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

[vtcruising]

3 hours ago, Silkroad said:

Thanks for giving me this great introduction to my next post! While hitting our beautiful hiker-biker trail this morning (still burning off those TA calories lol) I suddenly remembered that I'd wanted to post a list of the things I wish we'd done on Edge. I wish we had:

 

• spent some time in The Club (for Bandaoke and some of the other live music).
• attended the Captain's Navigation lecture, and a couple of the other lectures.
• found Texed at the waffle station so we could learn from the master😋
• found a way to get a brief tour of The Retreat.
• tried Le Petit Chef.
• found seats in the Magic Carpet bar for sail away.
• taken more photos of our favorite art during our daily art walks.
• gotten some video of Cello 2 Cello's first show, video of the production show, video of the other musical acts, and better video of the Eden show for this review.
• taken more food porn photos, especially of our meal in Eden, for this review😀
• tried Raw on Five.
• booked Inside Access tours (ideally before the price increase lol).
• found Margaret and Tom for that drink to celebrate our anniversaries. We did raise our glasses to them, however😊

 

We'll work on this list on our next cruise on Edge, Greek Isles next year😎😎

Exactly! Gives you something to look forward to next year!

[vtcruising]

3 hours ago, Silkroad said:

I had hoped to be able to get a short tour of The Retreat, partly to satisfy my own insatiable curiosity, and partly to convince myself (and my DH) that a suite on Edge class would be fun enough (for us) to justify paying considerably more than we would for a Sunset Veranda. We almost got a tour, but we were foiled by bad weather. On a sunny day, I was able to press my face against the gate (just kidding lol) to see people relaxing on loungers in The Retreat. They appeared content😎

And that was the "Back 40" - all the action was in the forward section. 😉

 

Henry was able to bring someone from our Roll Call to the Retreat Lounge - Joao, the concierge, welcomed him to look around.

[hcat]

Is the MC open for sailaway? 

What a great alt to  the Sunset Bar...where should we look for it at Sailaway time?

 

We liked  it there in the am...not crowded and close to the Solarium...Nice bellinis!

Edited June 2, 2019 by hcat

[Silkroad]

1 minute ago, vtcruising said:

And that was the "Back 40" - all the action was in the forward section. 😉

 

Henry was able to bring someone from our Roll Call to the Retreat Lounge - Joao, the concierge, welcomed him to look around.

Hahaha we need to see some photos of the front 40 action! Maybe Suzy, C-Dragons, or Texed have some they'd like to post😜

 

Suzy had made arrangements with the Concierge to give us a tour, but it began raining the morning we were to go. 

[vtcruising]

11 minutes ago, hcat said:

Is the MC open for sailaway? 

What a great alt to  the Sunset Bar...where should we look for it at Sailaway time?

 

We liked  it there in the am...not crowded and close to the Solarium...Nice bellinis!

A couple of people talked about using it for their sailaways in their reviews (when leaving FLL and other ports). Maybe we should go for that on the Apex?! 🙂

[Deb25]

On 5/18/2019 at 3:43 PM, prish said:

 

Thanks a ton Silkroad, you’re just amazing!  As I thought these are the middle cabins, not sure the verandahs will open up. But we’ll be happy to sit out and watch the wake...

We will be your neighbors!

8319. Hello😊

deb

[Bimmer09]

8 hours ago, Silkroad said:

Thanks very much, Norris! I'm glad you enjoyed it😊  I'm looking forward to your next review, which I believe will be the Fjords. Your Cuba review was fabulous! On our Caribbean cruise, I'll be back to wandering the ship like a ghost, trying to capture both sunrises (while DH sleeps) and sunsets😉 Oh, we will enjoy our Sky Suite. I just hope we don't become addicted to the Suite Life😂

 

Cheers!

Michelle

Hi, Michelle, I'm glad you read my Cuba review.

A couple of days in London precede boarding Silhouette September 1 and we are psyched to see London again after so long (25 years since I was last there)

 

In my comparison review with Princess I thought that X really pulled out the stops for suite pax with Luminae, Blu and Michael's. That all comes at a price though and it seems X prices are rising and we had to consider the price recently when I found the cabin next door to our Sky Suite on Silly was half the price and that dollar amount saving would pay for our next cruise after Silly (the new Sky Princess next January). So I will not be sailing in a Sky Suite to Norway but rather a Sunset Verandah next door (7360). I am interested in seeing what life is like for a non-suite  X passenger and don't plan to be in the cabin (er, stateroom LOL) much each day.

I will give the MDR a chance after a disastrous first experience on Silhouette in 2016 but plan a few Murano/Lawn Club grill meals. I do like Oceanview Cafe for lunch, especially the excellent Indian food.

 

I have bought two new lenses I can use for the Norway trip and will hire a couple of sherpas to tote my camera gear around.

 

Cheers!

Norris

[prish]

10 hours ago, Deb25 said:

We will be your neighbors!

8319. Hello😊

deb

 

Hi Deb, great, are you on the Apex May 10, 2020 sailing too? If so you should get on the rather slow RC.

[Lastdance]

Did you ask for these or am I mistaken...front 40?

[vtcruising]

Love the hanging baskets

 

 

 

 

Easy to score a sun lovebed  ❤️

 

The wonderful pool bar and dining area

 

 

 

 

[Silkroad]

Thanks for posting the photos, Suzy and Marilyn. So, there is a pool bar in the Retreat? I thought there were no bars in the Retreat. It's nice to see some shaded seating. It looks very inviting😜 

Edited June 3, 2019 by Silkroad

[Silkroad]

14 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Hi, Michelle, I'm glad you read my Cuba review.

A couple of days in London precede boarding Silhouette September 1 and we are psyched to see London again after so long (25 years since I was last there)

 

In my comparison review with Princess I thought that X really pulled out the stops for suite pax with Luminae, Blu and Michael's. That all comes at a price though and it seems X prices are rising and we had to consider the price recently when I found the cabin next door to our Sky Suite on Silly was half the price and that dollar amount saving would pay for our next cruise after Silly (the new Sky Princess next January). So I will not be sailing in a Sky Suite to Norway but rather a Sunset Verandah next door (7360). I am interested in seeing what life is like for a non-suite  X passenger and don't plan to be in the cabin (er, stateroom LOL) much each day.

I will give the MDR a chance after a disastrous first experience on Silhouette in 2016 but plan a few Murano/Lawn Club grill meals. I do like Oceanview Cafe for lunch, especially the excellent Indian food.

 

I have bought two new lenses I can use for the Norway trip and will hire a couple of sherpas to tote my camera gear around.

 

Cheers!

Norris

Hi Norris, 

 

I did indeed read your Cuba review (and I wanted to be right there with you and Carol, tasting the food, listening to the music, and experiencing the wonderful art). 

 

I'm sure you'll have a great time in London!  So much has changed, yet so much remains the same. I love wandering along the Thames, exploring whatever looks interesting at the moment. Between visiting my favorite places, and seeking out new favorites, I run out of time before I know it!

 

I understand your cost/benefit analysis, because we make the same analysis when we plan our holidays. We usually reach the same conclusion you did, but with the Revolution coming to the Solstice class ships, we figure it's now or never to have the suite experience (with Michael's Club) so many people love.

 

I hope you enjoy the MDR on Silhouette. When we sailed on her in 2013, we thought the food in the MDR was bad (the worst we've had on Celebrity). It was as though the chefs had lost their taste buds, and had compensated by throwing too many herbs and spices into everything. Each dish on the plate fought with the others, yet the salad dressings seemed watered down. It was bizarre. I'm happy to say that when we returned to Silhouette last summer, the food in the MDR was very good to excellent. 

 

I can't wait to read your Norway review, and see more of your spectacular photos😊 Having seen photos of a table groaning under the weight of your cameras gear, I think hiring a couple of sherpas would be a wise move! 

 

Cheers!

Michelle

 

 

Edited June 3, 2019 by Silkroad

[Lastdance]

52 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Thanks for posting the photos, Suzy and Marilyn. So, there is a pool bar in the Retreat? I thought there were no bars in the Retreat. It's nice to see some shaded seating. It looks very inviting😜 

 

The three times I checked on it no one was there, but the bartender...of course and then me!

Edited June 3, 2019 by Lastdance

[vtcruising]

53 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Thanks for posting the photos, Suzy and Marilyn. So, there is a pool bar in the Retreat? I thought there were no bars in the Retreat. It's nice to see some shaded seating. It looks very inviting😜 

Yes, there is a pool bar upstairs from the lounge. 🙂 It is actually a wonderful, friendly bar, with nice tables and chairs nearby for lunch or snacks (and drinks 😉). So far, I think the Edge is the only X ship with a Retreat Sundeck Pool Bar - the M Class doesn't have one and I didn't see one on the Equinox (maybe it was around a corner).

 

You have to give your SeaPass (or still had to in January), so if you didn't have a package or went over, you had it added to your bill. Suzy can verify if that was still the way it worked on the TA. Since the drink pkg is less likely offered as a perk on TA's, it may have been an issue for those in a SS/CS without a pkg.

Edited June 3, 2019 by vtcruising

[vtcruising]

2 minutes ago, Lastdance said:

 

The three times I checked on it no one was there, but the bartender...of course and then me!

It was pretty active for our cruises on nice days (actually, not busy, just had 3-6 people seated at bar and a few in seating nearby. We liked sitting in a lovebed nearby.

Edited June 3, 2019 by vtcruising

[C-Dragons]

59 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

Yes, there is a pool bar upstairs from the lounge. 🙂 It is actually a wonderful, friendly bar, with nice tables and chairs nearby for lunch or snacks (and drinks 😉). So far, I think the Edge is the only X ship with a Retreat Sundeck Pool Bar - the M Class doesn't have one and I didn't see one on the Equinox (maybe it was around a corner).

 

You have to give your SeaPass (or still had to in January), so if you didn't have a package or went over, you had it added to your bill. Suzy can verify if that was still the way it worked on the TA. Since the drink pkg is less likely offered as a perk on TA's, it may have been an issue for those in a SS/CS without a pkg.

An interesting thing happened on the Edge TA. 😉

On the second night of the cruise my DH and I were sitting in the Retreat Lounge alone. A server came up to us and asked if we would like any drinks. I asked for Macallan whiskey which I had been drinking earlier that afternoon. She replied to me that if I did not have the Premium beverage package, there would be an up-charge of up to $9 per glass. I was taken aback to hear this, since no one had told us about this earlier. We did know that guests in suites without beverage packages were being charged for drinks requested upstairs in the pool area (though anyone could circumvent this by taking a beverage from the lounge up to the pool area).

Well the next day my DH had a nice chat with one of the Retreat Concierges regarding this new up-charge “policy”. On the following day, that policy was gone and Suite guests were allowed to have premium wines and liquor without paying an up-charge. On top of that, all suite guests were allowed to order their beverage of choice on the retreat pool deck - without being charged. However the bar servers did ask for a key card to swipe for accounting purposes only.

It will be interesting to see if these changes are permanent or not.

Edited June 3, 2019 by C-Dragons

[vtcruising]

9 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

An interesting thing happened on the Edge TA. 😉

On the second night of the cruise my DH and I were sitting in the Retreat Lounge alone. A server came up to us and asked if we would like any drinks. I asked for McCallan whiskey which I had been drinking earlier that afternoon. She replied to me that if I did not have the Premium beverage package, there would be an up-charge of up to $9 per glass. I was taken aback to hear this, since no one had told us about this earlier. We did know that guests in suites without beverage packages were being charged for drinks requested upstairs in the pool area (though anyone could circumvent this by taking a beverage from the lounge up to the pool area).

Well the next day my DH had a nice chat with one of the Retreat Concierges regarding this new up-charge “policy”. On the following day, that policy was gone and Suite guests were allowed to have premium wines and liquor without paying an up-charge. On top of that, all suite guests were allowed to order their beverage of choice on the retreat pool deck - without being charged. However the bar servers did ask for a key card to swipe for accounting purposes only.

It will be interesting to see if these changes are permanent or not.

Wow! Sounds like being the first TA, they were trying to change the rules. I'm glad your DH had a chat with them (must have been a good one!). Good going, Mr C-Dragons! 🙂

 

It is funny because they had had a little meeting one night of one of our cruises to cancel all Dinners on the Edge (the concierge told me about the meeting - that now MC dinners would only be on deck 5 as part of Raw on 5) - it lasted only a few days because it changed back again, likely due to the uproar.

Edited June 3, 2019 by vtcruising

[Silkroad]

54 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

An interesting thing happened on the Edge TA. 😉

On the second night of the cruise my DH and I were sitting in the Retreat Lounge alone. A server came up to us and asked if we would like any drinks. I asked for Macallan whiskey which I had been drinking earlier that afternoon. She replied to me that if I did not have the Premium beverage package, there would be an up-charge of up to $9 per glass. I was taken aback to hear this, since no one had told us about this earlier. We did know that guests in suites without beverage packages were being charged for drinks requested upstairs in the pool area (though anyone could circumvent this by taking a beverage from the lounge up to the pool area).

Well the next day my DH had a nice chat with one of the Retreat Concierges regarding this new up-charge “policy”. On the following day, that policy was gone and Suite guests were allowed to have premium wines and liquor without paying an up-charge. On top of that, all suite guests were allowed to order their beverage of choice on the retreat pool deck - without being charged. However the bar servers did ask for a key card to swipe for accounting purposes only.

It will be interesting to see if these changes are permanent or not.

Thanks very much for posting this, C-Dragons. It is very interesting. Since Edge's debut,  I've read many similar posts about the Retreat's "dynamic" up-charges for alcoholic beverages. Having heard that Michael's Club was quite different, in that suite guests could obtain complimentary alcoholic beverages (including those Celebrity considers premium) when Michael's Club was open, I wondered what what going on. I also wonder which policy we will find in Michael's Club this December😉 It will indeed be interesting to see if the changes you mentioned are permanent or not.  I hope they are permanent, because any other strategy negates the elegant, relaxing, and carefree Suite Retreat atmosphere Celebrity expended so much effort creating, and marketing.

Edited June 3, 2019 by Silkroad

[C-Dragons]

52 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Thanks very much for posting this, C-Dragons. It is very interesting. Since Edge's debut,  I've read many similar posts about the Retreat's "dynamic" up-charges for alcoholic beverages. Having heard that Michael's Club was quite different, in that suite guests could obtain complimentary alcoholic beverages (including those Celebrity considers premium) when Michael's Club was open, I wondered what what going on. I also wonder which policy we will find in Michael's Club this December😉 It will indeed be interesting to see if the changes you mentioned are permanent or not.  I hope they are permanent, because any other strategy negates the elegant, relaxing, and carefree Suite Retreat atmosphere Celebrity expended so much effort creating, and marketing.

I agree.

I forgot to mention that on the first night of the cruise in the Retreat Lounge I asked for a Pinot Noir, and the server asked if Kendall-Jackson would be OK, to which I relied, yes, thank you! The following night before dinner I asked for the Kendall-Jackson Pinot and was told that was only offered on the the premium beverage package, so I asked for whatever other Pinot they were serving.

Everyone has been speculating for some time about why X has been removing the bars from MC's or the new Retreat Lounges. Just a thought... if there are no bars, there are no bottles of alcohol on display. When guests' drinks are prepared behind closed doors, they cannot see which brands of alcohol are being used, and if the servers adapt a “don't ask, don't tell” policy, consequently there might be fewer requests for top shelf liquor or premium wines, which would be a cost cutting measure for the company. In the Edge Retreat Lounge, in addition to soda and water that guests could access at any time, there were also at least three different wines and a champagne available for guests to help themselves to. Not premium brands, but most of the guests that I observed didn’t care - they didn’t have to wait for a server, and the choices were drinkable. It will be interesting to see if this practice will eventually be introduced across the fleet.

Edited June 3, 2019 by C-Dragons

[vtcruising]

1 hour ago, C-Dragons said:

I agree.

I forgot to mention that on the first night of the cruise in the Retreat Lounge I asked for a Pinot Noir, and the server asked if Kendall-Jackson would be OK, to which I relied, yes, thank you! The following night before dinner I asked for the Kendall-Jackson Pinot and was told that was only offered on the the premium beverage package, so I asked for whatever other Pinot they were serving.

Everyone has been speculating for some time about why X has been removing the bars from MC's or the new Retreat Lounges. Just a thought... if there are no bars, there are no bottles of alcohol on display. When guests' drinks are prepared behind closed doors, they cannot see which brands of alcohol are being used, and if the servers adapt a “don't ask, don't tell” policy, consequently there might be fewer requests for top shelf liquor or premium wines, which would be a cost cutting measure for the company. In the Edge Retreat Lounge, in addition to soda and water that guests could access at any time, there were also at least three different wines and a champagne available for guests to help themselves to. Not premium brands, but most of the guests that I observed didn’t care - they didn’t have to wait for a server, and the choices were drinkable. It will be interesting to see if this practice will eventually be introduced across the fleet.

Interesting thought - you may be onto something. I also wonder if on the Edge, with so many sky suites, they are giving the higher suites the good stuff. I wouldn't be happy to pay what the upper suites do and then get nickeled and dimed in the Retreat, though even in the Sky suites, it doesn't feel right to have prices going up if the benefits are going down.

 

Hopefully, not having the bar on S Class won't be an issue from Apex on....

[vtcruising]

1 hour ago, vtcruising said:

Hopefully, not having the bar on S Class won't be an issue from Apex on..

Meant E Class...

[Silkroad]

3 hours ago, C-Dragons said:

I forgot to mention that on the first night of the cruise in the Retreat Lounge I asked for a Pinot Noir, and the server asked if Kendall-Jackson would be OK, to which I relied, yes, thank you! The following night before dinner I asked for the Kendall-Jackson Pinot and was told that was only offered on the the premium beverage package, so I asked for whatever other Pinot they were serving.

Everyone has been speculating for some time about why X has been removing the bars from MC's or the new Retreat Lounges. Just a thought... if there are no bars, there are no bottles of alcohol on display. When guests' drinks are prepared behind closed doors, they cannot see which brands of alcohol are being used, and if the servers adapt a “don't ask, don't tell” policy, consequently there might be fewer requests for top shelf liquor or premium wines, which would be a cost cutting measure for the company. In the Edge Retreat Lounge, in addition to soda and water that guests could access at any time, there were also at least three different wines and a champagne available for guests to help themselves to. Not premium brands, but most of the guests that I observed didn’t care - they didn’t have to wait for a server, and the choices were drinkable. It will be interesting to see if this practice will eventually be introduced across the fleet.

Interesting. You could very well be right about their motives, but it seems short sighted of X to play these games with suite guests. Celebrity already has a tremendous markup on most of their alcoholic beverages, and suite guests are paying a stiff premium for their additional space and benefits. Anyone booking a suite has all the perks, including a Premium Beverage Package (excepting those who book TA/TP cruises). If they're not drinking the "drinkable" choices that are always available, they're saving X money. Why not give those people what they ask for, without upcharges? I certainly hope the current practice won't last, and won't be rolled out across the fleet. Ah well, with the way they're going, they're making it easier for me to stick to my travel budget, with SV's or midship verandas on the hump angle & PALLs instead of suites😜

[Silkroad]

6 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

Meant E Class...

Ha ha I was just about to ask you about that...thanks for the clarification😊

[C-Dragons]

2 hours ago, vtcruising said:

Interesting thought - you may be onto something. I also wonder if on the Edge, with so many sky suites, they are giving the higher suites the good stuff. I wouldn't be happy to pay what the upper suites do and then get nickeled and dimed in the Retreat, though even in the Sky suites, it doesn't feel right to have prices going up if the benefits are going down.

 

Hopefully, not having the bar on S Class won't be an issue from Apex on....

Of course the upper suites get the good stuff, or whatever they want, after all they’ve paid for it. 😊

There was an older couple on the TA, I don’t know which suite they were in, but they sat at a table right next to the Concierge's podium every single day. We observed their Butler come into the Retreat Lounge periodically to personally serve them Champagne. We're still not sure how the Butler knew when to appear, so I assume the Concierge notified him. The Concierges know which guests are in the Upper Suites and all of their preferences, so special attention is paid to them and they are taken care of.

I do agree that with the continued high prices of the Sky Suites there should be no up-charges for any alcohol.

[vtcruising]

4 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

Of course the upper suites get the good stuff, or whatever they want, after all they’ve paid for it. 😊

There was an older couple on the TA, I don’t know which suite they were in, but they sat at a table right next to the Concierge's podium every single day. We observed their Butler come into the Retreat Lounge periodically to personally serve them Champagne. We're still not sure how the Butler knew when to appear, so I assume the Concierge notified him. The Concierges know which guests are in the Upper Suites and all of their preferences, so special attention is paid to them and they are taken care of.

I do agree that with the continued high prices of the Sky Suites there should be no up-charges for any alcohol.

 

We knew the butler for the Iconic suites for a couple of our cruises. We saw him escort them to Luminae, the Retreat Lounge, the MC - they got the royal treatment and at $50,000 for their cruise, they certainly should.