some thoughts on the Edge class

[cruzer0007]

I am just back from a 7 day Apex cruise, and wanted to share a couple thoughts that I had not seen mentioned or discussed prior to my sailing, maybe this will help others decide between ship classes.  Overall, we had a great time on the cruise, and we enjoyed a number of things about the Apex. We have never sailed on the Edge, I suspect most of my thoughts apply to that ship too, but keep in mind my only experience in the class is the Apex.  Since it is virtually new, everything is nice and shiny, so that helps a great deal with first impressions.   We had a deck 9 inside cabin, near mid ship, nothing fancy, its about as "standard" as they come as far as cruise cabins go.  I will say I think the layout and design of the bathroom is such that it feels larger than any we have had on any prior cruise, and also the nicest.  The fact it is a new ship helps with that I am sure but its a great layout in our opinion.  Eden is a great space to watch live music in the evening.  

 

Couple things overall about the ship that really disappointed us, the primary let down was the fact that on the top outside decks, up around the pool area, there is NO option for non-suite guests to get to the front of the ship.  Customers of the spa can get out to one area up front, but that requires a "spa" membership (more $$$) or purchase of some spa services.  We have never been on a ship where we were restricted from the up front areas I mention, and its concerning to me that this is the direction the industry might be headed (paying additional for that access) . We have always enjoyed watching the ship sail into a port (or exit a port) from outside, up high, and sometimes from up front (over the bridge).  Nice central view, in "the wind" and scanning the horizon when out at sea.  This is no longer possible on the Apex (Edge class ?), unless you are in the retreat club (or in the spa).  Huge let down for us.   It also limits the walking options (for exercise) than normal.  

 

The magic carpet was nice, but I just dont see the appeal.  On sea days, there is significant wind out there, so much so that its not very pleasant to sit out there, and its also quite warm due to all the glass.  We tried to listen to some live music one evening out there, but the wind made that very difficult to enjoy.  Finally, I thought the layout of the oceanview could be improved substantially.  There is really one side with a good quality drink station near the center, the other side has limited service drink stations, so we spent considerable time learning where we had to go to get certain things (like OJ in the morning, iced tea in the evening).  I wish there were more full service drink stations up there.

 

The Apex is a great ship, but the lack of bow view access up high was a surprise to us, and we only learned of this once we got on board, and it was quite a disappointment.  If discussed elsewhere, we missed it.  I have no issue with some facilities that are exclusive to the higher grade cabins, but I dont think its a good sign that entire segments of the cruise experience get taken away from those cruising on more limited budgets.  Exclusive clubs, no problem ... restricting access to the prime viewing deck locations is a slippery slope, and I hope it does not take hold on a wider basis.  For us, this alone is enough to steer us to the S-class over the Edge/Apex in the future.  Hope this helps others make a more informed decision.

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by cruzer0007

[mahdnc]

We will be sailing Apex in March and I am looking forward to it.  Your comments about outdoor access being off limits to non-suite guests is certainly a drawback that I have anticipated.  Also there is no public indoor space devoted to looking out the front of the ship either (aka Sky Lounge) which I also find disappointing.  Still, I figure Apex is worth a try.

Edited December 12, 2021 by mahdnc

[mfs2k]

Glad I booked a suite on Beyond. Expensive bow view though. 

[cruzer0007]

absolutely worth a try ... its a great ship, and I think anyone would have a great time (at least one cruise).  As far as window viewing options out the front, there actually is one I should have mentioned.  If you go to the "workout" room, where they have the treadmills, elliptical machines, exercise bikes, etc, that room faces front, and anybody can go there anytime day or night (no fees), but its a workout room, not someplace to sit quietly and relax.  I dont think there are any chairs in there, but it does offer a view out at the front of the ship (from behind the glass).

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by cruzer0007

[voyager1964]

How about gradual entry (not the vertical ladder) into the main pool? The Solarium pool? The Retreat pool? This was the case on both M-class and S-class, but seems not the case on the E-class

[LGW59]

1 hour ago, cruzer0007 said:

I am just back from a 7 day Apex cruise, and wanted to share a couple thoughts that I had not seen mentioned or discussed prior to my sailing, maybe this will help others decide between ship classes.  Overall, we had a great time on the cruise, and we enjoyed a number of things about the Apex. We have never sailed on the Edge, I suspect most of my thoughts apply to that ship too, but keep in mind my only experience in the class is the Apex.  Since it is virtually new, everything is nice and shiny, so that helps a great deal with first impressions.   We had a deck 9 inside cabin, near mid ship, nothing fancy, its about as "standard" as they come as far as cruise cabins go.  I will say I think the layout and design of the bathroom is such that it feels larger than any we have had on any prior cruise, and also the nicest.  The fact it is a new ship helps with that I am sure but its a great layout in our opinion.  Eden is a great space to watch live music in the evening.  

 

Couple things overall about the ship that really disappointed us, the primary let down was the fact that on the top outside decks, up around the pool area, there is NO option for non-suite guests to get to the front of the ship.  Customers of the spa can get out to one area up front, but that requires a "spa" membership (more $$$) or purchase of some spa services.  We have never been on a ship where we were restricted from the up front areas I mention, and its concerning to me that this is the direction the industry might be headed (paying additional for that access) . We have always enjoyed watching the ship sail into a port (or exit a port) from outside, up high, and sometimes from up front (over the bridge).  Nice central view, in "the wind" and scanning the horizon when out at sea.  This is no longer possible on the Apex (Edge class ?), unless you are in the retreat club (or in the spa).  Huge let down for us.   It also limits the walking options (for exercise) than normal.  

 

The magic carpet was nice, but I just dont see the appeal.  On sea days, there is significant wind out there, so much so that its not very pleasant to sit out there, and its also quite warm due to all the glass.  We tried to listen to some live music one evening out there, but the wind made that very difficult to enjoy.  Finally, I thought the layout of the oceanview could be improved substantially.  There is really one side with a good quality drink station near the center, the other side has limited service drink stations, so we spent considerable time learning where we had to go to get certain things (like OJ in the morning, iced tea in the evening).  I wish there were more full service drink stations up there.

 

The Apex is a great ship, but the lack of bow view access up high was a surprise to us, and we only learned of this once we got on board, and it was quite a disappointment.  If discussed elsewhere, we missed it.  I have no issue with some facilities that are exclusive to the higher grade cabins, but I dont think its a good sign that entire segments of the cruise experience get taken away from those cruising on more limited budgets.  Exclusive clubs, no problem ... restricting access to the prime viewing deck locations is a slippery slope, and I hope it does not take hold on a wider basis.  For us, this alone is enough to steer us to the S-class over the Edge/Apex in the future.  Hope this helps others make a more informed decision.

 

I’ve only stayed in the Retreat on EDGE and I loved it.  That said I totally concur they messed up on not having a forward facing lounge and/or small cafe.

[Miaminice]

7 hours ago, voyager1964 said:

How about gradual entry (not the vertical ladder) into the main pool? The Solarium pool? The Retreat pool? This was the case on both M-class and S-class, but seems not the case on the E-class

Some steps inside of the pool…

 

[terrydtx]

8 hours ago, mfs2k said:

Glad I booked a suite on Beyond. Expensive bow view though. 

The Beyond will take the Retreat experience to a new level by moving the Luminae from the 12 deck to the 17th with a panoramic bow view. We hope to cruise on her in the future but we have 3 cruises booked on the Apex and Edge in Sky  Suites in the next 3 years. 

[cruisestitch]

If you are mobility challenged, Edge is probably not a good choice.

 

Don’t try to use a scooter in the handicapped elevator in Eden.  The entry an exit doors are at right angles so you can’t maneuver a scooter in it.

 

pools have steps or ladders, not gradual entry

 

part of the Martini bar area is only accessible by stairs, also part of Eden.

 

chairs throughout Eden are so low that they are difficult to sit down in or stand up from.

 

transit through the “forest” is difficult if you have limited sight.

 

all in all, there were several design blunders when it comes to handicapped access

[terrydtx]

7 hours ago, LGW59 said:

I’ve only stayed in the Retreat on EDGE and I loved it.  That said I totally concur they messed up on not having a forward facing lounge and/or small cafe.

I agree in a non suite we always enjoyed the view from  forward sky type lounge.

[cruisestitch]

53 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

I agree in a non suite we always enjoyed the view from  forward sky type lounge.

It’s the difference between “coming up ahead of us is a great view of a waterfall, get your cameras ready as we sail towards it” and “we just passed a waterfall, hope you got to see it as we sail away from it”. 
 

 

[TeeRick]

10 hours ago, mahdnc said:

We will be sailing Apex in March and I am looking forward to it.  Your comments about outdoor access being off limits to non-suite guests is certainly a drawback that I have anticipated.  Also there is no public indoor space devoted to looking out the front of the ship either (aka Sky Lounge) which I also find disappointing.  Still, I figure Apex is worth a try.

Just the Fitness Center on Deck 15 allows a look forward but it is not a tranquil dedicated public viewing area as @cruzer0007 pointed out.

[terrydtx]

11 hours ago, mahdnc said:

We will be sailing Apex in March and I am looking forward to it.  Your comments about outdoor access being off limits to non-suite guests is certainly a drawback that I have anticipated.  Also there is no public indoor space devoted to looking out the front of the ship either (aka Sky Lounge) which I also find disappointing.  Still, I figure Apex is worth a try.

My TA recently came back from a travel agent cruise event on the Apex for a week and she cannot stop raving about the ship. She has been on many many cruise ships, and she thinks the Apex is the best of all of them. She even liked the IV cabin. She said her favorite place on the ship was the Eden lounge.

Edited December 12, 2021 by terrydtx

[sptrout]

No access to viewing areas in front of the ship is not only a Celebrity Edge/Apex issue or concern. MSC's newest ships do not have access to the front areas except for passengers in their "Yacht Club". Th Yacht Club is MSC's version of a "ship within a ship" concept. Great for YC passengers as we have been twice; not so good for other non-YC passengers that may want a forward facing view somewhere on their ships. 

 

Although we have not been on an Edge Class ship yet, it seems that Celebrity has made their "Retreat Class" similar to MSC's YC, as well as NCL's "Haven" (as I understand it, have not looked into it though).

 

Ship within a ship concepts seems to be a way to give suite passengers the best possible cruise. Great for suite passengers, but not so great for the remaining passengers. 

 

I agree that in the past that once a person stepped out of their cabin all was equal for nearly everything else. Those days are passing by for better or worse.

[PTC DAWG]

Nice,  but a quick glance at many comments on this board or even a glance at a deck plan would have shown the ship layout, from bow to stern.  I know I always check them out before booking.

 

Booked in an SV in March 2022 on Apex..looking forward to it..

[CruiserRob]

12 hours ago, cruzer0007 said:

 As far as window viewing options out the front, there actually is one I should have mentioned.  If you go to the "workout" room, where they have the treadmills, elliptical machines, exercise bikes, etc, that room faces front, and anybody can go there anytime day or night (no fees)

I've never understood why ship designers devote prime forward looking real estate to the gym.

[cruisestitch]

Especially ironic when they advertise the ship’s design as “outward facing”

[helen haywood]

I do not want to imply that the OP’s opinion/experience isn’t valid; I just wanted to share my experience.  When we read about the Edge Class we were convinced it was not for us.  Solstice Class was our favorite.  The Edge seemed to us to be all flash…that weird bow, that jarring blue, that awkward orange appendage, no beloved Sky Lounge, all that Hoppen hype and the “Eden Experience…”

 

Well, some friends talked us into sailing Edge with them in 2019.  We LOVED Edge!!!  Loved Eden’s panoramic views, loved the 4 MDR concept, loved Mr. Edge, loved the quirky beautiful touches all over the ship.  LOVED having a true King size bed.  Loved the storage in the bathroom and the adjustable shower head.  We also loved the infinite veranda.

 

I don’t want to be in full sun so the solarium-ish “veranda meant I could stare out at the ocean as long as I wanted.  On a regular balcony if there was no shade due to the position of the ship and the sun, if it was too hot, if it was raining…then I’d have to go back inside.  Also on a regular balcony I generally had to put a beach towel on the balcony chairs as they always had sea spray on them.

 

For us the only drawback to Edge is the lack of shade at the Sunset Bar.  Sometimes there is some…if the superstructure is blocking the sun…but generally absolutely none.

 

But if the Edge Class isn’t your cup of tea there is always the Solstice Class.

[TeeRick]

13 minutes ago, CruiserRob said:

I've never understood why ship designers devote prime forward looking real estate to the gym.

This is such a true statement.  And the Spa much of which is enclosed without windows.

[LGW59]

27 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Especially ironic when they advertise the ship’s design as “outward facing”

Speaking of iconic, those two suites take up the space that could have been dedicated to a forward lounge.  Of course from Celebrities point of view the revenue they generate more than makes up for any passengers displeasure in not having a forward facing lounge/observation deck.

[mahdnc]

17 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Speaking of iconic, those two suites take up the space that could have been dedicated to a forward lounge.  Of course from Celebrities point of view the revenue they generate more than makes up for any passengers displeasure in not having a forward facing lounge/observation deck.

A trend that started with the Reflection and Signature Suites. 

[cruzer0007]

2 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Nice,  but a quick glance at many comments on this board or even a glance at a deck plan would have shown the ship layout, from bow to stern.  I know I always check them out before booking.

 

Booked in an SV in March 2022 on Apex..looking forward to it..

I admit freely that I (we) could have done more advance research, but I did do some, and my interpretation was wrong.  We knew the retreat class had the exclusive access up front. The deck plan where the fitness center is located shows a thin dotted line inside the center, same kind of line appears on the deck below where the spa resides.  We anticipated this line represented an outside viewing area up front. Exterior pictures of the edge and apex show an outside viewing area in that general area up front, and we took it on faith that surely we could at least get there. Turns out that only (paying) spa guests can get there, that was my only point.  Had we known this up front, we likely would have gone on apex anyway, but our level of disappointment in that first time tour of the ship would have been lower. We get better at scanning deck plans (in advance) the more cruises we take, but for the  rookie or amateur class of cruiser this is a detail I consider hard to discern, so I thought I would share our experience. Hope it helps someone.

[Turtles06]

14 hours ago, cruzer0007 said:

Couple things overall about the ship that really disappointed us, the primary let down was the fact that on the top outside decks, up around the pool area, there is NO option for non-suite guests to get to the front of the ship.

I totally share your concern and disappointment over this. When we cruised on the Summit in September 2019, not long after she’d been “revolutionized,” I posted that the ship was beautiful and that most of the changes were great, but I took exception to the fact that the only forward-facing exterior deck had been restricted to suite guests. Like you, I have no problem with suite guests having their own dining room or other spaces for which there are equivalents for non-suite guests.  But there is no other open area in the bow on the M-class ships. It’s not a good trend in ship-building, and it’s not only a problem on Celebrity.

[bigbeergut]

18 minutes ago, cruzer0007 said:

I admit freely that I (we) could have done more advance research, but I did do some, and my interpretation was wrong.  We knew the retreat class had the exclusive access up front. The deck plan where the fitness center is located shows a thin dotted line inside the center, same kind of line appears on the deck below where the spa resides.  We anticipated this line represented an outside viewing area up front. Exterior pictures of the edge and apex show an outside viewing area in that general area up front, and we took it on faith that surely we could at least get there. Turns out that only (paying) spa guests can get there, that was my only point.  Had we known this up front, we likely would have gone on apex anyway, but our level of disappointment in that first time tour of the ship would have been lower. We get better at scanning deck plans (in advance) the more cruises we take, but for the  rookie or amateur class of cruiser this is a detail I consider hard to discern, so I thought I would share our experience. Hope it helps someone.

 

People can suggest that you should have done more research ignore the fact the Celebrity will soon have 3 E-class ships in service and they are now assigning them to some of the nicer itineraries.  It's not as though you have a choice in many situations, other than going to a different cruise line.  Sadly, that may be the option that we will follow.

[TeeRick]

6 minutes ago, bigbeergut said:

 

People can suggest that you should have done more research ignore the fact the Celebrity will soon have 3 E-class ships in service and they are now assigning them to some of the nicer itineraries.  It's not as though you have a choice in many situations, other than going to a different cruise line.  Sadly, that may be the option that we will follow.

For what its worth, Celebrity made and continues to make big investments in E-Class.  That is clearly how they want to move forward and how the want to market and identify their cruise line.  Some of us who love S-Class and M-Class will just need to continue sailing those ships and thankfully they committed to renovate them (at least pre-pandemic).  But I guess they will eventually all be sold or taken out of service so enjoy them while we are still able.  And be open to the multitude of cruise ships and cruise lines out there.