sharonann24

I plan on making reservations for the MDR for our July trip on the Prima. Although there will only be three of us my father likes the comfort of knowing we have a reservation. We prefer a later seating so hopefully that will help. We just got off a Celebrity cruise where we also had a set seating for the MDR and there were nights in which a preferred restaurant had long lines. To this point--is there one MDR that is preferable? I think they both have the same menus.

I am also considering the NCL tour for this port in July. We have done the Hop On Hop Off buses in other ports and they are fun too. Does the one in Bergen include the headphones so you get the "mini tour" experience?

We always dress for dinner, in that I prefer to wear a dress or skirt for dinner after a full day of travel/sightseeing or just pool time. On our last NCL cruise people tended to dress a bit more "formally" (long pants for men, smart casual for ladies) in the specialty restaurants and MDR. On our last cruise with Celebrity there were two dressier nights and we did see that some took it up a notch with glitter, sparkle and even a few men in tuxes. All in good fun and all about what you are comfortable with!

Warm is fine with us! We absolutely froze in early December with the wind. We did the museum then and it was gorgeous. There are a couple of NCL excursions that actually look pretty reasonable in cost in comparison to those they offer in Iceland and Norway. It is the last port so last in my planning schedule.

Thanks for all of the port information. I am just starting to plan our excursions for our July 27 sailing. The distance to the Anne Frank house is about right. We did a very long walking tour of Amsterdam when we got off our Viking River Cruise in December and I logged over 25,000 steps that day as we walked back and forth! I also know that ticket sales only open on the first of the month so we have time. The locks are amazing. We didn't see them in Amsterdam but I will make it a point to watch as we sail in. We also just got back from our Panama Cruise canal and saw those in action which was fantastic! What a way to launch (no pun intended!) my first year of retirement! We may never top it!

That also goes for the pools and hot tubs. We were in the Haven where teens and tweens were in the small pools with nary an adult in sight.

If we are at the city port, it is all good. We stayed at the Movenpick which was in a walking distance to the center. I know we can walk to Anne Frank's house which we missed. Frankly it was so COLD in December with the wind we are looking forward to strolling and enjoying the sites outdoors!

We are on the NCL Prima.

Where is the cruise port location in Amsterdam? I am reading that it is about 45 minutes from the city. When we were on Viking in November we were in walking distance of the center, albeit freezing! I don't see a shuttle listed or even an Amsterdam on your own excursion as there is for Bruges and Brussels. I would prefer not to do a tour since we are going to focus on the Iceland and Norway stops for those organized excursions.

Is there a walking or jogging track on the Prima?

Good to know! Thanks.

Thank you!

We are on the Prima in July and have the regular beverage package included. We upgraded to a premium package when we were on Celebrity last month because our traveling companions had definite preferences with certain alcohol (read: vodka!) choices and we could only go to 10.00/beverage, plus it did include specialty coffees. I see the regular package goes up to 15.00 a drink which might satisfy us, but does not include coffees. Not sure if we want to go for the full Premium upgrade. Is there an option just to add coffees? We have not been on NCL since before the pandemic. Princess used to have a coffee card but not sure about NCL. I am trying to price it out to justify the premium package...

That is my question as well. We are traveling with my father and have two specialty dinners. I have been put in charge of all of those reservations. I am hoping with a smaller party of three and with a later dining time (730-8pm) we might stand a better chance.

I think you also should consider some of the additional perks you get with the Haven, such as the bar, restaurant, concierge service, private sun deck, priority check in, etc. We bid on the Haven when we were going to Bermuda, not even really knowing what it was all about. I think we put in $500 bids pp and we got it. Boy were we delighted because it was in July and the main pool deck was loaded with children and "spring breakers". We love a party just as much as the next person, but the Haven was definitely a welcome respite. We had the spa room and it was great. We are going non Haven on the Prima this July because we are traveling with my father who would not go that route. I dream of going to the Haven again.....Bid what you are comfortable with and see what happens! Happy Anniversary.

I am also going to add that pre pandemic my husband and I were aboard the Pearl when it had mechanical issues, forcing us to miss our Italian ports. We had to fly home from Barcelona. While people were panicking, we felt confident that we would be taken care of, since we had the NCL included airfare. We were able to get home fairly easily, even when there was a last minute switch at the airport.

Our departure city will probably be Boston--fingers crossed.

We are in the process of booking the Prima July 27 trip to Iceland and the air is included. We are traveling with my father (who will be 94) and I really am leaning towards coming in the day before. We just returned from a Celebrity cruise where we arrived on embarcation day in Ft. Lauderdale and had no problem, but we had a very early morning flight. We also did a Viking River cruise in which air and transport was included. I am being cautious however.

Ok pardon my ignorance but what exactly is the difference between the S and M class ships? We just got off the Edge last week and had a great time. Now we are considering the Silhoutte. What really is the difference? We will probably have the balcony/verandah option and no specialty restaurants.

There were only about 5-6 children on the Edge February 13-24. That week is traditionally prior to the winter school breaks. To be honest, we rarely saw them, even around the pool. Never in the MDR even at breakfast or lunch. I wish I could have said the same for the flight back to NY on February 24! I love kids, but it seemed as if every family had three-four kids, all with their own carry ons, etc. I had a flash back to traveling with my own three! I think the itinerary would have something to do with the number of families traveling as well.

We just got off the Edge and although since this was our first Celebrity cruise and I have no basis for comparison I would definitely agree with all of the positive comments about the Edge. I like some sun but my husband definitely needs the shade so it was challenging at times to find loungers close together that fit the bill. We did sit in both of those shadier areas near the Oceanview and the Solarium. Many times my husband would just retreat to the Solarium, which was restful. I would sail Celebrity again, but I am not sure which ship would be the best follow up. You did have some nice ocean views from Cafe al Bacio and we tried to get a window seat whenever possible. I agree that the Martini Bar is rather dark and it would have been nice to have windows there, but then, I did not design the ship! LOL.

I just read your review and it was so thorough and the pictures were great. We were your "neighbors" on deck 7 in 7162 so I am sure we passed along the way. We probably will not be cruising again until next year as we are settling into a retirement rhythm. This was my retirement trip and a bucket list item as well. I am eyeing Australia and New Zealand...but perhaps the British Isles.

Yes it does, and it was impressive and a little startling on the same time!

We just got off the Edge cruise to the Panama Canal on Friday and I would like to share a few thoughts since in the weeks leading up to our departure I was becoming stressed about some of the negative reviews. We have cruised on other lines (NCL, HA, Princess, RC and Viking River, but this was to be our first Celebrity cruise. First of all, upon our arrival home in NY we were greeted with 27 degree weather and snow yesterday, so being on the Edge was a marked improvement for 11 days! LOL. However, our experience was very positive. Starting with the transfer from FLL airport to the terminal--it was seamless. Embarkation on board the ship was easy and quick and our reception was very warm. We were able to get to our stateroom right away, which was an Infinite Verandah balcony on Deck 7. The room was spacious as was the bathroom, and I found plenty of storage for our clothes, etc. though I could have done with a few more regular hangers. Our steward Niyomen was wonderful and supplied us with extra towels daily. Embarkation lunch was in the Oceanview Cafe and it was typical for embarkation day. It was crowded and it took sometime to get a table but we were successful. The food was wonderful, and the service was also very good, as we began our lunch with our cocktail. We were traveling with my 94 year old father and brother and sister in law and were able to find them easily in the dining room. My father quickly determined that our classic beverage packages needed to be upgraded to Premium as we all enjoy the specialty coffees and Cafe al Bacio (more on that in a bit), not to mention the alcoholic beverages. I am a wine/Prosecco drinker usually but did try the Cosmo martini at the Martini Bar which I would highly recommend. The premium package also entitled us to better wine selection at dinner so it was worth it to us. We did not have any specialty restaurant reservations as my father is "old school" and prefers the MDR experience, thinking we would be in one dining room for the entire cruise, which was not the case. We visited all four dining rooms and it was also a positive experience. There are some similarities with each menu, and each restaurant (Cyprus, Tuscan, Cosmopolitan and Normandy) did have their own special entrees each night. Our favorite restaurant was Cyprus--delicious escargot, onion soup, short ribs!), followed by the Cosmopolitan. Our least favorite was Normandy but It was still pleasant. The waiters and assistant waiters were attentive and the wine steward was omnipresent. We had breakfast one morning in Cosmopolitan which was a change from the buffet. A word about the Oceanview Cafe and the selections. Although we did not have dinner there, breakfast and lunch offerings were plentiful and varied. I tend to the continental breakfast and generally focus on fruit (watermelon, honey dew, cantaloupe and pineapple), yogurt,charcuterie meats and cheese and wonderful breads. My dad and husband are traditional breakfast fans with eggs, bacon, potatoes, pastries. There were traditional English and Indian breakfast offerings, and "eggs your way station" and a carvery. Lunches had themes (English, American, Latin) and again there was always plenty. The salad and sandwich bars were very popular. The pizza stand was also great. We usually skipped a full lunch but would do a late afternoon pizza, which was delicious. Cafe al Bacio was hands down our favorite bar/coffee stop. They had great pastries as well. I would typically pick up the skinny latte for myself after my morning walk and the triple expresso and a pastry for my husband. I did do morning room service coffee the first three days of the cruise since I need my caffeine fix, but much preferred the Cafe. We would also stop there for a night cap before heading back to the room where we could hear the music from the Grand Cafe and Martini Bar. The Martini Bar was our pre-show and pre-dinner stop to meet with our family and they did a good job trying almost every martini! Service was a little slow there, but improved over the course of the trip. It was always very crowded from 515-6:30, and then would thin out. We had an 815 dinner reservation so we were fine. The shows were very good, entertaining and high energy. My one disappointment/criticism is the lack of real activities during the day other than trivia. And no Bingo! Though they did have Deal or No Deal, which was really of no interest to us. I opted to use the jogging track each morning rather than the fitness center. I liked being outside and other than the two very gusty days it was a pleasure to do. The only Celebrity excursion we did was post cruise in Fort Lauderdale to the Everglades since our flight home was not until 5 pm. That was excellent! The guides were knowledgeable and entertaining, plus we were dropped at the airport at the end of the tour. We took a couple of tours from outside vendors in Aruba (sunset cruise) and a Cartagena tour, but otherwise did the ports on our own. Bonaire is very small, cute but not much there. Did enjoy a coffee on a pier. Curacao was also very pretty and we walked the town, over the bridge and viewed the site. Biggest port disappointment was Aruba but that was because we had a passenger fall ill and we needed to divert to Jamaica so they could be taken to the hospital, which meant we did not get to Aruba until after 3pm rather than the 7am arrival. That scuttled our plans for a beach day and we just made the other excursion. However Celebrity did make the health and safety of the passenger a priority and that was most important. There was another passenger who also became ill as we were about to enter the Panama Canal, and that was also handled appropriately. All in all our trip was wonderful. I would consider traveling on Celebrity again and might even consider an Aqua class if only to experience Blu and have access to the thermal spa, but that is not a deal breaker. The prices for the specialty restaurants are pricey. That is where NCL has the advantage because if you book Free at Sea packages they are included. I apologize for the lengthy review but as I said I wanted to give a more positive take on the Edge experience.

Thank you again for all of your posts. As you are packing up, I just finished our packing and have set our alarm for the ungodly hour of 4am for our flight from NY to Ft. Lauderdale. Hoping our MDR experience (there are 5 in our party!) will be good. We have a standing 830 time so I am wondering where we will end up. Also wondering where our last minute pre cruise health questionnaire is--nothing on the app or on the main site. Oh well, we are good to go!