On the Edge Now…Cutbacks. 🙁

[Cachecara]

8 hours ago, lux4me said:

We are sailing currently on the Edge.  We LOVE being back at sea,   But unfortunately the cutbacks are noticeable. No shows in Eden except for a band at night.   Ship is sailing with 60% crew. 15 min wait for an omelette at the buffet in the am. .  Lack of variety at the buffet (breakfast and lunch) while areas of buffet closed(sandwich station gone, no pasta station).  Dishes served at dinner with missing items.  Some dishes are still very good, others very pedestrian.  Service has been very hit and miss,  I know they are back for 2 weeks.  They are trying,  but the fact is I paid full price,  and the onboard product is not quite ready, especially for the rates Celebrity is asking.
 If anyone has any questions will be happy to answer

 

Call me very NOT surprised. 

[bEwAbG]

I think Celebrity has not been offering good value for dollar for a few years now, especially at the suite level.  I still enjoy them overall but many times their pricing is too high for what they offer, especially for a standard Caribbean cruise.  Put another way, I think you can get the same or better experience for less on other lines.  I think they do a disservice by pricing themselves too high as it raises expectations that are often unfulfilled. 

[dleahy4444]

I’m from the NYC area where at the beginning of the pandemic we spent our days watching body bags being put into refrigerated truck outside of overrun, understaffed hospitals. We counted the number of people we knew that were struck down by this awful virus. My husband and I fought about who should take the risk to go to the grocery store considering our health issues, and once there the shelves were empty. We didn’t see our friends and family in person for over a year.  I, for one, am very happy to be able to be going on a cruise, at any price! I understand and don’t fault the OP for wanting to get what you pay for, but I’m so deliriously happy to be alive, vaccinated and finally able to be with people having fun, that nothing is going to effect my having a good time!!

[lux4me]

Yes we are from Florida.   But there were so many other places that had restrictions so we chose to stay home.  There are Worse places to be than South Florida.  LOL We are very very fortunate. We are not the type to go to an all inclusive in Mexico or Jamaica   We love cruising.  We have done over 50 and been to all 7 continents by ship.  

[hcat]

32 minutes ago, dleahy4444 said:

I’m from the NYC area where at the beginning of the pandemic we spent our days watching body bags being put into refrigerated truck outside of overrun, understaffed hospitals. We counted the number of people we knew that were struck down by this awful virus. My husband and I fought about who should take the risk to go to the grocery store considering our health issues, and once there the shelves were empty. We didn’t see our friends and family in person for over a year.  I, for one, am very happy to be able to be going on a cruise, at any price! I understand and don’t fault the OP for wanting to get what you pay for, but I’m so deliriously happy to be alive, vaccinated and finally able to be with people having fun, that nothing is going to effect my having a good time!!

A M E N !

[Oville]

OP,  just curious how are they handling non-vaccinated passengers?  Are they isolated in the restaurants, bars, casino and other entertainment venues?

 

We’ve been on the Edge 4 times and the last was late January 2020.  If it’s any conciliation, on our last cruise the Eden show was one night/1hr and other entertainers the rest of the trip.  You’re not missing much.

 

Glad to here you are having a great time, continue to enjoy, thanks.

[lux4me]

We have not seen any separation of passengers onboard.  In the dining rooms or by the pool or anywhere else.  
we did see 2 people in the casino with no bracelets and no masks playing craps.  Nobody said anything.  
 
 

[cangelmd]

7 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

I'm looking at Equinox for Aug 1...with tempered expectations...

We’ll be there! One Roll Tide, one Geaux Tigers, yes, it’s an interesting marriage.

[phoenix_dream]

10 minutes ago, lux4me said:

We have not seen any separation of passengers onboard.  In the dining rooms or by the pool or anywhere else.  
we did see 2 people in the casino with no bracelets and no masks playing craps.  Nobody said anything.  
 
 

That's very disappointing, and concerning.  I thought they were going to be more strict about non-vaccinated people wearing masks, not being able to go to certain areas, etc.

[cangelmd]

I have wondered if Edge crew would go down in number with second sailing. They still have time to send some over to Equinox as supervisors on that ship, and meet quarantine regs. It has to be a nightmare getting crew signed on, vaccinated, transported to the US, trained and sailing. Then what will they do when all the contracts run out at the same time? All the while bleeding money!

Euphoria wears off and the hard work begins.

[cangelmd]

3 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

 

I think there is a valid point being made that you should get what you paid for.  We all understand the difficulty in getting back to business after such a long shutdown - intellectually at least.  But if you can't deliver the full product, you should not be charging the full price.  That to me is both obvious and logical.  Perhaps they should have been offering some "soft opening" discounts to people on the first few sailings - if not on the basic cruise price then perhaps other ways (OBC, better specialty restaurant discounts, etc..).  Another option - advise passengers ahead of time that certain benefits/services would be missing and allow them to cancel without penalty if they so desired (and I don't mean FCC unless desired - I mean cancelling)

I don’t disagree with what you are saying, not sure if they know what benefits will be missing - we still have some empty shelves at the grocery stores from time to time.
Maybe say up front that some bars or other venues will not be open?

[Bo1953]

2 hours ago, Denny01 said:

I fully understand that one person sees the same experience as fantastic, and another has issues and they share. No problem seeing there are different  views. someone didn’t have to wait for an omelette and another felt it took too long. Varying expectations and actual experiences. And I appreciate the OP sharing. It’s helpful to all. 
 

with that said, I become a bit suspicious of threads that aren’t just critiques, but reference costs. When a poster starts down the path of ‘it cost too much’, ‘they shouldn’t charge full price’, I wonder if this is a thread to just share a legit issue, or a poster is preparing to complain to the company wanting some compensation and will reference their posts to the company. We’ve all seen that and realize the posts are just there to put heat on the company to get compensation. 
 

this isn’t true of most critical posts, but when the poster talks about it not being worth what they paid, especially more than once, it has that connotation.
 

den 

 

2 hours ago, CruiseAF said:

I think the OPs review is very critical and specific. While I think everyone is entitled to their own opinion I believe that two or three simple miss cues do not ruin a cruise for me and if I go in to every cruise with a negative mental attitude that nothing will go wrong, I will never have a good cruise. 
 

On every cruise I’ve been on, something with either the food or service has gone awry at some point in time, it’s inevitable. 

 

To place blame it specifically on the celebrity edge during their 2nd cruise back is completely pointless. 
 

Of course things are going to be different and celebrity will charge as much as they can to fill their ships to the temporary maximum capacity while providing the best service they can. 
 

It’s been 15 months + since we have all done this  (guests and crew) so I would ask everyone to cut them a little slack here.

 

OP,  can you tell us some positives that occurred on your cruise? Did you have an enjoyable time overall back at sea after all this time? 

I Am sure the OP could think of something, yet in most 'critical' reviews the reviewer almost always indicate a few things which were good/right, even if only one thing.

 

My takeaway as per Den, is mainly when the OP mentions 'value' for what they received, as if the ship's engine broke down and everyone was stuck bobbing at sea...

 

I believe instead of posting here maybe the OP needed to contact X directly to create a file on issues noted and hopefully they logged the issues with the Hotel Manager while sailing and before dis-embarking. Maybe the OP can let us know if this was the case or not?

 

Yes, the OP is truly entitled to their opinion(s) and thought(s) here on CC, yet we (CC posters) cannot expect to be shielded from retorts, comments and critical analysis' of same.

 

Yes, this is Cruise 'Critic' and not Cruise Opinion or do I have it incorrect?

 

I have posted at times which garnered more than a few questioning retorts/comments and accepted them as such, correct or not. I always say bring it on if one has a differing thought rather I agree with it or not, each is entitled. Just as long as it does not get too personal, I Am fine with it for sure.

 

IMO the OP's 'opinion' was not attacked, as such, but questioned in terms of being valid for this early sailing(s) and expectations.

 

If the OP has more X sailings over the next few months, it may be wise that they consider canceling in order to not have the same poor value experience.

 

bon voyage

[Oville]

OP,  just curious how are they handling non-vaccinated passengers?  Are they isolated in the restaurants, bars, casino and other entertainment venues?

 

We’ve been on the Edge 4 times and the last was late January 2020.  If it’s any conciliation, on our last cruise the Eden show was one night/1hr and other entertainers the rest of the trip.  You’re not missing much.

 

Glad to here you are having a great time, continue to enjoy, thanks.

[Susanb10567]

35 minutes ago, Oville said:

OP,  just curious how are they handling non-vaccinated passengers?  Are they isolated in the restaurants, bars, casino and other entertainment venues?

 

We’ve been on the Edge 4 times and the last was late January 2020.  If it’s any conciliation, on our last cruise the Eden show was one night/1hr and other entertainers the rest of the trip.  You’re not missing much.

 

Glad to here you are having a great time, continue to enjoy, thanks.

Yes…from the posters on board it doesn’t seems like there are separate sections with unvaccinated and vaccinated passengers…which is what I was originally expecting..but we keep getting emails for our 7/17 cruise which says there are…it’s all very confusing and I am a little uncomfortable with that…since there doesn’t seem to be any social distancing either…if unvaccinated passengers are sitting next to me in the theater unmasked I won’t be thrilled…

[Oville]

18 minutes ago, Susanb10567 said:

Yes…from the posters on board it doesn’t seems like there are separate sections with unvaccinated and vaccinated passengers…which is what I was originally expecting..but we keep getting emails for our 7/17 cruise which says there are…it’s all very confusing and I am a little uncomfortable with that…since there doesn’t seem to be any social distancing either…if unvaccinated passengers are sitting next to me in the theater unmasked I won’t be thrilled…

Agree, this Delta variant is a bit of a concern.  Hopefully Celebrity is monitoring this better than reported.  We don’t cruise until November so A long way to go.

Hope you have a great cruise and you’ll update us.  Thanks

Edited July 8, 2021 by Oville

[bucfan2]

29 minutes ago, Susanb10567 said:

…if unvaccinated passengers are sitting next to me in the theater unmasked I won’t be thrilled…

If the protocols don’t suit you, don’t cruise. We believe the experimental therapy works, are good w/ the protocols, and we’re cruising. Pretty straight forward.

Edited July 8, 2021 by bucfan2

[Oville]

7 minutes ago, bucfan2 said:

If the protocols don’t suit you, don’t cruise. We believe the experimental therapy works, are good w/ the protocols, are we’re cruising. Pretty straight forward.

I think the concern is if Celebrity is following their protocols and it’s a bit late for Susanb to cancel.

Edited July 8, 2021 by Oville

[dleahy4444]

54 minutes ago, Oville said:

I think the concern is if Celebrity is following their protocols and it’s a bit late for Susanb to cancel.

I agree. I think the issue is that Celebrity indicated that certain protocols would be in place for unvaccinated guests and people booked based on that representation, but according to several posts on various threads, this is not being adhered to.  But with that said, as a vaccinated passenger, I have faith that I am protected against serious complications should I be exposed to the virus, which in my opinion is improbable since the small number of unvaccinated guest on my sailing would have had to have tested negative before boarding.  

[jelayne]

There are so few unvaccinated passengers that I think it might be hard to tell if they are seated in a separate area. If there were 200-300 plus unvaccinated adults it might be easy to see the separate areas in the theater or MDR.  But it seems that the number of unvaccinated are 50 or less including children.  My guess is you won’t see the kids in the casino, theater and maybe in the MDR.

Some have said they removed or “forgot” the ribbon wrist band so not seeing a mask or wrist band may not necessarily mean unvaccinated.

 

 

[lux4me]

Yes we did speak to senior staff about the issues and they advised to bear with them through the “restart pains”.  Posting on cruise critic was for others to know what is going on onboard.  And others can make their decisions on what is good for them. Take away the varnish and the wow of ships being back for the first time in 18 months.  Yes…That is great…and all of us can’t wait to get back on the ships , But let’s take the emotion out of it.   Was I promised less of an experience when I booked?  All I was told is “we’re back”.  So we took them at their word, and paid our fare.   When Disney world reopened after the pandemic they said publicly that it would be with reduced staff and that all things may not be open.  Which is fine…Then the travelers have a choice to continue on with their vacation, postpone or cancel.  We were never afforded that.  We are on a ship and had a wonderful trip and know there are thousands of people who would love to switch places with us.   But that still does not make what Celebrity did right.   We will not be contacting Celebrity headquarters looking for a future cruise discount.  We have chosen just to move on to other companies.  

Edited July 8, 2021 by lux4me

[NutsAboutGolf]

Capt Kate is the most famous Capt, there really isn't a number two.  Pasta station is somewhat disappointing, it's one of the most under-rated food items on the ship.

 

  

13 hours ago, lux4me said:

Ship is sailing with 60% crew. 15 min wait for an omelette at the buffet in the am.

 

11 hours ago, clivey said:

No wait for an omelette and didn’t realize the sandwich station or pasta bar weren’t on there.

 

Did they have a X employee writing down omelet orders and names?  X is known for that and after you order you can grab other food items come back, grab your omelet.  Curious if that resumed. 

[glmacruise]

8 hours ago, lux4me said:

We are not complaining.  We are just stating what we see.  We are deliriously happy  to be back on a ship again and we are very privileged to be able to live the life we do. We have another 21 days of crusing booked this year.   What we are saying is that this is not the same product it was before the shutdown and Celebrity is charging the same prices.  
 

Thank you . We sail in January in the Edge. Hopefully, things improve.

[bucfan2]

9 hours ago, Oville said:

I think the concern is if Celebrity is following their protocols and it’s a bit late for Susanb to cancel.

Not a problem….cancel up to 48hr prior for full cruise credit (I’m unaware that that policy has changed).

[sanger727]

19 hours ago, kebrown said:

I am very disappointed to hear that the sandwich and pasta stations are closed.  Could you please ask someone if they plan on opening these stations up soon?  I have a cruise on the Edge in October and I hope everything will be open by then.  I do not want to pay full price for a cruise but only receive half the product.

 

The cruise fare covers 1. room 2. transportation between ports 3. food from the buffet and MDR 4. water, lemonade, ice tea, and coffee 4. day and night entertainment 5. onboard amenities like the fitness center, pools, etc.... 

 

2 stations in the buffet being closed are far from "half the product". Maybe it would be worth a 2-5% discount....

[TeeRick]

19 hours ago, kebrown said:

I am very disappointed to hear that the sandwich and pasta stations are closed.  Could you please ask someone if they plan on opening these stations up soon?  I have a cruise on the Edge in October and I hope everything will be open by then.  I do not want to pay full price for a cruise but only receive half the product.

Check out the Celebrity Cruise with Confidence Program and you have plenty of time to cancel if the reviews of the ship do not meet your expectations by October.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-with-confidence