Edge Jumbo?: Coming in Fall, 2021!

[TeeRick]

Marilyn, Thanks for this link!  I agree with you, Mynki and others on your thoughts here. When Celebrity expanded S-Class size with Reflection the main difference was more suites.  I agree with those that this will be the direction on Edge-Jumbo.  Why add more IV's that are having a difficult time selling when you can add higher priced suites with traditional balconies?  Not sure about the additional SV's as it is hard to see how that could be accomplished unless the beam of the ship is dramatically increased.  

[Mynki]

27 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

Yes, makes sense that the ships evolve as they build more, as long as they remember Darwin's "survival of the fittest" during the evolution. 🙂 

 

I don't know if it is true or not, but I think that because this Edge project is LLP's baby and, though there is of course a critical need for it to succeed financially, I think she has an emotional attachment as well (and not just because she is a woman). For example, the amazing curated art collection throughout the ship is an example of something that doesn't directly bring in more revenue, but is something she values and is proud of making part of the Edge Class.  After talking Edge with her onboard and watching her Q+A's and seeing her out and about on the ship on the early cruises, her pride/love for the ship was evident. She seems to want people enjoy/love the Edge Class as much as she does (in addition to the financial success), which may be one reason why there have been so many changes so fast. I have the feeling she will carry that through with the Beyond, making sure that she is a financial success with additional revenue-producing features, balanced with taking the customer needs/desires to heart. It may be my fantasy, but hopefully some truth to it. 🙂

I think anyone in her role would feel a very significant emotional attachment. After all the Edge project will define her legacy I imagine. 

My thoughts are that the Celebrity fleet was starting to look dated. Particularly the M class ships and that they won't appeal to younger passengers who are new to cruising. On cruise critic when Celebrity ship size is discussed it's inevitable the comparisons are drawn to the RCL fleet. But RCL isn't really competition to X. There's a touch of irony too as their upcoming Oasis V ship is smaller than S and E class ships, though I appreciate other large vessels are on order or under construction. 

Their closest competition Princess has new ships on order with capacities of around 3,500 pax. HAL's last two ships are larger than the rest of their fleet too. 

MSC, Costa, Carnival, P&O and NCL all have true mega ships on order and all destined for the Caribbean and Mediterranean. So with economies of scale I think X will be considering larger ships to help compete price wise if nothing else. Even Cunard have a ship on order that will carry more pax than the three queens currently do. 

 

[vtcruising]

21 minutes ago, Globehoppers said:

Some things to consider:

 

Adding a "plug" or section to an existing design does not alter ship beam.

 

Edge is designed as an endoskeleton ship instead of the traditional exoskeleton.  This enables the infinite veranda.  Likely any plug will have to maintain this integrity.  

 

Plus will need to go in front of the engine room and likely also in front of the "Magic carpet."

 

Cosmetic changes and maybe a 5th MDR or an expansion for the suites are also easy with a plug..

 

Don't expect any significant changes to the IV or internal passageways/venues.

 

Would expect changes to the shops with additional passengers as they er now focus on very high-end merchandise.

Interesting. Thanks for the insights. I am thinking though, that they have suites with traditional balconies on top of IV's so wondered if they might add at least have a deck or two of open balconies for veranda cabins. Picture of the traditional balconies on top of IV's:

 

 

 

[Mynki]

6 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

Interesting. Thanks for the insights. I am thinking though, that they have suites with traditional balconies on top of IV's so wondered if they might add at least have a deck or two of open balconies for veranda cabins. Picture of the traditional balconies on top of IV's:

 

 

 

When you look at the three cabin types in that picture as it is, the "An IV is an ocean view with a sliding window" comments we've been seeing on here  do seem quite justified. I've no idea what changes will be made to future E class ships, but I hope they offer Aqua Class with a traditional balcony. :) 

[hcat]

The future will tell  the story.

But let's not forget, for better or worse   LLP is a Royal C  trained  person and  inevitably that's the way things will go  with the ships, as well as programmatically with a few extra upgrades on X

 

As for pax there are  now many Diamond crossovers  plus others from Norwegian, Disney, Princess  etc.  Celebrity no longer has a sep signature identity .  We still enjoy X but will see how the new ships go.  We did enjoy EDGE.

[vtcruising]

11 minutes ago, Mynki said:

When you look at the three cabin types in that picture as it is, the "An IV is an ocean view with a sliding window" comments we've been seeing on here  do seem quite justified. I've no idea what changes will be made to future E class ships, but I hope they offer Aqua Class with a traditional balcony. 🙂

That's a thought - maybe they will put in some traditional verandas and will be AQ and Concierge, thus getting people to go for a more expensive cabin, if they want a traditional veranda.

[Mynki]

8 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

That's a thought - maybe they will put in some traditional verandas and will be AQ and Concierge, thus getting people to go for a more expensive cabin, if they want a traditional veranda.

Hopefully. If they can expand Blu and the spa to cope with the increased demand etc. 

[vtcruising]

3 minutes ago, Mynki said:

Hopefully. If they can expand Blu and the spa to cope with the increased demand etc. 

Yes, certainly would be nice, and maybe give Blu a better view!

Edited June 15, 2019 by vtcruising

[vtcruising]

Just found a source saying that Edge IV would be called the Element and Edge V would be the Venus. It was Wikipedia, so not sure if accurate (didn't see a reference cited).

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edge-class_cruise_ship

 

Maybe the "V" in Edge V is for Venus, not a Roman numeral. 😉   With a name like Venus, I'm sure it would be nicknamed the Love Boat.

Edited June 15, 2019 by vtcruising

[hcat]

Interesting names but very diverse..

I can see a connection among EDGE, APEX and BEYOND.. and even ELEMENT but VENUS?  Maybe that,' s where the Edenists will end up for an ultimate love fest???

 

Definitely hope the art collections remain high caliber!

Edited June 15, 2019 by hcat

[vtcruising]

3 minutes ago, hcat said:

I can see a connection among EDGE, APEX and BEYOND.. and even ELEMENT but VENUS?  Maybe that,' s where the Edenists will end up for an ultimate love fest???

 

LOL!  The Venus (if they use that name) may be due to that ship really being "out there." It may be the most daring, cutting edge ship of the class.

[C-Dragons]

52 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

Just found a source saying that Edge IV would be called the Element and Edge V would be the Venus. It was Wikipedia, so not sure if accurate (didn't see a reference cited).

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edge-class_cruise_ship

 

Maybe the "V" in Edge V is for Venus, not a Roman numeral. 😉   With a name like Venus, I'm sure it would be nicknamed the Love Boat.

If those names were true, why didn’t X trademark them?

[vtcruising]

6 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

If those names were true, why didn’t X trademark them?

I know, that's why I don't believe it yet, but maybe they are in the process of doing so? Opus, Elegance, Luxe, Pinnacle are all trade-marked by X so makes more sense that they will be used. 🙂

[Oceangoer2]

21 hours ago, hcat said:

We also did a one and done on Reflection....not sure about suite space,   but BLU and everything else  felt crowded for our interests.

 

We are not going to fret now..we are booked through 2020,  and hoping for something interesting on Silhouette  for 2021, if she is still doing SA..

We have sailed all S class ships many times and 6 cruises with Reflection...the last being the last!  Too crowded, not enough space for increased numbers and enjoyment lessened.  The winter cruises in the Caribbean seem only to be on Silhouette/Equinox/Reflection so what is the alternative?  Some say the Summit and M class...haven't sailed them in many years....is there an improvement in decor since the do-over?

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

23 hours ago, phabric said:

Maybe Celebrity is going to be like RC Symphony with 6,680 passengers and 2,200 crew.

I've actually cruised on RC Symphony of the Seas and really enjoyed to experience.  The entertainment choices are amazing. Just stay out of the Windjammer buffet, the one area on the ship where massive numbers do make it frustrating. Plenty of other dining choices however. We didn't have time to try them all.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

4 hours ago, vtcruising said:

I know, that's why I don't believe it yet, but maybe they are in the process of doing so? Opus, Elegance, Luxe, Pinnacle are all trade-marked by X so makes more sense that they will be used. 🙂

Not fond of Pinnacle as that is the name of the top tier of Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor loyalty club. That would be like Royal naming their next Oasis Class ship Zenith of the Seas after the top tier of Celebrity's Captain's Club loyalty program.

[phabric]

13 minutes ago, Silvery Seas Cruiser said:

I've actually cruised on RC Symphony of the Seas and really enjoyed to experience.  The entertainment choices are amazing. Just stay out of the Windjammer buffet, the one area on the ship where massive numbers do make it frustrating. Plenty of other dining choices however. We didn't have time to try them all.

 

I was on the Symphony in January and will be on again August 2020.  I found in the MDR    the table and chairs were very close together that it was hard to move.  I found no problem finding a lounge chair around the pool. Yes, entertainment was great and many places to eat.  A huge ship so a lot of walking.

[Lastdance]

9 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Marilyn, Thanks for this link!  I agree with you, Mynki and others on your thoughts here. When Celebrity expanded S-Class size with Reflection the main difference was more suites.  I agree with those that this will be the direction on Edge-Jumbo.  Why add more IV's that are having a difficult time selling when you can add higher priced suites with traditional balconies?  Not sure about the additional SV's as it is hard to see how that could be accomplished unless the beam of the ship is dramatically increased.  

 

How about making the SV's just "look" a little bigger and calling them mini suites...Or adding ASV's and calling them mini suites(aft sunset verandas on starboard and port) as they could have fun with the names too...I was just kidding on here earlier and now, but one never knows what might be the future of cruising,  especially in the years to come with the Jumbo lines, crowds and high prices for newness, oldness and inbetweeness....I am waiting to be amazed!   However, this economy has an expiration date and hopefully a piranha frenzy will drop the high prices of the newbies!

Edited June 15, 2019 by Lastdance

[kearney]

If they were to turn the IV into regular veranda's.... they will still be too small. As it is the IV... from folding door to the window is about 4 1/2'. The width would be a bit more but really still very small.  If they added 1/2 to each cabin... that would add about 48 ft to length of the ship.... but still only 4 1/2' deep. If they could make the verandas about 5' deep and a bit wider.. then have groupings of regular verandas and IV verandas... that would make regular verandas still a bit more private.   

 

If IVs were 6" wider... there might be room to have a curtain for morning early risers... tucked away in the corner....This would not impact the view as much as it would with the current design.

 

But to get an extra 150 or more cabins would require another deck.... if they added another deck... perhaps the forward section could be used as a lounge for us non-suite users... kinda like sky lounge only a deck or so lower.... but a view forward for those of us who missed that on Edge. The question is... would adding some square footage to cabins... payout...? Would people like IV better if there verandas were more spacious...had a way of blackening the cabin for early risers. If there were more regular verandas tucked in between IV... they would be a bit more private and have a slightly larger veranda because of plexiglass dividers... so they might be a higher class of cabin.... 

 

Anyway some random thoughts from someone without any engineering experience... :) 

[TeeRick]

13 hours ago, kearney said:

If they were to turn the IV into regular veranda's.... they will still be too small. As it is the IV... from folding door to the window is about 4 1/2'. The width would be a bit more but really still very small.  If they added 1/2 to each cabin... that would add about 48 ft to length of the ship.... but still only 4 1/2' deep. If they could make the verandas about 5' deep and a bit wider.. then have groupings of regular verandas and IV verandas... that would make regular verandas still a bit more private.   

 

If IVs were 6" wider... there might be room to have a curtain for morning early risers... tucked away in the corner....This would not impact the view as much as it would with the current design.

 

But to get an extra 150 or more cabins would require another deck.... if they added another deck... perhaps the forward section could be used as a lounge for us non-suite users... kinda like sky lounge only a deck or so lower.... but a view forward for those of us who missed that on Edge. The question is... would adding some square footage to cabins... payout...? Would people like IV better if there verandas were more spacious...had a way of blackening the cabin for early risers. If there were more regular verandas tucked in between IV... they would be a bit more private and have a slightly larger veranda because of plexiglass dividers... so they might be a higher class of cabin.... 

 

Anyway some random thoughts from someone without any engineering experience... 🙂

Agree with you about the added deck and your thoughts there.  But I don't think they would make the additional investment cost of Edge-Jumbo and add public spaces (like a forward space for observation) that do not generate revenue. Or increase IV size if it means fewer revenue generating cabins.  Now if they added an additional deck with more suites and more traditional cabins with balcony that they sell at a premium to IV's then they would have positive return on the Jumbo investment.  I see that as a much more likely scenario.

[FreestyleNovice]

On 6/15/2019 at 3:07 PM, Mynki said:

I think anyone in her role would feel a very significant emotional attachment. After all the Edge project will define her legacy I imagine. 

My thoughts are that the Celebrity fleet was starting to look dated. Particularly the M class ships and that they won't appeal to younger passengers who are new to cruising. On cruise critic when Celebrity ship size is discussed it's inevitable the comparisons are drawn to the RCL fleet. But RCL isn't really competition to X. There's a touch of irony too as their upcoming Oasis V ship is smaller than S and E class ships, though I appreciate other large vessels are on order or under construction. 

Their closest competition Princess has new ships on order with capacities of around 3,500 pax. HAL's last two ships are larger than the rest of their fleet too. 

MSC, Costa, Carnival, P&O and NCL all have true mega ships on order and all destined for the Caribbean and Mediterranean. So with economies of scale I think X will be considering larger ships to help compete price wise if nothing else. Even Cunard have a ship on order that will carry more pax than the three queens currently do. 

 

 

Eh? Did I miss something here?

[hcat]

I saw that one recent  Royal C ship holds 6,000 plus pax...I'd run from that in an instant if Celeb follows such a pattern!  The Jumbo concept does not excite me!

 

Reflection...last of S class, although  somewhat larger than the others  was too crowded for our taste!  

 

Better not bigger! 

[bigbenboys]

On 6/14/2019 at 2:15 PM, cruise47 said:

I feel Celebrity  is going to add more suites to this class ship and more sunset verandas. IMHO.

Might they do what they did with the S Class and Reflection by adding a additional deck. But make the new deck on the E Class for suites only.

[C 2 C]

On 6/15/2019 at 1:32 PM, oceangoer2 said:

We have sailed all S class ships many times and 6 cruises with Reflection...the last being the last!  Too crowded, not enough space for increased numbers and enjoyment lessened.  The winter cruises in the Caribbean seem only to be on Silhouette/Equinox/Reflection so what is the alternative?  Some say the Summit and M class...haven't sailed them in many years....is there an improvement in decor since the do-over?

We have yet to set foot on the Edge but our last Reflection Cruise will also be the last.  We have sailed on her many times but the experience is no longer worth the savings compared to other S Class ships.  The extra bodies on board are noticeable for every special event (Michael's/retreat) and dining venue.  The itineraries of Summit will keep us busy cruising in our favourite destination.... Rendezvous.

[UnorigionalName]

On 6/15/2019 at 6:09 AM, vtcruising said:

Interesting. Thanks for the insights. I am thinking though, that they have suites with traditional balconies on top of IV's so wondered if they might add at least have a deck or two of open balconies for veranda cabins. Picture of the traditional balconies on top of IV's:

 

 

 

 

Haha, I wouldn't get your hopes up.  I think a large part of the benefit of the IV is fuel savings and aerodynamics.  Notice the traditional balconies are behind the bridge extensions (or behind the flying carpet hardware).  I bet it will have a similar mix of rooms as currently, suites on top, IV on bottom.

 

Also, I bet IV aren't as unpopular as people think. I bet most people going on the edge and the target demographic are fairly agnostic about the whole thing.