Former X cruiser seeking a few thoughts

[chisoxfan]

First of all we love(d) X and had great cruises on all of the S class vessels. Enjoyed AQ and the 'pioneering' of X in all inclusive drink packages.

 

That said the infinity balcony of Apex and Edge have left us cold (this is my opinion-not supported by a cruise but I feel strongly about it after reading reviews, You Tube, etc.). Please not seeking debate on this just offering our thoughts.

 

As we have rebooked several cruises into next year on newer vessels of competing lines (ignoring X) I was curious about a few things:

 

- are S class ships refurbed and as wonderful as we remember

- are there 'standard' balconies available on Edge Apex class (not looking to get a suite).

 

We were such dedicated X fans and just wanted to update ourselves for future cruise decisions to make sure we were not missing something.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

[Denny01]

We loved the original S-Class ships, and the refurbs are even better, but that is our opinion so can’t say what you’d like, but it adds even more to what we enjoyed of standard S-Class.

 

For E-Class, the standard balconies are 1A and 1B class SRs and the SRs on the aft, the Sunset SV’s. 

 

Den

[chisoxfan]

3 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

We loved the original S-Class ships, and the refurbs are even better, but that is our opinion so can’t say what you’d like, but it adds even more to what we enjoyed of standard S-Class.

 

For E-Class, the standard balconies are 1A and 1B class SRs and the SRs on the aft, the Sunset SV’s. 

 

Den

Thanks - assume these would not  be AQ which we are not 'married to' but certainly enjoyed.

[KKB]

7 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

We loved the original S-Class ships, and the refurbs are even better, but that is our opinion so can’t say what you’d like, but it adds even more to what we enjoyed of standard S-Class.

 

For E-Class, the standard balconies are 1A and 1B class SRs and the SRs on the aft, the Sunset SV’s. 

 

Den

All AQ are IV. 

 

1A & 1B are not standard, imo. They are a bit of a fusion of IV & standard balcony. The design is similar to IV, tho the sitting area is narrower--you cannot face the chairs forward w/in the space. 

BUT it does not have the top window & has a sliding door--which means no issue with loud opening mechanisms, A/C shutting off or one's spouse sitting on the deck whilst another sleeps. 

We have this booked on Apex next March so have researched a lot.

 

We have SV booked on our 2 cruises this month & are super excited. Had IV for the 2nd leg, which honestly I was eager to check out, simply to to try it. But after our "Sweet Sixteen" cabin on the Constellation, I realized I prefer an open (or at least somewhat open) balcony. An SV opened up this week & I jumped!

 

We have enjoyed all of our X cruises & are eager to see the refurbs (pics look good!) but the E Class seems to take the beauty & experience to a new level & we are SO looking forward to it!

 

 

[Nana_w]

59 minutes ago, chisoxfan said:

First of all we love(d) X and had great cruises on all of the S class vessels. Enjoyed AQ and the 'pioneering' of X in all inclusive drink packages.

 

That said the infinity balcony of Apex and Edge have left us cold (this is my opinion-not supported by a cruise but I feel strongly about it after reading reviews, You Tube, etc.). Please not seeking debate on this just offering our thoughts.

 

As we have rebooked several cruises into next year on newer vessels of competing lines (ignoring X) I was curious about a few things:

 

- are S class ships refurbed and as wonderful as we remember

- are there 'standard' balconies available on Edge Apex class (not looking to get a suite).

 

We were such dedicated X fans and just wanted to update ourselves for future cruise decisions to make sure we were not missing something.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

This was our SV on the Edge last week.  It isn't classified as concierge or aqua...just a sunset veranda. We loved it! 

[Denny01]

No, the 1A and1B SRs aren’t exactly the same as SRs on other ships but are open balconies verses the Infinite Veranda design, which I believe the OP was asking about. 
 

The SVs are nice open balconies also. 
 

den

[Turtles06]

5 hours ago, SWKcruise said:

This was our SV on the Edge last week.  It isn't classified as concierge or aqua...just a sunset veranda. We loved it! 

 

Are the SV balconies on the Edge covered, or at least partially covered/protected from rain and sun?  I'm asking because on the S-class ships, unless you are on the top deck of SVs, there's really no protection on the balconies, which is a big negative for us.

[zitsky]

1 minute ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Are the SV balconies on the Edge covered, or at least partially covered/protected from rain and sun?  I'm asking because on the S-class ships, unless you are on the top deck of SVs, there's really no protection on the balconies, which is a big negative for us.

 

If you cover the balcony, you cut down the view, yes?

[marieps]

6 hours ago, chisoxfan said:

Thanks - assume these would not  be AQ which we are not 'married to' but certainly enjoyed.

Blu on E class is also not situated where there are windows.  The layout is better on S class.   With Edge's 4 MDR restaurants, I would not opt for AQ were I to sail E class again.

[southerngirlllikestotrave]

Having sailed twice on Edge, both times in IV, which I do not like, we will look for SV or another ship. Have Princess booked next. Blu is sadly dark, lacking windows. The food and service are excellent, but the lack of a view was not wise.

[39august]

Of S class only Silhoutte was fully revolutionized. Equinox got a partial do-over and had the Retreat sun deck added, but there is no water feature and very little shade there. Also only reached by a set of stairs. 

[Nana_w]

2 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Are the SV balconies on the Edge covered, or at least partially covered/protected from rain and sun?  I'm asking because on the S-class ships, unless you are on the top deck of SVs, there's really no protection on the balconies, which is a big negative for us.

It is part open and part covered so we had a balance of shade and sun depending on direction and time of day.  Last week we were able to sit outside during the rain without getting wet while on other days/times we used the loungers to take naps (sometimes in sun and other times in shade).  

[Reel Love]

11 hours ago, chisoxfan said:

 

 

- are S class ships refurbed and as wonderful as we remember

 

 

We also love the S class ships (have sailed M, S, and E class).  Sailed the Silhouette first sailing out of her refurbishment in Feb 2020 a few weeks before the pandemic caused cruising to cease.  She was absolutely gorgeous, loved the refurb and the Sky Lounge was intact which we really appreciated as we love it up there!  Quickly became our favourite ship of the S class.  😊   Other folks have more info on the other S class ship refurbs;  just commenting on the Silhouette because we were on her fresh out of drydock 

Edited July 6, 2021 by Reel Love

[chisoxfan]

11 hours ago, Reel Love said:

We also love the S class ships (have sailed M, S, and E class).  Sailed the Silhouette first sailing out of her refurbishment in Feb 2020 a few weeks before the pandemic caused cruising to cease.  She was absolutely gorgeous, loved the refurb and the Sky Lounge was intact which we really appreciated as we love it up there!  Quickly became our favourite ship of the S class.  😊   Other folks have more info on the other S class ship refurbs;  just commenting on the Silhouette because we were on her fresh out of drydock 

Thanks for the comments. Saw the Silhouette on the X web page. It does look great. I always felt the S class ships were the best design out there and as they are refurbed I definitely would look to book again.  For us AQ balconies were a good value although we never used the spa too much. I was initially excited when Edge and Apex were announced and thought things would go from great to greater but maybe a design misstep for some of us.

[marieps]

13 hours ago, Reel Love said:

We also love the S class ships (have sailed M, S, and E class).  Sailed the Silhouette first sailing out of her refurbishment in Feb 2020 a few weeks before the pandemic caused cruising to cease.  She was absolutely gorgeous, loved the refurb and the Sky Lounge was intact which we really appreciated as we love it up there!  Quickly became our favourite ship of the S class.  😊   Other folks have more info on the other S class ship refurbs;  just commenting on the Silhouette because we were on her fresh out of drydock 

We were supposed to be on Sillie's 3rd cruise post Revolution.  Such a bummer.  We do get to see her in November for the TA if all is well.

[slewis7]

Here are my thoughts which mirror much of what is posted already.  My wife and I have really enjoyed our Celebrity cruises, usually in Aqua class which we like for the smaller venue and more personal service.  This has been on both Millennium and Solstice class.
 

We have been on one cruise on the Edge and did not care for the Infinite Veranda at all.  We were also quite disappointed in the location of Blu on that ship although the food and service were still quite good.  We also tried the Edge’s 4 MDRs and quite enjoyed that.  We would not book Aqua again on an E class ship and we have a cruise booked on Apex for our first time trying a SV cabin.  We are excited about that but a bit concerned with posts we have seen about soot issues.  Any comments on that?

Edited July 6, 2021 by slewis7

[KKB]

13 minutes ago, slewis7 said:

have a cruise booked on Apex for our first time trying a SV cabin.  We are excited about that but a bit concerned with posts we have seen about soot issues.  Any comments on that?

It appears to be an issue on the upper deck SV's but not so much on the lower decks.

Your steward is likely aware of it & should clean daily.

[slewis7]

1 hour ago, KKB said:

It appears to be an issue on the upper deck SV's but not so much on the lower decks.

Your steward is likely aware of it & should clean daily.

Lucky for us, we are on a lower deck SV.  Thanks!

[TN Vol Fan]

My situation is probably different from most. For years my DH & I sailed on M and S ships loving all of our X trips. The S ships have always been my favorite.

Now I am sailing solo. The E ships have the advantage of of having solo, though smaller cabins giving me a price break and allowing me to cruise longer and more frequently. While I really don’t care for the IV layout, being able to get the cabin at a solo price is a great advantage while also getting the smaller MDRs only found on S ships in Aqua or Suites. I’ll take the solo cabins on E ships and now sail mostly E & S ships when the price is affordable.

if you liked the S ships before, book them again and enjoy.

[Nana_w]

6 hours ago, slewis7 said:

Here are my thoughts which mirror much of what is posted already.  My wife and I have really enjoyed our Celebrity cruises, usually in Aqua class which we like for the smaller venue and more personal service.  This has been on both Millennium and Solstice class.
 

We have been on one cruise on the Edge and did not care for the Infinite Veranda at all.  We were also quite disappointed in the location of Blu on that ship although the food and service were still quite good.  We also tried the Edge’s 4 MDRs and quite enjoyed that.  We would not book Aqua again on an E class ship and we have a cruise booked on Apex for our first time trying a SV cabin.  We are excited about that but a bit concerned with posts we have seen about soot issues.  Any comments on that?

We were in 7312 on the Edge and didn’t see any soot - and we were on the balcony every morning, late afternoon, before going to bed. 

[Reel Love]

11 hours ago, chisoxfan said:

Thanks for the comments. Saw the Silhouette on the X web page. It does look great. I always felt the S class ships were the best design out there and as they are refurbed I definitely would look to book again.  For us AQ balconies were a good value although we never used the spa too much. I was initially excited when Edge and Apex were announced and thought things would go from great to greater but maybe a design misstep for some of us.

Agreed.....I too appreciate the design and layout of the S class ships.  I forgot to mention that we also enjoyed the new Craft Social on the Silhouette.  Grabbed a booth, enjoyed some beers and watched some hockey for an enjoyable couple of hours!

For the Edge class I do have to say that I thought the ship itself was quite beautiful (Edge inaugural sailing) and wish I had more time to explore her.  Although I did not have as strong of a dislike for the IV's as some others did, we are glad that we tried it.  However it did confirm for both hubby and me that we prefer a "true" balcony.

[Reel Love]

10 hours ago, marieps said:

We were supposed to be on Sillie's 3rd cruise post Revolution.  Such a bummer.  We do get to see her in November for the TA if all is well.

Oh no 😴  I sincerely hope that you are onboard in November!

[marieps]

12 hours ago, Reel Love said:

Oh no 😴  I sincerely hope that you are onboard in November!

Thanks very much!