Our life on the Edge, 28 April 2019 TA, some photos & video

[Silkroad]

[Silkroad]

Due to a family emergency, two of our friends thought they'd need to return home early. They were ultimately able to stay, but had already canceled their Eden reservation.

 

The remaining four of us were given a wonderful table against the aft window. This is a gorgeous space!  For those who haven't heard, the Edenists do move about the area, but they will not interact with you unless you speak to them or raise the orange orb (my name for it) that is on your table. Had DH and I been alone, I would have raised the orb to invite one or more of the Edenists  to our table, but since I hadn't discussed this with our friends beforehand, I refrained.

 

You can see the mesmerizing wake behind my DH's chair. More soon....

[vtcruising]

2 hours ago, Silkroad said:

Today we docked in Ponta Delgada. We had the closer berth, so the town was an easy walk. This was a new port for us, so we chose to explore the town on our own.

Looks like a gorgeous place! I would love to visit some day. Great pictures, Michelle and Suzy!

 

Lovely view out the Eden window - it was dark when we ate there so didn't get the lovely view outside, but certainly had some interesting views inside. 😉  Last night I was reviewing my videos of that night and was surprised at what I captured. I think I captured the crescendo and didn't know it! It was kind of like when Lady Gaga has her crescendo in Shallow (from a Star is Born), only Gaga sounds better. 🙂

Edited May 22, 2019 by vtcruising

[Lastdance]

15 hours ago, cgolf1 said:

 

This is my fear. Because we were in 10% of young couples on the cruise, being generous on the percentage, my guess is they would have played more golden oldies. Maybe by 2021 there will be more younger couples onboard so there is a better mix of music, leaning more towards current. 

 

We thought the music and shows, minus Eden, were just about perfect and needed no changes;) Unfortunately I was one of few. 

One thing you have to remember is...there are older people on TA's, but only by age.  Many are as vibrant and young at heart as you...some your age need to try to keep up with them...I am not pointing the finger, but just adding some information to clarify TA's.  I do totally understand what you are saying and hope that Celebrity also "gets it!"

Edited May 22, 2019 by Lastdance

[Silkroad]

To begin our Eden dining experience, we were first led to the bar. There we were offered a small drink. I think it contained passion fruit, and it was tasty. We were then led to our table. Once we had placed our orders, we were free to watch the Edenists walk about (obviously in character), dance, juggle and somersault. I found them intriguing & charming. 

 

Note: the Eden dinner and the Eden show are two different experiences. The Eden show was not presented  every night (at least on this cruise).

 

 

 

Edited May 22, 2019 by Silkroad

[Silkroad]

We did not photograph the menu, and we can't recall the exact names of all the dishes, but you'll get the idea. DH & I thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Even when something wasn't exactly to our taste, we enjoyed trying everything. Oops, there is one exception. I can't say either of us enjoyed the chalky amuse bouche, but it was OK😂 DH & I decided to (mostly) order different dishes so we could try as much as possible. I know I ordered the beef (Life after Death) and DH ordered the pork dish. The dish in the first photo was called Raindrops, and the one in the second photo was called Blue Velvet.  I think the fourth dish was ordered by one of our friends, who let us try a bite. The green thing is, of course kale🤣Everything was very interesting and tasty, including the kale.

[Silkroad]

Our mains...

[cgolf1]

1 hour ago, Lastdance said:

One thing you have to remember is...there are older people on TA's, but only by age.  Many are as vibrant and young at heart as you...some your age need to try to keep up with them...I am not pointing the finger, but just adding some information to clarify TA's.  I do totally understand what you are saying and hope that Celebrity also "gets it!"

 

I totally get what your saying and I am only speaking of the music and shows when it comes to ages. The people we have enjoyed most talking to around the ship and at meals have been retired couples, wow some of them lived crazy cool lives and have great stories:) This Cruise was the same. I actually don’t like being seated for meals with couples our age or younger. 

 

I just noticed at the shows, we were on when they were heavily loaded with current chart toppers, when I snuck a peak at the crowd they were disengaged and more than a few got up and left. During the Frankie Vallie cover band show the crowd was super engaged, and those guys were rockstars around the ship lol. 

 

For us the music including the hip hop on deck gave the ship a vibe like no other ship we have been on, and we were hooked. So if the music and shows change, time will tell for us. 

 

Now for you all to flame me, not a Beetles fan;)

[Silkroad]

DH ordered the chocolate based dessert, which left me with the apple. The chocolate one was excellent, but very rich. A couple bites were enough for me. The apple was OK. 

[Silkroad]

This final dessert was brought for the table, but I'm not sure any of us had enough room left to try it. It was pretty.

[vtcruising]

Great overview and pictures of the Eden dinner!  I am so surprised that you didn't like the asbestos balls!    😉    Did you find the silverware?

 

Edited May 22, 2019 by vtcruising

[Silkroad]

So now it's time for our rating of the three specialty restaurants we tried for dinner. These were the Roof Top Garden Grill, Fine Cut Steakhouse, and Eden. Service was excellent in all three. The setting was lovely for all three. This leaves our rating of the food & the overall ambiance (which includes wind, and external noise). 

 

First place: Eden - excellent on all counts

 

Second place: Fine Cut Steakhouse - excellent for everything except loud music from Grand Foyer part way through our meal

 

Third place: Rooftop Garden Grill - lack of wind shielding, and our meals were good, but not great

 

That said, if the latter two resolve their ambiance issues, we'd certainly try them again, and of course, we'd try Eden again☺️

 

We didn't get to try Dinner on the Edge (Magic Carpet) or Le Petit Chef, so we hope to try those next time.

[Silkroad]

17 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

Great overview and pictures of the Eden dinner!  I am so surprised that you didn't like the asbestos balls!    😉    Did you find the silverware?

 

 

They were interesting, weren't they? Our silverware was already on the table. Thanks for the photo of the orb😜 I'm not sure I ever took a photograph of it. 

 

Thanks for the kind words☺️ I wish I had been able to get a photo of one of my favorite Edenists doing a somersault (the guy with the great hair, and fantastic laugh). I should have switched to video instead.

[vtcruising]

1 minute ago, Silkroad said:

 

They were interesting, weren't they? Our silverware was already on the table. Thanks for the photo of the orb😜 I'm not sure I ever took a photograph of it. 

 

Thanks for the kind words☺️ I wish I had been able to get a photo of one of my favorite Edenists doing a somersault (the guy with the great hair, and fantastic laugh). I should have switched to video instead.

Yes, love the orb for calling the Edenists over (that is actually what they called it so great minds...). This is where we found our silverware (probably they got dinged during inspection and now don't store it in drawers 🙂).

[Silkroad]

Just now, vtcruising said:

Yes, love the orb for calling the Edenists over (that is actually what they called it so great minds...). This is where we found our silverware (probably they got dinged during inspection and now don't store it in drawers 🙂).

 

I'm not sure, because we did notice a drawer containing silverware at another table.

[Silkroad]

We didn't feel like going to the show, and it was still very early, so you can guess what we did after dinner. I believe it was espresso with music, an art walk, cocktails with music, another walk....

 

Vt some of your friends want to say hello...

[Silkroad]

[Silkroad]

Deleted. Technical issue.

 

Edited May 22, 2019 by Silkroad

[Silkroad]

The haunted forest is fun late at night...

[cgolf1]

1 minute ago, Silkroad said:

The haunted forest is fun late at night...

 

I thought this was the coolest thing and loved walking through it. Would have loved to see some that were trying to get their money back on the beverage package go through it at night;)

[Silkroad]

4 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

 

I thought this was the coolest thing and loved walking through it. Would have loved to see some that were trying to get their money back on the beverage package go through it at night;)

 

We loved walking through it too. Sometimes, late at night, we encountered some vertically challenged groups in there. We're lightweights compared with many of our fellow passengers, so we have to pace ourselves if we don't want to be the ones bumping into the trees, and saying, "sorry, man" 😉 One night, my eyes were super dry after a show, so I foolishly used eye drops just before walking into the Haunted Forest😂 That was interesting! I had to cling to a tree and blink a few times to clear my vision😵 

 

 

 

[vtcruising]

19 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Vt some of your friends want to say hello...

Did you rub them? They were so smooth. Yes, I did carry hand wipes with me.  🙂  The Tiffany three were my favorites: named George, Steve and Elizabeth by the Tiffany people. I hope that the Apex has some of the Faceless Ones....

[vtcruising]

1 hour ago, Silkroad said:

 

We loved walking through it too. Sometimes, late at night, we encountered some vertically challenged groups in there. We're lightweights compared with many of our fellow passengers, so we have to pace ourselves if we don't want to be the ones bumping into the trees, and saying, "sorry, man" 😉 One night, my eyes were super dry after a show, so I foolishly used eye drops just before walking into the Haunted Forest😂 That was interesting! I had to cling to a tree and blink a few times to clear my vision😵 

 

 

 

I was so tempted to take a book in there and sit under a tree and read and watch the reactions. I never did- I was too afraid that they would cut off my Premium Alcohol Package. 😉

Edited May 22, 2019 by vtcruising

[Silkroad]

8 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

Did you rub them? They were so smooth. Yes, I did carry hand wipes with me.  🙂  The Tiffany three were my favorites: named George, Steve and Elizabeth by the Tiffany people. I hope that the Apex has some of the Faceless Ones....

I did touch them. They’re so interesting. I never think of them as faceless. I call them the enigmas or the wooden people. I think of them as enigmatic or mysterious. They’re everyone. And no one. 

 

Celebrity has always had unique art on each ship, so I doubt we’ll find exactly the same things on Apex. Rather, we’ll find equally unique and wonderful art.

Edited May 22, 2019 by Silkroad

[Silkroad]

9 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

I was so tempted to take a book in there and sit under a tree and read and watch the reactions. I never did- I was too afraid that they would cut off my Premium Alcohol Package. 😉

I wish I’d thought of that! I’d rather take DH, a small bench, and two cocktails into a corner. We could sip as we watch the passing parade😜

Edited May 22, 2019 by Silkroad