MacMarauder

Wow that is not a good day for all involved. Will be interesting to see what they do if the ship isn't seaworthy. A quick Google search shows that this cruise left out of Cuba. My assumption is that the majority of passengers are from Europe and have return flights departing from Cuba. MSC will have to get them back somehow!

I wish Cruise Critic had an "upvote" function like some message boards, but since it doesn't I'll just add to the spam in the first couple pages and say that I am very excited about this. Bon Voyage Rick!

Does anyone know if MSC Seaside has a pool that is ok for swim diapers? I apologize for another Seaside thread but I have not been able to figure this out from Google or searching CC.

My last two cruises were with my son who is now 3, but we have another on the way due in June. I'm limiting my options to ships with a drop-off nursery and a baby splash pool for a late 2019 cruise. I'm ok sticking with RCL since Quantum/Oasis/Freedom classes all have these features but it would be nice having another choice (besides Disney which isn't our thing and also outside our price range).

Thank you!

There is a robot wrangler person who is usually nearby, maybe the tips go to them? I know they get hated on but personally I enjoy the robots, on Anthem they always had a couple people around on my cruise. However I'm sure that is also because the robot bar on Anthem is centrally located, since the robots on Harmony are somewhat tucked away they probably get less traffic.

Yes you are logically correct of course. But this thread seems to be more about feelings. There is angst by some who have booked and are waiting patiently for more of the final details like dining to be revealed. Speaking for myself, I expect Edge to be a really beautiful and well equipped ship and would be shocked if it is a substandard product.

Oh yea I get that for sure, of course there is an emotional investment as well. That's the reason we get excited about new ships and visit Cruise Critic trying to find info on them! And I do think it's fair that there is concern about the direction of the ship and if it's something that will appeal to certain demographics. I have my own questions, particularly on the infinite verandas - I'm very interested to hear first hand experiences after Edge sails. My issue was with the OP asking if we are being sold a "pig in a poke", which to me is the old switcharoo - Celebrity selling us one thing and then at the last minute putting something different/worse in it's place.

I agree that pace of the reveal is frustrating but the the reveal, buildup and initial sailings are only a part of the larger picture for Celebrity - their main concern needs to be making sure the ship will be a success 10+ years from now.

I'm with the group that says go for two connecting balconies, the door locks on the balconies are very high up and you could leave the connecting door open.

Also yes there is a pool that is ok for swim diapers, and you do have to pay for the nursery but it's not a huge expense.

One thing to keep in mind is that the ship will cost Celebrity approximately $1 billion dollars. This is a long term investment for the company, not a quick sale. There is no way Celebrity is going to make their money back on the initial sailings or even the first few years. If their strategy was to release a substandard product but conceal as much as possible (ie "pig in a poke") just to get the first bookings that wouldn't be a very good business strategy.

My wife travels for work and purchased some of the cubes, I think they are from eBags. I was skeptical but she loves them and they turned out to be very handy for family trips!

I went on Anthem last March during St. Patrick's day and it was very cold sailing out of NY. The second day was cool-ish, I was wearing shorts and tshirt with a track jacket. Third day we were off the coast of Florida and it was warm, no jacket needed. The coldest day was actually the last full day coming back to NY, I was wearing jeans and a long sleeve shirt.

Working and we try to get in one per year. Did one cruise in 2013 and 2014, then had our first child and waited until he was one year old to cruise again. The three of us went on cruises in 2016 and 2017, had one booked for this year but now child #2 is coming in June so that's off! Looking at fall 2019 for our next trip. It might be harder financially once we have school age kids (being able to travel during "off" months is nice) but we will cross that bridge once we get there!

Wow, that area in front of the Solarium looks cool! I just booked Adventure for Canada/New England next year so this review is a fun preview of the ship, thank you!

OP, if you booked the cruise with a credit card I would check and see if you card offers any trip insurance. Some cards have travel insurance as a perk and it’s worth a shot to figure out if yours does.

This is great - I'm fighting the dreaded man-cold and this is helping me get through the grind at work!

It's an interesting space, I see it as a combination of Two70 on Quantum class, the hideaway on Sillhouette/Reflection and Central Park on Oasis class. Sounds good for lounging around or having a drink during the day. I'll have to wait and see more on the Eden Restaurant, I wasn't a fan of Wonderland and this sounds similar.

Count me as one that thinks the Oasis class is too inward facing. Especially in the Promenade and Central Park areas it's easy to lose the feeling that you are on a ship. It seems to be a general trend in the industry to include more ocean facing public areas - ie the waterfront area on the NCL Breakway class ships and the whole concept of the MSC Seaside class.

However, the positives outweigh the negatives on the Oasis class and I don't think they are overpriced at all. I've priced several options across different classes, itineraries and cruise lines for next Jan/Feb and the Allure Western Caribbean sailing is among the best deals I've seen. There is a big premium on Harmony but you have the figure that with it being so new.

Oh, and I remember one thing. Please don't be offended if you are an Asian cruiser and I am wrong. None of my Asian friends (Chinese, Vietnamese etc) likes suntanning. They think it is not very healthy... So I don't think they will love Oasis class in South Asia.

Well they are right! Pretty much any dermatologist will tell you that tanning is not good for your skin. I've had a nice tan a couple times in my life and enjoyed it so I'm not "sun shaming" anyone, but facts are facts. My wife and son both have very light complexions, we do hang out on the top decks but only for a couple hours at a time and with plenty of sunscreen!

Anyway I do get what you are saying, in most Asian countries a fair complexion is seen as more desirable. It would be interesting to see some of the differences on an Asian based cruise, maybe they don't have the same problem with chair hogs near the pools.

It would be nice if RCI put a Quantum-class ship in Florida. True Quantum has a lot of indoor space but I think the design is similar to Celebrity S-Class which work fine out of Florida. I prefer the layout of the Quantum to Oasis but that is just personal preference, they both are great.

Also, Florida is getting the Celebrity Edge later this year so that should count for something since it's under the RCI corporate umbrella.

Good to hear - kids sail free is legit, wish I was planning another cruise!

I've cruised with my son at one year old (Allure) and two years old (Anthem) so hopefully I can be of some help!

Dining - I was worried about this too but never had an issue. We ate in the main dining room three times, had reservations around 6:00pm and only had to wait a couple minutes. Specialty dining was even easier, just walked up when we had reservations with no problems.

When to show up - Not sure on this one, we were staying at a hotel near the Newark airport and left for Bayonne after my son's nap which worked great. That might not be an option for you depending on travel plans but it is nice to get the nap out of the way before boarding!

Pack and Play - We had a balcony room as well and I thought the pack and play fit great. Our cabin had the bed next to the bathroom and the couch next to the balcony, the pack and play was next to the couch. You don't have to have the room steward move anything- it will fit as is. On the Allure our steward set up/took down the pack and play a couple times but we found it more convenient to do it ourselves when tidying up. Someone mentioned this in another thread, it is a good idea to bring fitted sheets for the pack and play along with pillow / anything else they sleep with.

Adventure Ocean - First off, the kids area has a really cool supervised play area with lots of toys that are appropriate for a toddler. There is a yellow bike in there that looks like a giraffe that my son loved to play on. Also, you absolutely can drop off non-potty trained kids, they have a nursery called Royal Babies and Tots which is for children 1-3 and has age appropriate toys, books, etc. They will give you a bag when you sign up the first day to put extra diapers, wipes, clothes, snacks, etc and you drop the bag off along with your child at the nursery. They will give you a cell phone during dropoff and call you if there are any issues. The staff on both the Allure and Anthem were great, but my experience was totally different on each ship. On the Allure when my son was one he had no issues being dropped off and had a great time playing - which was very nice for my wife and I to have some alone time as well! However on Anthem as a two year old he did not enjoy it at all. I dropped him off and half an hour later the cell phone rang- he was crying so we picked him up. The nursery staff gave it a good shot but he just wasn't having it. So, long story short it just depends on your child but the option is certainly there!

Other tips - We purchased a small backpack (the Buckle Buddy backpack is the exact one) for him to keep toys, snacks, sippy cups, etc in. That worked great, as you know toddlers have a lot of accessories so it was nice to have a small place to put them beside the full diaper bag. He got lots of compliments on it when walking around the ship!

That's about all I can think off for now, have a great trip!

Eggplant parm at Jamie's Italian was my wife favorite meal of the whole cruise!

Really enjoying this, thanks for posting!

If you call the RCI customer service line (866-562-7625) they can check the reservation, should be on there. They automatically added it when I booked online with my son when he was one and two years old. I called to request it but RCI said it was already on the reservation! Both times the pack and play showed up with no issues and he slept great.

I agree with Ashland that bringing your own fitted sheet is a good move, and anything else you kid sleeps with (pillow, stuffed animals, etc).

My two year old son though the bionic bar was the coolest thing on the ship so IMO it's worth the space! I recall it opening mid-afternoon, not sure how late it goes.

You guys will have a blast. One thing I did not note is that our sailing had 50 percent of its passengers listed as 18 or under! So, while we do not have kids, I can assure you that from talking to parents that there was plenty for them to see and do on the ship.

 

As for your tender ticket question, I would check with either Guest Services or the Activities Team (which has a big role in the Tendering organization) once you board the ship. Unfortunately it's not a one size fits all operation, as things like weather can cause plans to change, and since we got over to CoCo Cay before Noon, I cannot attest to the cut off point for bringing passengers over to the island. I imagine you'll be quite OK going after 2 p.m., but it's best to double check so you aren't disappointed.

Wow 50% of guests under 18 seems like a lot! Good call on checking with the Activities Team, thanks for all the great info!

Great review, thank you! Question about CoCo Cay, will I need a tender boat ticket if we are going to the island around 2pm? And what time do you have to leave the island? I will be travelling with my 2 year old son so nap time is immediately after lunch, figured we would head to CoCo Cay after that. If we can get 2 hours of beach time that would be perfect! A toddler's attention span is only so long so spending the whole day on the beach isn't really an option for us.