REVIEW: Just back from the Edge. OMG is she amazing!

[dodger1964]

9 hours ago, Germancruiser said:

Thanks for this great review- and all the time it took you to write at such length and detail. Just ignore those who tell that crap about the Title and the review itself. It´s was wonderfully written- well balanced and reflected how enjoyed your Edge experience- without leaving out the negativs. One can still have a " Wouw- experience and tell about the things that were not so " Wouw! Again - thanks- very much appreicated!

sorry, you think questioning is "crap"

 

Edge is AMAZING...as long as you bring your own soap, don't need to get  much use of your fake balcony, like "just ok" shows, want to enjoy a large section of real estate (eden) only once, and having elite drinks without the get together.

 

My point was the thread title and the review seemed not to match up...and that is it...nothing against the OP...I'm glad they took time to do review, and I'm even happier they liked the cruise. (how could you sail on a brand new ship concept and not be impressed with all the new things)

[chemmo]

12 hours ago, RDC1 said:

problem is if you want a true balcony you pretty much have to go suite level. Other than IV the pictures others have posted of the SV rooms show a round opening in a mostly enclosed balcony space.

 

Some of us who book suites (RS/PH) are disappointed with the size and furnishings of the balconies in these rooms too! 

 

OP sincere thanks for your review, it did give a ‘flavour’ of the ship, both positives and negatives....

[MVPinBoynton]

I have been on the Edge and do agree with the title and everything else you said about her.  It is a truly amazing ship.  That doesn't mean that I was happy with everything about her, but there are some great innovations on the Edge that I hope the other ships in the fleet get.  Based on the similar complaints we are hearing on most of the reviews, I hope that Celebrity considers fixing them.   Unfortunately, some of them are structural in nature and with the Apex under construction, some can't be changed.  I believe that after the initial increased bookings from people anxious to try this new ship, Celebrity could be challenged to maintain the higher pricing for this ship.  It would be a shame, since they have put a lot of money into innovating the ship; and deserve to get a higher price for a new ship.  

[The_Big_M]

1 hour ago, MVPinBoynton said:

 It would be a shame, since they have put a lot of money into innovating the ship; and deserve to get a higher price for a new ship.  

 

If only things were that linear.

 

What about the past 10 years, where they haven't spent money innovating, but have still been getting higher prices on older ships?

[MVPinBoynton]

28 minutes ago, The_Big_M said:

 

If only things were that linear.

 

What about the past 10 years, where they haven't spent money innovating, but have still been getting higher prices on older ships?

 

They have certainly been getting higher prices on all of their ships; but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Edge initial higher than other ship prices not hold as long as they are hoping.  They probably will for suites, since the Edge has the Retreat; but the Infinite Veranda cabins might not be able to sell as well at the higher pricing.  

[Pennstateman]

2 hours ago, dodger1964 said:

sorry, you think questioning is "crap"

 

Edge is AMAZING...as long as you bring your own soap, don't need to get  much use of your fake balcony, like "just ok" shows, want to enjoy a large section of real estate (eden) only once, and having elite drinks without the get together.

 

My point was the thread title and the review seemed not to match up...and that is it...nothing against the OP...I'm glad they took time to do review, and I'm even happier they liked the cruise. (how could you sail on a brand new ship concept and not be impressed with all the new things)

meow

[lel5344]

On 12/13/2018 at 11:16 AM, jt1120 said:

 

For Captain’s Club members, the special cocktail reception that is usually held in a lounge from 5-7 has been replaced. Now, Celebrity loads three drinks on your Sea Pass card and you can get your drinks in any of the lounges, with the exception of Eden and the Magic Carpet.

 

On our transatlantic in April, we were able to get wine by the glass on our Sea Pass Card while dining in Blu.  Do you know if that will work on Edge?

[Pennstateman]

On 12/13/2018 at 11:16 AM, jt1120 said:

The term “game changer” gets tossed around quite a bit these days, but to describe the Celebrity Edge, one would be hard pressed not to use game changer as a perfect description to this beautiful and innovative cruise ship.

 

The innovation begins as soon as you arrive at the new, state-of-the-art terminal that Celebrity built expressly for the Edge. Gone are the long lines and dozens of associates at the counter. If you’ve checked in online, they already have most of the info they need. You’ll go through security and then approach someone with a tablet in their hand. If you have downloaded the Celebrity app (highly recommended), then they simply scan your sea pass and that’s it. Actually, it took us longer to get onboard the ship than it did in the check-in area.

“Where are our Sea Pass cards?” we wondered. They are waiting for you at your stateroom in a sealed envelope. If it has been tampered with, you are instructed to go to Guest Relations where they would issue new passes. In our case, we tore open the envelope, took out our cards and in we walked into our infinite veranda cabin.

 

Much has been written about the infinite veranda. The idea is to make the balcony part of your cabin. There are doors that you can close if you wish to separate the balcony from the cabin, but that probably won’t happen very often. On the balcony you find two buttons: one to raise and lower the accordion blinds, and one to raise and lower your infinite veranda window. Keep in mind that they can override your control if they so choose. They did that in Nassau where we were told they were closed for “maintenance and cleaning.” We didn’t leave the ship and saw neither maintenance or cleaning. We were not happy about it. If you pay for a balcony, you should be able to use it. All in all, I probably would not do an infinite veranda cabin again.

 

On the positive side, the bedding was heavenly, the mattress very firm (well, it’s brand new so it better be), and the shower was a bit larger compared to Millennium class or Solstice class showers. The bathrooms feature a bar of what looked like oatmeal soap at the sink and three dispensers for shower gel, shampoo and conditioner in the shower. I recommend bringing your own. We also found the cabins to be very spacious with lots of storage all around.

 

Lots of restaurants to choose from, and the food in all of the ones we sampled (Cyprus, Cosmopolitan, Le Petit Chef and the Oceanview Café) was outstanding. In the four main dining rooms you have the standard choices available in all four plus each dining room has its own specialties. Cyprus is Mediterranean, Cosmo is American fare, Tuscan is Italian and Normandie is French. Le Petit Chef is truly a highlight as it’s unlike anything you’ve probably ever experienced before. The lights are dimmed and (for lack of a better term) a cartoon is projected onto your table and plate. During the presentation, four chefs prepare their own specialties and put them on your plate. Then, when the chef is done, the servers bring the actual dish. The only drawback is that the menu is limited. There are alternate dishes you can order, but they do not sync with what the chefs are preparing on your table. All in all, it was rather enjoyable and very unique.

 

We wanted to have lunch on the Magic Carpet but couldn’t get a seat. To be honest, I wasn’t blown away by the menu so it didn’t really matter that we missed it. Instead, we headed to the Oceanview Café and enjoyed more of their tremendously delicious Indian fare among other offerings. One mark against the buffet is that they have replaced the Purel dispensers with sinks where you can wash your hands. The knock is that hardly anyone used them. I’m hoping that Celebrity rethink this and at least have someone encouraging people to wash their hands before entering the Oceanview Café.

 

Eden is a venue that presents performance art. Singing, acrobatics and other street fare-styled performances are featured. For our tastes, we found it to be a bit weird. Plus, once you’ve experienced it, there’s no reason to go back and the Eden area represents quite a bit of real estate on the ship. If you eat there, someone will come to your table and talk to you. They tell you they are from the planet Wu or something strange like that, and we just didn’t care for it. I’m hoping that they do other things in the space like soloists, duos or perhaps comedians. It just felt under-utilized.

 

When you are onboard the Edge, everything seems re-thought. It’s like Celebrity looked at every experience on a ship and said, “how can we do this better or different?” Case in point, the gangway on deck two. Let’s be honest, there are few times that you get off a ship on the gangway and don’t feel like you’re in a dungeon. It’s not a great experience. On the Edge, they have turned it into something that feels like a welcome center. Everything is bright and airy, including an interesting LED light display on the ceiling. It’s actually pretty gorgeous! On deck two you will also find The Basement, which is the teen hangout area. There weren’t many teens on board so I’m not sure how used the space was. It looked pretty cool though.

 

Also rethought is the water bottle. On the Edge there are no plastic bottles. They now have aluminum water bottles (think the aluminum beer bottle) which are supposed to be better for the environment. I like the idea but I recycle plastic and aluminum so what is the difference?

 

The shows were just ok. We saw two of the three that were presented. Both featured lead singers and a fantastic band. Both vocalists were very good but they seemed a bit self-indulgent and chose lots of songs that we didn’t know. Mind you, we’re not old farts and know lots of popular songs. Still, we felt both shows were just ok (with a slight nod to the African-American gentleman who we felt was awesome).

 

For Captain’s Club members, the special cocktail reception that is usually held in a lounge from 5-7 has been replaced. Now, Celebrity loads three drinks on your Sea Pass card and you can get your drinks in any of the lounges, with the exception of Eden and the Magic Carpet. We prefer drinks and appetizers in a lounge instead of the freedom to go anywhere you choose. We couldn’t find a place to sit in the Martini Bar on one night and the other night we didn’t get service there because it was so busy. I hope this isn’t a change at Celebrity and that all future Captain’s Club cocktail receptions are conducted this way.

 

All in all, the Celebrity Edge is definitely something to experience. The style and décor is jaw-dropping, the food is top notch, and the service is amazing. We will definitely be back to the Edge and hopefully soon. Just wow!

Did you  happen to notice if there is much shaded area to sit outside?

[villauk]

On 12/14/2018 at 12:48 PM, dodger1964 said:

sorry, you think questioning is "crap"

 

Edge is AMAZING...as long as you bring your own soap, don't need to get  much use of your fake balcony, like "just ok" shows, want to enjoy a large section of real estate (eden) only once, and having elite drinks without the get together.

 

My point was the thread title and the review seemed not to match up...and that is it...nothing against the OP...I'm glad they took time to do review, and I'm even happier they liked the cruise. (how could you sail on a brand new ship concept and not be impressed with all the new things)

 

 

I know exactly what you were referring to: a very well balanced review which didn’t match to the thread title. Perhaps some pax’s ‘amazing’ is a little different from others. If I thought something was ‘amazing’, I’d personally want to be wowed across the board - others may think differently and that’s what makes an open forum such good fun to read.

[villauk]

1 hour ago, Pennstateman said:

Did you  happen to notice if there is much shaded area to sit outside?

According to the other thread,  it was stated that there were 24 shaded sun loungers on the ship.

[ATLgirl15]

5 hours ago, villauk said:

According to the other thread,  it was stated that there were 24 shaded sun loungers on the ship.

That sounds very specific.  I will say we encountered shaded seats on deck 5 outside of Eden - lounge type set up and deck 15.  This area is not directly above the pool but off to the side.  Rows of pool loungers under canopy.  

[cruise47]

Thanks for sharing your review; now I wish to read more and more reviews from cruisers traveling on The Edge in the months to months to come.

 

Good reviews, against thanks you. Especially, your last paragraph, it told/capture your true feeling about the new Celebrity ship The Edge.

[WonderMan3]

On 12/14/2018 at 8:10 AM, chemmo said:

 

Some of us who book suites (RS/PH) are disappointed with the size and furnishings of the balconies in these rooms too! 

 

OP sincere thanks for your review, it did give a ‘flavour’ of the ship, both positives and negatives....

 

Have you booked a Penthouse on Edge? I toured one that was occupied by another Cruise Critic member and those cabins have a number of design issues so you might want to reconsider. I can share details if it hasn’t already been discussed in another thread.

[hurwitz5]

Re: the Sea Pass Card:  sounds good that you get the cards in your cabin - but - do they take your photo when boarding (for security purposes)?  I like the idea that when you go on and off the ship, the crew matches your card with your photo.

[WonderMan3]

1 hour ago, hurwitz5 said:

Re: the Sea Pass Card:  sounds good that you get the cards in your cabin - but - do they take your photo when boarding (for security purposes)?  I like the idea that when you go on and off the ship, the crew matches your card with your photo.

 

Yes, if you have not already uploaded a photo to your reservation during the check-in process then they will take one of you during the boarding process at the pier.

Edited December 16, 2018 by WonderMan3

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

3 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

 

Have you booked a Penthouse on Edge? I toured one that was occupied by another Cruise Critic member and those cabins have a number of design issues so you might want to reconsider. I can share details if it hasn’t already been discussed in another thread.

 

Please share the details.  I found the penthouse on the S class disappointing after the penthouse on the M class.  Sounds as if it has gone further downhill?  But not the price.

[Olive1950]

Are the tubs in RS and above jetted?  Are there grab bars for safely entering and exiting these tubs?

 

Has Celebrity improved on the so-called fridges that DO NOT cool anything?

 

I'm still not convinced that the Edge class is for me....  I only hope that the Edgification of the M-class ships isn't excessive.  Getting rid of those pianos in the PH suites will be a big improvement; keeping the full-sized refrigerator/freezer and microwave will make me happy.... 

[kkmiausa]

Cheryl I asked this question as I switched from Edge to Reflection. Our Royal Suite has a jetted tub in the bathroom as well as a jacuzzi on the balcony right outside the bedroom area.   The Edge RS does not. Call me crazy but I love the marble and glass and grandeur of the decor of the

Reflection RS much better than the minimalistic design of Edge.  For example the dining table is glass top with very comfortable looking charges and the living area has a huge easy chair along with the large sofas. Not so on the Edge. 

[Bo1953]

3 hours ago, kkmiausa said:

Cheryl I asked this question as I switched from Edge to Reflection. Our Royal Suite has a jetted tub in the bathroom as well as a jacuzzi on the balcony right outside the bedroom area.   The Edge RS does not. Call me crazy but I love the marble and glass and grandeur of the decor of the

Reflection RS much better than the minimalistic design of Edge.  For example the dining table is glass top with very comfortable looking charges and the living area has a huge easy chair along with the large sofas. Not so on the Edge. 

kk - you and others are not 'crazy', you like what you like and want what you like when sailing....

 

All with no deviation and that is fine... for most of us here on CC. As you most likely have read, there are a few posters who agree with you.

 

bon voyage

[jagoffee]

8 hours ago, kkmiausa said:

Cheryl I asked this question as I switched from Edge to Reflection. Our Royal Suite has a jetted tub in the bathroom as well as a jacuzzi on the balcony right outside the bedroom area.   The Edge RS does not. Call me crazy but I love the marble and glass and grandeur of the decor of the

Reflection RS much better than the minimalistic design of Edge.  For example the dining table is glass top with very comfortable looking charges and the living area has a huge easy chair along with the large sofas. Not so on the Edge. 

I cannot comment about the Edge since I have not tried it.  But I know the RS on the Solstice Class is very nice, more room than two people would ever need.  Many of us (I would guess most of us) would remove the jacuzzi on the balcony if we could.  It takes up too much Balcony space and blocks the view from the bedroom.  It sounds like a much better idea on paper than in reality.  Remove the jacuzzi and add a second lounger!

[hurwitz5]

What kind of drawer space do the inside and balcony cabins have on the Edge? We love the S class ships, but found that the lack of drawers, compensated for by above bed storage, was a negative as compared with the M class ships.  If you are short (5 ft. 6 inches and below), it’s very inconvenient to use the above bed storage.  We also miss having night stands with drawers instead of open shelves next to the bed.  

[WonderMan3]

3 hours ago, jagoffee said:

I cannot comment about the Edge since I have not tried it.  But I know the RS on the Solstice Class is very nice, more room than two people would ever need.  Many of us (I would guess most of us) would remove the jacuzzi on the balcony if we could.  It takes up too much Balcony space and blocks the view from the bedroom.  It sounds like a much better idea on paper than in reality.  Remove the jacuzzi and add a second lounger!

 

Having stayed in two S-class Royal suites I agree with this. Also, it’s not really a jacuzzi but just a jetted tub like in the bathroom. Tried it once and it was very underwhelming.

[LOU]

I will be sailing on the Edge in February. I was wondering if they offered karaoke .   

[kearney]

On 12/18/2018 at 11:46 AM, hurwitz5 said:

What kind of drawer space do the inside and balcony cabins have on the Edge? We love the S class ships, but found that the lack of drawers, compensated for by above bed storage, was a negative as compared with the M class ships.  If you are short (5 ft. 6 inches and below), it’s very inconvenient to use the above bed storage.  We also miss having night stands with drawers instead of open shelves next to the bed.  

There is a chest of drawers... larger than on S class.... each drawer is divided into two sections. There is a second smaller chest of drawers in the closet. There is also a good size drawer under the sink... dryer is on one side and there is room on the other size for makeup. I was able to get all my husband's polo shirts and my tops and shorts etc in the drawers. Closet has three sections for hanging items... but if you use the lower one on one side... you can only get two or three long dresses in there. I was able to store carryon in closet...but put shoes in the corner hidden storage. I do not pack a lot of shoes... so for some that could be an issue. I found plenty of room for two on a 7 day... would be an issue for more passengers.

[crusingnut]

Does anybody know if the 3 drinks that are uploaded to your sea pass card to replace the Captain's Club cocktail reception can be used in the Martini Bar.