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

[Tall-Cruiser]

Adam - I just stumbled on your review here on the main Celebrity board.

Thanks for all the info and insights you shared on the Edge Board. I hope they do something special for you guys on this first 7 Nt Inaugural cruise. 

Enjoy you Sky Suite and your cruise. All the best. 

[WonderMan3]

We’ve been very busy here on Edge so am

falling behind in updates!

 

Picking up after we dropped bags in our room. Mike went off to find the smoking area. There are only two on the entire ship; a large area just above the pool deck and then back by the Sunset Bar. Mike had to dash through the rain to get to the pool deck location. These downpours were intense! All of the outside decks were awash in water. The Solarium flooded a bit and they closed off access for awhile while they removed the water. The outer deck of The Retreat Lounge got full of water and staff were trying to push it away from coming into the Retreat Lounge entrance doors. There was lots of ponding all over the open decks. Thankfully the sun came breaking through not long after and I caught a couple shots of the pool deck.

[Essiesmom]

You look lovely in Key West, even without sunshine

 

 

EM

[WonderMan3]

Our next stop was The Retreat since it was only around 11:30am and Luminae was not open yet for lunch. I checked in with someone from the Concierge staff. The two concierges were busy with other customers but luckily they had support staff helping them. A lovely woman named Iva helped me reserve a table for Dinner on the Edge. It will take place on Wednesday this week after we leave Cozumel. There were no tables for two left so Iva said we would have to get a shared table which was fine. We saw I a later in the day and she said we were lucky as we grabbed the last two spaces! I’m not sure how this DOTE filled up already by 11:30am on boarding day  but if you want to do it on your cruise you MUST go and reserve it the moment you get onboard. Iva said that it was going to be a seafood menu but I found out later in the day that it is actually going to be a Mexican menu this week. A hostess at the Magic Carpet we talked to last night explained the table layout and took our room number to have someone contact us when they have the menu set. It sounds like it is going to be buffet style though.

 

About 10 minutes before noon we went down to Luminae as I expected a line. Sure enough there was one going out the door. This Luminae has only a tiny waiting area so we were standing out in the hallway. The hostess is Sokie and she is very pleasant. She told us there was a delay from inspectors onboard and so the chef was running behind. She took all our names and asked us to come back in 20 minutes. When we returned the line was even longer out the door. It sounded like people may have been getting upset prior to our return and she was just seating people as they appeared instead of seating those who she had asked to come back which was not exactly fair. Not a big deal though as we were seated within 5 minutes. We weren’t super hungry so we skipped appetizers and just had a main course. Mike had the Steak Frites which he said was only okay while I had the burger which was good. On our way out we stopped at the hostess desk and made a reservation for dinner as I did not want to have a long wait again. Sokie said they only take reservations for 6:30 or before or after 8pm. We had wanted 7 but went with 6:30.

[kearney]

Can you do me a favor, when you try out the martini bar... can you ask if someone with a classic beverage package can get a cocktail that is covered by the package there... or do they need to go to another bar? It is a pet peeve of mine that you sell something that can only be used in a few places... I was told by Celebrity that the Classic package will cover a cocktail (of some sort) at all bars. Don't know why I am obsessing over this... this will be our first use of a beverage package...  I am curious. Have fun.

[spammie]

Yay!  Just found this review and following you on Instagram!  Thank you so much for taking the time to share your trip.  We booked this cruise 2 years ago and sail in April in S1 11198.  Can't wait to follow along with you!  Wanda

[Essiesmom]

A bit windy, but folks are dining? on the Magic Carpet...

 

[Essiesmom]

Silver Spirit was supposed to join you at noon...Di something scare her off?  Maybe she heard about the creatures in Eden...

 

[Gonzo70]

Celebrity really needs to proofread those menus!

[Oville]

47 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Silver Spirit was supposed to join you at noon...Di something scare her off?  Maybe she heard about the creatures in Eden...

 

It crashed into the pier a couple of weeks ago, ship was fine but the pier badly damaged.

[TexSea]

On 12/9/2018 at 2:17 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.

Interesting. I just called Captain's Club and they said the free day should be available on the Edge. 🤔

[WonderMan3]

Continuing our boarding day chronicles... After lunch we popped into the Spa and made massage appointments for Thursday morning; we both like deep tissue massages and their version of that is a bamboo massage. At the same time is when I asked about reserving the thermal suite pass with my complimentary Elite status visit for the same day we were getting massages. That's when the receptionist explained that Edge is not honoring that perk for the thermal suite despite what the Edge FAQ had said.

We went back to the suite at that point but our luggage was not there yet so we relaxed a bit. I'll share photos of the cabin here. Tried to show as much of the storage in the shots. It's good for two people. Would be a strain for three in the cabin. Robes are a definite upgrade from S-class and are very comfortable. Bathroom is a big plus. It's bigger and has a private toilet ro

room and the balcony beyond. It's a bit gimmicky and not a big deal for us but I know some will really love it. The tub/shower combo may be tricky for some to step into. I like it better than S-class as it is bigger and I don't feel boxed in. There is no curtain or shower door though so you need to angle the shower head to the back corner of the tub. If you do then you should experience no issue with water all over the floor as some others have complained about. Water pressure is great. The bathroom products are no longer Bulgari in this level suite but rather by a company called Co Bigelow. They are in large size dispensers that are free standing. It's not clear if they are for us to take with us or not, I'll have to ask. There is shampoo, conditioner, body wash and body lotion dspensers. Then there is bar soap for the sink. Mike does not like body wash so they brought him bar soap today to shower with. They also brought some lip balm.

 

The bed was very firm but not hard; we both slept our first night fine. We have a couch in our room not a lounger. It opens up to a trundle bed as you can see in the photo. The couch is also very firm. The rocking chair is very comfortable but takes up a lot of room. The main room does feel a bit smaller than S-class even without the rocker. I immediately moved the rocker out onto the balcony and brought one of those plastic chairs inside to create better interior space and provide a comfier chair outside. The rocker looks great out there to be honest and it is wonderful to sit out there on it. The refrigerator in the room is not filled when you get to the room which is nice. If you have a beverage plan the butler will confirm that with you and can bring you drinks for the refrigerator that are covered by your plan. In case people are unaware there are a limited number of outlets in the room. They are only provided on one side of the bed and then there is a box on the refrigerator. The TV is a swivel so you can tilt it and watch from the bed.

 

Veranda is a good amount of space. As mentioned you can put the rocker out there and have space to rock plus still have the other chair and the table. The standard chairs are fine but should have footstools. I dragged the one from the room outside to use with the rocker. And the table is pretty worthless. Too low and too small (but deceptively heavy).

 

The room is comfortable and I'd probably call it even with S-class. While the main room feels (and I think is) smaller the bathroom is bigger.

om so two people could conceivably be in the bathroom at the same time. I like the trough sink with two faucets. Better than those splashy sinks on S-class. As most already know, the mirror slides open to reveal a window to let you look into the

[kearney]

Question: do you know if luggage valet is available for Edge at Ft Lauderdale ?   Second, looks like the tv can be turned some...is that true? Thanks

[sdear]

Following along.  New to Celebrity and still trying to figure out the rooms.  What type of room is that you are in ?  S1?   What is the actual name I would look for.

 

Thanks !  Have a great time !  

[WonderMan3]

1 hour ago, kearney said:

Question: do you know if luggage valet is available for Edge at Ft Lauderdale ?   Second, looks like the tv can be turned some...is that true? Thanks

 

Not sure about the luggage valet but yes, the TV can tilt as I mentioned in my prior post. You can see it angled towards the bed in one of my photos above.

[WonderMan3]

37 minutes ago, sdear said:

Following along.  New to Celebrity and still trying to figure out the rooms.  What type of room is that you are in ?  S1?   What is the actual name I would look for.

 

Thanks !  Have a great time !  

 

This is a Sky Suite, Category S1 on Deck 11. The S2s on this ship are set up the same but just in slightly “inferior” locations (lower deck or further away from mid-ship) but are also slightly cheaper.

[Ma Bell]

Is the rocker covered with outdoor fabric?

[jcpc]

Thanks for your posts, Adam.  Really psyched to see "our" suite!  There are 3 ladies sharing that suite so storage may be a bit "tight" but we'll manage for sure.  We usually travel Summit RS and storage is never a problem there!  But we'll be okay. 

I'm wondering when there's 3 people if they just make up the "top of the couch" rather than pulling out the trundle.

Can you estimate how deep of a step down/and back up it is into the shower/tub (asks the person with bad knees!)

Also, what was your muster station?  I'm reading it's in the hallway in front of the shops (and I'm sure there's no seating there!)

Also, who are the concierges in the Retreat (I read there were 2) and also the suite managers (I believe i heard Bogdan and also Priscilla).  And would you happen to know the name of the Luminae Maitre'd?  Sorry for all the questions.  Thanks for all the info you've already provided.

 

[rM3panno]

Adam,

 

Could you perhaps find time to do me a favor and get an answer from someone on the ship regarding the Retreat lounge and Blue Chip Sapphire and Ruby access?

 

We will be boarding the Edge on 12/30 in just under 3 week so and I have asked multiple times but Blue Chip doesn’t seem to have an answer. I know you are currently in a suite so you have access but I know from your other reviews that you are Blue Chip as well. We are traveling with a large enough family group this trip and so are not in a suite as we have been recently. My wife, son, and I love hanging out in Michael’s Club and are hoping to have an answer on whether we will be welcome there before we board. I’m not one to make a scene but it simply maddening that someone in Miami can’t provide a simple answer to if the top 2 tiers are welcome or not.

[briand123]

I shot video of the Celebrity Edge today with our remote camera network in Key West.   There is a time-lapse and edited video here of it showing the magic carpet moving between decks.

 

 

[WonderMan3]

2 hours ago, Ma Bell said:

Is the rocker covered with outdoor fabric?

 

Yes. I brought them into the cabin whenever it looked like rain though just in case.

[WonderMan3]

Continuing from yesterday...

We met our butler around 2pm and he brought three of our bags in with him. His name is Elizer (Eli) and he is very pleasant. We met our room attendant as well and he is also very nice but I can’t recall his name at the moment.

 

Our baggage was a major issue. They all showed up to the cabin wet. As I mentioned in an earlier post, there had been massive downpours right around the time we boarded. Apparently our bags got caught in this. When we opened them about 25% of my clothes had some sort of wetness. Mike’s even moreso. For me the clothes that got totally drenched were the ones I wore down to Florida and weren’t going to wear again. The rest that had wet spots I was able to dry with the hair dryer. Mike had a greater number that were soaked and that took longer with the hair dryer. It was a big pain to deal with. I reported it right away to the room attendant upon discovering the issue. He felt bad for us and said that 2-3 of his other cabins reported the same issue (We heard about even more people later in the day). He offered to have our clothes sent out to the laundry to be dried at no charge. I declined as I didn’t want to risk my clothes shrinking and Mike just wanted to take care of his himself. We also discovered that our garment bag had broken apart inside where the clothes hung. Since we hadn’t opened the bag since our flight we could not be sure if it was the air baggage handlers or the port so we didn’t mention it to the attendant.

 

I finished my packing in time for the lifeboat still. Our Muster Station is D2 which is basically located in a hallway on Deck 5. There were only a few seats there so most of us had to stand for 30 minutes which was ridiculous. See photos below as a reference. I’m not sure how a large group of seniors would be able to deal with this. They need to revisit this Muster choice stat.

 

 

[Ma Bell]

34 minutes ago, WonderMan3 said:

 

Yes. I brought them into the cabin whenever it looked like rain though just in case.

Great, looks like there might be one comfortable thing to enjoy on the balcony. Hoping they upgrade the balcony furniture. 

[WonderMan3]

After the Muster Drill it was 3:45 with a sailaway of 4pm, so we headed up to The Retreat sundeck. We got up there with only one other person there so we got prime seats facing out the front. More people showed up soon after but it wasn’t overly crowded. It was a bit windy with a lot of clouds so not the most ideal sailaway weather. Right after we got there though the captain came on and announced that due to baggage delays from the port our departure would be delayed up to 90 minutes. He said we would still arrive in Key West in the morning on time though. We decided to wait out the delay and ordered a cocktail. The servers were very fast and friendly. Once it got past 5 though and the sun was disappearing behind clouds we decided to head back to the cabin.

 

 

[Timbek2]

Really enjoying the review. Thanks so much for posting. Very helpful.