Celebrity Edge 2nd Post COVID Sail Eastern Caribbean 7 day from FLL

[TennesseeNationVol]

Welcome back to cruising!

 

We are in the second day of cruising with my dear wife! Feedback, so are:

 

1. Embarkation:

a. The ground crews at Terminal 25 are mostly very new and not familiar with the boarding process and procedures. If you are a suite holder, cut the lines and go to the  front and check in through the very expedited and wonderful boarding process. We were on board within 15-20 min of our arrival.

B. The baggage handlers were awesome and knew their stuff. The green shirt Celebrity crew were helpful, but need more training.

C. Room was ready as soon as we boarded at noon. Amazing!

D. Luggage arrived by 2 pm. Nice!

 

2. Cabin

A. We stayed in a Celebrity Sky Suite and it was so worth the upgrade, we have stayed with inside cabins to now having The Retreat Suite cabin class access and it was so worth it.

B. Amazing amounts of storage.

C. Love he butler and cabin attendant.

D. Bathroom with tub for two and separate commode room and double sink we awesome. The window/mirror looking out into the bedroom was wonderful.

 

3. Staff 

A. Having a butler with Sky Suite was amazing. All we were missing was the Queen’s Corgis. John was beyond helpful at all times.

B. The entire ships crew is excited and thrilled to have us back and we’re awesome.

C. Captain Kate is truly one of the most accomplished leaders on the high seas! Honored to be on her second restart voyage!

 

More to follow,

 

All our best, Heather and John

 

[mafig]

Thank you for y our post.  There's going to be more....looking forward to it!👍

[CruiseAF]

44 minutes ago, MaverickPrincess said:

Welcome back to cruising!

 

We are in the second day of cruising with my dear wife! Feedback, so are:

 

1. Embarkation:

a. The ground crews at Terminal 25 are mostly very new and not familiar with the boarding process and procedures. If you are a suite holder, cut the lines and go to the  front and check in through the very expedited and wonderful boarding process. We were on board within 15-20 min of our arrival.

B. The baggage handlers were awesome and knew their stuff. The green shirt Celebrity crew were helpful, but need more training.

C. Room was ready as soon as we boarded at noon. Amazing!

D. Luggage arrived by 2 pm. Nice!

 

2. Cabin

A. We stayed in a Celebrity Sky Suite and it was so worth the upgrade, we have stayed with inside cabins to now having The Retreat Suite cabin class access and it was so worth it.

B. Amazing amounts of storage.

C. Love he butler and cabin attendant.

D. Bathroom with tub for two and separate commode room and double sink we awesome. The window/mirror looking out into the bedroom was wonderful.

 

3. Staff 

A. Having a butler with Sky Suite was amazing. All we were missing was the Queen’s Corgis. John was beyond helpful at all times.

B. The entire ships crew is excited and thrilled to have us back and we’re awesome.

C. Captain Kate is truly one of the most accomplished leaders on the high seas! Honored to be on her second restart voyage!

 

More to follow,

 

All our best, Heather and John

 

My check in time says 3:30 PM although I am in S1 sky suite.  Can I come earlier and what time does boarding start if so.

[Covepointcruiser]

Did they explain why it took two hours to get your luggage at 2pm when you boarded at 12?   It certainly does not seem like expedited service.

[bucfan2]

8 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Did they explain why it took two hours to get your luggage at 2pm when you boarded at 12?   It certainly does not seem like expedited service.

Really….bet you’re the sunshine at a party.

[dleahy4444]

53 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Did they explain why it took two hours to get your luggage at 2pm when you boarded at 12?   It certainly does not seem like expedited service.

I actually think this is pretty fast. I’m going on my 14th cruise (mostly with RCCL) and usually my luggage takes longer than that to arrive at my stateroom. ( regardless of suite status) I usually use the time I’m waiting for it to explore the ship, have lunch, a drink or two. I pack a smaller bag that I carry on board with my swimsuit, a book etc.  the wait goes fast

[dleahy4444]

1 hour ago, MaverickPrincess said:

Welcome back to cruising!

 

We are in the second day of cruising with my dear wife! Feedback, so are:

 

1. Embarkation:

a. The ground crews at Terminal 25 are mostly very new and not familiar with the boarding process and procedures. If you are a suite holder, cut the lines and go to the  front and check in through the very expedited and wonderful boarding process. We were on board within 15-20 min of our arrival.

B. The baggage handlers were awesome and knew their stuff. The green shirt Celebrity crew were helpful, but need more training.

C. Room was ready as soon as we boarded at noon. Amazing!

D. Luggage arrived by 2 pm. Nice!

 

2. Cabin

A. We stayed in a Celebrity Sky Suite and it was so worth the upgrade, we have stayed with inside cabins to now having The Retreat Suite cabin class access and it was so worth it.

B. Amazing amounts of storage.

C. Love he butler and cabin attendant.

D. Bathroom with tub for two and separate commode room and double sink we awesome. The window/mirror looking out into the bedroom was wonderful.

 

3. Staff 

A. Having a butler with Sky Suite was amazing. All we were missing was the Queen’s Corgis. John was beyond helpful at all times.

B. The entire ships crew is excited and thrilled to have us back and we’re awesome.

C. Captain Kate is truly one of the most accomplished leaders on the high seas! Honored to be on her second restart voyage!

 

More to follow,

 

All our best, Heather and John

 

Thank you for your post. I’m on the 7/10 sailing and have already gotten an education about what to expect from kind cruisers like yourself who post on these boards. Have a great trip!!!

[LGW59]

1 hour ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Did they explain why it took two hours to get your luggage at 2pm when you boarded at 12?   It certainly does not seem like expedited service.

Yes I’d demand an explanation, the horrors of it all.

[pixiedust777]

Following along as we are to set sail on the Edge August 7th .

[dani negreanu]

3 hours ago, MaverickPrincess said:

Captain Kate is truly one of the most accomplished leaders on the high seas! Honored to be on her second restart voyage!

 

Couldn't agree more !! 👍

[Susanb10567]

3 hours ago, MaverickPrincess said:

Welcome back to cruising!

 

We are in the second day of cruising with my dear wife! Feedback, so are:

 

1. Embarkation:

a. The ground crews at Terminal 25 are mostly very new and not familiar with the boarding process and procedures. If you are a suite holder, cut the lines and go to the  front and check in through the very expedited and wonderful boarding process. We were on board within 15-20 min of our arrival.

B. The baggage handlers were awesome and knew their stuff. The green shirt Celebrity crew were helpful, but need more training.

C. Room was ready as soon as we boarded at noon. Amazing!

D. Luggage arrived by 2 pm. Nice!

 

2. Cabin

A. We stayed in a Celebrity Sky Suite and it was so worth the upgrade, we have stayed with inside cabins to now having The Retreat Suite cabin class access and it was so worth it.

B. Amazing amounts of storage.

C. Love he butler and cabin attendant.

D. Bathroom with tub for two and separate commode room and double sink we awesome. The window/mirror looking out into the bedroom was wonderful.

 

3. Staff 

A. Having a butler with Sky Suite was amazing. All we were missing was the Queen’s Corgis. John was beyond helpful at all times.

B. The entire ships crew is excited and thrilled to have us back and we’re awesome.

C. Captain Kate is truly one of the most accomplished leaders on the high seas! Honored to be on her second restart voyage!

 

More to follow,

 

All our best, Heather and John

 

Thanks for your impressions. We are sailing on the 17th in a sky suite so I am excited to hear your experiences.

 

Did you have a line at Luminae for dinner. Someone posted that all the suites were sold out and they told them Luminae would be busy all week…also how is the retreat deck…did you experience any issues with chairs there.  Are they really monitoring if people are wearing the bracelets and asking people to wear masks if they don’t have them?

 

Have a wonderful cruise…sorry for all the questions…

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

20 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Did they explain why it took two hours to get your luggage at 2pm when you boarded at 12?   It certainly does not seem like expedited service.

 

Two hours from time of check in to cabin is quite fast.  Absolutely nothing to complain about.

[rjrpar]

18 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Couldn't agree more !! 👍

Never had a bad captain.  They all get the job done

[gbphipps]

Was there a separate suite luggage drop or is there a single drop area for bags?  Have a wonderful cruise! We will be on the Edge B2B beginning July 24 in a Sky suite so will be following your posts attentively.

[Fouremco]

7 minutes ago, rjrpar said:

Never had a bad captain.  They all get the job done

Passengers on the Costa Cordia and the MSC Opera might disagree, but in general you are right. However, getting the job done is faint praise, and Captain Kate performs at a much higher level IMO.

[dani negreanu]

5 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Passengers on the Costa Cordia and the MSC Opera might disagree, but in general you are right. However, getting the job done is faint praise, and Captain Kate performs at a much higher level IMO.

 

100%, again.

 

We're not talking here about "getting the job done". We're talking about the "added value" (or "something in addition" in legalese...).

 

IMHO.

 

[Irene225]

Thank you for taking the time from your vacation to post, it is appreciated! 

[TennesseeNationVol]

On 7/4/2021 at 3:08 PM, Covepointcruiser said:

Did they explain why it took two hours to get your luggage at 2pm when you boarded at 12?   It certainly does not seem like expedited service.

We were so happy to board the ship, with access to our suite, at noon that we were fine with the process.

[TennesseeNationVol]

On 7/4/2021 at 2:17 PM, MaverickPrincess said:

Welcome back to cruising! SkySuite 10154

 

We are in the second day of cruising with my dear wife! Feedback, so are:

 

1. Embarkation:

a. The ground crews at Terminal 25 are mostly very new and not familiar with the boarding process and procedures. If you are a suite holder, cut the lines and go to the  front and check in through the very expedited and wonderful boarding process. We were on board within 15-20 min of our arrival.

B. The baggage handlers were awesome and knew their stuff. The green shirt Celebrity crew were helpful, but need more training.

C. Room was ready as soon as we boarded at noon. Amazing!

D. Luggage arrived by 2 pm. Nice! Anyone fussing about needing their baggage earlier should seriously book their own private yacht. 

 

2. Cabin

A. We stayed in a Celebrity Sky Suite and it was so worth the upgrade, we have stayed with inside cabins to now having The Retreat Suite cabin class access and it was so worth it.

B. Amazing amounts of storage.

C. Love the butler and cabin attendant.

D. Bathroom with tub for two and separate commode room and double sink we awesome. The window/mirror looking out into the bedroom was wonderful.

 

3. Staff 

A. Having a butler with Sky Suite was amazing. All we were missing was the Queen’s Corgis. John our butler was beyond helpful at all times.

B. The entire ships crew is excited and thrilled to have us back and are awesome.

C. Captain Kate is truly one of the most accomplished leaders on the high seas! Honored to be on her second restart voyage!

On 7/4/2021 at 2:17 PM, MaverickPrincess said:

 

More to follow,

 

All our best, Heather and John

 

4. The Retreat Lounge Deck 15

High tea was great and wine selections excellent. The small round drink tables are handy, but need retrofitting with flat tops because their tops aren’t level and make it easy to accidentally spill your drink. Port side has floor to ceiling glass windows in the living room area and starboard side has a really nice shaded outdoor patio area in addition to an indoor area with tables. Service was highly attentive here every day and evening. 
5. The Retreat Bar area Deck 16

Great staff, relatively more shade than the rest of the Retreat area, but more shade needed. 
Limited lunch and food menu, but was decent to keep you from heading to OVC or Luminae if you didn’t want to leave the Reatreat.

6. The Retreat Sundeck and Pool Area Deck 16

A. They need to add 50-75% shade cloths on all the day beds and linage areas and should also get some retractable Bimini tops. It is insanely hot and uncomfortable most of the time. We have shared this before on pre pandemic cruises and they need to fix this ship wide. See comments on bars below.

B. Pool was very nice and refreshing and the staff was great about running drinks so you could stay in the pool.

7. Sunset Bar located at rear of ship

Celebrity and Captain Kate, please take out the glass terrarium panels and insert retractable shade cloths. That whole bar area is fabulous, but far too hot to enjoy even on December cruises in the Caribbean.  This is an easy fix, so please make it happen. 
8. Luminae

This was a real treat and we were very happy with the dining experience there at all times. Surprised that even with suites at full capacity, the restaurant never ran out of seating area and really only felt crowded on the last night at sea. One helpful hint shared by some more experienced cruisers we wanted to pass along, be sure to ask for the MDR menu with the Luminae menu in case there is something on there you would like more. It may take a little longer to get, but you are on vacation and can catch the 9 pm show instead of the 7 pm. We miss the soufflés at Muranos, but this was really great.

9. FineCut Steakhouse Specialty Restaurant. 
Really enjoyed this and felt it was a good swap out for Muranos. Amazing selection and superb service. Worth the charge.

10. Raw on Five

Excellent sushi and tempura dishes and wonderful experience. Highly recommended.

11. Photography

The Studio with Kelly is great. It’s not cheap, but this isn’t Carnival. She does great work and if you want a professional quality photo shoot, take advantage of her skills and talent. 
They have gone to green screen shots for most everything else to avoid lines and help with social distancing. We miss having some of the amazing backgrounds in other shots, but appreciate the change to make things safer.

12. COVID protocols

A. Kudos to Celebrity in leading the charge forward to life as normal. If you produce your vaccination card, you get blue wrist band that says you have had your vaccination and don’t have to wear your mask on board. Nice and awesomely normal vacation experience. 
B. All ports wanted you to mask up at all times when off ship. So, do it, or stay on board. Their country, their rules. St. Marten had shops following good careening protocols, temp checks, mask wearing, hand sanitizing and were great.

C. Felt less hassled and safer on Celebrity cruises than any of our Delta or American flights we have been on lately. 
D. Check the website for rules if not vaccinated. 
13. Disembarkation

A. Suite holder class so worth it. If you are walk off with own luggage you go to Prime Cut and wait there and are the first off the ship. 
B. We finally learned to pack what can fit in two bags and highly recommend doing the self baggage handling walk off at 7:10 am when they cleared the ship. 

[TennesseeNationVol]

On 7/5/2021 at 11:59 AM, gbphipps said:

Was there a separate suite luggage drop or is there a single drop area for bags?  Have a wonderful cruise! We will be on the Edge B2B beginning July 24 in a Sky suite so will be following your posts attentively.

Baggage handlers take your bags and let them know you are suite holders and they expedite the baggage handling. Your bag tags show the suite status.

[TennesseeNationVol]

On 7/4/2021 at 6:00 PM, Susanb10567 said:

Thanks for your impressions. We are sailing on the 17th in a sky suite so I am excited to hear your experiences.

 

Did you have a line at Luminae for dinner. Someone posted that all the suites were sold out and they told them Luminae would be busy all week…also how is the retreat deck…did you experience any issues with chairs there.  Are they really monitoring if people are wearing the bracelets and asking people to wear masks if they don’t have them?

 

Have a wonderful cruise…sorry for all the questions…

Great questions. Only had a line of three deep at Luminae twice. There was a line on boarding day just before it closed for lunch, but otherwise all good. We went to OVC for lunch that day a way to see how it was with all the new protocols.

 

All the suites were sold out and we never felt an issue with Luminae being over  booked. 
 

We did see folks without vaccination bracelets being reminded by crew and fellow passengers to mask up and pull their chin diapers on properly. Not sure why they were traveling if not vaccinated, but could have been health issues not allowing them to get the vaccine. 
 

Retreat deck was never too crowded, with exception of pool getting a bit cozy. It was too hot to really just lay out in the sun, so a couple of days you got to know your fellow suite holders well.

 

Celebrity really needs to add more shade as we have shared and folks are literally hanging towels over the slats on the cabanas to create shade. 
 

BTW, the really cool private cabanas main poolside are available all day for a $150 charge which was great. If we had a group of four or six we would have done that. Very Vegas or Scottsdale or Naples/West Palm style.

[TennesseeNationVol]

On 7/4/2021 at 4:11 PM, dleahy4444 said:

I actually think this is pretty fast. I’m going on my 14th cruise (mostly with RCCL) and usually my luggage takes longer than that to arrive at my stateroom. ( regardless of suite status) I usually use the time I’m waiting for it to explore the ship, have lunch, a drink or two. I pack a smaller bag that I carry on board with my swimsuit, a book etc.  the wait goes fast

Smart cruisers do exactly what you do!!!! Well done to you as hey say on Downton Abbey!

[stinsowm]

On 7/4/2021 at 1:17 PM, MaverickPrincess said:

Welcome back to cruising!

 

We are in the second day of cruising with my dear wife! Feedback, so are:

 

1. Embarkation:

a. The ground crews at Terminal 25 are mostly very new and not familiar with the boarding process and procedures. If you are a suite holder, cut the lines and go to the  front and check in through the very expedited and wonderful boarding process. We were on board within 15-20 min of our arrival.

B. The baggage handlers were awesome and knew their stuff. The green shirt Celebrity crew were helpful, but need more training.

C. Room was ready as soon as we boarded at noon. Amazing!

D. Luggage arrived by 2 pm. Nice!

 

2. Cabin

A. We stayed in a Celebrity Sky Suite and it was so worth the upgrade, we have stayed with inside cabins to now having The Retreat Suite cabin class access and it was so worth it.

B. Amazing amounts of storage.

C. Love he butler and cabin attendant.

D. Bathroom with tub for two and separate commode room and double sink we awesome. The window/mirror looking out into the bedroom was wonderful.

 

3. Staff 

A. Having a butler with Sky Suite was amazing. All we were missing was the Queen’s Corgis. John was beyond helpful at all times.

B. The entire ships crew is excited and thrilled to have us back and we’re awesome.

C. Captain Kate is truly one of the most accomplished leaders on the high seas! Honored to be on her second restart voyage!

 

More to follow,

 

All our best, Heather and John

 

Great start I was assigned a horrible arrival time of 3 p.m..do you think as a suite guest they will let me on sooner. I am loving your start to your review.  I hope my question doesn't sound snooty at all as I would be happy with an inside stateroom just to be sailing again. I just got a great deal.  Enjoy Enjoy each moment 

[TennesseeNationVol]

1 minute ago, stinsowm said:

Great start I was assigned a horrible arrival time of 3 p.m..do you think as a suite guest they will let me on sooner. I am loving your start to your review.  I hope my question doesn't sound snooty at all as I would be happy with an inside stateroom just to be sailing again. I just got a great deal.  Enjoy Enjoy each moment 

 

1 minute ago, stinsowm said:

Great start I was assigned a horrible arrival time of 3 p.m..do you think as a suite guest they will let me on sooner. I am loving your start to your review.  I hope my question doesn't sound snooty at all as I would be happy with an inside stateroom just to be sailing again. I just got a great deal.  Enjoy Enjoy each moment 

We arrived about 1 hr before our scheduled time and they took us right thru. They are using the times to avoid backlogs, but try getting there early at 11 am and see what happens. I bet they they let you on.

[stinsowm]

Just now, MaverickPrincess said:

 

We arrived about 1 hr before our scheduled time and they took us right thru. They are using the times to avoid backlogs, but try getting there early at 11 am and see what happens. I bet they they let you on.

Thank you for your quick reply. : )  I am so excited to be going back!