Celebrity Edge Infinite Veranda

[pokervfan 1]

I am booked 1/20/19 on the Edge in the Infinite Veranda stateroom. I realize the so called " Veranda" is a dual purpose space, but there is no outdoor space at all. The window lowers, which isnt the way it was presented to us . Very disappointed I cant sit outside on my balcony. Am I the only one that didnt realize this?

[Essiesmom]

Go on over to the Celebrity board here and read the current 'live from' thread on the Edge.  There is a board there for the Edge.  I think you will find that when you close the folding doors, you will have a nearly regular balcony.  EM

[pokervfan 1]

Thanks Essiesmom, will do. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

10 hours ago, pokervfan 1 said:

I am booked 1/20/19 on the Edge in the Infinite Veranda stateroom. I realize the so called " Veranda" is a dual purpose space, but there is no outdoor space at all. The window lowers, which isnt the way it was presented to us . Very disappointed I cant sit outside on my balcony. Am I the only one that didnt realize this?

Not that it helps you now but, there are images of the Edge verandas on their website.

[Cruise Junky]

I realized it from the beginning and find them a big turnoff. I hope to be proven wrong but everything I've seen so far indicates we'd hate it. I always pay extra for larger balconies and that just ain't going to cut it.

 

I also find those pictures posted above to be deceiving. It looks like the open part is far larger than the closed part but the reality pictures show very different sizes.

Edited November 28, 2018 by Cruise Junky

[pokervfan 1]

We were actually on Equinox last year when we booked this onboard. They showed us artist sketches & explained it would be " like a glass garage door that opens". Insinuated you could be outside or inside, I thought door would be where the bifold is now, not flush with the ship. Will let you know!

[pokervfan 1]

Yes I agree, pictures are deceiving. Their idea of a balcony & mine totally different.

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, pokervfan 1 said:

Yes I agree, pictures are deceiving. Their idea of a balcony & mine totally different.

Not quite sure how this differs, in one configuration, from any other ship's balcony.  With the bifold doors closed and the window at the rail lowered, you have a cabin with a full glass wall, and a balcony with a rail height glass at the side of the ship.  Just like a "normal" balcony, but the cabin wall is fully glass.  The other configuration is to raise the window at the rail, so you have a full wall of glass, and open the bifold doors, so your cabin, with its AC now extends to the side of the ship with a full glass wall.  In the "balcony" configuration, you are perhaps more tightly enclosed from above and each side (structural bulkhead between cabins instead of non-structural dividers), but you still get the open air seating (maybe no larger than other ship's balconies) and the ability to lean over the rail.  In the "enclosed" configuration, you are free to move any of the cabin's furniture out to the edge of the ship for perhaps more comfortable viewing of the sea, though without the fresh air.

 

The problem I have is with the artist's sketch showing both the rail window and the bifold doors open, which is the same as leaving your balcony door open on other ships, and will affect the AC in nearby cabins, and shouldn't be allowed.

 

Even if the "garage door" was where the bifold door is, you would still have a half height glass railing at the side of the ship, so I'm not sure what your view of the difference would be.

[pokervfan 1]

Thanks for the info, my main issue is you are not able to sit outside like other ships balconies. This is more of an enclosed sunroom, with the ability to lower a window . Again, to me its deceptive, but hopefully that will be the only issue. I agree with leaving window and bifold doors both open , is not a good idea for the a/c.

[Flatbush Flyer]

49 minutes ago, pokervfan 1 said:

Thanks for the info, my main issue is you are not able to sit outside like other ships balconies. This is more of an enclosed sunroom, with the ability to lower a window . Again, to me its deceptive, but hopefully that will be the only issue. I agree with leaving window and bifold doors both open , is not a good idea for the a/c.

Actually, I don't see the unusual Veranda as deceptive or disadvantageous. Rather, I see it as affording the opportunity to bring the outdoors indoors even in inclement weather. This would be very advantageous on cruises in non-hot/humid locations. 

 

What is depicted in the images is basically a modified solarium. We've got a solarium off of our living room (and adjacent to an outside deck) at home. It allows us to enjoy our view of SF Bay - even when it is pouring cats and dogs.

 

Of course, there remains the larger issue of yet another behemoth mass market cruise ship with almost 3,000 passengers who will soon be nickel-dimed to death.

 

[chengkp75]

1 minute ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Actually, I don't see the unusual Veranda as deceptive or disadvantageous. Rather, I see it as affording the opportunity to bring the outdoors indoors even in inclement weather. This would be very advantageous on cruises in non-hot/humid locations. 

 

What is depicted in the images is basically a modified solarium. We've got a solarium off of our living room (and adjacent to an outside deck) at home. It allows us to enjoy our view of SF Bay - even when it is pouring cats and dogs.

 

Of course, there remains the larger issue of yet another behemoth mass market cruise ship with almost 3,000 passengers who will soon be nickel-dimed to death.

 

Yes, I see this a more like a "cove" or "hull" balcony, but with a glass rail rather than steel.

[Aquahound]

I think this new design looks pretty awesome.  I really want to try this new ship!

[Tom.Kitten]

The Infinite Veranda is pretty useless.  The furniture is too large for the provided space, so you have to move the furniture, close the inner doors, move the furniture, open the window. move the furniture, then sit down.  And when you're moving the furniture, as the room attendant warns you, you have to be very careful not to catch the chair legs on the flimsy deck plate. It's far better to ignore the Infinite Veranda, pretend you have an outside cabin with a big window, and book your next cruise on a different ship.

[sloopsailor]

2 hours ago, Tom.Kitten said:

The Infinite Veranda is pretty useless.  The furniture is too large for the provided space, so you have to move the furniture, close the inner doors, move the furniture, open the window. move the furniture, then sit down.  And when you're moving the furniture, as the room attendant warns you, you have to be very careful not to catch the chair legs on the flimsy deck plate. It's far better to ignore the Infinite Veranda, pretend you have an outside cabin with a big window, and book your next cruise on a different ship.

 

The renderings and full scale mock-ups I have seen require no furniture moving at all. The doors fold towards the side walls, and the exterior window lowers at the touch of a button. Not sure where you get your idea that furniture must be moved around multiple times to gain access.

 

While Celebrity touts this design as a "new" innovation, several river cruise lines have used similar designs for years. And people like them. 

Edited December 11, 2018 by sloopsailor

[sloopsailor]

On 11/28/2018 at 11:33 AM, Flatbush Flyer said:

..... passengers who will soon be nickel-dimed to death.

 

As opposed to paying the same amount of money (or more) up front instead of "nickle-dimed" during the cruise? Not sure what difference it makes when you have to pay for things - weeks before the cruise even starts, or at the end the actual cruise itself. It is the same money that will have to be spent. 

Edited December 11, 2018 by sloopsailor

[mnocket]

It seems from early reviews that some people like the IV while others hate it.  Those that hate it report that it feels more like an ocean view cabin with a large window that opens.  Many believe that sitting on the "balcony" feels too enclosed - the balcony feeling is just lost.  People also dislike that one person can't sit on the balcony while the other "sleeps in" as there is no curtain to block the light.

 

Those that like it enjoy the extra space that it adds to the cabin.  They do not agree that the balcony feel is lost.

 

Almost everyone agrees that the absence of a full size table on the balcony is a real disadvantage as it makes eating breakfast on the balcony difficult at best.  Finally, the fact that that the balcony windows can -and too often are - closed and locked from the bridge is generally seen as a real drawback.  The windows are reported to have been locked closed during  light rain (there are no drains and water can enter the cabin itself) and sometimes when entering/leaving port (precisely when many use their balconies).

 

This may be one of those things that you'll never really be able to judge unless you experiece it for yourself.

Edited December 11, 2018 by mnocket

[Cruise Junky]

1 hour ago, sloopsailor said:

 

. Not sure where you get your idea that furniture must be moved around multiple times to gain access.

 

Probably all the reviews of people actually staying in them that state they have to move the furniture around. Epic fail by Celebrity. 

[sloopsailor]

1 hour ago, Cruise Junky said:

Probably all the reviews of people actually staying in them that state they have to move the furniture around. Epic fail by Celebrity. 

 

I read all 17 reviews that are currently posted and did not read a single review that mentioned moving furniture. I may have missed that detail, however. Several people did mention they did not like the Infinity room, but moving furniture was not a reason. Plus, most of these reviews were from a 3 day preview cruise, which I would consider not the best type of cruise to take to get a real feel for a cruise ship. 

 

BTW: I have zero interest in cruising on this ship. I never liked the concept they came up with, nor the direction Celebrity is apparently now going. After being a long time Celebrity fan, I have started looking elsewhere to spend my discretionary vacation money.

 

 

Edited December 11, 2018 by sloopsailor

[Cruise Junky]

9 minutes ago, sloopsailor said:

 

I read all 17 reviews that are currently posted and did not read a single review that mentioned moving furniture. I may have missed that detail, however. Several people did mention they did not like the Infinity room, but moving furniture was not a reason. Plus, most of these reviews were from a 3 day preview cruise, which I would consider not the best type of cruise to take to get a real feel for a cruise ship. 

 

BTW: I have zero interest in cruising on this ship. I never liked the concept they came up with, nor the direction Celebrity is apparently now going. After being a long time Celebrity fan, I have started looking elsewhere to spend my discretionary vacation money.

 

 

It's been noted several times in the live threads.

[XBGuy]

One vote for "Looks pretty cool to me."

 

I'm pleased to see the Chief contributing to this conversation.  I have a question if he is still around.  Is there an aerodynamic advantage in this new balcony design?

 

I learned about this new balcony design on the Celebrity Edge from my coffee shop buddy.  His opinion, and I am inclined to agree with this, is that this design could reduce aerodynamic drag.  When you consider design of most modern cruise ships it does seem that the open areas created by the balconies would "foul" the air as the ship moves.  With the solid design of these balconies it seems to us there would be better air management.  Air turbulence would be minimized by the closed windows--i.e., the air would move smoothly past the closed windows as opposed to being sucked around balcony dividers and, who's kidding who, as often as not through an open slider into the cabin itself.  Now, I agree that the amount of time that 100% of the windows would be closed is, most likely, pretty small.  On the flip side, though, in the current conventional design 100% of the balconies are open 100% of the time.

 

I further agree that the aerodynamic drag on a ship might be relatively small.  However, I would argue that it is nonzero.  Airlines know how much fuel they can save if they can reduce the weight of each flight by one can of soda.

[chengkp75]

As you say, there may be some benefit, but even given the relative sizes of the ship in the water and in the air, hydrodynamic resistance is orders of magnitude greater than aerodynamic, particularly at the speeds you are talking about (ships relative to airplanes).  Drag increases with the density of the fluid being moved through, and water is 780 times as dense as air.   I would doubt that aerodynamics had any part in the design decisions on this.  I think it was an attempt to create a "side of the ship looking straight down at the sea" inside a controlled environment.  However, the infinite balconies step back from the side of the ship, so that kind of defeats it in my mind.

 

As is discussed over on the celebrity boards, there are a lot of negative responses to these balconies, not the least of which is that there are no curtains on the folding glass doors separating the balcony from the cabin, and the only thing blocking sun or view into the cabin is a mylar shade on the balcony glass, and these have reportedly been breaking already.  I think, as designed and executed, that the infinite balcony is a design failure, and will be modified at the least on the 3rd and any succeeding ships (too late for the next one).

Edited December 12, 2018 by chengkp75

[MicCanberra]

Interesting discussion, I would still give it a go.

[pacruise804]

19 hours ago, mnocket said:

It seems from early reviews that some people like the IV while others hate it.  Those that hate it report that it feels more like an ocean view cabin with a large window that opens.  Many believe that sitting on the "balcony" feels too enclosed - the balcony feeling is just lost.  People also dislike that one person can't sit on the balcony while the other "sleeps in" as there is no curtain to block the light.

 

Those that like it enjoy the extra space that it adds to the cabin.  They do not agree that the balcony feel is lost.

 

Almost everyone agrees that the absence of a full size table on the balcony is a real disadvantage as it makes eating breakfast on the balcony difficult at best.  Finally, the fact that that the balcony windows can -and too often are - closed and locked from the bridge is generally seen as a real drawback.  The windows are reported to have been locked closed during  light rain (there are no drains and water can enter the cabin itself) and sometimes when entering/leaving port (precisely when many use their balconies).

 

This may be one of those things that you'll never really be able to judge unless you experiece it for yourself.

 

How do you get privacy in the cabin? Do the windows tint/dim?

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, pacruise804 said:

 

How do you get privacy in the cabin? Do the windows tint/dim?

There is a room darkening mylar shade on the balcony glass.

[pacruise804]

Thanks.  We usually keep our curtains drawn in balcony cabins, both for privacy and to keep the room from getting too warm.  I couldn't imagine a cabin that was totally exposed to others view.

 

Sorry - I just scanned up and realized you answered this in your previous post and I just hadn't read closely enough😳Thanks again for the information.