Fabius

1 hour ago, swigso said:

When did you last stay here? We booked this hotel based on reviews like this on cruise critic. The hotel is Tired in fact very very Tired, the rooms are dated more like a

Travelodge. While the staff are friendly the pool area is not 4* or even 3* standard. The sun beds are old, rusted and need replacing. 

I cannot understand why people rave over this hotel there are far better choices in and around the port.

We arrived very late, the shower fitting was coming away from the wall we changed rooms and that was not much better we checked out and moved hotel, the manager was very kind and agreed that the hotel needs a major refurbishment. Perhaps this will happen when Wyndham sell all the rooms in the Tower block which is being converted into condos. However there was no evidence of any work being done on the tower. 

I would not recommend this hotel it was called the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 but is no longer a Hyatt, I think that tells a story in itself.

 

I totally agree! We have been there before our last trip on the EDGE in March. I was so disappointed about the hotel. The rooms were really wrecked  and dirty. The are around the hotel is very beautiful but not in really good condition. Maybe there are better rooms in the new tower?!

Before our cruise in December we have been to an AC near the Aventura Mall. That was much better.

8 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Those CC members who are signing up for Edge and Apex now are well aware of all of the feedback from previous cruisers.  The original passengers signed up sight-unseen or without actual passenger feedback. Some loved it.  Some were disappointed and some were negative. Some have tried and prefer S- and M-class going forward.  It is nice to have all of this information and it is great to make fully informed choices.   Everybody should now understand that Edge is a bit different from previous Celebrity ships.  They should understand about IV's and the neutral color schemes.  That being said I would think that going forward most CC members here signing up for Edge will tend to be more positive about the ship since they knew exactly what they were getting and decided Edge was appropriate for them.   Just like the other commentators here who have evaluated the data and feedback and have stated that Edge is not for them.  This is not really about Celebrity missing the mark with Edge or Apex.  It is about offering a new ship design and new cruising choice to those who want it and want to pay more for it.  But prices will level to the market demand eventually. 

Totally agree!

We booked our B2B cruise on EDGE one and a half year before sailing. It was clear that it will be a huge difference to the S-class ships which we really love. I read all the reviews from the beginning very carefully but interested but there were no reason for us to cancel that trip. My opinion is that taste is very individual and a lot of complaints I respect and understand (furnishing on the balcony a.s.o.) but I know that it will not really impact me in my cruising routine. We just wanted to figure out on our own and not pre-judge.

We sailed on the 3rd of March for two weeks and we really liked it. I still don't like to compare the ship classes because there are pro and cons. We liked the ship itself, open spaces, food, dining concept, EDEN during daytime a.s.o. The crew was amazing!!!

For me personally I don't like to lay in the sun allday and I found the limited shade on the open decks a problem for me, especially during the carribbean season. On S-class ships we switch usually to our balcony and that was the really thing which I missed in our IV. I expected that it will not be the same with the booking so no complaints.......I also like to wake up early and watching the docking from my balcony. Watching it out of a window is not really compareable.

At the end we had a beautiful trip which was of course much more expensive than any other other trip we did before. Was it worth it? Yes!

Would we go again? Yes! Maybe in other (colder) regions and when the prices will fall.

The only complain I have that the marketing department of Celebrity Cruises forces expectations which are not reality. The Magic Carpet is a nice venue to have a drink, but not more. Most of the time it's to windy for dinner. Wind on a cruise ship, what a surprise! Everyone wants to try out that fancy tenderboats but they will not use them the most time. The most of the tenderports on the itinery are operated by local boats. They say they can's use them when it's to windy. When was it not windy in Grand Cayman, Santorini or Mykonos?

For the reason that EDGE is the first type of her class they have to learn and hear what the customers are saying. I think a few things can be change easily. I just can recommend to balance out before if the ship might fit your cruising routine or just be open and give her a try.

We did that in September 2014 from Vancouver to Honolulu and 3 of the 5 days of crossing were very rocky....I didn't have a problem with that but a lot of people had..

12 hours ago, portcbob said:

would anyone have any idea if Capt tasos will be on the solstice in the 29th March, 2019 sailing Auckland to Sydney. It would be much appreciated.

regards Bob

I don’t think so. He is on board since beginning of November and due to normal 3 months rotation he will leave beginning of February. I think he will back on board when Solstice is in Alaska.

OP actually asked who would replace Captain Dimitrios Kafetzis, and I believe she was referring to Reflection. Another poster inquired about Solstice. If it’s not on Arno’s chart, I think we’ll have to await new data.

That’s true I referred to Reflection and Dimitrios Kafetzis. His brother Tasos answered a question on Instagram that his brother will be still on TA on Reflection. So it seems that he will bring the ship back over the pond and will switch to Edge in December before he will take over in 2019 around March.

Tasos will be back on Solstice on 29th of October.

I agree with that too and I know that he is very experienced too. So a good combination;)!

But that would not be a reason for me to book a special cruise.....

I also don't expect that the captain is entertaining me but if he does it's fine! And for the funfactor it can make a difference what kind of Cruisedirector you have. I have never thought that before but an example from last year showed me it can.....

We have sailed with both Kafetzis brothers in the past and they are both very kind and entertaining. We only know from Dimitrios personally that he will be in December on EDGE. I think to support the inaugural Master and for training. We think he will be on REFLECTION before because Tasos confirmed on Instagram that he will be the Master on the TA.

In 2019 he will be on EDGE but I have heard he is also involved in lauching the APEX so no idea how long......

Very interesting that the level is so different! Last January we were on a back to back in AUS and NZ and we had the best Sommelier ever. He had great skills about Wines and Food and Wine pairing. He always made suggestions to the food we had and he never failed. Our Sommeliers on Silhouette and Reflection after that cruise were okay but not more.

We met Capt. Kafetzis now on Reflection and he said he will be the next two months on board and will have two more rotations on Reflection next year. So it seems he has left "his" Silhouette because rumors say that he will be one of the Captains on the Edge.

Astrid