marylander2

8 hours ago, Fouremco said:

There's a very easy solution to your problem: get vaccinated.

This is a very easy solution for everything, hard to argue 😝

1 minute ago, cscurlock said:

Well there is one possibility.  They could flag your status once online check in happens.  If they get to the 5% that way anyone trying to check in after that will be denied.  Then an email gets sent to all passengers that the 5% has been reached and if you have not checked in and we have not received vaccination status you will be denied boarding.  I assume that number will be reached quite quickly by people not wanting to be denied. This seems to be the only logical conclusion and will result in minimal issues at the port.

This is all speculative... the simpler way, IMHO, would have been to officially ask everyone to provide the proof, and if anyone denies to confirm, then this individual/group is placed in the 5% threshold. Once the BOOKING quota of 5% is reached, then the next non-vaccinated person/group is placed on the wait list, just like it is done normally with the early bookings. 

Simple.

But now we all are getting paranoid about HOW-WHO-WHEN etc etc ..... HOw many of us who booked this-n-that cruise with X are not vaccinated? How many are in a particular cruise?? etc etc etc...

Not really well-thought, IMO.

3 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

The easy answer is if you are not stuck stay stuck at home. 

Sounds very Confucius-like :))))))

2 minutes ago, cscurlock said:

I am not sure how they can know in advance.  By not submitting you basically are put into a pool and the cruise lines wont know how big that pool is until the day of sailing.  If its over 5% then they will need to lock it off at some point so the ship can sail.  I am pretty sure the rules will be clearly laid out what can happen if you don't volunteer your vaccination data.  

I am not sure either :))))
All I am saying is that a thought of people coming to the pier and being denied boarding just because they are late to fit in the sacred 5% is hilarious. C'mon, this is not even a train ride, this is a cruise...

1 hour ago, Christine Frances said:

Celebrity has different protocol for Florida.  
 

When a client calls to book a cruise out of FL they are asked if they are vaxxed  or intend to be vaxxed before check in. and would volunteer proof at port check in. If they say yes a notation is made on their booking.   This booking will be part of the 95%
if the response is no or if there is a refusal to give that information there is a notation made on their booking.   At the port they would be directed to a different section to undergo more screening ($) and then further restrictions on board.   These pax are in the 5%. 

the agent mentioned that as the bookings progress they will have a good idea of the numbers in each category.   CDC wants only 5% of unvaxed  so if you say you are planning to get the shot but don’t show up with it at sneak in you move to the 5%

 

so there could be a chance that the 5% could fill up and maybe pax could be denied boarding.

I am sorry this is not how I/we got booked for December Millie cruise... We did it through *****, and while the TA had asked me about the vaccination, it was not intended to be entered anywhere in the official docs, he JUST ASKED. I feel that this nonsense with embarkation being denied for those who are late to fill the 5% quota on pier is really silly. This is not even your Jacksonville-Atlanta local flight where you are on a standby and if you are not flying in the afternoon you could catch up the evening flight... How do you imagine families coming from Mannitoba to F-Ldl to sail on Millie and they are told "sorry, our quota for 5% of non-vaccinated if filled already"? Seriously?

Makes me REALLY wonder...

How all of you guys are picturing the embarkation with no clear clue of how many cruisers do have vaccination card, and how many do not?? Are you seriously seeing this to be "first come - first serve" basis for those (measly - no offense) 5%? Really?

It will be DEFINITELY sorted out prior to anyone will even start packing their suitcases. Be it a request from X, or anything like that, but I bet that well before anyone would step on the pier it will be already sorted out, who sails in that dreadful (again, no pun intended) 5% cohort.

This is not your standby airline principle, come on..... People will fly to the embarkation port without a clear guarantee that they will sail?? Are there gonna be fights for fitting in the "5"??? Are you kiddin' me...

I am reading this thread with a great fascination for about 4-5 days or so now.

Most of the posts are spot on in terms of the X or RCCL policies and so on, about how to handle the vaccinated vs non-vaccinated cruisers etc etc.

I want to drag all of you back to the story of the Diamond Princess.
Yes, then (and there) there was no vaccination/testing/safe measures etc. ... That's not the point.

There was a guy who boarded the ship in Yokohama and disembarked in HK - a super-spreader - and while he has done this, nobody had a clue of what he had brought upon the multi-billion industry. 

ONE GUY.

So while we are talking endlessly about the ways of this-or-that decision maker could affect our upcoming cruise(s), I would like to bring upon a scenario when a passenger - fully vaccinated and tested negative -pre-cruise - comes ashore in, say, Sint Martin and catches a virus there. He then returns to the ship WITHOUT any signs of a disease and starts spreading it aboard for the next... ohhh... 2-3-4 days, if we get lucky and he develops symptoms - or not even that... So - per X policy - upon return to our beloved US of A - EVERY passenger needs to get tested negative before he/she is allowed to disembark... mind you - BEFORE!.

And here goes a Diamond Princess story again...

One can say - oh, they were not vaccinated. As a scientist who knows a thing or two about this, I can affirmatively tell you, that being vaccinated does not give you a PROTECTION. The vaccine will give you - if you catch the virus - an easy way out of it if you have enough antibodies against specific strain... but it might not be enough, and more so, this certainly will not get you a ticket to go ashore if you get tested positively. Additionally, you will be happily sharing the virus with all of us around...

Just a thing to think about.

I am not a doomsday dreamer, but it is fascinating to me how people easily take the vaccination as a piece-meal ticket to sail worry-free.

6 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

If Celebrity follows suit I will be beyond angry.  Even though I am fully vaccinated I do not want to spend thousands of dollars with a much higher risk that our ship could be quarantined, ports could prevent us from docking, etc., etc.  And then , of course, even though vaccinated the potential risk to my own health increases exponentially.  I booked with the statement from them that vaccination would be required. If they can’t abide by that guarantee I expect them to offer us full refunds.

It is a very turbulent situation. Just think about the Caribbean ports that could say "no vaccination - no stopping at our island", and they have full rights to do so. Then the cruise converts into the non-stop "day-at-sea", and this is the best scenario, if X would honor to sail "to nowhere" (infamous slogan of RCCL cruises from Singapore lately) for the duration of your cruise. I wonder how RCCL would bargain their policy change with Islanders in the Caribbean...

This looks even more dramatic under the potential of covid spark onboard, which may happen even within fully vaccinated ship contingent...

Hi all,

Much reading from this post, thank you all for your input, and I really wish everyone who came off the Solstice a safe and healthy passage through the pandemic.
Reason why I wanted to write this memo is multifaceted.

1. I was on the Solstice in Nov 2019 on SYD-OAK trip, so I felt it is close to my heart since I love NZ
2. I am a retired but yet functional pharma PhD scientist who is tracking down everything related to COVID-19 religiously

3. I tracked down a lot of stories about cruise ships these days as I am an avid cruiser myself, I cruised over 25 times on multiple lines but Celebrity is one of the two of my favorites

4. I am an American but I live in Singapore, which is prized for its relentless pursuit to keep its state COVID-19 free.

To start.
Whoever says that ONLY the cruisers (or whatever people are coming to your neighborhood, either by air or by cruise etc.) who have SYMPTOMS are prone to have the COVID-19, I urge you to read a lot of info online which tells you plainly that 1 out of 3 or 4 (at best) tested positive is showing the symptoms like coughing/runny nose etc. did transfer the virus...

IT IS TRANSFERRED LARGELY ASYMPTOMATIC. Taking the temperature and filling in the questionnaire does diddly squat.

Again, I encourage you to read materials online that demonstrate: in Wuhan/China, the earliest cases that were discovered in China (of COVID-19) are dated back as early as November 17th 2019 (!!!) In Italy, the earliest cases are dated back to pre-Christmas time. Find a stry about the Seattle Flu Study, the clinical trial that discovered that in Washington state the earliest cases could backtracked to mid January (!)

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/us/coronavirus-testing-delays.html

Next.

Remember that several ships early on were denied docking just by the sheer premise that someone onboard is having COVID-19 - again, do not want to entertain you with this, check Google. EVERY ship before docking must provide list of the passengers/crew who are sick, this is a maritime law for centuries, so did captain Leo or whatever this dude's name lie in his manifest, he has to be sued, together with Celebrity. No way he did not know about that, based on the posts here.

Next.

If any of you believes that it is cool that passengers of Solstice got off the ship scoot free, this is the biggest mistake of your lives.

No one gets free of this virus.

Look around, look at your neighborhood, be it New York (my heart goes for all the sick folks and the med-personnel there...), Massachusetts or Illinois... by the way, just look at the top 5-7 top international airports in the US and you can see where this c**p came from...
What I am saying is that regardless of how you feel, lucky or not that you've got off the ship scoot free, THIS IS NOT A JOKE, and even if you were lucky, there are (as of 3 days back) about 18 cruise ship or so around the world who have about 12,000+ crew onboard...

They are stuck, and nobody - nobody!!! - will bail them out, not their governments, not - for sure - their employers, greedy SOBs. They served us for years, they earned pennies, worked long hours and had pigeonhole quarters that are now their death trap with coronavirus.

Think about that.

How many crew members on Princess have got infected, and how many of them infected us???

This virus is easily transferred via airflows, either no-stop ship air conditioning or via people just breathing next to you - again, check Google.

Listen, people, if all of us do not stand up against this virus, we all will get what we deserved.

Wear masks, stay at your home, be patient, WAIT. 

Look at positive examples - Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, now Italy (yes, Italy, because the nation was demolished down to 9/11 grounds and yet the heroic efforts of the nation made a turn around the corner, after horrible deaths... )

This is what we will get in my beloved country if we do not take this seriously.

It is here.

Stay safe.

Just now, peter1956 said:

I totally agree with you and you would hope that other country's will learn the lesson.

But I fear that within a few years the politicians will forget what happened and start cutting back to save money.

Politicians can.

I - and I hope you as well - will not. 

The world will be different after all of this.

5 hours ago, Boatharbour said:

I thought it was odd too, but the news report said the destination was Singapore. 

Last time I checked  she  was heading down past Eden off the south coast of NSW - which is in the opposite direction to Singapore. I believe there are sick crew on board, so maybe they want to stay close to Australian waters as long as they by taking the long route. 

It does make a total sense as they wiggle their way to Singapore by 15 days (covering 14 days of infection-free ship, supposedly...), She is due to arrive (not dock, mind you) to Singapore on April 19th, per Marine Tracker. If you go North, it would take faster than 2 weeks. 
This is the only reasonable explanation to me.

The other thing is that Singapore banned all cruise ships to dock. I assume Solstice will cry out for humanitarian help but I doubt this would work because Singapore is very strict (I know as I live here) and I fear that poor crew members would have to look for another port...

I am just speechless - how greed took over the common sense in the minds of RCCL execs.

Nothing of this nonsense with poor ships floating around the globe and desperately trying to unload crew members - left alone a few STILL with passengers - should have happen if not their greed and thirst for extra bucks.

They should be punished for their tax evasion tricks, for hiring tens of thousands cheap laborers from Asia, for their greed in the times of war with coronavirus. 
I live in Asia for 11 years. I am responsibly telling you that the massacre that happens now in the US COULD HAVE been avoided if the federal government followed the examples of Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea.
These three were hit hard by SARS, and ever since they sharpened their tools to fight ANY pandemic. Taiwan has less than 400 cases by now, for 24 mln population. Read how they did it. It is VERY eyeopening.

I think the core problem - and the key difference between Solstice and Edge in their early sailings in terms of reviews - is the IV cabins. No matter how people meh'd or booed Solstice novelties, the staterooms on her were about the same (ok, with minor tweaks) compared to M-ships.

Edge's IV concept is a major flop, X fell face down with it, let's admit it. Only a handful of reviewers that I've read were neutral or positive about the IV staterooms. Overwhelming majority is totally pffffting it.

This is what makes the bulk of "3 out of 5" star rating for Edge, and this is something that cannot be changed; it is not K Hoppen rocking chair in the suites...

This will determine Edge's fate, I believe.

I believe I started CC right about the time when the Solstice was yet in the docks, and honestly I do not recall moaning and groaning as big as about the Edge. On the contrary, overall positiveness was almost troubling, and mind you, X did not do as aggressive of a media push about Solstice as it does these days about Edge. What I am saying is that I always feel cautious when read artificially overhyped company's selloff in the media, and then read the REAL stuff from cruisers... This was not the case with S-class, I went on it with no second thoughts, fell in love with Solstice from the first (second to inaugural) cruise and never had any doubts to come back.

Why would I wait for my feelings for Edge to settle?? They won't, I know it. As I said earlier in reply to teerick's question, I would probably consider sailing on Edge again ONLY if the itinerary seems right and prices are not on the level of Silversea or Seabourn. But for that very reason I would sail on RCCL or Princess - no offense, I tried them both and never had a desire to return because it is simply not my thing... unless it would be a cruise, say, in Kiribati... then I may consider.

9 hours ago, kearney said:

FYI the length of a King and Queen are the same... so space at end of the bed would be the same even if they used a smaller bed.

Kearney, I am aware of that 

Two points to clarify: 1) standard mattress length is 80 in, and normally (because of the pillows) my feet are almost right at the end of it; Edge mattress is longer by some extra 5-6 in. 

2) it is not only the length, it is also the width of that monster bed. Again, it appears to be far wider than the standard king (76 in). Must be even bigger than CA king 😂😂

I realize that for many cruisers this hard mattress is tough to sleep on, but I like firm mattresses, and the Edge bed hit the sweet spot 🤣

44 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Thanks for taking the time to review Edge and share your thoughts.  So would you sail on Edge (or Apex) again?

Yes - as long as the prices will be not as insane as they are now. The hype was good enough reason for paying first time (although we still got a good deal by booking early); I doubt many of us would pay this much for the second or third time... unless they introduce appealing itineraries. The Eastern Caribbean itinerary that we were on... came on, who would sail for it on, say, Solstice or Milly?!

Sorry, I accidentally added review as an attachment; now it's posted.

I know there are now hundreds of reviews about the Edge in CruiseCritic, but I still wanted to share my experience, as promised.

It did happen – we sailed on the Edge.

We are in our 50s, Elite with X, and have sailed about 30 or so times. Both are scientists, former engineers - this should explain why I was so particularly drawn to ship’s design and technical details… We love cruising, and do this minimum twice a year, work does not permit more.

Following all your posts, comments and reviews, I had a lot of fun, and in the past months the anticipation was so overwhelming that it became a distraction. I stopped reading and focused on stuff at work that I had to finish before going for a cruise.

There will be many things that you have read a lot about, some new – and perhaps unusual for some – observations, and some things that may look controversial, but I firmly believe that I deserve a chance to speak, simply because one too many times I’ve heard “Why you are commenting on this-n-that, you did not set your foot on the Edge!”

So I did.

And here goes.

What was the most striking and unusual about this ship?

It is built in non-traditional, perhaps weird for some, way.

There are a lot of places that are curved, rounded, “ovalled”. There are a lot of nooks and crannies, hideaways and coves. There are spiraled staircases, odd passages (Metal Forest) and, quite conveniently, connecting corridors. The Edge has only two elevator sets, and this is actually an issue, because – as many of you already noted – this leads to congestions during rush hours, e.g. before dinner or during early rush for disembarkation in the new port etc. I also can’t get it why the elevators are slow – this adds up to the issue.

The ship is designed – maybe, on purpose? – in the way that you cannot get through from bow to stern on several decks, and someone already mentioned it; this is unusual for traditional cruise ships. Not that it is annoying, but it makes it hard to move about the ship, unless you get to know the restrictions and bypasses.

There are three places inside the Edge that are “airy” – the Theater, then the central opening (with Martini bar dominating) and the Eden, to a certain degree. I can’t count The Club an airy place, to me it resembles a ghastly underground multi-level cemetery from “Interview With The Vampire”. Yes, I get it, it is THE CLUB, the hangout and so on – it should be like that, but I find it a strangely disturbing place. It’s cold, dark, and depressing – I caught myself trying to see the coffins in the wall niches… Again, it’s just me, perhaps.

The rest of the “big space” on the Edge is actually too small, including four jam-packed free restaurants (I cannot call them “main restaurants” because they are crammed and stuffy; plus, some of them, like Cosmopolitan, are very dark – I was laughing when saw many patrons using their cell phone lights to read the menu). To me, the idea of splitting the MDR into four separate rooms did not work - again, cannot call them the “themed restaurants” because no matter how you slice it, only a measly six dishes are “authentical” for each of them, and they do not change, so it is really a décor and the name that differ these eateries from each other.

This brings me to the Oceanview café (OVC).

Here again, this is a strange place, because it is unbalanced, in my view. There is plenty of seating, and even at peak times you can find a place, but this is done by sacrificing the actual buffet space, which becomes packed at peak times, so it is tough to maneuver through the crowd with your hands busy with plates-glasses – and yet, if it is a rush hour, your luck to find a free seating could bring you all the way to almost midship… So if you have difficulty of moving freely, it is a problem. We did not have an issue with making 2-3 trips back-n-forth, as we are fit and active, and in fact this helps to burn the calories 🙂

This setup is somewhat different from the S-class and quite different from the M one, which I personally like more.

Ample seating space is good, and there were a few nice novelties, like multiple (not only at the entrance) bar-like tables, and one-sided long tables along the windows.

Once I started with eateries, let’s talk about the food.

Perhaps for those folks who never sailed (or started sailing just recently) with X, the food on the Edge is great, but I noticed three things, that instantly would tell an experienced cruiser: there are corner-cuttings in many places.

1) Quality of the food is not even remotely as good as many of you remember from the century break or earlier for X. It is not even comparable with several S-ships that we sailed recently. It is OK at best, but nothing great, like the food that we had in OVC during spring’s cruise to the Northern capitals on Silhouette.

2) Corner-cutting was obvious in the taste and quality of soups and entrees in the OVC, and desserts especially. Presentation was superb – kudos to patissiers – but the taste was bland because of the mediocre quality of the ingredients; you can clearly taste the difference in the same-looking piece of Opera cake in the specialty restaurant and the OVC. That cake even has different number of layers (!!!) for specialty restaurant and for OVC –8-9 vs 5 – and the OVC one does not have crunchy caramel pieces in it… You may say “freak”, but I don’t care 🙂 It proves me right.

3) Do you ever pay attention to the odor of the eatery, just when you cross the door sill? Fine ones have a nice, alluring smell of spices, fresh baked bread, or grilled meat. Chain restaurants, like Olive Garden or Applebee’s, have in addition an odor of burning (cheap) cooking oil, plus annoying and obstinate smell of disinfectant... The low-end eateries have a persistent smell of wet, stinky rags. This is how the OVC smelled a couple of days into the sailing, and no matter how nicely the food presentation was done, or how helpful and smiling the stuff was, the feel of a cheap mom-and-pop old diner was spoiling it all.

We ended up taking the food (at lunch time) to our “balcony” and eating there.

I put “balcony” in quotation marks for the same reason as many of us feel bamboozled with the design of IV cabins. We had a deluxe OV room with veranda (1A), at the aft. While having a real sliding door and a “balcony” was a great thing, the size of it was not enough to place there anything bigger than two rope chairs and the “older brother of tom-tom”, the coffee table with flip top… and even then, it was impossible to move the chairs a few inches sidewise. But the chairs are actually not bad to seat on; regardless of their odd look, I was impressed.

This brings me to the functionality and décor of the cabin itself. Too much already was said about the “Hoppillows”, K. Hoppen’s decorative pillows. They flood the room, they are everywhere. I stacked them in the corner and forbid the attendant to place them back on the bed. I leave aside the hygienic matter (I am sorry, but I doubt that the covers are actually laundered between the cruises, forget being changed like the bed linen, once in 3 days or so…); just the sheer amount of them – I think, 12 or something like that – was scary.

Also gone to the corner was a white vase (it occupies way too much space on the drawer top, and together with the lamp bolted smack in the middle of it, the space on the top was enough only for a couple of mid-sized plates arriving with room service). I also hid in the corner an infamous piece of coral, which freed a space for room keys/watch/rings etc. in the niche where the coral was placed by design.

Now comes a tale about the electric outlet box.

From the very beginning, the first time I saw this live “addition” to artistic renderings of the Edge staterooms, I was puzzled – why would one need to hide the sockets inside the box?? It proudly sits – again, using a lot of precious space – on the fridge top and is a sore spot for an eye, even though it is made of white plastic that supposed to blend in with the décor… At some point I realized that there is no place for the set of outlets and USB ports on the side wall – the space is tight because the fridge sits tucked well and to mount the set on the outside wall of the fridge cabinet is not possible. Besides, all electrical wiring in the room is done OUTSIDE the walls, in crown moldings, positioned along the corners between ceiling and walls (I used these, by the way, to place the hooks for hangers, hat, etc., by jamming one side of S-hook in the gap of molding and ceiling (hint!). There are no hooks in the cabin, aside of two on the bathroom door).

Long story short, the only space for outlets would be on the TOP of the drawer chest/fridge cabinet, and then accidental spills would be a fire hazard. Thus, the little electric treasure chest was built… I also question its functionality, because the slots for wires are not in alignment with the actual sockets inside, and for bigger plugs (I live in Singapore and have these painfully large…) the wire just cannot pass through the slot because it is not centered with the socket.

I apologize for ranting a lot about the “treasure chest” but really, this is a very odd thing for otherwise supposedly well-designed staterooms of the Edge.

The size of the room itself is relatively adequate. I actually want to meet and to chat with that individual who thought that bringing king size beds in 200 sq ft room is a great idea. Seriously. Our room had a layout with the bed next to the closet; one day I actually tried to stand upright in the passage between bed footing and wall-mounted TV – and failed. It literally is as wide as the standard hanger (I placed one in there and took a picture). I feel sorry for the folks with scooters or wheelchairs; it is only 15-16 in wide! Ginormous bed seems to dominate the room… and by the way, 50-in TV can be watched only while lying down on it, because you just cannot see much from the sofa – and there is no swivel console for TV, which obviously cannot be mounted there for the lack of space.

I wanted to use HDMI cable to hook up my laptop to TV, but when I called the Guest Relations, asking how can I connect laptop to it, I was told with the stern voice that “NOTHING should be connected to TV!”. Strange.

Let’s go to the bathroom.

Others are saying that the Edge bathrooms are bigger. I actually measured it, and it is about the same as on S-class. The difference is in the ANGLES. The wall separating bathroom and cabin (mirror on one side, closet on the other) is not perpendicular to the cabin wall. Edge shower stall is bigger because they protruded the far corner of it into the utility block, which is located between the bathroom and the hallway outside. Normally, it is rectangular, but on the Edge it is almost triangle, which gives more room for the shower stall – it is indeed bigger than on S-ships. They also bulged out the round part of it (with the door), and this created a problem: because the curvature is changed, there is no way to use the sliding doors like on S-ships, and thus they are forced to use the swinging door; when you open it after showering, it is so wide that it hits the counter… water running down the door is dripping on the floor, and the only solution is to cover the whole floor with a spare towel, not just the floor mat.

They use stationary dispensers for shampoo/shower gel/conditioner that are locked on the wall. I feel that the personal care product selection was done by a person who never actually bothered to try the chosen products him/herself with the ship-produced water, because – get this – neither shampoo nor bath gel produce ANY SUDS… They just don’t lather at all! Instead, when you apply any of these things, you feel a thin film on the skin, like glycerol, only it is harder to wash away.

Whoever approved these particular products for the Edge, has to be fired because at least he/she should know that cruise ship uses mostly (if not all) desalinated water, and it is VERY soft… These shampoo and bath gel are clearly wrong for the use with soft water.

I may sound nit-picking, but these are small things that eventually could become quite annoying when bundled…

However, I also can say many positive things about the cabin and the ship overall.

The individual air conditioning system for each cabin is a superb idea, and it is especially great when you want to breathe the sea air while sleeping: it does not turn in while the balcony door is open. Once the door is shut, the a/c works very efficiently and can be easily controlled from the control display or phone app. It works in cycles, just like the home a/c system, not continuously as on S-ships (by the way, I spoke to the Edge Chief Engineer and he said that even on S-class ships the a/c is NOT linked to other rooms or – more so – hallway, as somebody told me earlier in the Edge message board).

Astonishingly, for a seven-day cruise – especially, Caribbean – there is plenty of space to store your stuff, and I was particularly happy with extra space in the bathroom: tons of shelving, plus a big drawer under the sink. Speaking of which, it is very convenient to use, not as awkward as on S-ships where I constantly bang my forehead with the crane-like faucet. Yes, the closet is perhaps half the size of the older X ships (by the way, the safe in it is really tiny!) – however, we are not coming to Caribbean cruise with the tux and a bunch of evening gowns.

The Edge cabin had the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in – both at sea and on land. Hard, balanced, great pillows. Perfect for me, except I don’t need a bed where four of me can sleep without touching elbows. I am six feet tall, and yet there were a few spare inches of bed at my feet… total waste of space.

The ship has amazing stability, at least during the long hauls at sea days I never felt ship rocking much, and I am very sensitive to the motion.

The Edge has a fantastic set of workout equipment, I enjoyed the gym every morning and had restored the sense of the muscles that I already forgot about a while back :). My DW is an avid jogger/walker, and she says that the jogging track on the Edge is great.

The TV is superb, the quality of satellite reception at times was of the level I have not experienced on cruise ship before. I watched two NBA games (ESPN), and it was as crisp and as smooth as if I was watching them back home.

A few words about the solarium and the pool.

The number of loungers around the pool area if ample enough to accommodate all cruisers, I think. However, it creates a problem – and I have never seen this before on cruise ships – the pool staff sets the chairs so close to each other that there is literally no space to even slide between them, and – as many already noted – there are no small tables next to the loungers for drinks/personal items. It is all about spacing and demand, as in the OVC as well.

I cannot rationalize why the designers neglected the fact that there is no shade at all on the pool deck. A few canopies here and there, like on S-ships, would have been very easy to install, but… Yes, there small pockets under the upper deck cantilever at the deck corners, but the air there is stagnant and many people were avoiding them. There is a thin strip of shade formed by the jogging track above but it is narrow, and it was funny to see how people were moving their loungers trying to catch up with the shade if they stayed long.

The whole pool deck was scorching hot during sea days, and the amount of the sunscreen crèmes that people were using was so overwhelming, that it formed a film – I kid you not – on the pool surface with lots of tiny rainbow bubbles from the sunscreen surfactants!

Yet another oddity on pool deck is cabanas area. Again, many reviewers already mentioned this, but I wanted to say as well – this restriction of free passage through the six cabanas is nonsense; either let people go through it freely, or create a parallel way outside, move loungers closer to the pool. I also feel sorry for patrons who paid a fortune to get a cabana, and yet there were people who ignored the sign “private function” at the entrance to cabanas area and roamed through…

We are not interested (much) in the entertainment while cruising – prefer a relaxing, quiet time onboard, but we stop by the Theater every now and then to check out the shows. I would say that the Edge shows are entertaining enough for us to stick with them for more than our usual 15-20 minutes – they are quite modern and utilize the possibilities of an amazing equipment and podium fully. The cast is professional enough, nothing superb, but alright. The only complain is the decibel level – most of the times, it was very loud.

A couple of times, when we hang around the pool, the “cruise director deputies” were organizing game contests – they screamed so loud, and the music pumped up so strong that some people were leaving the sun deck. Again, cannot understand why the cruise director staff feel that “fun” must be a synonym of “tear my eardrums”. The quality of challenges used in the games is disputable, I personally felt that people who were brave enough to participate had a few good drinks before stepping up… but hey, they had fun, I guess. I felt like on Carnival cruise.

This brings me to Eden.

I have mixed feelings about the place. I really like the whole concept – using the aft on three decks level, with a lot of space, glass wall, uneven cutoffs and so on is a great idea. However, I question the way they use the place. Again, this is my personal opinion, but I liked the opportunity to hang out there during sea days after lunch; even a few nooks outside, with plenty of chairs, were great. I was not a big fan of evening show there, for a few reasons (it is repetitive, it is NOT engaging, the “Edenists” – I felt that way – are uncomfortable with themselves performing the acts they don’t enjoy etc.); the Eden restaurant menu is pretentious and most definitely does not deserve money charged for the dishes there… But I hope that eventually it all settles down, and Eden will become a place to be on Edge. Not the Magic Carpet, which I think is the overhyped and weird concept. There is nothing special about it, honestly. Yes, no other ship has that, but hey, X ships also do not have zip lines and brightly painted sliding pool tubes – does this make Carnival, Norwegian or RCCL more appealing ships than X? I stepped there a few times, had a drink, looked down. That’s it. People this is only a bump-out on the deck, nothing more. Imagine if decks 5, 16, and 2 had a bulged-out expansion of otherwise straight deck – would it be magical? I doubt. They do not allow to RIDE on that platform up and down, and this instantly kills the fun and the meaning of “magic carpet”. The most use of it is perhaps for tendering, but on our cruise we didn’t have tender-served ports.

A few words about crew.

Obviously, X wanted to bring the best there, on the Edge. This is their dog and pony show. I have met 3-4 guys and gals from other X ships, and when I spoke to them, their reactions were mixed; however, one comment was almost identical – they are extremely overworked… The shifts are long, and – for some reason – they feel that the crew is understaffed. Was this done intentionally, or just because the Edge is a novelty and X tries to learn things on the go as well – don’t know. But I spoke to a girl at one of the long-working stations at OVC, and she looked totally drained. SIXTEEN HOURS long shift. Imagine that.

I ranted long enough, I believe. It’s all about the hype. I was soooo excited to get there, and when I did, I learned a lot and saw a lot, that’s why I wanted to share all this with you. I hope that those who reached this point of my review have enjoyed it.

Lastly, I think that bringing into a highly competitive cruise industry a product like Edge needs more adaptivity than commanding. You cannot expect people to get to love something right away because you tell them – “love it!”. It needs to be done carefully, otherwise you lose devotees not only from this Edge ship but from X in general. Of course, there will be newcomers, and X ships will be full (well, almost full…) but guess what, Oceania who has perhaps the best “returnees” percentage throughout the whole fleet, does gosh darn well without flying a Magic Carpet…

That’s why the average review level about the Edge (out of over 200 now) is 3 out of 5. People don’t like being pushed and showed.

Thank you.

3 hours ago, jelayne said:

 

In addition to the cocktails at Eden,  Elites and E+ had 3 drinks loaded on the sea pass and they could be used at any bar between 5-7 for the same drinks that were available in Eden.  Many chose to got to bars other than Eden.

The welcome card for Elites in our room clearly stated unlimited drinks in the Eden bar only. Not that I wanted to fight for a spot at Martini bar, but I have met many former co-cruisers/Elites, and they all had the same pattern - Eden+unlimited, not "plus three" elsewhere.

Must have been miscommunication on X part.

Again, I enjoyed Eden far more than Martini bar, even though there were - at times - tons of Elites and RCCL Emerald (? - not sure if this is equivalent level to Elite) members. We were always able to find a good sitting spot, and waiters were very efficient there.

Initial invitation for Elites was saying (on the contrary) "any bar except Eden" and - I think - Sunset bar or some other.

We were very pleased to find out that Eden will be a CC happy hour place after all.

I am glad you enjoyed the cruise 🙂

16 hours ago, jcpc said:

I was also on the January 13th sailing and agree with what jelayne posted.  What irritated me the most was the fact that it was literally almost impossible to get a chair in the Martini Bar area evenings from 5 pm to 7 pm.  There is no dedicated lounge for the Captain's Club gathering so everyone seemed to get their "3 free drinks" at the Martini Bar.  I guess they all must have gotten there at 4:45 pm and camped out until 7 pm. 

 

I am very confused - we must have been on different Edge ships :))))))))))))))

I sailed on Jan 13 as well (will post a review shortly), and Captain's Club happy hour was held daily at dedicated area - the Eden bar, 5 to 7 pm, with unlimited drinks... We enjoyed it every evening. Unless there is another Captain's Club, or another illuminati-like social gathering at Martini bar, which CC gathering you are referring to, if you don't mind? 🙂

24 minutes ago, wdblake said:

Not saying that I would do this (eyes shifting from side to side). 

Ha ha ha (eyes slightly shifting)

This is the trick that was used thousands of times by savvy cruisers, and it is as old as a wheel - however, I just called the X captain's club and they told me that ALL LIQUIDS (DRINKS) - two bottles of wine plus water/soda/sports drinks etc. ... have to be carried on, NOT checked in. Alcohol allowance (official) = 2 wines. Water/soda/juices/milk etc. = as much as you can carry on you while checking in with your carry on. 

I wonder (talking about, ahem, rum runners) if anything of suspicious volume (huge mouthwash bottles etc.) will be allowed in the check-in. This suspicion rests on the funny hold-up of VTcruising maple syrup bottles (in a "naughty room" on the Edge!). Therefore, I am not gonna rum-runner-risk it, just will use 2 wines plus my favorite sodas (Dr Pepper) plus GATORADE (go Gators!), and I am sure I can add a few bottles of sparkling water - all has to be hauled by my trusty shoulders... 

5 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

I thought I read somewhere that someone had problems bringing on water on Edge.  Remember Edge has a serious program regarding plastics.  From what I remember they were refused bringing on water due to the plastic bottles.  I would check with Celebrity specifically for Edge.

Yes, this was one of the reasons I wanted to hear from the people about their Edge experience. I do remember a post by someone saying about the issue of plastic bottles being brought on the Edge, or at least of an issue with bringing WATER to the ship. I hope those already sailed would share their experience. 

Thanks - I am certainly aware of those; however, there were some reports stating different approach of security staff to this issue on the Edge (vtcruising, if I remember correctly, had trouble with maple syrup in the check-in luggage...).

Over the years, I personally saw a lot of deviation from the printed lines while bringing alcohol and water to many of the X ships, that's why I am asking about PERSONAL experience on Edge.

But thank you again for pointing out. 

Edge cruise is getting closer.

Could those of you who already sailed kindly post here your experience with bringing (and perhaps, ahem, sneaking :)) alcohol and water/soda on-board of the Egde?

(Bot on embarkation day and in ports - I personally enjoy St Maarten for availability and pricing of good liquors...).

RCCL - as I have read on relevant thread - seemed to limit the water/soda take-in on embarkation day; does this apply now to X as well?

Also, where to carry alcohol (those two bottles of wine) - in carry-on? And there is a stern "no" to ANY liquid-filled (wink-wink) bottle(s) in the check-in?

Please share your knowledge!

3 hours ago, cruisestitch said:

On Edge, It was three drinks loaded on your card, drinks to be chosen from the Captain's Club menu, from 5-7 p.m. , available at all bars and lounges except Eden and Magic Carpet.  There was also something called the "member meet=up location" which was the Club on Deck 4.  There was another activity held there simultaneously the night I went, and it was freezing cold, and the chairs were ridiculously uncomfortable, so I left and used the drink voucher elsewhere.

Do they serve hors d'oeuvres there, like in Sky Lounge on S ships during CC member meet ups?

16 hours ago, ecslady said:

 

For pre or post dinner dinners, there really is only one suitable Bar/lounge IMO and that is the very overcrowded Martini Bar where it is hard to get a seat.  The Club environment is not inviting and other activities were being held there per-dinner. Later in the evening it becomes a nightclub.  The Eden has the Edenists running around, and while I did not experience incense burning on the Dec9-16 cruise, I did read about that.  Not good for people with allergies or other breathing issues.

 

Going outside after one is showered and dressed for dinner for a drink is not something I want to do. I, too, missed a space like the Ensemble or Rendevous.  And they took away the forward Sky Lounge to put the Suite Retreat in.  They were quiet venues where you can sit, have a drink or two, and some pleasant conversation.  This is where the EDGE is severely lacking. And, I would never think of the casino, or the ocean view bars as a pre or post dinner lounge to get a drink.  Cafe el Bacio is limited in what they serve as we found out. And , I too don't know where the Resort Bar is.

 

Your TA is on the mark with her assessment. 

Interestingly, in one of the more educat(ive?)ed reviews about the Edge, the reviewer uses this sentiment/recommendation:

"My advice to Celebrity is to consider adding more lounges to the upcoming sister ships. Ditch a couple of those extra-pay restaurants for some unique lounges."

Initially, I thought that this is a good idea for fixing the obvious socially inept design flaw... but then, just by eyeballing the financials behind the two options, I thought that specialty restaurants should still win the battle - if you encounter upcharge PLUS everybody would STILL order drinks in there... At least this is an even-steven thing... so - no, I don't think that X is going to change this.

Feel sorry, though.