Celebrity Edge- Major Ship Envy!

[RDC1]

25 minutes ago, stickey_mouse said:

 

I had no idea, until this thread, that a forward viewing area was so important to people. Personally, I just want to see the ocean; direction matters not. 

 

And I'm happy to hear that you won't be competing with me for space on the K-dam class, Edge class, or Solstice class. 

on scenic routes such as the New Zealand Fjordlands forward viewing is extremely important. Caribbean not so much.

[mcrcruiser]

 Celebrity  has much higher per day cruise prices than HAL  . We had looked at Celebrity cruises in the Caribbean before deciding on  HALs  Konigsdam    for a 10 night Southern Caribbean cruise  in March 2019 ; which includes all 3 of the ABC islands . Even though we  would get  free cocktails(2 hours daily ) ,free washes (4) & free internet on a Celebrity cruise ,we still selected The HAL cruise not just because of a price point but also the itinerary was better for us .  

 

We have also decided to stick with HAL & Princess cruise  line ships primarily because both lines sail from 2 ports here in Southern California ,that we are able to drive to & no need to fly ;which is a major advantage for our future cruising  

 

 

 

 

[Doubt It]

1 hour ago, stickey_mouse said:

 

I had no idea, until this thread, that a forward viewing area was so important to people. Personally, I just want to see the ocean; direction matters not. 

 

And I'm happy to hear that you won't be competing with me for space on the K-dam class, Edge class, or Solstice class. 

 

The forward viewing areas are paramount for cruises like South America, Baltic, sailing into Venice is legendary, sailing into Kotor at the front of the ship going through the narrows is beyond words, arriving in Singapore and Hong Kong got to have a front view, the sail into and out of Stockholm with the winding route you got to be up front.

 

Celebrity has a blah itinerary inventory soooo maybe a front viewing area is not so important.

 

That is why the premium and luxury lines all retain their forward viewing areas because their guests demand it and their itineraries must have it.

 

 

 

 

 

[blueboro]

3 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

 Celebrity  has much higher per day cruise prices than HAL  . We had looked at Celebrity cruises in the Caribbean before deciding on  HALs  Konigsdam    for a 10 night Southern Caribbean cruise  in March 2019 ; which includes all 3 of the ABC islands . Even though we  would get  free cocktails(2 hours daily ) ,free washes (4) & free internet on a Celebrity cruise ,we still selected The HAL cruise not just because of a price point but also the itinerary was better for us .  

 

We have also decided to stick with HAL & Princess cruise  line ships primarily because both lines sail from 2 ports here in Southern California ,that we are able to drive to & no need to fly ;which is a major advantage for our future cruising  

 

Kind of depends on the itinerary as to pricing.  We found a great price on Koningsdam Iberian cruise in September...and last year on the Westerdam Adriatic.  Unfortunately they included no on board credit or other benefits but worth the price.  In February we have an unobstructed balcony on the X Silhouette going to the ABC islands and C. Cayman.  9 nights, $525 onboard credit, drink package (including gratuities) for $1,512 pp including all taxes and fees.  Could not find anyone who come close to the pricing and benefits. 

 

Edited December 5, 2018 by blueboro

[Stateroom_Sailor]

If you look up the theater entertainment, and performances in Eden, it's got a sinister-eerie vibe.  Some of the performers are more talented than others, with some doing simple repetitive motions, if not random.  A passenger told me, "the whole ship is kinda creepy, but in a good way."  

 

I'll pass.

[mcrcruiser]

32 minutes ago, blueboro said:

 

Kind of depends on the itinerary as to pricing.  We found a great price on Koningsdam Iberian cruise in September...and last year on the Westerdam Adriatic.  Unfortunately they included no on board credit or other benefits but worth the price.  In February we have an unobstructed balcony on the X Silhouette going to the ABC islands and C. Cayman.  9 nights, $525 onboard credit, drink package (including gratuities) for $1,512 pp including all taxes and fees.  Could not find anyone who come close to the pricing and benefits. 

 

Check out Koningsdam ,10 night Southern Caribbean ,  March 17 ,2019 itinerary & pricing .  We have OBCs from both our TA & the Carnival corp share holder  OBC  for a V category  upgraded from a VF  balcony Cat  .We did compare the price we got from our TA ( we send out all our cruises to bid by TAs --can not discuss that bid site on cruise critic ,their rules )  against a similar cruise with Celebrity . Our 10 night cruise goes to Grand turk , HALS island ,Amber cove & the 3 ABC islands  .Total cost $2518.00 . 

 We are not  drinkers except a glass of wine at dinner  . There we bring in our own wine  & pay the corkage of $18 per bottle  . We love our own wine selections 

[RDC1]

5 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

 Celebrity  has much higher per day cruise prices than HAL  . We had looked at Celebrity cruises in the Caribbean before deciding on  HALs  Konigsdam    for a 10 night Southern Caribbean cruise  in March 2019 ; which includes all 3 of the ABC islands . Even though we  would get  free cocktails(2 hours daily ) ,free washes (4) & free internet on a Celebrity cruise ,we still selected The HAL cruise not just because of a price point but also the itinerary was better for us .  

 

We have also decided to stick with HAL & Princess cruise  line ships primarily because both lines sail from 2 ports here in Southern California ,that we are able to drive to & no need to fly ;which is a major advantage for our future cruising  

 

 

 

 

if you look at data from market watch and look at the ratio of percent revenue, dividend by percent passenger market share, a good metric for comparing relative revenue per passenger you will find that Celebrity is similar to princess at a ratio around 1.4. HAL is higher with a ratio of around 1.8. as such it would seem overall HAL is able to get a higher revenue per passenger day.

for perspective NCL is around .9, Oceania is around 3, regent, crystal and seaborne are in the 6 range

Edited December 5, 2018 by RDC1

[*Miss G*]

21 hours ago, stickey_mouse said:

 

Yes, but the Nieuw Amsterdam is now smoke free after dry dock. Since early 2018. So the guidelines haven't been updated. There's still hope, perhaps?

 

They definitely haven’t been updated in a long while because there are other HAL ships where the casinos are smoke-free.

 

On 12/3/2018 at 12:22 PM, ronbe65 said:

 

It links to the cruise line's computer-generated ads that are never exactly what the real ship is (related to all new designs). There is a video tour of the real cabin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRpbJy1abuk

 

You’re right.  The reality is completely different.

[notladjr]

It's kind of funny how polarizing the subject of ships and cruise lines can be. A lot of people have a small niche of what they like and tend to disparage anything different. We are longtime RCCL cruisers who have also cruised Celebrity, NCL and for the first time this past week HAL on Nieuw Amsterstam.

 

My wife and myself loved HAL and Nieuw Amsterdam. It was beautiful, well kept, had an amazing staff, and  was the perfect size ship for an middle aged / older couple to cruise to the Caribbean on. However my wife pointed out to me that for the longer transatlantic / repositioning cruises we like to do she would prefer a larger RCCL ship with the large open promenade that truly gives you the feel of being a city at sea with bars, restaurants, and stores all on the "street". This doesn't make HAL bad or RCCL better just different and I believe a lot of us can enjoy each. I am not locked in to just one style like some of you are.

 

Will I cruise HAL again? Absolutely! Will I cruise RCCL again? Absolutely! Different but great experiences with both lines. (oh and we cruised Celebrity once and loved it but having so few ships and thus less sail dates and itineraries has kept us from cruising on Celebrity again as of now).

 

 

 

[iancal]

Agree.  It is very odd just how much some posters get out of sorts.

 

Even to the point of price.  Our last cruise was on Princess.  Three ships, same itinerary.  HAL and Celebrity had the same pricing...40 plus percent highter than Princess.  We have been on slightly more Celebrity ships than any other brands.  Why?  Their price, when we have purchased in the final payment window, was always less than Princess and HAL-often by a very fair amount.  Does this mean anything?  Absolutely not.  Pricing comes down to when you book, how you book, where you book (in or out of country) and who books-direct or TA.

[stickey_mouse]

1 hour ago, ronbe65 said:

The first review is out.

 

Interesting. Given how one-sided it is, I'm eager to see if this is a one-off, or if others follow suit. I have read comments from 'professionals' (podcasters, travel writers) who have sailed it, and they praised it. Time will tell how Edge is received. 

[stickey_mouse]

4 hours ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

If you look up the theater entertainment, and performances in Eden, it's got a sinister-eerie vibe.  Some of the performers are more talented than others, with some doing simple repetitive motions, if not random.  A passenger told me, "the whole ship is kinda creepy, but in a good way."  

 

I'll pass.

 

I get the vibe of Cirque du Soleil, which does tend to lean toward the mysterious and odd. Not exactly my thing. But I think the final product seems to be less whimsical than its original plans suggested, which I think is a good thing. 

[zoomerica]

It’s clearly way too big for our tastes, and the styling isn’t me, but overall I have to say it’s pleasing. I really like the forward thinking features. The tender dock island is brilliant. Good to see lines starting to look at everything for possible improvements. 

[POA1]

1 hour ago, stickey_mouse said:

 

Interesting. Given how one-sided it is, I'm eager to see if this is a one-off, or if others follow suit. I have read comments from 'professionals' (podcasters, travel writers) who have sailed it, and they praised it. Time will tell how Edge is received. 

Considering that anyone who has been on it now is experiencing a mostly empty ship, I'd wait until a few cruises in. We had the Silhouette booked last year, but had to cancel because some of our party could not get off work. 

[terrydtx]

12 hours ago, ronbe65 said:

The first review is out.

Having read this review by a seemly loyal Celebrity cruiser, it is not good news and was given only a 1 star. These new verandah cabins appear to be smaller and the infinity balconies are small and cramped.

[notladjr]

When we sailed out of Port Everglades a few days ago, 11/25/18, on Nieuw Amsterdam from berth 21 Edge was directly across from us at #25. She looked stunning. My wife thought she was very beautiful and I did as well. We will have to see how some of the new innovations work out in the real world as actual passengers cruise on her and write reviews. As has been mentioned there are several walk through videos on youtube from the press / travel agents preview that was gonig on around the time we saw her. That day there was also a helicopter circling Edge with an obvious camera bubble on the front I assume taking news or promo video of her.

[ABoatNerd]

Excellent thread.

 

What the Edge means to me is the continued and deliberate plan to - use physical ship attributes to dazzle guests while - reducing service levels, food quality and quantity and other items. The small stateroom sizing is an example.

 

Cruise lines are hoping that consumers are so enthralled with the bells and whistles that they will not notice the eroding product.

 

A recent poster on the Celebrity site posted that in the MDR they are serving pressed turkey roll as turkey dinner - really Celebrity, not.

 

What is the saying  - "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time"

 

Not buying it Celebrity or HAL or Princess etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stateroom_Sailor]

2 hours ago, ABoatNerd said:

Excellent thread.

 

What the Edge means to me is the continued and deliberate plan to - use physical ship attributes to dazzle guests while - reducing service levels, food quality and quantity and other items. The small stateroom sizing is an example.

 

Cruise lines are hoping that consumers are so enthralled with the bells and whistles that they will not notice the eroding product.

 

A recent poster on the Celebrity site posted that in the MDR they are serving pressed turkey roll as turkey dinner - really Celebrity, not.

 

What is the saying  - "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time"

 

Not buying it Celebrity or HAL or Princess etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I fear you may be right, considering what has happened with RCCL.  I heard a statistic that 50% of RCCL passengers are repeat customers, 25% first time cruiser, and 25% have cruised on other lines.

 

The Celebrity crowd is used to higher standards without flash, I doubt they'll be as easily swayed by dazzled.

 

 

[mcrcruiser]

IMO Celebrity will have to lower it's  Edge sailing prices  to be competitive  with other major cruise lines to have  the general cruising public   sail on her  

[Cruiser Bruiser]

4 hours ago, ABoatNerd said:

Excellent thread.

 

What the Edge means to me is the continued and deliberate plan to - use physical ship attributes to dazzle guests while - reducing service levels, food quality and quantity and other items. The small stateroom sizing is an example.

 

Cruise lines are hoping that consumers are so enthralled with the bells and whistles that they will not notice the eroding product.

 

Good point. Notice this article that CC just posted from aboard Nieuw Statendam. You will see commented about an interesting contrast between impressive spaces (Celebrity) versus impressive experiences (HAL). In the long run, I think that HAL is likely playing the stronger hand.

 

[Cruiser Bruiser]

4 hours ago, notladjr said:

When we sailed out of Port Everglades a few days ago, 11/25/18, on Nieuw Amsterdam from berth 21 Edge was directly across from us at #25. She looked stunning. My wife thought she was very beautiful and I did as well. We will have to see how some of the new innovations work out in the real world as actual passengers cruise on her and write reviews. As has been mentioned there are several walk through videos on youtube from the press / travel agents preview that was gonig on around the time we saw her. That day there was also a helicopter circling Edge with an obvious camera bubble on the front I assume taking news or promo video of her.

I had just disembarked NA that morning, and I agree that Edge is impressive looking. 

[iancal]

The Edge pricing will adjust to demand.  No different than any other ship in the mass market cruise market.   We certainly are not willing to pay a large premium for it...no difference to how we select any other ship on any cruise line when shopping an itinerary.

 

We see so few real differences between some cruise lines.  In most instances we find that there are more differences between ships in the same cruise line as there are between different cruise lines.  Even more so when you consider the inconsistencies that exist today that did not exist in the past within cruise lines.

 

 I realize that our perspective may be different because we are not emotionally tied to any one cruise line. 

Edited December 6, 2018 by iancal

[stickey_mouse]

3 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

IMO Celebrity will have to lower it's  Edge sailing prices  to be competitive  with other major cruise lines to have  the general cruising public   sail on her  

 

If the prices remain high, it's because people are willing to pay it. They won't lower prices if they aren't struggling to fill the ship. 

[mcrcruiser]

9 minutes ago, stickey_mouse said:

 

If the prices remain high, it's because people are willing to pay it. They won't lower prices if they aren't struggling to fill the ship. 

That is with any cruise line . What is changing is the lowering of the wealth effect here in the USA . The stock & precious metals markets are down  a lot . The Real Estate markets are retrenching  based on too high prices & increase rates of mortgage interest . Yes job market is strong;but wages are still weak .The stock market projects out at least 6 months & it is in turmoil right now . These are factors which can influence peoples discretionary money for things like cruise & other vacations . Thus ,the jury is still out about  the Edge cabin prices

[Stateroom_Sailor]

We've got 6 reviews in now, averaging 2.3 Stars.