior cabin and slept like babies.  Did not like the Martini bar area - music was usually too loud and limited seating in there.  Loved Cafe Biacio for relaxing but only if there was no music.  Really enjoyed the Roof Garden area but what they played on the movie screen was interesting - same loop of road racing of home made racers (very funny but not for 19 days).  Another negative in my mind is no access to any view from the front of the ship since that is all Retreat access.  Four dining venues was nice except there was always a wait even when we had reservations.  Wonderful trip but we will return to S or M class ships.  Having said that we joined friends on RCCL Symphony and never again would I go on a large ship.

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, Pinboy said:

Absolutely--That's the way it should be, however, some people ( not only suite passengers ) do feel " entitled".

I "assume" the same people act in the same manner whether on a cruise or not.

We have always received excellent service and made to feel " special " -- just treat the Staff with the respect they deserve. 

(And we don't stay in a suite).

Probably poor choice of words on my part. Let me explain further.

 

In Retreat on M-class, I only wanted to eat in Luminae and I only wanted to enjoy cocktails in the Retreat lounge. They were that good. The lounge was like a club where I made many new friends. The sun deck, albeit flawed as a retrofit, was a quiet space to enjoy the sun. In short, the Retreat spaces felt exclusive, private and enjoyable.

 

E-class was different. Luminae (particularly during dinner service) was frenetic instead of intimate. I have no memory of any of the E-class Luminae wait staff. M-class, I remember them all. After dinner, I frequented the Sunset bar instead of the lounge. I did enjoy the sundeck but sought out the main pool occasionally as well to avoid the crowd.

 

The one thing I can put my finger on as the reason for my E-class disappointment was the number of suite passengers relative to the space in the Retreat areas, particularly in Luminae. What's the point of exclusive spaces if you jam so may passengers into them making them feel less exclusive? That was the point I tried to make earlier.

[Pinboy]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

but I like you, Pinboy

LOL--- You haven't even met me--- I'm flattered.

Can you expand on:

"A few different thoughts come to mind when I read this comment"

" I'm just gonna smile and nod and leave my arguments at the door".

[Georgia_Peaches]

2 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

LOL--- You haven't even met me--- I'm flattered.

Can you expand on:

"A few different thoughts come to mind when I read this comment"

" I'm just gonna smile and nod and leave my arguments at the door".

Ok, Maybe I should have said that I like your CC persona...😊

 

And if you insist...I think to assume that many cruisers feel entitled is presumptuous on your part.  I also believe that everyone who cruises is entitled to have an enjoyable experience regardless of their chosen room category but those who opt for a suite category, are entitled to an elevated experience based on their elevated, often times significantly, room category price.  So if I'm paying 10K for a suite on Celebrity and the experience is relatively similar to that of an inside cabin, what's the point of paying extra?  Anyway, perhaps I misunderstood your comment, but in the grand scheme of all things cruising and life in general, it's not really that important.  Just some general musings from a gal who has lots of work to do but would rather chill around here 😎.  Guess I better get back to work.

[shipshape sam]

6 hours ago, jelayne said:

We have done almost 60 cruises, 38 on Celebrity so we may be considered veterans.

We love the E class ships. Particularly the 4 MDRs, the new venues for shows  ( The Club and Eden) and the new specialty restaurants.   The theater is fantastic, we rarely went to the production shows until the shows on E class 
 

We have been in Suites and IVs and enjoy both.  The  E class ships have a clean contemporary look which we love.

Our next 3 cruises are on S (not revolutionized ) & M (revolutionized) class and while we will enjoy these  cruises, the feel of the ships is old and dated.

Going on our first E class (Beyond) soon.  For us S class is very nice and we like the ships we have been on, thus till we try E class, the S class of ships is our preferred.  M class was a great class till the decided to take away public space for more cabins IMHO.  Do not plan to ever sail M class again,  but you never know.  🙂

[TravelingCircusof5]

I just noticed today that we could do nearly the same Eastern Car itinerary on the same dates on the Reflection as the one we booked on Beyond— but for a good bit cheaper- or go to a suite for what we are payi g for Aqua on Beyond. Now i feel torn. We are new to CC, and thought newer ship  was probably better , but maybe not? Opinions?

[Georgia_Peaches]

3 minutes ago, TravelingCircusof5 said:

I just noticed today that we could do nearly the same Eastern Car itinerary on the same dates on the Reflection as the one we booked on Beyond— but for a good bit cheaper- or go to a suite for what we are payi g for Aqua on Beyond. Now i feel torn. We are new to CC, and thought newer ship  was probably better , but maybe not? Opinions?

Reflection was my introduction to Celebrity and I've been on her three times...once in Aqua and twice in suites.  I have no personal experience with the E class ships but side with enough of the reviews claiming uncomfortable furniture, loud public spaces, fewer bars, and awkward stateroom layouts (IV category) that it was enough for me to just stick with what I know... S class ships.  I'm sure I'm missing out on some cool features of the E ships but I'm not sure the price jump justifies it for us just yet.  It's a tough call...I think you better book 2 cruises, one on each just to be safe 😁.   

[RichYak]

30 minutes ago, TravelingCircusof5 said:

go to a suite for what we are payi g for Aqua on Beyond

This would be a no-brainer for me.

[jelayne]

A number of folks reference fewer bars on the E class.   We never felt there was a lack of bars, so I decided to compare the bars.  Looked at the Beyond and the Reflection, excluding Retreat Bars.

Reflection                                                 Beyond

Martini Bar                                                Martini Bar

World Class Bar                                       World Class Bar

Sunset Bar                                                 Sunset Bar

Pool Bar                                                     Pool Bar

Cellar Masters                                          Craft Social

Sky Lounge                                                Eden

Ensemble                                                   Magic Carpet

Passport Bar                                             The Club

                                                                    Mast Bar

Fewer bars, yes 1 less.  I guess that is why we didn't feel a lack of bars.

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

As a veteran cruiser (98 cruises - began cruising in 1967), I greatly enjoyed my cruise on the Celebrity Apex earlier this year. I thought the design of the ship was beautiful. I booked a porthole balcony stateroom and loved this ship. I am looking forward to my cruise on the Celebrity Beyond in February 2023.

 

I have cruised on two of the S Class ships (Solstice and Reflection) and three of the M Class ships (Millennium, Summit and Constellation) plus some long-retired Celebrity ships such as the Horizon, Zenith and Century. These are (were) all nice ships, but I think the E Class ships are stunning.

 

Chuck

[D. B.]

3 hours ago, SbbquilterUT said:

Sailed Apex this summer - loved our larger interior cabin and slept like babies.  Did not like the Martini bar area - music was usually too loud and limited seating in there.  Loved Cafe Biacio for relaxing but only if there was no music.  Really enjoyed the Roof Garden area but what they played on the movie screen was interesting - same loop of road racing of home made racers (very funny but not for 19 days).  Another negative in my mind is no access to any view from the front of the ship since that is all Retreat access.  Four dining venues was nice except there was always a wait even when we had reservations.  Wonderful trip but we will return to S or M class ships.  Having said that we joined friends on RCCL Symphony and never again would I go on a large ship.

My biggest turn off on the Edge was No Sky Lounge (My Favorite Place) or access to the front of the Ship.

 The Halloween Forest passageway to Eden and Eden itself? A giant wasted space where the Main Dining room should have been. The IV was a bad joke and the Magic Carpet sticking out the side of the ship was too windy and you had to get Off if they moved it up or down. 

   No Glass Elevators and only 2 sets that were all like you find in an Office Building

   The Main Theater was great with the round stage and like all X ships the food was outstanding.

[Georgia_Peaches]

58 minutes ago, seacruise9 said:

I booked a porthole balcony stateroom and loved this ship.

After seeing the video of this room category today, it's absolutely what I would book as well!

[Denny01]

I always hesitate on listing how many cruises we’ve done, but it’s probably needed here: Done 28 Celebrity cruises, on the Mercury, all the M-Class ships, all the S-Class and 2 of the E-Class - 3 cruises on Edge and one on Apex. We’ve done standard SRs on most cruises and only did a Suite/Retreat on the recent Edge TA because of the extended sea days. 

 

So I guess (hehe) I enjoy Celebrity, and Love each of the Class ships including E-Class.

  M-Class: Love the Solarium Pool, think it’s the best at-sea pool around. Enjoy the forward lounge and bars. A more intimate El Bacio area. Great standard SRs.The single MDR could get noisy, but not a big problem. 

  S-Class: Just a beautiful ship design. Again love the forward lounge areas, the bars and just the overall layout. Only drawback was when the band was on the lower deck, their music was heard all the way up in the top inside decks, and had to find quieter areas away from the central sections. But not a biggie. 

  E-Class. Our favorite now. Just beautiful. We enjoy the IV SRs because they open the entire SR up and make it much larger, and if I want to sunbathe (Idont), Id do it on a pool deck. The Eden is fantastic; miss the forward lounge, but Eden was even better…..for us. All the best is the 4 MDRs. Excellent differing venues, not nearly as noisy and crowded. Enjoyed the Retreat, but wont use it unless doing an itinerary with lots of sea days cruise. I found the general ship to be quite fine for us. And I Dont think E-Class is focused on Retreat customers. And care less about the ‘special’ shops on E-….we dont shop on stuff on board. 

 

So there you go. Each Class has a positive, and it’s one major reason we love Celebrity….each Class provides a very different venue, but has the core outstanding Staff service and support. 

 

enough. E-Class isnt for just ‘new cruisers’, many experienced cruises such as us Love It and make it our go-to….but we enjoy changes, so will be ‘seen’ on the others…..just not any ship with 4k+ passengers; City parks in the center of the ship; climbing walls; hairy chest contests (hair doesnt grow on steel!!) and so on. 

 

Try each class and see for yourself. 

 

Den

[Denny01]

Oh, I forgot to mention the Big Positive of E-Class and that is the Magic Carpet. Fantastic place to have a drink and dine (no more windy than any open area on a ship) and just a great experience and fun place. 

 

I’ll disagree with the “You had to get off when it was moving” type comment. It isn’t something that is moved deck-deck much at all. Was onboard for the 15N TA and it wasnt moved at all…..docked at all ports, and the 3 other cruises, it as moved once and that wasnt in the middle of ‘use time’. Just my ‘limited’ observation. 

 

A great experience. 

 

Den

[Georgia_Peaches]

11 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

Each Class has a positive, and it’s one major reason we love Celebrity….each Class provides a very different venue, but has the core outstanding Staff service and support. 

More and more I'm becoming convinced to give it a try.  The suite category is our of my league on the E class ships but from what I'm reading, the experience is great in all classes.  Thank you for chiming in!

[Peggy Tuten]

I was on the recent Edge TA and would avoid booking an Edge Class ship in the future.  We did like the infinite veranda - put the window all the way down and much like a balcony.  And, since it wasn't hot (didn't need AC), we could put the window down a bit at night to listen to the sea.

 

I missed the promenade for walking that most older ships have, although the walking track on the Edge was nicer than expected.  I liked the way it double looped around through 2 decks, giving you a hill.

 

Hated the rooftop "movie" theatre.  Not enough seating and couldn't use when raining.  Would prefer an actual theatre or something indoors for movies.  

 

Too many speciality dining restaurants taking up too much space.  And as others have noted - does the few # of people buying top end designer watches, other jewelry and handbags justify the space involved?

 

And, no place to view from the front of the ship unless you wanted to go to gym.

[NMTraveller]

OP,

 

I agree 110%.  From the IVs to the missing Sky Lounge I view it as a hot mess.  The only way I intend to sail again on E class would be due to itinerary or if in a suite.  The suite cruisers seem to like E class more.

 

I think that you barely touched on the differences...

Edited November 22, 2022 by NMTraveller

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, Denny01 said:

Oh, I forgot to mention the Big Positive of E-Class and that is the Magic Carpet. Fantastic place to have a drink and dine (no more windy than any open area on a ship) and just a great experience and fun place. 

 

I’ll disagree with the “You had to get off when it was moving” type comment. It isn’t something that is moved deck-deck much at all. Was onboard for the 15N TA and it wasnt moved at all…..docked at all ports, and the 3 other cruises, it as moved once and that wasnt in the middle of ‘use time’. Just my ‘limited’ observation. 

 

A great experience. 

 

Den

I thought that the Magic Carpet was the windiest place on the ship.  I have some pictures to show it.  My recollection is that it was laughably windy when the ship was moving.

Edited November 22, 2022 by NMTraveller

[NutsAboutGolf]

3 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

OP,

 

I agree 110%.  From the IVs to the missing Sky Lounge I view it as a hot mess.  The only way I intend to sail again on E class would be due to itinerary or if in a suite.  The suite cruisers seem to like E class more.

 

My WAG (Wild A$$ Guess), its partly because they have real balconies

[NutsAboutGolf]

36 minutes ago, Peggy Tuten said:

I was on the recent Edge TA and would avoid booking an Edge Class ship in the future.  We did like the infinite veranda - put the window all the way down and much like a balcony.  And, since it wasn't hot (didn't need AC), we could put the window down a bit at night to listen to the sea.

 

I missed the promenade for walking that most older ships have, although the walking track on the Edge was nicer than expected.  I liked the way it double looped around through 2 decks, giving you a hill.

 

Hated the rooftop "movie" theatre.  Not enough seating and couldn't use when raining.  Would prefer an actual theatre or something indoors for movies.  

 

Too many speciality dining restaurants taking up too much space.  And as others have noted - does the few # of people buying top end designer watches, other jewelry and handbags justify the space involved?

 

And, no place to view from the front of the ship unless you wanted to go to gym.

 

Pretty much agree with you 100%, I just wanted to comment on the shops, I do wonder if the high-end shops are more for projecting a luxurious experience than selling merchandise, 

[NMTraveller]

3 hours ago, jelayne said:

A number of folks reference fewer bars on the E class.   We never felt there was a lack of bars, so I decided to compare the bars.  Looked at the Beyond and the Reflection, excluding Retreat Bars.

Reflection                                                 Beyond

Martini Bar                                                Martini Bar

World Class Bar                                       World Class Bar

Sunset Bar                                                 Sunset Bar

Pool Bar                                                     Pool Bar

Cellar Masters                                          Craft Social

Sky Lounge                                                Eden

Ensemble                                                   Magic Carpet

Passport Bar                                             The Club

                                                                    Mast Bar

Fewer bars, yes 1 less.  I guess that is why we didn't feel a lack of bars.

I think that you must also consider the quality of the bars.

 

For example sky lounge on S class beats anything on E class.  The Martini Bar on S class is smaller and more intimate.  I can get a drink in a timely fashion.  Craft Social vs Cellar Masters... LOL.  The one positive that they added on E class was the World Class Bar.  The Magic Carpet is just too windy.

 

S class has hands down better bars with a more intimate experience.  E class is more loud and shouty.

 

The only E class bar you would find me at would be WCB.  That is not much choice.

 

On S class it could be martini bar, cellar masters, wcb, or sky lounge.  Numbers or quality.  I will take quality.  Yet S class has more usable quality bars.

 

 

Edited November 22, 2022 by NMTraveller

[SusieAV8R]

11 hours ago, jelayne said:

We have done almost 60 cruises, 38 on Celebrity so we may be considered veterans.

We love the E class ships. Particularly the 4 MDRs, the new venues for shows  ( The Club and Eden) and the new specialty restaurants.   The theater is fantastic, we rarely went to the production shows until the shows on E class 
 

We have been in Suites and IVs and enjoy both.  The  E class ships have a clean contemporary look which we love.

Our next 3 cruises are on S (not revolutionized ) & M (revolutionized) class and while we will enjoy these  cruises, the feel of the ships is old and dated.

 

10 hours ago, maxsales said:

what is a DPV?

I find the M and S class ships traditional and elegant.  (Given the choice of a revolutionized, or a properly maintained, non-revolutionized ship, I would take the non-revolutionized ship every time. 🙂