LIVE Norwaylady sails on Edge World Cruise from Rome to Singapore 30.10 to 25.11.23 , 26.night

[Lena11033]

13 hours ago, Norwaylady said:

We went for Indian street food😋 (the afternoon tea tower looked amazing🤩) 

We didn’t regret that! 

 

 

 

 

 

The food looks amazing, I love Indian food. Where we lived a year ago the Indian food was hit or miss (normally I looked for the restaurants full of British people vs Canadian to figure out which were good). But where we live now there are lots of good restaurants but looking at the menu posted there are a lot of things I've not tried before.

 

[Jim_Iain]

10 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

I don’t know much about Celebrity suites but was this your only choice for a table to eat breakfast?  I would have hoped your suite had some sort of table with chairs.

On the E class ships the SS have a table like shown,   CS have a big cocktail table but it cantilevers up for dining height.    RS and above have real dining room tables.  

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

5 hours ago, Norwaylady said:

This didn’t just happen once or twice😳 but 3 times as I passed him on different rounds😳😳😳

 

Maybe it was his Fog Horn.   😗

[KKB]

10 hours ago, Norwaylady said:

 The table is a low table and the balcony table is similar in height😝

Sofa is not “elderly” approved. 
 

This is a general problem all over Edge. Almost all furniture is very low. 
First sailing, when she was new, it was even worse. (They have changed some furniture due to complaints) 

 

The designers are young, fit, no bad knees or back. So this is a “unknown” problem in their minds…..

My biggest complaint on Eclass is the large number of truly uncomfortable chairs.

Furniture designers of any age should know function over form.

That being said, no one else tried them before buying...or at least sailing??!!

Seems to me someone signed a contract w/o testing the product first!

(Makes me curious about IVs...while we are ambivalent about them, many despise them. Did they not do a market survey prior to spending all that money on these ships??)

[Shiba_Lover]

13 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

Sure every country has unique rules to follow for immigration, but a lot of the issues were completely Celebrity’s responsibility.  Celebrity sending people to the wrong location for passport pick up, misplacing passports, not handing out landing cards to everyone, conflicting information from guest relations, not returning required documentation until a few hours before departure, etc are completely Celebrity’s responsibility.   I think Celebrity completely misunderstood the scope of work required to process the guests and did not have sufficient staff to complete the work in a timely manner.  But to be completely honest I’m not exactly sure what Celebrity did other than provide a customs card to be filled out prior to getting off the ship.  At the end of the day the guests just provided a copy of the visa they obtained independently to the Indian authorities and we left the ship.

 

@Norwaylady Thanks for the heads-up to print out the Sri Lankan ETA, you were ahead of Celebrity by a couple of days.

I completely agree that some of this is at fault for Celebrity, but some I think is just the headache of what India requires (and that is all the behind the scenes stuff that is going on).  Celebrity issues - yes, sending people to wrong locations.  Completely agree - Celebrity should handle better.   But India requires much more strenuous visa checks than many ports in Europe or other places.

 

All ships / ports have some form of immigration checks, even if it is not visible to the passengers.  Immigration officers board and clear the ship (example - Canada will not allow someone who has been convicted of a DUI to enter the country without special permission - so if someone were on an Alaska cruise from US and it had a stop in Vancouver if they have a DUI conviction - that would show up on the manifest and they would be flagged and not allowed to enter).  I suspect India's immigration process is one of the holdup reasons / issues for the backups / chaos with the morning.   It is not just passengers they check, but crew as well.

 

Hope that makes sense - not letting Celebrity off the hook completely here.  But yes, the guests must provide a visa, but Celebrity is still working behind the scenes with India immigration who is reviewing the visas.

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

On the E class ships the SS have a table like shown,   CS have a big cocktail table but it cantilevers up for dining height.    RS and above have real dining room tables.  

 

 

 

 On M-class ships that have been revolutionized they have foot stools at the end of the bed that can be put together to for a base for a room service tray.  

[Jim_Iain]

1 minute ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 On M-class ships that have been revolutionized they have foot stools at the end of the bed that can be put together to for a base for a room service tray.  

 

We have only sailed in SS twice and I did use the foot stools as you described.     On some of the ships they also have a TV table --- slips under the end of the sofa.   I often use that as a laptop table instead. 

I much prefer the other class where they have an actual dining table for CS and above. 

[Cap_D]

1 hour ago, KKB said:

Seems to me someone signed a contract w/o testing the product first!

(Makes me curious about IVs...while we are ambivalent about them, many despise them. Did they not do a market survey prior to spending all that money on these ships??)

 

With apologies to @Norwaylady for the side notes here on Edge class design:

 

What's odd is they just did a dry dock (everyone was waiting for this, and has noticed wear and tear) and there's apparently nothing notable except that door handles to deck entrance  bathrooms are dangling, and nothing was at all improved upon. 

 

Plus, RC/Celebrity will often promote that they build physical mock ups of rooms, venues, etc., and now also use virtually reality to test flow and so on. 

 

Yet, to name a few issues, they have the IVs that people hate (really hate) far more than anyone really loves or needs, the stretch and noise issues on Beyond (possibly Ascent and Xcel), interior and outdoor furniture that is unusable (not just Eden)(saw chair collapse on someone at Mast Grill, and sunset bar loungers are nearly on the deck), no plugs for one side of the bed in many rooms,  areas that could use more wind screening (rooftop garden, walk way to sunset bar on both sides, etc.), lack of bathroom capacity near Rooftop garden/sunset bar area, old Edge and Apex sunset bar design, and the bottlenecks in the Retreat lounge caused by the host stand, future cruise/bar, coffee machine/fridge area, and food counter.  Plus no furniture outside MDRs, no way to have a real table in the room (makes room feel larger), lack of stacking Luminae with an MDR or capacity for Luminae fridges to hold a few classics and other items to accommodate reasonable requests, no front view for anyone not on Retreat (and even then it's not climate controlled) vs great view if you're on the elliptical or treadmills (used most frequently by performers and crew).  And the theater could use a few more seats and ventilation when there is high demand. 

 

Much of this is likely intentional or okay with management since it reduces the appearance of crowds after one realizes it's a lost cause, looks pretty at first,  lessens demand on room service, and so on.  

Edited November 17, 2023 by Cap_D

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

We have only sailed in SS twice and I did use the foot stools as you described.     On some of the ships they also have a TV table --- slips under the end of the sofa.   I often use that as a laptop table instead.

I much prefer the other class where they have an actual dining table for CS and above. 

 

Other than a place to put my tablet/phone and or a drink while I was relaxing on the couch, that TV table was too small to hold more than one single plate.  I could not even get a plate and a cup of coffee to fit on it, without fear of one or the other falling off.  

 

I prefer the non-revolutionized ships furniture, with the higher and larger tables in the room and on the balcony, over any of the revolutionized ships we've sailed on. 

 

[Norwaylady]

After some downtime and just enjoying the balcony I had notified on my “will attend” list today: the 2025 release European cruises in Eden at 16.00. 

Well, I was really surprised and a bit underwhelmed of this “thing” 

One from NextCruise was walking out printed lists of the new releases for Europe 2025 and that was it….

I really thought they had something more going on….

No talking, no, no, no, nothing….

 

If you wanted to reserve or confirm something. You need to go to NextCruise🙄

What happened to a little more action? 

 

Oh well…..

 

I returned to our stateroom to get ready and pick up Mr🥰 

We went to sunset to see if the sunset was a winner tonight. It was a hazy red sunset. 

 

We continued onward to the retreat. 

It was quiet and not much going on tonight. 

 

Tonight’s show is Chaw, trumpet player from Thailand 🇹🇭 together by the orchestra. 

He has earlier play onboard as a trumpet player in Summit and Infinity orchestra. And as the orchestra leader. 

 

 

 

 

He played Louis Armstrong songs. 

Orchestra was really able to shot off their skills🥰🎶🎶🎶 👍🏻 

 

After the show, we went to the famous YES/NO gameshow in the club. Dom & Giuseppe was ready to tackle the guests🤣🤣🤣 

It’s hilarious 😆 

 

After getting some belly workout, it was time for dinner. 

We went upstairs to Luminae. 

 

Today’s menu: 

 

Chefs taste: 

 

Mr had the lamb chops for starter and we ordered lobster and a veal for dinner. 

 

I went for the ceviche to kick off the evening. 

 

The lamb chops was very dead (overdone) 

 

The ceviche tasted good. 

 

The lobster was good. The butter is very tasty and gives a very soft sweetness to the lobster. 

 

The veal was excellent cooked and tasted perfectly for veal. The sauce accompanied was not killing the taste of the veal and a very good dish. 

 

For the dessert: 

 

We went for Sundae and the lemon mascarpone cream 

 

 

Mr said that the Sundae was the best choice for dessert🙂

Edited November 18, 2023 by Norwaylady
Picture missing

[Norwaylady]

cruise compass day 6- Cochin

 

 

 

 

 

[Norwaylady]

It said clearly: read the paperwork for immigration….

Well, not in bed or in mailbox before during the night😝

 

Welcome to Cochin! We are soon docked🙂

 

 

[hcat]

wait times of 3 hrs..not worth it!

[cruzzzinma]

1 hour ago, Norwaylady said:

If you wanted to reserve or confirm something. You need to go to NextCruise🙄

What happened to a little more action? 

Norwaylady, loving your Reid and writing style! If you want to book on board, the Retreat Concierge can set up a meeting with Next Cruise for you in the Retreat Lounge at your convenience.

[upwarduk]

5 hours ago, hcat said:

wait times of 3 hrs..not worth it!

What about passengers who find walking difficult?
Do they have to wait in line?
Quite a Health & Safety headache 🤕.

[Norwaylady]

Kerala- Cochin🇮🇳

 

Breakfast by room service order form:

 

Our ship was cleared from local authorities a little over 08.00. 

We were downstairs and ready to go off, but we got “stuck” for 5.mins on the destination deck. 

 

After getting off the gangway we had a welcoming party on the pier. The local tv, folkloric outfits etc. 

 

Today we had a new private tour by Lijo. 

Today’s program was a boat trip, the famous Chinese fishing nets, church visit, lunch, Deutsch palace and a little shopping time. 

 

We started by the boat trip. The harbour cruise was 2h. It takes you around the islands of Cochin and you see fishing nets, fishermen,  birds and houses. 

 

 

 

 

It’s a very busy harbour/sea way. So lots of things going on. 

We boarded at one pier and was docking by the Chinese fishing nets. Forth Cochin. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the fisherman’s nets, we walked by the ocean to the church, St Francis. 

It’s Vasco-da Gama place of burial before he was moved home to Portugal 🇵🇹 

 

After our church visit, it was time for “Hige Tea”. Our guide told us in the morning that hige tea was swooped for Indian buffet. 

They took us to Fragrant Nature Kochi. 

It’s a lovely hotel and its a hidden gem from outside looking….🤩

Buffet was different Indian dishes, sweets and currie dishes. 

We eat lemon fish and vegetable korma. All tasted excellent and fresh. 

Mr had his 🍺 by lunch. 

 

 

 

 

After the lunch it was time to go to the Dutch palace. 

 

Deutsch palace 

(The synagogue is their neighbour) 

 

 

Is very hidden/not visible. 

 

The ceiling is really worth a view and the carrier carts for women. The big thing are the pictures on the walls (no photos) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the palace it was a little time to walk the streets for shopping. 

 

 

 

Then it was back to port. 

We arrived the port 15.45 and after 4.mins! YES 4.minutes thru security, immigration for stamping out and ready to walk the gangway!

This was for everyone when we arrived. 

That went smoothly🤩❤️👍🏻

 

[Norwaylady]

🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳

Do we like India? 

YES

 

We loved this teaser of incredible 🇮🇳 India.

🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🖤🤍

We need to come back for more! 

 

For us, this is okay 👍🏻 

But I do fully understand and respect that this is not a destination for everyone. 

You need to think about this before you go. It’s not USA, the Caribbean or Mediterranean. 

It’s Asia at its best🩷❤️🧡💛

Controlled chaos😝😂🤩

[Norwaylady]

For those wondering about coverage on phone/prices…. 
 

Norway has nothing like T-Mobil world plan or anything like this for outside Europe for us. 
 

But you have Airalo e-sim🤩👍🏻 working like a clock for travel. 
Just download the app, and you are good to go anywhere in the world 

 

I booked an Indian data sim 10$ 5gb. 

https://www.airalo.com
 

So that’s how I have had internet in India 🇮🇳 

[Norwaylady]

Passport Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 

[upwarduk]

So glad you were able to get internet and post those amazing pictures.

Thank you.👍

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, Norwaylady said:

 

Norway has nothing like T-Mobil world plan or anything like this for outside Europe for us. 
 

But you have Airalo e-sim🤩👍🏻 working like a clock for travel. 
Just download the app, and you are good to go anywhere in the world 

 

I booked an Indian data sim 10$ 5gb. 

https://www.airalo.com
 

 

I also have T-Mobile  -   with mine I get 5Gb of 5G of Internet per month  when out of the U.S. for free.  Is this how yours work.   

 

I have already loaded the Airalo App on my phone and will use it if needed.   It may be easier for me as our fist cruise begin November 25 and then a new month begins after Indonesia.  

 

I have definitely gone over the 5G limit in the past but luckily you still have free internet but they throttle you down to 3G for the remainder of the month. (still free). 

[Norwaylady]

Tonight’s show is production show Kaleidoscope. 

 

We decided that we would skip the show tonight. 

We wanted to just land our wonderful day a bit❤️ 

Our passports was delivered to the retreat as asked. Fingers crossed for smooth process in 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka. 

 

So we took a shower and took it slowly before we headed to the Retreat for a pre dinner cocktail 🍹. 

 

We had all onboard 16.30 and sail-away 18.00. 

Well, lest just say we hit a snug in the machinery… 

 

It’s 22.15 and we still haven’t left port of Cochin🫣

 

Well, back to our evening! 

 

We had a pre-dinner cocktail in the retreat. Cheers to a great adventure in India 🇮🇳🥂

( what is going on? Some people are sitting on their phones watching reels or tv shows LOUDLY🙄🙄🙄🙄 in public in the retreat) Not to be Ms Trunchbull from Mathilda…. But WHY? 

 

Well, after a pre-dinner cocktail we decided it was time for dinner…

We asked for a window table, since we still were in port. 

Request approved😉

 

Today’s menu: 

 

 chefs surprise

 

Mr had the crudo, lamb taco and New York strip. 

 

 

 

I had the crudo and lamb taco. 
 

all tasted well😋

 

Tonight’s dessert menu: 

 

We went for ice cream 🍦 

Raspberry and vanilla gelato😋

 

Mr asked for a dessert fernet bianca😅 they didn’t find it asap… so a Cognac was dropped off😅

[Norwaylady]

CruiseCompass Day 7 Sri Lanka

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Norwaylady]

Disembarkation Sri Lanka 

[Wookie01]

@Norwaylady how are you and Mr enjoying the suite? Anything that has particularly pleased, or displeased you about it? Would love to hear your thoughts and impressions. 🙂

Thanks for your wonderful reports, they are a delight to read and my 'Mrs' enjoys me reading bits out to her.

 

We will be boarding in Sydney for the Xmas/New Year NZ cruise and it will be our first suite experience - so looking forward to it! 🙂