LIVE from EDGE - 12/9/18 - 7 night Western Caribbean Maiden Voyage

[Georgia_Peaches]

Love your photos of the pool deck and Magic Carpet on deck 16!  Did this space "feel" different being cantilevered over the side, or was it pretty much the same as looking at the ocean from your balcony?  Also, with regard to the less crowded pool deck area, I'm guessing like you did that the under booked ship has something to do with that.  How did you come to know how many unbooked cabins are on your sailing?  We're on the Edge over spring break so I'm sure the ship will be filled to capacity unless the price kept some away.

Anyway, loving your review.  Thank you so much!

[Paulras]

Sorry if I missed it but did you find out if Sapphires will have access to the Retreat Lounge like we do for Michael's Club? 

[ATLgirl15]

Oh wow-the magic carpet didn’t go to 16 on our sailing!  That looks so cool.

 

i was actually wondering if the Celebrity app was using Location services and the butlers had access to it.  At one point our butler found me at the retreat to ask about some dinner reservations he was trying to change for me.  I can’t imagine he was running around the ship looking for me.  And I was sort of hidden facing backwards in one of those big comfy rocker chairs.  

[Georgia_Peaches]

Reviews are starting to show up on CC (on the review page) and I just read one that indicated there is no library on the ship.  Is this true?  I certainly hope not...I dare say I look forward to finding a trashy novel on embarkation day that I can read throughout the week...say it's not true...

Edited December 12, 2018 by Georgia_Peaches

[OriginalBoat]

4 minutes ago, ATLgirl15 said:

Oh wow-the magic carpet didn’t go to 16 on our sailing!  That looks so cool.

 

i was actually wondering if the Celebrity app was using Location services and the butlers had access to it.  At one point our butler found me at the retreat to ask about some dinner reservations he was trying to change for me.  I can’t imagine he was running around the ship looking for me.  And I was sort of hidden facing backwards in one of those big comfy rocker chairs.  

 

You're could be correct, I forgot about that.  There was mention that the app could (eventually?) be used to order drinks and something about an x-ray vision virtual tour.  Both would need some sort of location services turned on.

[kearney]

I see that the ship is still in Cozumel at 7 pm ET... I thought the ship would have taken off by now... anyone know why?  Oh and there is no library on the ship..so you might want to pack a book or two.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

39 minutes ago, kearney said:

I see that the ship is still in Cozumel at 7 pm ET... I thought the ship would have taken off by now... anyone know why?  Oh and there is no library on the ship..so you might want to pack a book or two.

 

Of course there is no library.  It doesn't produce revenue.

 

Sorry, but I see nothing that compels me to book this overpriced ship.  Comparing the suite area to the Yacht Club on MSC:  MSC is far cheaper, you can get a hot breakfast in the pool area, nobody comes around asking for your cabin number because access is controlled--only Yacht Club people can enter.  Can anyone just wander into the alleged suite-only area on Celebrity?  Yacht Club suites have real balconies, none of this window locking business.  Never a wait for dinner, no matter when we showed up.  Seems like no contest to me.  I don't think Celebrity has quite got the hang of the ship within a ship concept.

Edited December 13, 2018 by Happy Cruiser 6143

[Fredric22]

1 hour ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

Of course there is no library.  It doesn't produce revenue.

 

Sorry, but I see nothing that compels me to book this overpriced ship.  Comparing the suite area to the Yacht Club on MSC:  MSC is far cheaper, you can get a hot breakfast in the pool area, nobody comes around asking for your cabin number because access is controlled--only Yacht Club people can enter.  Can anyone just wander into the alleged suite-only area on Celebrity?  Yacht Club suites have real balconies, none of this window locking business.  Never a wait for dinner, no matter when we showed up.  Seems like no contest to me.  I don't think Celebrity has quite got the hang of the ship within a ship concept.

 

I have to agree with you here.  I think the ship is beautiful and definitely really awesome to look at.  The Retreat looks very nice, however the food situation really looks uninspired.  You would think you would be able to get some good offerings by the pool (especially for the prices they are charging for suites) and instead it looks like you get a dried out hamburger or a Caesar salad.  I think that is really sad.  Compare that with MSC Yacht Club's pool area where they have an outdoor grill and buffet with fresh seafood, meats, and a chef to prepare homemade pasta right in front of you.  How can you even compare?  Celebrity needs to do better. Also, it seems like there are lines/waits to have dinner in Luminae.  That should NOT be the case.  The reason I travel in suite class is so that I do not have to deal with lines.  I have never encountered a line for dinner in the Yacht Club restaurant. 

 

With that said we have a cruise on Summit booked after the refurb and we are definitely interested to try out the new suite experience (at a fraction of the price that Edge is charging). 

  

[miched]

On 12/11/2018 at 7:35 AM, Gordoncruickshank said:

Was Anita on the Eclipse. I am sure we had her in both Blu and Luminae (not at the same time of course)

 

 

I think you are referring to Anitsa.   Don’t know if the OP  spelled the name wrong but we had Anitsa on the Eclipse in Blu and also in Luminae.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🌅🇺🇸

 

 

[WonderMan3]

2 hours ago, kearney said:

I see that the ship is still in Cozumel at 7 pm ET... I thought the ship would have taken off by now... anyone know why?  Oh and there is no library on the ship..so you might want to pack a book or two.

 

Departure extended until 11pm due to the special events on ship this evening with the CEO. Lisa just arrived today. Will share details soon.

[WonderMan3]

1 hour ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

Of course there is no library.  It doesn't produce revenue.

 

Sorry, but I see nothing that compels me to book this overpriced ship.  Comparing the suite area to the Yacht Club on MSC:  MSC is far cheaper, you can get a hot breakfast in the pool area, nobody comes around asking for your cabin number because access is controlled--only Yacht Club people can enter.  Can anyone just wander into the alleged suite-only area on Celebrity?  Yacht Club suites have real balconies, none of this window locking business.  Never a wait for dinner, no matter when we showed up.  Seems like no contest to me.  I don't think Celebrity has quite got the hang of the ship within a ship concept.

 

No one can just wander into the suite area but as in any card controlled area there is the possibility that someone could follow in after someone who does have access. Also some guests like Zenith and high Blue Chip tiers are supposed to have access to the Retreat Lounge but not the sundeck. Once you are in the lounge you have unrestricted access to the sundeck. I don’t know definitively why she was checking room numbers. Perhaps it was more of a capacity monitoring situation to measure how busy they were and she didn’t want to double count people? Not really sure. And not sure what you mean by window locking. All suites on Edge have full balconies. The infinite verandas if that is what you are referring to are in non-Suite cabins.

 

We have 2 cruises booked on MSC for next year and are very interested in seeing how they are. We have talked to several people on this cruise who have done MSC and stayed in Yacht Club and still said they preferred Celebrity by far which actually has us a bit nervous. They said food and service are nowhere near what Celebrity offers. Those are important to me. You can have all the awesome spaces in the world but if your service and food fall flat then what’s the point?

 

But anyway, back to my cruise...

[WonderMan3]

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Reviews are starting to show up on CC (on the review page) and I just read one that indicated there is no library on the ship.  Is this true?  I certainly hope not...I dare say I look forward to finding a trashy novel on embarkation day that I can read throughout the week...say it's not true...

 

I have not seen one. People have been reading in Eden during the day as it is large with quiet spaces.

[WonderMan3]

2 hours ago, Paulras said:

Sorry if I missed it but did you find out if Sapphires will have access to the Retreat Lounge like we do for Michael's Club? 

 

Haven’t had a chance to ask anyone who would know. The concierges have been very busy anytime I’ve seen them and I only saw the casino host for the first time last night across the room.

[WonderMan3]

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Love your photos of the pool deck and Magic Carpet on deck 16!  Did this space "feel" different being cantilevered over the side, or was it pretty much the same as looking at the ocean from your balcony?  Also, with regard to the less crowded pool deck area, I'm guessing like you did that the under booked ship has something to do with that.  How did you come to know how many unbooked cabins are on your sailing?  We're on the Edge over spring break so I'm sure the ship will be filled to capacity unless the price kept some away.

Anyway, loving your review.  Thank you so much!

 

Feels the same as standing on any ocean facing deck. And I just went into the website to try and make a booking and just counted the available cabins I saw in each class.

[Oren]

On 12/9/2018 at 12:17 PM, WonderMan3 said:

 

So I did get an answer on this one. Even though it stated in the Edge spa FAQ that the Elite perk would be honored for the Thermal Suite it is NOT being honored on board. You can only get a 10% discount on a daily pass. That was a bummer as I wanted to try it out but have no interest in paying the prices they are charging.

That is awful.  We were counting on the traditional Port Day free access to the Thermal Suite which is an Elite perk on all other Celebrity ships but was removed, with no prior disclosure, per your experience.  For them NOT to honor a documented benefit with no advance notice is terrible P.R. and is sure to create an issue.  Perhaps the Captains Club representative who main purpose is the administration of club benefits can step in and do what is right in this case.

[kwokpot]

36 minutes ago, Oren said:

That is awful.  We were counting on the traditional Port Day free access to the Thermal Suite which is an Elite perk on all other Celebrity ships but was removed, with no prior disclosure, per your experience.  For them NOT to honor a documented benefit with no advance notice is terrible P.R. and is sure to create an issue.  Perhaps the Captains Club representative who main purpose is the administration of club benefits can step in and do what is right in this case.

I would have to agree with you. THEY are the ones who said the benefit would apply on the Edge. Also the printout showing the Elite benefits states a 15% discount. 

I will be on the ship this Sunday. 

[WonderMan3]

Continuing with Tuesday night...

 

After the Martini Bar I made a stop at the reception desk to try and fix something on our account. We had pre-reserved specialty dining with our shipboard credit but when you do that you don’t get the 15% off for the Elite discount. The agent told me that you only get that discount if you reserve on board. I told her that didn’t sound right so she called Captain’s Club to verify. They told her we should get the 15% off. She said they would follow up with each of the restaurants we reserved to ensure that it gets adjusted. I can say that they did action it as  one restaurant adjustment has already appeared on our account today.

 

I left reception and headed to the theatre to meet Mike for the 7:15pm show called Jewelry Box. We used the suite seating which on this ship is in the balcony. But they had great views so not an issue. The show was a mixture of song, theatrics and acrobatics; think Cirque du Soleil “lite”. The story was about four mythical kingdoms that need to unite under one king to stop some coming evil. There was some fantastic singing, some mediocre singing, some okay aerial stuff, some mediocre dancing and some cool visuals. The new theatre’s screen really adds to the show. Overall we thought it was pretty good for a ship show. I would recommend.

[jcpc]

Adam, I have another theory as to why the pools/pool decks are not a "madhouse" filled with people.  More and more people are saying "the ship is my destination on this cruise" so I'm wondering if folks are not just sitting by the pool sunbathing from 8 am until 4 pm on the first full sea day, but rather exploring the ship and seeing all the nooks and crannies there are to see.  I see where you have pictures of folks sitting on the magic carpet (having a drink/eating???) during the middle of the day.  I'm betting the Rooftop Garden has folks up there too.  If you travel on the same ship time and time again, there is nothing new to explore so you tend to spend your day sitting by the pool - on this ship I think the passengers don't want to "waste their days" just sitting in the sun - they want to enjoy the ship.  But, who knows really????

[WonderMan3]

A few more videos from Jewelry Box.

[WonderMan3]

5 minutes ago, jcpc said:

Adam, I have another theory as to why the pools/pool decks are not a "madhouse" filled with people.  More and more people are saying "the ship is my destination on this cruise" so I'm wondering if folks are not just sitting by the pool sunbathing from 8 am until 4 pm on the first full sea day, but rather exploring the ship and seeing all the nooks and crannies there are to see.  I see where you have pictures of folks sitting on the magic carpet (having a drink/eating???) during the middle of the day.  I'm betting the Rooftop Garden has folks up there too.  If you travel on the same ship time and time again, there is nothing new to explore so you tend to spend your day sitting by the pool - on this ship I think the passengers don't want to "waste their days" just sitting in the sun - they want to enjoy the ship.  But, who knows really????

 

We were wondering that too. Whatever the reason I’m happy as it has allowed me to enjoy pools on a cruise ship for the first time. I usually avoid them like the plague due to crowds and/or kids neither of which is an issue on this cruise!

[Host Jazzbeau]

7 minutes ago, jcpc said:

Adam, I have another theory as to why the pools/pool decks are not a "madhouse" filled with people.  More and more people are saying "the ship is my destination on this cruise" so I'm wondering if folks are not just sitting by the pool sunbathing from 8 am until 4 pm on the first full sea day, but rather exploring the ship and seeing all the nooks and crannies there are to see.  I see where you have pictures of folks sitting on the magic carpet (having a drink/eating???) during the middle of the day.  I'm betting the Rooftop Garden has folks up there too.  If you travel on the same ship time and time again, there is nothing new to explore so you tend to spend your day sitting by the pool - on this ship I think the passengers don't want to "waste their days" just sitting in the sun - they want to enjoy the ship.  But, who knows really????

 

Hopefully this phenomenon will be permanent: Edge has so many places to hang out, inside and outside, that the pool loungers will never be in as high demand as on other ships.  Of course this will be undercut by the inability to lounge on your own balcony, since the Edge designers decided you should do that...

[WonderMan3]

Finishing off Tuesday night. After the show we made our way to dinner. We had a reservation at Fine Cut Steakhouse. It was st 8:30 which was later than I wanted but it was the best I could get when I reserved. We arrived about 10 minutes early and the hostess indicated we would have to wait until our reservation time at the least, possibly longer. When we inquired about sitting outside that seemed to change things. We first asked to see what the seating looked like. It was very nice with a variety of table sizes in a long row with a bit of shrubbery pots creating a barrier with the deck walkway. The weather was beautiful out with comfortable temperatures and no wind so we said we would definitely take an outside table. She sent us back to the waiting area but were called to our table in less than 5 minutes before others who had been waiting longer but who wanted to sit inside. There were only two other tables seated outside with us and then one other after we were seated. I’m not sure why people aren’t wanting the outdoor dining especially when it is so loud inside the restaurant with the Martini Bar right there. My recommendation is if it is nice weather out do yourself a favor and request an outside table. You will love it.

 

Our server was Oscar who was a bit reserved at first but warmed up as the meal went on. For appetizers I tried the Caesar Salad (excellent) and the Crab Cake (average) while Mike had the shrimp (they were small and not fresh tasting) and had them create a tomato and onion salad for him (he said it was fine). We both had the Filet Mignon as the entree which was very good as were the sides of whipped potatoes and macaroni. For dessert we split the ice cream sundae which was tasty. Overall a good meal but should be a bit better quality for what they seem to be touting as their premier restaurant on this ship. Murano afficianados will not see this as measuring up but it is a slight upgrade from Tuscan. I have photos of the Caesar, crab cake and filets. I forgot to snap a photo of the dessert menu.

 

After dinner we made our nightly visit to the casino. Once again the slots were very volatile. I was on a losing spiral but then on my last machine for the evening hit a bonus for around $900 that recovered all my night’s losses plus a gain of $140. So that put me up $1000 for the cruise so far. Mike hasn’t been clear on his wins and losses so I’m guessing he’s down a bit.

[marylander2]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

Hopefully this phenomenon will be permanent: Edge has so many places to hang out, inside and outside, that the pool loungers will never be in as high demand as on other ships.  Of course this will be undercut by the inability to lounge on your own balcony, since the Edge designers decided you should do that...

Speaking of the suite balconies, I looked at several pictures of these which have partitions on a background, and by eyeballing the partitions I could bet that the depth of the Edge balconies, unless they are aft or top suite, is not as big as on S class. Even on WonderMan3 (OP here) pics of their balcony with rocker outside it is clear that it is quite a bit more shallow than the S class standard balcony... I also believe that IV "sitting room" is even smaller.
Any thoughts on this?

[marylander2]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

Hopefully this phenomenon will be permanent: Edge has so many places to hang out, inside and outside, that the pool loungers will never be in as high demand as on other ships.  Of course this will be undercut by the inability to lounge on your own balcony, since the Edge designers decided you should do that...

 

Sorry but you sound like on S or M ships there no places to hang out but around the pool area 

I think jcpc is right about people willing to explore the new ship. Once it becomes familiar (somewhat), then the factor of puny stateroom sitting area/lounge will kick in and the pool area will get crowded... I can't believe that on the ship with ~3K pax there normally should be that many empty chairs around the pool during sea day!

[WonderMan3]

6 hours ago, marylander2 said:

Speaking of the suite balconies, I looked at several pictures of these which have partitions on a background, and by eyeballing the partitions I could bet that the depth of the Edge balconies, unless they are aft or top suite, is not as big as on S class. Even on WonderMan3 (OP here) pics of their balcony with rocker outside it is clear that it is quite a bit more shallow than the S class standard balcony... I also believe that IV "sitting room" is even smaller.
Any thoughts on this?

 

I was in a midship S class Sky Suite on Reflection in April and this Edge Sky Suite balcony feels the same. I checked the stats for each cabin and the balcony sizes are the same at 79 square feet. (For Edge stats on places like cruisedeckplans.com you have to go by the S2 stats for the midship S1s as the stats they have for S1 balconies are only for the aft cabins.