MamaChach

My husband and I are in our early 50s and this is our 2nd Celebrity Cruise.  While it’s probably not fair to compare with other ships, this review probably will compare a few things to our last cruise on the Silhouette last March.

EMBARKATION:  Hardest part was getting the Lyft driver to go faster:)  After arriving, dropped our luggage right out of the Lyft and away we went...on the ship in 10 minutes drinking champagne and trying to decide what to do first!

STATEROOM:  Our IV (infinite veranda a.k.a. window) room was not ready but we loved the fact we could go and drop off our things.  We met our room steward and he told us to just leave our things in the closet so he knew they were ours. We stayed in a C1 Concierge cabin midship on deck 11 - stateroom 11187 port side.  

The room was very inviting and spacious.  Bathrooms were roomy enough for the two of us.  The bed was by the veranda. I liked this configuration because we had plenty of room to enter, dress and unpack/sort things out.  The bed was very comfortable - pillows are the mushy type but you can order any kind you’d like. The window allows for great light to come in so it feels very open and airy.

Personally, I thought the look of the IV is very inviting and clean/fresh!  However, after working with it for a couple of days, it just didn’t fit my expectations - this being compared to a traditional balcony.  If you’ve never stayed in a balcony room, you may end up loving it! This is how we use our balcony so you can get an idea of why it just didn’t feel great for us.  We love to sleep with the balcony door cracked and curtains drawn so you get to hear the ocean, get some sea air but still have a dark room. We also use it to wait for the other to wake up - whoever wakes first will go get coffee or have it delivered and  go out on the balcony and wait for the other. The IV doesn’t allow for this. There are two options, window shut/blinds down or blinds up and window open or closed. We also love to eat our daily delivered snacks and drink our wine on the balcony after coming in from the pool.  We did this and it works fine for that - however, room 11187 has a huge overhang and you will not get direct sun on your balcony. If you are looking for direct sun don’t choose this room. If you like brightness from the sun but not direct sun, perfect spot. We appreciated the tips about turing the ‘green’ feature off on the thermostat so if you have the window cracked or open all the way, the air would still run.  The thermostat in this room must have been off. We had it set to 66/67 and it never was cool/cold. The temp read 70/71 consistently - window open or closed it did not matter. We didn’t complain as we aren’t in our room too often, but I should have reported it...sorry to the next person:) Another annoyance was you had to stand there and hold the button to raise lower both the curtain and the window one at a time.

The IV by no means ruined our trip or made us upset.  I am pointing my opinion out so if you have options, you may wish to use my opinion to make your own choices.

DINING:  We selected fixed seating at 6pm at a table of 6 as we were traveling by ourselves this time and love meeting others.  We had originally gotten on the waitlist for select dining but our travel agent removed us from it. Celebrity didn’t get the memo...after waiting in lines for 45 minutes or so upon embarkation to get this resolved.  Most people in line with us wanted select dining so this was easily switched for us. We had an awesome table (143) in the Normandie. Right by the window!

Getting a table really isn’t a problem whether you’re select or fixed.  Honestly, I’m not even sure you need to stress about making those reservations ahead of time or taking your valuable time waiting in lines when you get on board to do so.  We spoke to many people on the ship and they never had problems or a long wait. We did see pagers given out like in land based restaurants. We wanted to try the Tuscan one night.  We up to the desk at 6:15 and were sat immediately. So don’t worry if you have either dining - and our ship was not completely sold out but there weren’t too many cabins left when I checked the Saturday beforehand.  

The food in the Normandie was excellent!  Each restaurant has 3 of their own appetizers and 3 of their own main entrees.  The right hand side of the menu is the same for all of the 4 complimentary restaurants.  Our servers were attentive and quickly learned what we liked - and brought it to us without needing to be asked:)  We love traditional seating for this reason! Getting to know the staff, where they’re from and the other tablemates is fun for us!  Also, they were great about getting whatever you want...you just need to ask! I didn’t ask, but I bet if we wanted to come at 6:30 instead of 6:00 one night they would have allowed it.  

The only issue we had with main dining was that we wanted a full table of six to meet others.  Maybe with the select option, people just go on their own like a traditional land based restaurant.  We told the hostess each night how many empty seats we would have at our table and she did her best to seat people there.  That was really fun too! We met great people from Canada, England and the east coast! But other nights it was the three of us assigned to the table for fixed dining.  

Ocean View Cafe was great - no issues.  Open when you want it and a variety of flavors!  We only went here for breakfast, lunch and snacks...so pretty much all day long:)  Must watch the bread guy making different breads all day long! Oh and the hard scooped ice cream was delicious!

The Spa Cafe was awesome as well!  Love to go get a snack from here - it’s in the Solarium and offers a healthy option.

We went to Eden one day for breakfast but it was closed.  

I want to say however, this is the same quality of food and service we had last year on the Silhouette!  The staff was just as hardworking and friendly and the food was just as amazing! It must be the Celebrity way!

BARS:  We had excellent service in the Casino bar!  That quickly became our hangout before and after dinner as we didn’t have problems getting drink and the entertainment in the martini bar was easily seen and heard.   Pool service took up to 30 minutes or more during peak times. It wasn’t because people were slow or not working hard. Just not enough bar space. They had 4 bartenders behind the small bar area by the pool and I think the staff walking around went somewhere else to get  drinks made. Also, the Ocean View Cafe was serving drinks if you wanted to go in there yourself.

ENTERTAINMENT:  We went to all the shows and comedians and never had a problem getting a seat.  Now there were people who liked to walk in right at showtime or a few minutes after...if you are one of those people, then you might have a problem:)  

Shows were great!  Singers and dancers were so talented!  Some show might seem a bit odd but we appreciated how incredibly talented the singers and performers were.  They aren’t that long either so if you really didn’t like it you could manage it.

We had two comedians.  Both did an early show followed by a late night show later on in the week.  Both very funny.

We had a couple fabulous groups perform as well.  All excellent! One group was so popular they added a matinee the following day or so!  

Celebrity seems like they really want to make everyone happy...and that’s a tall order to fill!

POOL:  The pool is so large and accessible with the in water loungers and ledges to sit on.  If you require a front row seat around the pool, get there by 7:30ish I’m guessing. But you really can get a chair anywhere and have a seat on the ledges around the pool or in one of the loungers.  I didn’t use the hot tub but many complained that they didn’t like the lack of accessibility. You would have to go up a flight of stairs or two to get into one then walk down wet or back to wherever you’re going wet.

A few other points:  Elevators - there are only two sets of 6 elevators.  At popular times they were very crowded and we got turned away by full elevators more than once.  The casino is large and we had a great time. Didn’t win on slots but didn’t play enough money. Something you might not know is that you can use your On Board Credit to get chips for the tables or a ticket for the slots.  Try to go to as many spots for entertainment - like the rooftop garden and the pool parties. So fun and switching up the venue from the theater makes it so much more fun!

Final Thoughts:  Probably one of the most stunning, eye-catching ships sailing!  Always something new to discover! Eden is just beautiful! The art work around the ship is unique and interesting!  My recommendation would be to ‘GO FOR IT!’ It’s something different/ new and if you can go with the flow and like uniqueness you won’t be disappointed!

Strange is right!  What are the current Edge prices to move up?

Thank you for explaining!  No drop in price yet. May I ask how far away your sail date is that you saw that drop in price?   We still have a month. 

Do you receive another email from Celebrity showing the price drop then?  Also, may I ask which ship this is for?  We are on the Edge.  Got one move up email.  Prices too high to bid.  Do I call to check on pricing or do they send another email?

THANKS

I know it's somewhere on here but I cannot find it.  Does anyone have the Premium Drink Package list from the Edge? 

Much Appreciated!!

Anne

what happens if you try to upgrade after final payment?  How do you do this?

We are going in March on the 7 day Eastern Caribbean on the Edge.  So do you get another email when prices go down?

I would love anyone's opinion on moving up from a C1 midship to a SkySuite.  Is it really worth $2600 total minimal bid?  If I understand what I would be gaining is:  Luminae, a standard balcony, and the retreat for suite guests.  Advice wanted!

Chicago Paul,

Thank you for taking time out of your vacation to keep us all up to date on your experience on the Edge!  We are from the burbs and can't wait to get out of this awful winter in a couple of weeks!  Have a GREAT sailing!

Somewhere on here there was a link to a really great trip review with tons of photos and links to menus and dailies.  I have lost the link so if someone can repost here that would be helpful!

Host Anne,

we are sailing in March and would love to ask you a couple questions.  For some reason I can't message you on here.  Would you please email me @ anneciaccio6@gmail.com?  THANKS

I agree with you!  Love the MDR food!!  I have never experienced the move up so thank you for being specific!  So how many days in advanced did you get this email to move up?

Has anyone gotten move up emails for Edge?

4 hours ago, PROCRUISE said:

Just received move up offer yesterday. Looked them over and, laughed! 

May I ask for what ship, when is your sailing date and how much was it that it made you laugh??

Did anyone figure out who the Capitan and CD will be on the Edge March 24?  

Is there a way to try to ask for an upgrade or pay for an upgrade or is this just rebooking to a higher cabin?

We have always done Concierge.  We earn double points to build up to the next Captain Club membership.  Do AQ and Suites earn double points too?

Thank you for sharing!  Beautiful pics!  Getting even more excited now!

No I hadn’t thought of that!  Thank you!  I’m wondering how far on the waiting list we are. I’m sure everyone is getting on after reading reviews!

Does  anyone have the link to the menus at the four MDRs?

Thank you!

We are currently booked for traditional 6pm dining and on the waiting list for select so we can try all four restaurants.  We were leery last year when we sailed on the Silhouette based on all the negative reviews of the MDR food.  We ate at a specialty restaurant the first night and in the MDR the rest of the week.  Food was incredible as well as the staff.

I am excited for the 4 MDR options.  This was one of the highlights of our Disney cruise - especially since your tablemates and waitstaff traveled between the MDRs with you.  Hopefully Celebrity will be open and try this since most cruisers want to feel like they can experience all the Edge has to offer.

I have to say we did go to the specialty restaurant on the Disney cruise a couple of times so the poster above who said that they don't have one or that Celeb tries to push people toward specialty - I believe all the cruise ships operate the same way.

Thanks for all the information and links!

Now that people have sailed a few times out on the Edge, can someone confirm/deny the way the four main dining rooms work? If you have traditional seating, are you locked in to one main dining room and do not get to try the other three?  If you have select dining, you can go to any of the 4 main dining rooms?  

THANKS in ADVANCE:)

You will LOVE it! I don't have one negative thing to say about anything:) Have fun!

Thank you to everyone on here that helped me prepare for this cruise - we had an unforgettable trip!

We are 3 adults, my husband, adult son and myself. We booked this cruise 6 weeks before sailing. We booked a Concierge level outside balcony cabin as it was only $50 total more than the regular balcony cabin.

Embarkation was a bit chaotic. We arrived at 10:45. There were amusement park lines but they moved fairly quickly. Once we were through security we were directed to the 'concierge' line. There wasn't a line - we walked straight through and up to the counter to get our sea pass.

We boarded the ship and were greeted with smiling faces and a cold glass of champagne! We went to Guest Services to make a change - they were very quick, efficient and friendly!

We headed to the Concierge lunch in the Grand Cuvee main dining room. The servers were friendly and welcoming. It was about 11:30 and it wasn't too crowded at all! They served a variety of dishes. My husband and I had the salmon and my son had the pork.

We all enjoyed the food. We then went up to the Sky Bar and ordered a drink and relaxed:)

There are staff trying to sell you specialty restaurants and drink specials all over the ship all the time. They were very receptive to "Not now thank you, or I'll think about it" We didn't feel pressured at all. We did end up booking Murano's that first night at a discount of $35/pp rather than the normal $50/pp. (more on that later)

Our rooms would be ready by 1:00. They made the announcement around 12:45 that we could go to our rooms. We were VERY pleased with our room. We had 3 adults staying in the room and had plenty of space and storage. We received a welcome bottle of champagne and fruit. The beds were already configured into a king bed and the sofa was converted to a sleeper. We have never had a balcony before. We will never sail again without booking a balcony room! The bathroom was the biggest we've ever had with very ample storage! The shower had good pressure.

We emptied our luggage and put them under the bed. Three large suitcases and a duffle fit. The closet had ample hangars. We had to double up on some clothes but we did have 3 people. My husband and son used the overhead compartments for their t-shirts and such and I used the drawers. All items fit in a space:)

We made a reservation for Murano's at 7. I was glad we did this first night as it would have been rushed to make it to early dinner by 6. Service was outstanding! My husband and I had the Lobster and my son had the veal. We all liked our choices.

Main Dining Room: We chose to give the MDR a try and are super glad we did! We loved every meal - more than the last:) Our waiter, Zoran was EXCELLENT! And our Sommelier was attentive and personable too! This is what I loved about Celebrity's dining: they don't give you huge portions but will bring anything you want! We ordered 1-2 appetizers each and a salad or soup each night. And for dinner, we often ordered 2 dinners - a meat dish and the pasta for example. If you don't like what you ordered...they go out of their way to find something you will like. We also ordered 2 desserts often too:) Yes...we LOVED the food!

Pool: This is where I was frustrated - but not with Celebrity or the staff - other passengers are downright rude and inconsiderate! If you want a chair, get up at 7:00! The pool staff tried often to remove towels, but they would not remove them if there were personal belongings on the chairs. We saw so many chairs not being occupied for HOURS! Just plain rude! Pool staff and bar staff were great!

Activities and Entertainment: In my opinion, this cruise seemed geared toward teens on up with line dancing, golf putting, bags, volleyball etc by the pool and discos, trivias, comedians, and productions at night. The comedians were hilarious as well as the life activity shows in the evening. The silent disco was the most fun! They had it twice and we went twice! Sue Denning, the Cruise Director was a riot! Her sidekick, Crystal needs to chill a bit though - she came off witchy at times.

This was an Eastern Caribbean cruise. The ports are still devastated as no hotels are operational to the public yet. However, the beaches, shops and people are readily there to welcome you with a genuine smile and they are there to serve! Beaches were amazing as was service on the beaches!

Catholic Services: We were elated to find a Catholic priest who said daily mass - AND even said Easter Sunday mass the Saturday night beforehand as he knew we would be disembarking. Great service!

We will definately be sailing with Celebrity again - we wouldn't even hesitate to do this very same ship and itinerary!

First night is usually Prime rib if that matters.

 

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Yes! Thank you!

Advice needed! 7 night, first celebrity cruise:

Which night for restaurant- 1st or 2nd? When you book the package you have to choose.

Which nights to book other restaurants once on board? We don’t know when Chic nights are yet or main dining menus so it’s a bit hard to think about.

I’ve read you have to book immediately one on board to get days and times you want.

Thank you to all of the experienced cruisers that provide great advice!!