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

[mchell810]

@Norwaylady  I feel the need to add my thanks for sharing your cruise experience with all of us.  It's been a great read, lovely photos and you've set us up to switch over to Jim's like blog.  I am glad you made it home safely.  Enjoy the cat blanket 😜

[Norwaylady]

Reality kicked in quickly🥶🥶🥶🥶first morning… (it’s in Celsius) 

 

Well, it’s winter ❄️ 

My parents in law had -26😝 

 

This is just to round up our adventure on Edge and som final words from me & Mr❤️🤓

 

Would we sail this itinerary again? YES

Has there been issues with immigration and customs? YES

Did it affect us? NJA… not to bad. 

 

So you see…. We can’t had the worst time onboard🤓🥰

 

Entertainment was really a huge success! Shoreside booking was really on the ball for our 26.nights. The first part from Rome to Dubai was literally a walk of power how to do it! 

Live music onboard was great and Charlie the pub/guitar consept was great. (It fitted well for the demographic onboard AND the mix of nationalities) 

 

I don’t know how aware you are when you go cruising, but the cocktail of nationalities change the vibes onboard in different ways. We as the underdog in guest counts feel this change of vibe very well. It’s nothing wrong or bad. 

But if you have a cruise full of Americans, the vibe is very American 🇺🇸 and we can definitely see and feel it. 

On this cruise it was a load of AUS & NZ and British. It’s a completely different vibe and it’s a little differently from sailing in the Caribbean. 

We like to think we are all similar… but it is a difference for some things🙃 

I must admit as the Norwegian 🇳🇴 I am, we feel very cosy and “home” when we sail on ships loaded by British and NZ/AUS🥰 it’s just something about it🇬🇧🇳🇴🇳🇿🇦🇺

 

Well, back to our cruise! 

 

The port talks/destination talks by CD Guiseppe. 

He did an excellent job and this is absolutely necessary to have during a cruise like this. 

It’s a great way to learn something about the process of immigration and customs. 

And to have a small teaser of what to expect. (Not everyone is up to date on ports and what to expect…I know I have a black belt in organising😅) 

And the man can talk, be serious and fun at the same time😂😜🤓 

So definitely something to KEEP for the future if they do a similar cruise! 

 

CD Guiseppe is fantastic! ❤️ nothing more or less🤩 (the activity team also needs a big applause 👏🏻 Dominique is so fun, he rules the YES/NO game🤣🤣) 

Captain Matt is a wonderful person. He is really a great leader of the vessel. 

Together he and CD Guiseppe are dynamic dynamite 🧨 

 

Food has delivered (some hit and misses on the way) But the overall quality and experience has delivered. 

OceanView has offered a great mix of dishes and the bread/bakery items has tasted great 👍🏻 Mr said it after a week… after all cruise on X this is definitely the best cruise for bakery items. The bread do taste good and have the right texture and taste as of home. Really good! (And this Mr do eat a lot of bread😜) 

 

Staterooms have been as booked….

The infinite veranda is not my cup of tea 🤭 Mr on the other side said 👍🏻 YES…

So I see a sign of conflicting interests for the future🤭

 

The balcony in the SS was definitely my cup of tea. Mr loved the tub for his 🦆🦆. 

But other than that, we are fine in a smaller room “steerage class”🤭😂😂

We can manage on smaller space. 

We are used to having limited space😝

 

The Retreat

They say, once you tried it, you want go back….

Well, I’m very sorry to say….. 

We will go back/stay in “steerage class” 

We can in some areas see the great things but on other areas we are very much underwhelmed. 

The prices they have is increasing to levels far over the el cheapo accounting paying will. So this strikes it out from start to finish🥸 

 

My expectation and our stay in a SS didn’t come to meet my expectations. It was a miss/match for us. I don’t think we are demanding? It was just so “cold” 

This was sailing number 20 on X. 

So when we walked the gangway in Dubai this was for the 20 time on X….

So you do know what to expect and kinda how things work on the ship. 

 

This was the “coldest” welcome we ever had on any cruise ship. (And I’m not speaking of the great security officer on the gangway pinging us onboard and welcoming us back again🥰) 

We didn’t see or meet anyone from housekeeping or the retreat team. We needed to hunt them down. 

Our stateroom (suite as they politely reference to) had visible signs of lack of cleaning. It was obviously a job in a hurry. 

Really underwhelming and really a bit of a turnoff to start the sailing in a suite. 

 

This impression didn’t come off, we felt it was like booking a “biz” ticket on a low cost airline and expecting SQ Singapore Airlines 5* service. (We know they can’t make SQ to the ankles😝) But SS is sold and marketed as a suite. But the service from housekeeping and the “retreat” team are not good if this is the way you greet & meet new guests onboard. It just sat the tone….

At least say hello to your guests in a decent time after they arrive on the ship and make them feel welcome❤️ Go thru basic details of services and point out how X can make them feel comfortable and welcome. 

 

Luminae has great crew. But the layout of the restaurant makes it noisy and very difficult to enjoy the meal during rush hours. 

The food was great on some days and off for our tasting other days… 

We feel the Blu menu is more to our liking. Due to more vegetables and fish/seafood options. 

Other than this issue, we overall had a great time. 

 

We loved India & Sri Lanka. 

We need to go back on a land tour. 

 

Tours via X, shore excursions worked well. 

It’s safe and works well. 

Private tours in India worked great. 

 

So a great cruise! 

[Norwaylady]

Future Cruise 

 

I know some of you wonder what we think about the future and what have we booked???? 

 

We still feel that X is a decent option for us. So we have some cruises on our plan. But I do pay attention to other lines itineraries. We are seeking towards the more special ones. 

And we have understood that we need to look at other lines to be able to get what we want. We are open minded for almost anything. If you go into it eyes open and don’t pre judgment, I think we can survive on many other lines🤓😌👍🏻

We are eager to try out Silversea, Hurtigruten Expeditions, HAL, Fred Olsen and Windstar.  

 

We will do a Caribbean cruise for the Easter 🐣 on X. It’s a b2b on Equinox. 10+9 days from Fort Lauderdale. (We have sailed on EQ 3 or 4 times before) 

It’s just straight forward sun, heat and beach😎 

 

Next up is the Queens holiday! 

The Queen and I will do a 10-night sailing on Infinity from Athen, Greek 🇬🇷 & 🇹🇷 Turkey in May. We do have a overnight in Istanbul🥰

 

Then I just run home to work for 5 weeks ish to go back on Infinity for a 7-days Greek 🇬🇷 sailing from Athens by Mr & our 15year old nephew🥰

 

In September I’m bringing my cousin…. She is my “little” sister I don’t have❤️ She really wanted to try a cruise and have asked for years if we can go together… 

So here we are…. A 9–night Greek 🇬🇷 island cruise on Infinity from Athens😂🇬🇷

So 2024 will be a year in Greece 🇬🇷 for me😂😂😂😂 

 

For Christmas 2024 we will escape! 

Then we will sail on Millennium from Singapore to Bali. 

We are already counting down to the next Christmas 🎅🏻 This is really a beautiful sailing we are looking forward to❤️

It will be a combo of land tour + cruise. Planning is in the making🤓🤭 We know we will spend 1 week on Bali after our cruise. But we are in the planning phase if we can do something special before our cruise somewhere else then Singapore 🇸🇬 (since we have visited several times) We are thinking about Chang Mai, Thailand 🇹🇭 or Siem Riep, Cambodia 🇰🇭…. Time will tell….

 

2025 is a busy year😂😂😂

My father in law is turning 70 years old during the easter 🐣 SO NO cruise or warmer weather holiday…. He will definitely celebrate in the north of 🇳🇴 Norway…. 

 

The Queen is turning 60🙈 Yes I know🥳

In September. She has made it clear that she wants to do something fun for her birthday. And that she doesn’t want a party. She wants to go away on a cruise or something similar… 

She really wants a river cruise in Asia( Vietnam) or a Mediterranean cruise by the close family. So we will see how to tackle this one😅

 

We have 15 years wedding anniversary in October 2025…. So YES 🙌🏻 we need to celebrate in style🥳🥳🥳

For those who have followed the Galapagos lives… you see where this is going😎

We are booked for 10-days tour package on Xpedition🐢🐠🐡🦭

I have followed the lives and I’m confident that this is a great sailing and adventure for us🥰

 

So we do have some things on our plan…

I do have an open/moveable b2b on Xcel during the Easter 🐣 2026… it’s in the Caribbean… so nothing exotic. 

So we will see if we go for a new ship adventure or if we change it to an Asia adventure… 

 

Bon Voyage! 

[chemmo]

26 minutes ago, Norwaylady said:

Reality kicked in quickly🥶🥶🥶🥶first morning… (it’s in Celsius) 

 

Well, it’s winter ❄️ 

My parents in law had -26😝 

 

This is just to round up our adventure on Edge and som final words from me & Mr❤️🤓

 

Would we sail this itinerary again? YES

Has there been issues with immigration and customs? YES

Did it affect us? NJA… not to bad. 

 

So you see…. We can’t had the worst time onboard🤓🥰

 

Entertainment was really a huge success! Shoreside booking was really on the ball for our 26.nights. The first part from Rome to Dubai was literally a walk of power how to do it! 

Live music onboard was great and Charlie the pub/guitar consept was great. (It fitted well for the demographic onboard AND the mix of nationalities) 

 

I don’t know how aware you are when you go cruising, but the cocktail of nationalities change the vibes onboard in different ways. We as the underdog in guest counts feel this change of vibe very well. It’s nothing wrong or bad. 

But if you have a cruise full of Americans, the vibe is very American 🇺🇸 and we can definitely see and feel it. 

On this cruise it was a load of AUS & NZ and British. It’s a completely different vibe and it’s a little differently from sailing in the Caribbean. 

We like to think we are all similar… but it is a difference for some things🙃 

I must admit as the Norwegian 🇳🇴 I am, we feel very cosy and “home” when we sail on ships loaded by British and NZ/AUS🥰 it’s just something about it🇬🇧🇳🇴🇳🇿🇦🇺

 

Well, back to our cruise! 

 

The port talks/destination talks by CD Guiseppe. 

He did an excellent job and this is absolutely necessary to have during a cruise like this. 

It’s a great way to learn something about the process of immigration and customs. 

And to have a small teaser of what to expect. (Not everyone is up to date on ports and what to expect…I know I have a black belt in organising😅) 

And the man can talk, be serious and fun at the same time😂😜🤓 

So definitely something to KEEP for the future if they do a similar cruise! 

 

CD Guiseppe is fantastic! ❤️ nothing more or less🤩 (the activity team also needs a big applause 👏🏻 Dominique is so fun, he rules the YES/NO game🤣🤣) 

Captain Matt is a wonderful person. He is really a great leader of the vessel. 

Together he and CD Guiseppe are dynamic dynamite 🧨 

 

Food has delivered (some hit and misses on the way) But the overall quality and experience has delivered. 

OceanView has offered a great mix of dishes and the bread/bakery items has tasted great 👍🏻 Mr said it after a week… after all cruise on X this is definitely the best cruise for bakery items. The bread do taste good and have the right texture and taste as of home. Really good! (And this Mr do eat a lot of bread😜) 

 

Staterooms have been as booked….

The infinite veranda is not my cup of tea 🤭 Mr on the other side said 👍🏻 YES…

So I see a sign of conflicting interests for the future🤭

 

The balcony in the SS was definitely my cup of tea. Mr loved the tub for his 🦆🦆. 

But other than that, we are fine in a smaller room “steerage class”🤭😂😂

We can manage on smaller space. 

We are used to having limited space😝

 

The Retreat

They say, once you tried it, you want go back….

Well, I’m very sorry to say….. 

We will go back/stay in “steerage class” 

We can in some areas see the great things but on other areas we are very much underwhelmed. 

The prices they have is increasing to levels far over the el cheapo accounting paying will. So this strikes it out from start to finish🥸 

 

My expectation and our stay in a SS didn’t come to meet my expectations. It was a miss/match for us. I don’t think we are demanding? It was just so “cold” 

This was sailing number 20 on X. 

So when we walked the gangway in Dubai this was for the 20 time on X….

So you do know what to expect and kinda how things work on the ship. 

 

This was the “coldest” welcome we ever had on any cruise ship. (And I’m not speaking of the great security officer on the gangway pinging us onboard and welcoming us back again🥰) 

We didn’t see or meet anyone from housekeeping or the retreat team. We needed to hunt them down. 

Our stateroom (suite as they politely reference to) had visible signs of lack of cleaning. It was obviously a job in a hurry. 

Really underwhelming and really a bit of a turnoff to start the sailing in a suite. 

 

This impression didn’t come off, we felt it was like booking a “biz” ticket on a low cost airline and expecting SQ Singapore Airlines 5* service. (We know they can’t make SQ to the ankles😝) But SS is sold and marketed as a suite. But the service from housekeeping and the “retreat” team are not good if this is the way you greet & meet new guests onboard. It just sat the tone….

At least say hello to your guests in a decent time after they arrive on the ship and make them feel welcome❤️ Go thru basic details of services and point out how X can make them feel comfortable and welcome. 

 

Luminae has great crew. But the layout of the restaurant makes it noisy and very difficult to enjoy the meal during rush hours. 

The food was great on some days and off for our tasting other days… 

We feel the Blu menu is more to our liking. Due to more vegetables and fish/seafood options. 

Other than this issue, we overall had a great time. 

 

We loved India & Sri Lanka. 

We need to go back on a land tour. 

 

Tours via X, shore excursions worked well. 

It’s safe and works well. 

Private tours in India worked great. 

 

So a great cruise! 

Thank you for such a thoughtful and well balanced account.

 

A good thing you highlight is the benefit of getting a taste of a place on a cruise (India) and then deciding to return for a land tour. As you said in an earlier post, India isn’t for everybody….

 

I am so sorry your Retreat experience wasn’t better…We have over the years enjoyed many cruises where that extra service level was there and it has added an extra touch of luxury and magic to the cruise. Sadly a reflection of the changes that Celebrity has made.

Sad to see the food was a bit hit and miss too…Really no excuse for hit and miss quality. Whilst we all find some venues suit us better than others for style and content quality should be consistent.

 

Well welcome home! Enjoy the cuddles of your cats in the cold weather….I sit writing this with my little doggie sat on my knee, a furry hot water bottle…

 

[hcat]

glad you are safely home..but seems have a very busy cruise schedule coming up. Soon you will be the Queen of the Infinity!

 

Sorry you did not have a stellar Retreat Experience..we felt the same even before the staffing changes were made. Some nice perks but overall not worth the fare.

 

You may be most happy in AQ Class..we have always enjoyed it with BLU.. Thermal suite not so good on M class but it is included.

 

Happy Holidays!

[mahdnc]

Very nice live review, I've only had the chance to read it now!

[catgirl411]

Thanks again! I love seeing your future plans. My DH thinks I’m crazy because we have three future cruises booked now. (Regal Princess British Isles May 2024, Apex Canaries, Spain and Portugal October 2024 and Ascent Greece, Croatia and Italy October 2024 with out daughter). I want to be more like you, booked out far into the future! Look forward to your next live.

[DaKahuna]

@Norwaylady Thank you once again for this wonderful and informative review.  Will be looking forward to reading about your future sailings.  

 

[CTSandy]

Enjoyed your summary - I have never sailed in a suite on Celebrity, but it sounds like a disappointing experience.  I am sailing on Equinox for Easter, too -  April 1 to 11 - hope to see you on board!

[bjahil47]

Wow!  Sounds like a packed few years!  This is first time we do not have a cruise booked.  Can’t find one in the time frame we can go.  We also have a place in St. Maarten for 3 weeks in January and can’t go in 2024.  So we will be home in wintery, chilly Western new York!  

[LIMPIT]

Hi Norway Lady & Mr

Enjoyed your Live posts.

What sailing date are you onboard the Infinity in June for the Greek Islands sailing, we are booked on 22nd June out of Athens and would like to say hi if your aboard.

[Norwaylady]

34 minutes ago, LIMPIT said:

Hi Norway Lady & Mr

Enjoyed your Live posts.

What sailing date are you onboard the Infinity in June for the Greek Islands sailing, we are booked on 22nd June out of Athens and would like to say hi if your aboard.

We sail on the 29.... when you get off.... If could decided, we would have sailed on the 22.... But due to our nephew, we needed to make sure school was finished and that we had time to fly him from the north of Norway to Athens....

 

My birthday is on the 28.... So it would have been nice to celebrate onboard... Mr has celebrated his birthday 3x times on a cruise... Since he has his birthday in January... Me on the other hand... summer holiday season, means no travel.... So I always go to work🤣 

[raudacruise]

Thanks again for your fun, informative review.  Exciting that you have so many cruises booked!  I’ll follow all your adventures whatever the ship or itinerary.  Will be great.

[Missusdubbya]

@Norwaylady wonderful review, thank you!

[Arzeena]

WOW! One of the BEST Live reviews I have ever read in a while! Excellent job!

When is your Equinox March cruise? We are on the March 4, 2024 10 night sailing.

[theopup]

Sounds like some pretty exciting plans in the future. Will be looking forward to following along

 

 

[Norwaylady]

22 hours ago, Arzeena said:

WOW! One of the BEST Live reviews I have ever read in a while! Excellent job!

When is your Equinox March cruise? We are on the March 4, 2024 10 night sailing.

Thank you❤️

We sail b2b on March 23😅 So you need to keep her in ship shape for us🙌🏻❤️