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

[kearney]

Adam have you had any more motion sickness issues? Did you notice movement of the ship? I am wondering if the MC makes motion more likely. Celebrity says that luggage valet is available on the ship... any forms left in your cabin about that? Any more special events or items associated with this being a 'maiden' voyage? Did CEO spend time with passengers or fly in and fly out? On Royal's Presidents cruise we had opportunities to mingle with the CEO almost daily for a a week...he was everywhere.

[Dr. Cocktail]

20 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

 

 

 

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...

 

First off: FABULOUS review ... while I really can't imagine myself ever doing such a time-involved undertaking on vacation, I 100% appreciate your effort  just the same!

 

As to MSC .... stop worrying. My partner and I said a not-so-fond farewell to Celebrity 5 years ago after about 250 nights onboard. In the past 15 months, we have done three YC sailings and they were all terrific.

 

While admittedly, the YC dining room food is frequently mediocre, the service everywhere in the YC is ridiculously attentive, the cabins a bit smaller than a Sky Suite but beautifully appointed and as for the Top Sail Lounge and One Pool Deck - sorry, but based on yours and others' photos,  it makes the Retreat look like a Motel 6. Nice breakfast buffet outside and superb outdoor lunch buffet with a "happening" bar both inside and out.

 

You will not suffer!!!

 

Like Celebrity Edge, it appears that the most opinionated reviews of a product are frequently from those who haven't ever stepped foot on board!

 

In fact, I'm nervous the other way around as we caved and booked a few suites on Celebrity this year - I'm extremely nervous that they won't measure up to the YC!!!

Edited December 13, 2018 by Dr. Cocktail

[SandG]

Adam, thank you for all of the details in your review, especially the photos of the ship and the dailies.  We will be sailing on the Edge in a few months.  

I am wondering if you noticed how long the theater shows are?  And did it seem like the non-suite guests would have to get there early to get seats?  (We don't always go to shows but might like to check out these new ones on the Edge, and are trying to figure out how they will fit in with our dining plans.

[Ma Bell]

A great look at Edge. Thanks for posting!

[Northern Aurora]

Thoroughly enjoying this review.  Keep up the good work!  Thank you so much.

[WonderMan3]

Sorry but I am falling behind on updates again. Will get back to them soon but just wanted to pop back in and answer a couple questions that had come up. I’m not searching back to find the original posts so hopefully those posters are still following.

 

1. The only sauna in the spa/gym area is within the Thermal Suite. Confirmed this with spa staff today.

2. Thermal Suite passes are $229 for the week or $69 for the day BUT the day passes are only offered on port days (she said it would be a rare thing to ever see them offered on a sea day) and they are subject to availability. If they are too busy then they will not offer them. Elite guests no longer get the free access on a port day but they can get 10% off the price of a pass.

3. Zenith guests as well as Sapphire and Ruby level players at the casino do get access to the Retreat Lounge but not the sundeck. Confirmed this directly with Denisa the concierge.

4. Luminae guests can no longer order off the MDR menu but they can make special requests. They can ask to see the next night’s menu and if they are not happy with the choices they can make a request through the maitre’d for a different item. Confirmed this with Anita the maitre’d and the Chef tonight.

5. There is no port or at sea pricing for spa treatments. It’s the same price for either.

 

Edited December 14, 2018 by WonderMan3

[WonderMan3]

2 hours ago, SandG said:

Adam, thank you for all of the details in your review, especially the photos of the ship and the dailies.  We will be sailing on the Edge in a few months.  

I am wondering if you noticed how long the theater shows are?  And did it seem like the non-suite guests would have to get there early to get seats?  (We don't always go to shows but might like to check out these new ones on the Edge, and are trying to figure out how they will fit in with our dining plans.

The show was about 45 minutes. We went to the 7:15pm show the other night and there were plenty of seats available. Maybe the later show is busier?

[WonderMan3]

3 hours ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

 

First off: FABULOUS review ... while I really can't imagine myself ever doing such a time-involved undertaking on vacation, I 100% appreciate your effort  just the same!

 

As to MSC .... stop worrying. My partner and I said a not-so-fond farewell to Celebrity 5 years ago after about 250 nights onboard. In the past 15 months, we have done three YC sailings and they were all terrific.

 

While admittedly, the YC dining room food is frequently mediocre, the service everywhere in the YC is ridiculously attentive, the cabins a bit smaller than a Sky Suite but beautifully appointed and as for the Top Sail Lounge and One Pool Deck - sorry, but based on yours and others' photos,  it makes the Retreat look like a Motel 6. Nice breakfast buffet outside and superb outdoor lunch buffet with a "happening" bar both inside and out.

 

You will not suffer!!!

 

Like Celebrity Edge, it appears that the most opinionated reviews of a product are frequently from those who haven't ever stepped foot on board!

 

In fact, I'm nervous the other way around as we caved and booked a few suites on Celebrity this year - I'm extremely nervous that they won't measure up to the YC!!!

Thank you for the reassurance!

[WonderMan3]

3 hours ago, kearney said:

Adam have you had any more motion sickness issues? Did you notice movement of the ship? I am wondering if the MC makes motion more likely. Celebrity says that luggage valet is available on the ship... any forms left in your cabin about that? Any more special events or items associated with this being a 'maiden' voyage? Did CEO spend time with passengers or fly in and fly out? On Royal's Presidents cruise we had opportunities to mingle with the CEO almost daily for a a week...he was everywhere.

 

I’ve had no more issues. The first day is always the worst for me if I do not take my motion sickness pill at least several hours before sailing; that was my mistake this time. We’ve had some choppy seas on different days and I definitely feel the motion. I feel it most at the front of the ship at Luminae, The Retreat and the Spa. No forms about luggage valet yet. LLP boarded the ship in Cozumel along with a group of other corporate staff. She is on for the rest of the cruise and said she will be out and about.

No more special events are planned so far but I do see they have a semi-celebrity comedian onboard tomorrow; Finesse Mitchell, formerly of Saturday Night Live, will be performing in the theater.

[WonderMan3]

6 hours ago, alishac said:

Great review! I love all of the details and photos. Did you happen to notice if there were veggie burgers available at Mast Grill?

 

Wasn’t looking for them so I can’t remember. I might be at the pool tomorrow so I can walk by and check.

[WonderMan3]

6 hours ago, Rob the Cruiser said:

Thank-you for one of the best reviews ever.

 

Thank you so much, you are too kind. I think some are better at keeping it “Live” but it’s really, really hard! 😄

[hcat]

Thanks for working in answers to questions while continuing the review.

It is so well written, great flow, very enjoyable!

 

We booked our spa res  for Jan EDGE on the Cruise Planner months ago. It listed port pricing which we booked twice.

 

 Perhaps once slots are filled there is no longer port pricing svailable...If they eliminate port pricing I will skip spa treatments and  get a thermal suite pass instead. 

[bigbenboys]

2 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

Sorry but I am falling behind on updates again. Will get back to them soon but just wanted to pop back in and answer a couple questions that had come up. I’m not searching back to find the original posts so hopefully those posters are still following.

 

1. The only sauna in the spa/gym area is within the Thermal Suite. Confirmed this with spa staff today.

2. Thermal Suite passes are $229 for the week or $69 for the day BUT the day passes are only offered on port days (she said it would be a rare thing to ever see them offered on a sea day) and they are subject to availability. If they are too busy then they will not offer them. Elite guests no longer get the free access on a port day but they can get 10% off the price of a pass.

3. Zenith guests as well as Sapphire and Ruby level players at the casino do get access to the Retreat Lounge but not the sundeck. Confirmed this directly with Denisa the concierge.

4. Luminae guests can no longer order off the MDR menu but they can make special requests. They can ask to see the next night’s menu and if they are not happy with the choices they can make a request through the maitre’d for a different item. Confirmed this with Anita the maitre’d and the Chef tonight.

5. There is no port or at sea pricing for spa treatments. It’s the same price for either.

 

Hi Adam,

Thanks so much for the information on the MDR menu in Luminae. We will be cruising on Celebrity Edge in March. I'm mostly fine with Luminae menu, but my husband is not. I'm was planning to make final payment tomorrow. Azamara has a 11 night cruise Miami to NYC in March that would be a nice option. I'm hoping that on the M and S Class ships Celebrity wont move Luminae so far away from the main kitchen as they did on the Edge. Our March cruise maybe our last and only cruise on a Edge Class ship. 

OK now I went to the Celebrity app to check out if the menus are on the app for our cruise. The food looks better in the MDR than Luminae at least the 1st night. I was hoping that I could go through the menus before we get on the ship and have a meal plan to give the maitre’d in Luminae. Richard

[WonderMan3]

Continuing with Wednesday’s activities...

 

After we left the pool we went back to our cabin to shower and change. Eli stopped by with our afternoon treats which we enjoyed out on our balcony with a view of the blue waters of Cozumel. Around 6pm I went upstairs to check out the sunset but one of the big RCCL ships was parked next to us and blocked the view of the sunset. I got the best that I could with the sun dropping behind the Magic Carpet. I also watched staff setting up the pool deck for the evening’s events.

 

Around 6:40pm, Mike went up for a smoke at the pool deck and said he saw people already going onto the Magic Carpet even though Dinner on the Edge didn’t start until 7pm. I told him to get us a table and then I dashed upstairs to meet him. I was told when I reserved this that we would have to share a table but when Mike entered he was seated at a table for two. As the sun had set there wasn’t much to see out on the water save for a Carnival cruise ship all lit up and the lights on the Mexican mainland in the distance.

 

Dinner on the Edge is set up as a buffet. There were three stations, one that was Mexican themed to tie into the events of the evening, a raw bar section, and a chateaubriand. We were told that each time there is a DOTE the raw bar will remain but the first station will change themes and the primary meat will be different (it was suckling pig last time apparently). There was a wide variety of foods to choose from including lobster, crab, caviar, tacos, charcuterie, and enchiladas. Dessert was set and brought to your table at the end. It was churros & chocolate, tres leches cake and cheesecake. Everything tasted good and the chateaubriand was some of the best meat I’ve had on Celebrity. The primary issue was that because it is breezy up there the food cools quickly once it hits your plate. Service was a little off; it took us quite awhile to get cocktails, after we already had our food. We were told initially that their special champagne cocktails were included with the meal, then someone came over and said we would have to pay the difference above $15 (a total of $5 so not a big deal and funny enough the charges never showed up on our account). At the end of the meal Mike ordered a coffee with cream but the cream never showed up and the server disappeared so we just left. Everyone was very nice but just seemed a bit discombobulated. The charge for dinner was $75pp. (FYI, Elites cannot get 15% off this dining as I was told that it is not considered a specialty restaurant but rather a “special event”) I’m not sure it was worth it. The food temperature is a problem. You actually get more of a wow factor being up on the Magic Carpet during the day so you can see the ocean and how far up you are. I’d recommend going for the brunch option if they offer it instead of dinner. Sorry for the poor quality on the photos but the lighting is weird in there so makes taking a photo difficult.

[rachiem]

Great review and pictures Adam. Thanks for taking the time to post 

[Stateroom_Sailor]

16 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

Here are photos and videos of the show rehearsals at the pool I mentioned above.

 

For some reason this performance reminds of the setting in the film, "A Cure for Wellness".  I guess the odd vibe, art, and performances around the ship will have a draw to some.

[lv2cruisgrl]

Thank you for your review, nice job.  So before you went on this ship I asked you if you thought it was worth the extra money to sail Edge.  I know this is all a personal preference but when I pay above and beyond for a cruise I expect it to meet or exceed my expectations.  So your thoughts please?  Today I decide if I make final payment and sail her in March or not.  Thank you.....

[kearney]

When you were having dinner on the MC, was the ship moving? I have wondered how comfortable it will be to dine there if it is windy either due to weather or ship going at a moderate or high speed (eg heading back to FLL)

[WonderMan3]

58 minutes ago, lovrccl said:

Thank you for your review, nice job.  So before you went on this ship I asked you if you thought it was worth the extra money to sail Edge.  I know this is all a personal preference but when I pay above and beyond for a cruise I expect it to meet or exceed my expectations.  So your thoughts please?  Today I decide if I make final payment and sail her in March or not.  Thank you.....

 

I can’t really make a proper assessment until the cruise ends and I do a look back and review. We have definitely been enjoying ourselves but we also have not taken advantage of everything the ship has to offer. I really think you need a 2 week cruise to really soak it all in. I would suggest you read through all the various reviews from people who have been on Edge so far including myself and judge from there.

[WonderMan3]

58 minutes ago, kearney said:

When you were having dinner on the MC, was the ship moving? I have wondered how comfortable it will be to dine there if it is windy either due to weather or ship going at a moderate or high speed (eg heading back to FLL)

No, we were still docked. If winds are not too high then I think it can be a pleasant experience as it looked on the first sea day. If they are too high though then they just won’t operate it. Wind is always unpredictable though.

[bandp407]

Hi Adam, 

 

Thank you very much for taking along & posting so much information. Has there been much in the way of evening dance music either in the Club or not sure where else it could be? With the Sky Lounge, Grand Foyer & Quasar which we are very familiar with GONE- are there any options for the evenings. It's a big part of our cruising experience. 

 

Many thanks!

[WonderMan3]

Finishing off Wednesday...

So we finished up dinner right around 8 which is when Lisa Lutoff-Perlo was going to speak on the pool deck. I walked down to the deck while Mike went over to the smoking deck to watch. There were no seats left so I just leaned against a rail making sure I was not blocking anyone’s view. Of course that did not stop others from crowding around me and blocking my view and others who had been sitting there for likely an hour. Some arguments and mini-fights started breaking out and I got stepped on multiple times; It was ridiculous. Lisa came on at about 10 after but only gave about a 3 minute speech basically focused on the special Mexican performers they brought onboard for this and thanking the staff of Edge. Then she disappeared. She did say she would be onboard for the remainder of the cruise though. The show had Day of the Dead themes with the performers all have skeletal facepaint. There was a band, vocalists, water ballet performers and a stilt walker. Because of the crowding it was difficult for me to get good video or photos but I have a couple including most of Lisa’s speech and one water ballet performance. Because we had seen them rehearsing earlier in the day we didn’t feel like we needed to stay for the whole thing and left after 20 minutes. I do have to say though that the water ballet was really cool and they should definitely consider adding performances in the pool like that as a regular rotating entertainment option. Our sailaway from Cozumel was extended to 10:45pm because of the events so the casino was closed until 11:30pm which was too late for us. So we just went back to our cabin and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

[Gordoncruickshank]

22 hours ago, chamima said:

 

Positive that her name is Anita.

As I said earlier, we got to know her pretty well on a 35 day cruise on the Solstice where she was an assistant in Blu.

Then we met up with her again on the Eclipse  several times where she opened Luminae as Maitre D' when it started.

She is a beautiful, statuesque, poised young lady.

Celebrity is lucky to have her.

 

WonderMan - if you get a chance please send regards from Allan and Karen.

Me too. She was also in charge of bistro on 5 for a spell. We were on the Eclipse in September 2015 and the Luminae Maire D' then was Linda (who was Scottish) and she mentioned that the Eclipse was the second or third Luminae that she had opened. She (Linda) wasn't on in the February of 2016. 

[WonderMan3]

2 hours ago, bandp407 said:

Hi Adam, 

 

Thank you very much for taking along & posting so much information. Has there been much in the way of evening dance music either in the Club or not sure where else it could be? With the Sky Lounge, Grand Foyer & Quasar which we are very familiar with GONE- are there any options for the evenings. It's a big part of our cruising experience. 

 

Many thanks!

 

There is a two level nightclub called The Club. They have DJs, live bands and other entertainment. I saw people dancing in there the one night I peeked in.

[miched]

22 hours ago, chamima said:

That is NOT our Anita 

The only reason that I thought it may be the same person was when you mention poised and statuesque. 

  

I asked Anitsa if she use to be a professional dancer that did ballet.   She said no she was a  gymnist.    I seen she was from Bulgaria and said then she must of heard of Jordan the legend of gymnastics that is from there and still competed at 39 in the Olympics being his 6th time.   She said yeah that it is her uncle and then went on to say that her grandmother also competed in the Olympics.   The next day she brought in a photo album with many of their pictures and of her.   She said his name is actually Lordan but also goes by the English version Jordan. 

 

here is a link about Lordan

 

http://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2012/07/30/iordan_iovtchev_is_my_olympic_hero_the_39_year_old_gray_haired_bulgarian_gymnast_makes_it_to_the_rings_finals_.html

 

Many times the workers will alter or change the spelling of their names to be easier for the passengers.    So like her uncle goes by both Lordan and Jordan, I was just wondering if Anita was also Anitsa.  

 

Thanks for the reply.   

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Edited December 14, 2018 by miched