Live Trip Report - Edge 2/16-23

[FRMPEI]

Very much enjoying your recount of your trip. Thanks for taking the time away from your vacation to share with us. I don't think I could do a live blog. It just takes me so long to do a unlive trip report from home.  Thanks again and enjoy the rest of you vacation.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[Cruise a holic]

Guess you booked a future Celebrity cruise!  Sounds like you had fun.

[Jim_Iain]

What a great live Blog.   You have an adventurous soul and a penchant for blogging.  

[kenevenpar]

Well done so far!  I'm learning quite a bit.  I had absolutely no interest in Edge; but now I think once the prices stabilize, I may look into it as long as I can avoid a stateroom with a window that opens (sometimes).

[hcat]

We are also partial to Tuscan.. love the layout, decor , art and music.  For APEX we booked mostly Tuscan and Cyprus and 1 night in Normandie. Nice Elite breakfast in Tuscan too!

 

Cosmopolitan is okay for breakfast or lunch but otherwise too big for us!

. 

[jmdlv1]

On 2/19/2020 at 10:15 AM, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

Today’s Daily and Captain Kate’s letter

 

 

Really appreciate you posting the Celebrity Daily.

Already planning  what activities I'll be doing in a couple weeks.

[mafig]

Did you dock at Mallory Square while in Key West or the Naval Yard?

 

 

[Oville]

Beth, hope all is well.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

5 hours ago, mafig said:

Did you dock at Mallory Square while in Key West or the Naval Yard?

 

 

Pier B - at Margaritaville. 
 

4 minutes ago, Oville said:

Beth, hope all is well.

 

Hi! All is good - fun day in Cozumel. Between sun and activities and heat I am exhausted, but I will try to update before we get to Grand Cayman tomorrow!!

[Oville]

Just now, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

Pier B - at Margaritaville. 
 

 

Hi! All is good - fun day in Cozumel. Between sun and activities and heat I am exhausted, but I will try to update before we get to Grand Cayman tomorrow!!

Good to hear, I was beginning to get worried.  Enjoy Grand Cayman and sleep well.😴

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Morning all!!

 

I figured with everything to recount it was just easier to sign into shippernet (my sister's term for shipboard internet which I have adopted) on my laptop and do a catch-up post with minimal pictures (I took some with an actual camera yesterday) and then put other pics up later on the phone. Easier to type on the laptop! 🙂

 

We got into Cozumel between 6:30 and 7 Wednesday evening and docked. We were at the pier where Señor Frog's and the Hard Rock and Margaritaville and Bubba Gump are - or "The other one" as my sister said...she is a service excellence training officer on Disney and has been to Cozumel many times, so I followed the best advice for where to eat in port that a) is good, b) is not too expensive, and c) has wifi and asked a crew member...she just happens to be family. Yay! She without hesitation said "Pancho's Backyard!! But I'm not sure where it will be to where you are docking." (I did not know where we were going to be at that point as I started texting her right after Captain Kate made the announcement.) She added "I'm not sure I'd go out at night as a solo female though..." So combining not knowing which pier we would be at and that sage advice I kept my dinner in Cyprus (more on that in a moment). I was near a window and could see the things out the window and almost sent her a pic before remembering she can't get pictures without actually being signed in like to be able to browse sites (as opposed to just being connected to access the ship app) so described it. That's when she said "Oh, you're at the other one".

 

I did some investigating online and discovered that there is a Pancho's Backyard between the smaller piers and the larger complex where we were and with Puerta Maya next to ours, BUT they have built one in the Puerta Maya complex - and like all the ones at ours you can access the restaurants and shops without being docked there. Woohoo!!

 

Got up early on Thursday morning - the Adventure Jeep and Punta Sur excursion had a 7:15 call time at the end of the pier - and went to the version of Grand Central that was the OVC with many people having early call time excursions. (Side note: WHO on god's green earth decided that scrambled eggs need to be so runny????? GROSS!! I've decided that if I go there for breakfast tomorrow (today I'm having a Kind Breakfast Protein Bar that I brought with me because my stomach is just stuffed) I'll go to the "Made to Order" station and politely ask for some hard-scrambled eggs.) I'd heavily dosed myself with my biodegradable sunscreen and put the rest of that bottle and my other bottle in the bag along with a couple of towels, a change of clothes, water, etc. so I ran back to the cabin to brush teeth and get that, then off to the end of the pier.

 

NOTE: Even though the excursion description says "Only biodegradable sunscreen is allowed" they collected everyone's and put it in a bag that stayed in one of the guide's jeeps because the guides said it was not allowed in the Eco-Park at all, even biodegradable/reef safe. We could put it on before we left as most would absorb into our skin before getting in the water. (Signs in the bathroom at the Eco-Park indicated "Only biodegradable sunscreen allowed", so... I guess it's probably easier for the guides to collect everyone's since I could tell from what was coming out of the bag at the end that a lot of people had not bothered to get biodegradable. But it would be nice if they would inspect your sunscreen and if it is biodegradable you were allowed to keep it.) I got some sun, but did not burn, which was good!

 

Since I don't drive (I technically can and I have a license, but have not driven since June 2006 when I sold my car before moving to NYC...not sure a jeep in a foreign country is the time to try again!) I got paired up with a lovely older couple and it was great. We drove out to the Punta Sur Eco-Park and our first stop was a Mayan Ruin that is one that marked one of the ends of the island and served sort of as a lighthouse for Mayans making a pilgrimage to the island to pay tribute to the goddess Ix Chel. It also served as a hurricane warning system with a series of walls inside and conch shells at holes in the top section to provide a whistle if wind was blowing in. Of course as our guides said, they would just have minutes of warning rather than the days we can have, but better than nothing.

 

Then we went to the lagoon and saw flamingo and a couple of crocodiles (one was chilling under some mangroves and one decided to swim across towards us before getting distracted and disappearing.

 

 

Then it was off to the beach area for snorkeling (for those who wanted to) and chill time.

 

 

The snorkeling was nice - saw some fish. There was a lobster under some coral and our guide took a picture with my camera (thought I could put that in now, but they don't seem to want to upload right now)! There was an eel somewhere, but I held back from the group a bit as many people were totally unaware of basically going completely over others and I was tired of getting kicked in the head with flippers so I missed it.

 

After I got changed I got an AMAZING fruity, frozen adult beverage served in a pineapple - and apparently that was their last pineapple (either they had not gotten any that day or their shipment had not come yet) as I heard at least two other people order it and be told they were out of pineapples. It was yummy though!! (Pics from the phone will definitely follow!!)

 

After beach time we drove to the lighthouse for an optional tequila tasting (yummy...I missed part of the talk because I got distracted watching an iguana outside) before heading back to the port area.

 

I got my sunscreen back and headed to the Puerta Maya complex for a delicious lunch! A margarita as big as my head (they ALL seemed to be that size from what I saw leaving the bar), black bean soup, and (after checking to make sure it was corn tortillas - it was (my theory so far holds that at Mexican restaurants the default is to corn tortillas unless the menu SAYS flour - but I always ask to make sure) chicken taquitos with homemade guac. SOOOOOOOOO delicious!!!!

 

I came back on board and took a shower, then chilled in my cabin. I forgot that there was another Senior Officers Cocktail Party at 5:15 but made the tail end of it. I got a chance to talk with the CC person onboard, Lydia, briefly. She asked how it was going and while praising most, I did mention the inconsistency in the labeling for allergies in the OveanView. She said that I was the second person who had mentioned that to her (someone did at the Elite breakfast the other day) and she was definitely making a note to share that feedback. 

 

Dinner was in Tuscan again and again it was wonderful! Pretty sure for my Apex summer 2021 cruises I'm going to book most of my meals in there. I tried to go to La Mirage in The Club, but there were no seats available that showed even 1/4 of the stage. Boo!! I may make it tonight as I think I'm just going to do the OVC and not mess with a sit-down (not thrilled with the menu tonight - and it was scheduled to be Normandie so their signature gf entree I don't eat (it's salmon...no scale fish for me).

 

I went to the Kallati Captain's Collection thing and listened to the story about how it was created. I typically don't do pricey jewelry, but I fell in love with the bracelet in the Edge collection - which is inspired by the Edge and created from the first steel cuts of the ship - which is based on the artwork in the Solarium (fun fact: the panels in the roof of the Solarium are bubbles that expand and contract depending on pressure!!), and I'd gotten my state tax refund in my account yesterday, so I splurged (pic later as it's on my phone).

 

I was going to try to stay up for Revelations at Eden again and the Pride Party at midnight, but sitting in Eden waiting for the show I was about to fall asleep, so I called it a night!

 

We are currently heading to Grand Cayman and are expected to arrive around 10. My excursion call time is 10:15, so I'll get biodegradable sunscreened up here in a bit and be ready! Excited for another fun day for sure!!

 

 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

I tried to put pics in the above post...apologies if they are not showing.

 

Shippernet is being kind of a pain this morning.

 

eta: Never mind. They did. Stupid shippernet!!

Edited February 21, 2020 by WrittenOnYourHeart

[ILgirl]

I've been really enjoying your report - thanks for taking the time!  I've done 7 Celebrity cruises and up to this point I've had no interest in Edge class ships but you are making me curious at the very least which is a good thing.  I've never tried a solo cruise, am also interested in that first.  How long in advance did you have to book to snag one of the single cabins?  How many do they have in total?  Did you book through a TA or directly with Celebrity?  Would you share a ballpark of what you paid for a week on the Edge?  Thanks again.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

12 minutes ago, ILgirl said:

I've been really enjoying your report - thanks for taking the time!  I've done 7 Celebrity cruises and up to this point I've had no interest in Edge class ships but you are making me curious at the very least which is a good thing.  I've never tried a solo cruise, am also interested in that first.  How long in advance did you have to book to snag one of the single cabins?  How many do they have in total?  Did you book through a TA or directly with Celebrity?  Would you share a ballpark of what you paid for a week on the Edge?  Thanks again.

Thanks for following!! Will research (can’t call it off the top of my head right now) and let you know later! 🙂

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

 

Too on-point for an excursion that includes a trip to Hell?? Haha!!

[Silkroad]

Perfect tank top😉 Hope you have a great day!

Edited February 21, 2020 by Silkroad

[mafig]

Thank you for your live trip report.  Really enjoying it.

 

Also, thank you for your prompt answering of all my questions.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Might or might not have booked Apex 2/13/2021. Hit some things I did not get to this time...maybe jump again!

[Barwick Cruiser]

Enjoying this live report and glad you are having a great time! I noticed in one of the dailies that you have Danny Smart on-board. He’s a great guitarist and plays a wide variety of classic music. Have you checked out any of his shows? We saw him on the Reflection a year ago and were very impressed. 
 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise! You’re changing my mind about not ever wanting to sail the Edge!

[Jennwick]

I'm glad I found your thread/report - thanks so much for the updates.  I'm booked on the Edge solo in April.  First time on Celebrity, but I've cruised many times solo on Princess.  It's a great way to travel, and do what you want and when you want!  Wanted to try the Edge for the new solo infinity cabins.  This is a helpful preview of what's to come! 

[tcmagnum]

Great tank!!  Sounds like you've had a good cruise!!

[hcat]

Which bracelet did you get?  Can't wait to see a pic.. glad you splurged!

I fell in love with the Sapphire one on our Nov EDGE cruise, but it was  clearly not in my budget..not even close!

 

I did get the prism  necklace on our 1st EDGE cruise and enjoyed comparing notes with some of the Women officers about the Collection,....one had  the Magic Carpet slide style but the prism was more my style!

 

[Cdresser]

I'm really enjoying your blog. I know how hard it is to keep up with a live blog because I did one in December but only got 4 days of posting in because of all the distractions.

 

Congrats on spoiling yourself with a bracelet, I loved the prism style too. One note, if you paid over $800 (and it was not made in US with receipts to prove it) you will need to declare it on your customs form. In December, the onboard shops reported to US customs all of the purchases and passengers were pulled by customs officials as they were getting off the ship. The shops on the ship won't warn you about this. There was a thread by alishac in December on here about it.

 

 

[mafig]

Don't forget the pics of the bracelet.  I'm dying to see it!😃😀

[Cruise a holic]

37 minutes ago, hcat said:

Which bracelet did you get?  Can't wait to see a pic.. glad you splurged!

I fell in love with the Sapphire one on our Nov EDGE cruise, but it was  clearly not in my budget..not even close!

 

I did get the prism  necklace on our 1st EDGE cruise and enjoyed comparing notes with some of the Women officers about the Collection,....one had  the Magic Carpet slide style but the prism was more my style!

 

I purchased the magic carpet neckles  on our last cruise- it immediately broke. I have another edge cruise in three weeks and will bring it back- maybe they will fix it.