Just booked Apex (1st celebrity cruise) - why so much hate for edge class?

[drakes2]

7 minutes ago, lola2013 said:

No one controls your balcony "door" except you.    I haven't gone back through the entire thread, but I seem to remember that you booked a SV, which is what we had.  Also, if you enjoy a lounger, be sure to ask your steward.  The SV has two chairs and a table; we asked for and received two loungers as soon as we boarded. Very comfortable!  

No I just booked a regular verandah. Would have loved an SV but out of my price range and would lose $200 from sail now promo plus perks are a lot more than the veterans day sale. I'm going to wait until after final payment and see what promotions are available.

[lola2013]

8 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

No I just booked a regular verandah. Would have loved an SV but out of my price range and would lose $200 from sail now promo plus perks are a lot more than the veterans day sale. I'm going to wait until after final payment and see what promotions are available.

Got it....  I believe we got lucky with the price.  We were originally booked for one of the preview cruises in 2018, which got cancelled.  When we re-booked for last month, we went to SV and it was a small price difference compared to the IV we had originally booked.  And then a few weeks before we sailed (and after final payment), there was a promo so we got all four perks with just a $4 (yep, FOUR DOLLAR) price difference.

[Bo1953]

2 hours ago, Larwos said:

I’ve found this a very interesting subject. Like many others I was thrilled to hear about the wonderful new ship, The Edge. Then I started to hear what was being left out, including the library which to me gave a delightful spot for a quiet read. 

 

My main concern I’d the worry that our beautiful Solstice class ships will be Edgized. I love Celebrity and really love Eclipse, on which we will be sailing next week and I’m just hoping the refurbishment won’t include the taking over of public areas for suites and their perks and changes to other beloved spaces. 

 

I’m not making a judgement on Edge, as we Australians don’t make long journeys to go on seven day overpriced cruises, so it doesn’t give me what we want at the moment, but I’m grateful for the input of everyone, positive or not. 

I must say, that on our sailing 24 Nov of the Western Caribbean, there were upwards of 50 Australians aboard for the seven (7) night sailing.

 

A few were going to stay in Miami for another week, but the rest were returning home... most love The Edge and planned to book again B2B's due to the distance traveled.

 

I do understand the distance thing and not traveling for a seven (7) night sailing only, I would have it combined with something more to make it worth it for sure.

 

bon voyage

[NMTraveller]

5 hours ago, Jorg_ said:

Can´t say there is much of a difference in the number of passengers between Edge and S-class. Equinox has 2 850 passengers, Reflection 3 046 and Edge is in the middle with 2 918 passengers.

With a difference of only 68 passengers (Equinox vs Edge), surley that can't be noticed in a total of almost 3 000?

When you already have a crowded ship indoors because they took out many of the public areas it makes a difference.  We could never find a seat in Al Baccio or Martini Bar later in the evenings.  What a joke.  Our seats in Eden were towards the back and obscured.  We were on a full ship.  One and done.  All of the public areas that they took out make the existing ones crowded in the evenings indoors.!  Adding more cruisers just makes it worse.

Edited January 28, 2020 by NMTraveller

[Silkroad]

2 hours ago, Larwos said:

I’ve found this a very interesting subject. Like many others I was thrilled to hear about the wonderful new ship, The Edge. Then I started to hear what was being left out, including the library which to me gave a delightful spot for a quiet read. 

 

My main concern I’d the worry that our beautiful Solstice class ships will be Edgized. I love Celebrity and really love Eclipse, on which we will be sailing next week and I’m just hoping the refurbishment won’t include the taking over of public areas for suites and their perks and changes to other beloved spaces. 

 

I’m not making a judgement on Edge, as we Australians don’t make long journeys to go on seven day overpriced cruises, so it doesn’t give me what we want at the moment, but I’m grateful for the input of everyone, positive or not. 

I'm not surprised you've been put off by some of what you've read about Edge, but please be aware that there is a lot of outdated and inaccurate information on this forum. The initial cruises on Edge were very different from later ones, such as the spring transatlantic I took last April. By the time I boarded, X had made many changes in reaction to passenger feedback. They were making still more during my cruise, and later cruises. I promise you that there are beautiful spots that are perfect for reading on Edge, though there is no library. During the day, most of Eden's seating (on both levels) was filled with people reading, conversing, or simply meditating while gazing at the wake.

 

I don't know any Americans who travel long distances for 7-day cruises either, unless they're appending a short cruise to a longer land journey. I certainly don't. Our Edge cruise was 15 days, and our upcoming Edge cruise is 10 days. I refuse to take flights longer than 4 hours, unless I'm staying at the destination for at least two weeks. When I finally have enough time to visit your beautiful country, I'll want to stay at least a month (and I know it won't be enough).

 

Like you, I am grateful for feedback about the continuing changes on Edge class ships, but I want that feedback to be from people who have actually sailed on Edge class ships. Based on personal experience, I can tell you that during my 15 days aboard Edge (half of them sea days) I found that most of the concerns I'd had turned out to be baseless, or far less bother than I'd expected. This included the Infinite Veranda window being locked by the Captain. Ours was locked only for window washing and for a few hours during a storm. Though we are among those who truly miss the forward view from the bow during sail away and sail in, we loved enough things about Edge to book a future cruise on Apex before we disembarked. That said, everyone rates ship attributes/experiences differently, and there have certainly been people who have sailed on Edge, and said they'd never do so again. Most have said they loved Edge, or loved Edge, but would try a different cabin type/location/class next time, or liked it well enough, but wouldn't return until prices come down. Regardless of your choice, I hope you'll have a pleasurable journey.

[isdoo]

3 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

I have no clue. It is the upper portion of the WINDOW and not the door that gets locked.

 

Honestly having been in a regular OV cabin before where the air conditioning was affected by selfish people leaving their balcony doors open, I wish there was a way for them to shut and lock them when they had been left open for too long.

Why would that affect another cabin? Crazy idea.

A lot of people leave their cabin doors open and very often at night. 

[Silkroad]

25 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

When you already have a crowded ship indoors because they took out many of the public areas it makes a difference.  We could never find a seat in Al Baccio or Martini Bar later in the evenings.  What a joke.  Our seats in Eden were towards the back and obscured.  We were on a full ship.  One and done.  All of the public areas that they took out make the existing ones crowded in the evenings indoors.!  Adding more cruisers just makes it worse.

Our Edge TA was completely booked, and as you certainly know, public areas are always packed on sea days. Yes, we sometimes had trouble finding a seat in Cafe al Bacio or the Martini Bar during those venues' most busy periods, so we went elsewhere. We experienced exactly the same tissues on sold out Reflection and Silhouette cruises. When everyone is on board, especially during bad weather, the public venues are heaving. Sensible people realize they need to adapt by choosing a different time or venue. This is no different on Edge class than any other ship class.

Edited January 28, 2020 by Silkroad

[NMTraveller]

3 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Our Edge TA was completely booked, and as you certainly know, public areas are always packed on sea days. Yes, we sometimes had trouble finding a seat in Cafe al Bacio or the Martini Bar during those venues' most busy periods, so we went elsewhere. We experienced exactly the same tissues on sold out Reflection and Silhouette cruises. When everyone is on board, especially during bad weather, the public venues are heaving. Sensible people realize they need to adapt by choosing a different time or venue. This is no different on Edge class than any other ship class.

The issue on the Edge is that there are very few public venues indoors.  We did not have the issue on S class.  One and done.

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, lola2013 said:

Got it....  I believe we got lucky with the price.  We were originally booked for one of the preview cruises in 2018, which got cancelled.  When we re-booked for last month, we went to SV and it was a small price difference compared to the IV we had originally booked.  And then a few weeks before we sailed (and after final payment), there was a promo so we got all four perks with just a $4 (yep, FOUR DOLLAR) price difference.

The 4 perks cost me $185 pp in Canadian dollars. The way I figure we each get 150 usd obc and the gratuities we'd have to pay onboard any way plus they've now gone up. As far as the PBP goes I'll make money on them not the other way around.  

 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

12 minutes ago, isdoo said:

Why would that affect another cabin? Crazy idea.

A lot of people leave their cabin doors open and very often at night. 

Nope. It is not crazy. Somewhere on these boards (not necessarily Celebrity) there is a lengthy explanation by someone who knows ship systems. The HVAC is in blocks and leaving the doors open affects the flow for every cabin in that block.

 

Also had it verified by a housekeeping deck boss once when he came down the hall to check on reports of the air conditioning not working in cabins (mine was warm as well, but I had chalked it up to being a forward-facing cabin). He asked about mine and I was starting to say it had been warm when he heard the telltale whistling from a door. He knocked on it and identified himself and they said they were about to call someone because they could not open their door and were stuck. He simply said “Please close your balcony door and I suspect your cabin door will open.” Magically it did once the vacuum had been cut off. He then explained to them that their leaving the balcony door open not only “got their door stuck” but that it affected every cabin in the HVAC block and should be closed other than when entering and exiting the balcony.

[isdoo]

2 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

Nope. It is not crazy. Somewhere on these boards (not necessarily Celebrity) there is a lengthy explanation by someone who knows ship systems. The HVAC is in blocks and leaving the doors open affects the flow for every cabin in that block.

 

Also had it verified by a housekeeping deck boss once when he came down the hall to check on reports of the air conditioning not working in cabins (mine was warm as well, but I had chalked it up to being a forward-facing cabin). He asked about mine and I was starting to say it had been warm when he heard the telltale whistling from a door. He knocked on it and identified himself and they said they were about to call someone because they could not open their door and were stuck. He simply said “Please close your balcony door and I suspect your cabin door will open.” Magically it did once the vacuum had been cut off. He then explained to them that their leaving the balcony door open not only “got their door stuck” but that it affected every cabin in the HVAC block and should be closed other than when entering and exiting the balcony.

of course it will affect the opening of the door - that is science. 

As to it affecting other cabins - nonsense as the aircon would be off.  Don't believe everything you read on forums haha

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

14 minutes ago, isdoo said:

of course it will affect the opening of the door - that is science. 

As to it affecting other cabins - nonsense as the aircon would be off.  Don't believe everything you read on forums haha

Again, a RCCL employee confirmed it on a ship. But keep being selfish and leaving your door open.

[Silkroad]

32 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

The issue on the Edge is that there are very few public venues indoors.  We did not have the issue on S class.  One and done.

I haven't counted the venues or the seats within the venues, so I can neither confirm nor refute your claim. Do you have data to back it up? You had no issue on S class. Fair enough. I had exactly the same issues on both S class and E class. Your solution is to eschew E class in future, and mine is to continue enjoying both ship classes. It's a win-win.

[fragilek]

23 minutes ago, isdoo said:

of course it will affect the opening of the door - that is science. 

As to it affecting other cabins - nonsense as the aircon would be off.  Don't believe everything you read on forums haha

 We had to get help on a previous  cruise as our neighbor had jammed his balcony cabin door open and as a result our air con cut off.  The crew involved explained why ours wouldn't work and asked the next cab to close there door when leaving there cabin - they were leaving it jammed oped 24hrs a day - Also latter I  had to call security as they were  then smoking on the balcony - I imagine they had probably been smoking inside leaning out and leaving door open to rid the smell

[Silkroad]

35 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

Nope. It is not crazy. Somewhere on these boards (not necessarily Celebrity) there is a lengthy explanation by someone who knows ship systems. The HVAC is in blocks and leaving the doors open affects the flow for every cabin in that block.

 

Also had it verified by a housekeeping deck boss once when he came down the hall to check on reports of the air conditioning not working in cabins (mine was warm as well, but I had chalked it up to being a forward-facing cabin). He asked about mine and I was starting to say it had been warm when he heard the telltale whistling from a door. He knocked on it and identified himself and they said they were about to call someone because they could not open their door and were stuck. He simply said “Please close your balcony door and I suspect your cabin door will open.” Magically it did once the vacuum had been cut off. He then explained to them that their leaving the balcony door open not only “got their door stuck” but that it affected every cabin in the HVAC block and should be closed other than when entering and exiting the balcony.

 

I have read the same. I believe it was @chengkp75 who gave an excellent explanation somewhere on this forum. Hopefully, he will hear his invisible bat phone and weigh in here🙂

Edited January 28, 2020 by Silkroad

[PTC DAWG]

55 minutes ago, isdoo said:

Why would that affect another cabin? Crazy idea.

A lot of people leave their cabin doors open and very often at night. 

It does affect other cabins...the AC works in banks...not just on each individual cabins, at least that's what I've been told.   You have some individual control for sure, but it does matter if cabin doors are left open, especially in very humid or hot climates.  Chengkp75 is an engineer that posts often on the NCL board, he has explained it many times, in much more detail than I can.  

Edited January 28, 2020 by PTC DAWG

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 hour ago, Silkroad said:

 

I have read the same. I believe it was @chengkp75 who gave an excellent explanation somewhere on this forum. Hopefully, he will hear his invisible bat phone and weigh in here🙂

Yes! That is who it was!! Thank you for verifying!

[love to sail - brian]

On 1/26/2020 at 12:30 PM, JSR said:

My husband and I were on the Edge last year b2b, we are 60, active, and seasoned cruisers. My DH husband did cruise when cruising was traditional with tuxedos every night on the SS United States, we have cruised Royal extensively when our DD was young and Celebrity extensively, and we have tried NCL and Princess. 

 

We enjoyed Edge B2B so much that I am having second thoughts about not being on an Edge class ship for our next two cruises in March and June. Week one we had an AQ infinite Veranda and week two we had a sky suite. 

 

What we liked:

- loved being able to control temp, lights etc with the app on my phone. Sounds hooky but it was wonderful

- enjoyed the IV though as others have said it is really a large picture ocean view whose window opens. We were surprised we liked it as we are balcony people

-the art and decor is interesting and fresh. 

-lots of hidden quiet gems of places that make you feel like your the only people on the ship

-the gym was fantastic

-food in Blu

-food in Lumanea which we usually do not care for

-The Retreat area and all the suite benefits week two (we did not have these week one and did not feel at all slighted by not having them)

-the service

-general experience of something new

 

What we did not care for: ( all minor and in no way diminished our experience)

-Not having a table to eat breakfast at on the balcony

-Entertainment was just not up to our likes (this is true of 90% of the cruises we are on) We try to be open minded but we are a bit selective that way

-Eden area we enjoyed, the entertainment and the meal was not up to par, the roving actors were not able to pull it off, they spent more time interacting with each other then we the guests and when they did they were clearly uncomfortable. We were on the Symphony of the Seas (first RCCL in years) and much preferred Wonderland and the amazing Mad Hatter. 

-The pool being raised up

-The martini bar being so big 

 

We have a B2B booked on the Apex and will do more Edge cruises.

 

Recently we went on a last minute cruise with our DD for Thanksgiving, we had few choices because of the last minute booking. We ended up on Symphony of the Seas, we had done one other mega ship, Oasis, maybe 10 years ago and really disliked it but figured being with our DD alone for a week was something we could not pass up. We ended up having a blast and loving it. Will I rush back to RCCL without our DD, probably not but we had lots of fun. 

 

The older I get the more I find it is what you bring to the cruise that influences your experience the most. 

 

Bon Voyage!

 

thanks for your insights...we booked sort of last minute over Christmas, and then added a second week on a couple of weeks later.  (7 days is just not long enough)  We leave in 3 weeks, doing the eastern in AQ and the western in a SS.  I am 49 and can relate to your husband.  Have been cruising since I was a child and remember the formal wear every night, especially when we joined my grandmother for the caribbean leg of her round the world on the QE2.  

 

I've never had a bad vacation, not once and can't wait to get on board Edge.  Will still sail on M and S class ships because I love each of them for what they offer.  We have a 2022 on Eclipse around New Zealand to Sydney and am about ready to pull the trigger on the May 2021 Apex eastbound TA.

 

Happy cruising!

[NMTraveller]

10 hours ago, Silkroad said:

I haven't counted the venues or the seats within the venues, so I can neither confirm nor refute your claim. Do you have data to back it up? You had no issue on S class. Fair enough. I had exactly the same issues on both S class and E class. Your solution is to eschew E class in future, and mine is to continue enjoying both ship classes. It's a win-win.

Yes the deck plans.  Of course you must have snoozed during this whole thread...  Should we once again list all of the missing venues?

 

I did not have crowding issues on S class.  I could always find 3 or 4 quiet places indoors to have a glass of wine on S class.  I could get a seat in Al Baccio 90% of the time  on S class but never on the Edge.  Getting a lounger in the spa on sea days was difficult on the Edge.

Edited January 29, 2020 by NMTraveller

[Oville]

I think you may have missed Silkroad did a 15 TA on Edge.

[Pushka]

16 hours ago, Larwos said:

I’ve found this a very interesting subject. Like many others I was thrilled to hear about the wonderful new ship, The Edge. Then I started to hear what was being left out, including the library which to me gave a delightful spot for a quiet read. 

 

My main concern I’d the worry that our beautiful Solstice class ships will be Edgized. I love Celebrity and really love Eclipse, on which we will be sailing next week and I’m just hoping the refurbishment won’t include the taking over of public areas for suites and their perks and changes to other beloved spaces. 

 

I’m not making a judgement on Edge, as we Australians don’t make long journeys to go on seven day overpriced cruises, so it doesn’t give me what we want at the moment, but I’m grateful for the input of everyone, positive or not. 

Im an Aussie and I’m going on the Edge in July. 

[villauk]

3 hours ago, Pushka said:

Im an Aussie and I’m going on the Edge in July. 

 

 

Never mind, counselling will be available post cruise 🤣.

[Pushka]

21 minutes ago, villauk said:

 

 

Never mind, counselling will be available post cruise 🤣.

I just book the next one!

[Silkroad]

14 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Yes the deck plans.  Of course you must have snoozed during this whole thread...  Should we once again list all of the missing venues?

 

I did not have crowding issues on S class.  I could always find 3 or 4 quiet places indoors to have a glass of wine on S class.  I could get a seat in Al Baccio 90% of the time  on S class but never on the Edge.  Getting a lounger in the spa on sea days was difficult on the Edge.

Instead of posting your incredibly snide response to my civil post, you could have actually read it. I'll post it for you again, with helpful emphasis this time:

 

I haven't counted the venues OR the seats within the venues, so I can neither confirm nor refute your claim. Do you have data to back it up? You had no issue on S class. Fair enough. I had exactly the same issues on both S class and E class. Your solution is to eschew E class in future, and mine is to continue enjoying both ship classes. It's a win-win.

 

Counting the number of venues without also discussing the number of seats in each venue is useless, because it doesn't provide the total number of indoor seats within all the indoor venues. If you throw out assertions about the lack of seats in indoor venues on Edge class when compared to S-class, you should be prepared to back up your assertion with facts. Everything else is opinion, and highly subjective.

 

[ipeeinthepool]

Grand Cayman is now warning people to stay away from the Edge