Live from Celebrity Edge (3/27 - 4/3)

[zaxanon6]

The afternoon turned out to be a very lazy one with a little napping and a little planning for future cruises. We watched the sail away from our balcony with faint music from the pool deck party above. We went north around the island instead of back south, so we got to see the all the other ships in port at once. I was wrong earlier; there was only one Carnival ship in port today, for a total of 5 ships.

 

Dinner was again wonderful tonight - except for the amuse bouche. As a native Marylander, it killed me to see someone drown crab meat in green pea puree. But my mom (who is not lucky enough to be from Maryland originally) loves green peas and happily ate the whole thing. 🫣 Luckily, the ginger crab cake was delicious (even if not traditional).

 

 

 

The Captain warned us that the seas would be a bit rough the rest of the evening and he wasn't kidding. It's very windy, too; we went for a walk around the top deck and I almost lost my jacket. After escaping the wind, we enjoyed the sunset and some live acoustic music from Eden.

 

Cross your fingers for us that the weather really does improve and we can make it to Grand Cayman. First time for Edge since 2020.

[lizinindy]

Comment on the thermal spa on the Apex—The thermal loungers are in a high traffic area of the thermal spa. It was very noisy with people passing back and forth behind the heated loungers and seemingly unaware that they were in a “quiet” area. A couple lounge occupants would try to hush the loud talkers to no avail. There were signs up to remind guests but the design of the area just isn’t smart. The best was when the attendant came in to refresh the chilled flavored waters containers. Instead of taking them out of the area, he proceeded to dump the old ice, pour in the new ice and generally make so much noise that a few loungers started cracking up at the exasperation of trying to have a relaxing experience. I never had a problem with noise in the S class thermal lounge area….unless someone started snoring! Ha ha ha!

[zaxanon6]

1 hour ago, lizinindy said:

The best was when the attendant came in to refresh the chilled flavored waters containers. Instead of taking them out of the area, he proceeded to dump the old ice, pour in the new ice and generally make so much noise that a few loungers started cracking up at the exasperation of trying to have a relaxing experience.

This made me laugh. While I was in there yesterday, three attendants came in to do something with the sauna and a couple other areas, and they were chatting and bickering with each other all the way. I thought they just didn't notice me on the lounger and believed the room to be empty, but... maybe it's just the norm that the crew doesn't think of it as a quiet area. 🫤

[zaxanon6]

We have made it to Grand Cayman! The tender boats are lined up and ready. Hope everyone enjoys their day.

[Imoutahere]

Hi. Boarding the Edge on 4/3. Can anyone tell me if the indoor areas are cold? Do I need to bring a sweater to the dining room or theater? I checked the weather for our destinations and should be plenty warm in port.

Edited April 1, 2022 by Imoutahere

[zaxanon6]

1 hour ago, Imoutahere said:

Hi. Boarding the Edge on 4/3. Can anyone tell me if the indoor areas are cold? Do I need to bring a sweater to the dining room or theater? I checked the weather for our destinations and should be plenty warm in port.

I'd recommend you bring a jacket/sweater, although it depends on how easily you get cold.

 

I don't get cold easily, but I sometimes wear a light jacket over short sleeves when walking around the ship. My mother is always cold and she's almost always wearing a jacket onboard.

[zaxanon6]

Today was our first time stepping on land since we left on Sunday. We received tendering instructions last night in our room (though had to ask our butler for the Retreat specific instruction sheet). We went up to the Retreat Lounge to wait around 10:30-ish. By the time they'd taken care of the folks with ship excursions, about 30 people had come to the Lounge. The Retreat concierge put us in two elevators down to deck 4, then led the way down to the Destination Gateway on deck 2. Once the tender reached the shore, we found we didn't have to show any ID or vaccination information, though we'd been told to bring them. We had to have masks when going inside shops, but not when walking around outside.

 

We've been to Grand Cayman multiple times, both on dive trips and on cruises. We didn't have a planned excursion, just walked around downtown reminiscing about past vacations. We stopped at a small craft market and sampled (and purchased) some sauces and jam. It seemed like the people were happy to have the tourists back.

 

When we went to get back on the tender, they wanted ship IDs to get through the fence but still no check of ID or anything. We headed to Eden Cafe for lunch, and thank you to whoever recommended the chicken pesto sandwiches because they were amazing. We were beat from the heat so went back to our cabin to relax for the afternoon.

 

Tonight was the second elegant chic night, aka Lobster Night. I requested a small filet mignon on the side of mine to make it surf and turf. For dessert, I tried the baked Alaska for the first time. Yes I know it's been an option for years, but when dining in the MDR, I'm a sucker for the chocolate cake.

 

As we got ready to leave, we were approached by the maitre d' of Oceanview. We'd submitted feedback through the QR code in the daily (no more paper feedback forms, I guess) with some kudos and suggestions, plus mentioned the terrible Spa Cafe muffins. He wanted to let us know that they'd adjusted the recipe (offered to have some delivered to our cabin in the morning) and they're working on a fix for how the cold plate + condensation make the paper wrapper disintegrate on the muffin. He thanked us for the feedback, and we were amazed he'd taken the time to come talk to us personally. This kind of service onboard is why we put up with the long phone waits for customer service and wonky website - the cruise is always worth it.

Edited April 2, 2022 by zaxanon6

[Imoutahere]

38 minutes ago, zaxanon6 said:

I'd recommend you bring a jacket/sweater, although it depends on how easily you get cold.

 

I don't get cold easily, but I sometimes wear a light jacket over short sleeves when walking around the ship. My mother is always cold and she's almost always wearing a jacket onboard.

Thanks 🙏

[Imoutahere]

9 minutes ago, zaxanon6 said:

Today was our first time stepping on land since we left on Sunday. We received tendering instructions last night in our room (though had to ask our butler for the Retreat specific instruction sheet). We went up to the Retreat Lounge to wait around 10:30-ish. By the time they'd taken care of the folks with ship excursions, about 30 people had come to the Lounge. The Retreat concierge put us in two elevators down to deck 4, then led the way down to the Destination Gateway on deck 2. Once the tender reached the shore, we found we didn't have to show any ID or vaccination information, though we'd been told to bring them. We had to have masks when going inside shops, but not when walking around outside.

 

We've been to Grand Cayman multiple times, both on dive trips and on cruises. We didn't have a planned excursion, just walked around downtown reminiscing about past vacations. We stopped at a small craft market and sampled (and purchased) some sauces and jam. It seemed like the people were happy to have the tourists back.

 

When we went to get back on the tender, they wanted ship IDs to get through the fence but still no check of ID or anything. We headed to Eden Cafe for lunch, and thank you to whoever recommended the chicken pesto sandwiches because they were amazing. We were beat from the heat so went back to our cabin to relax for the afternoon.

 

Tonight was the second elegant chic night, aka Lobster Night. I requested a small filter mignon on the side of mine to make it surf and turf. For dessert, I tried the baked Alaska for the first time. Yes I know it's been an option for years, but when dining in the MDR, I'm a sucker for the chocolate cake.

 

As we got ready to leave, we were approached by the maitre'd of Oceanview. We'd submitted feedback through the QR code in the daily (no more paper feedback forms, I guess) with some kudos and suggestions, plus mentioned the terrible Spa Cafe muffins. He wanted to let us know that they'd adjusted the recipe (offered to have some delivered to our cabin in the morning) and they're working on a fix for how the cold plate + condensation make the paper wrapper disintegrate on the muffin. He thanked us for the feedback, and we were amazed he'd taken the time to come talk to us personally. This kind of service onboard is why we put up with the long phone waits for customer service and wonky website - the cruise is always worth it.

Wow. Nice to know that someone noticed and cared and will make adjustments. I'm impressed 👍

[zaxanon6]

 

 

 

 

 

[BEAV]

Really enjoying following along. Your photography is excellent! 

[zaxanon6]

It's the last day and we tried to take things slow and draw strength for returning to the real world. This morning we went to the spa cafe to try out the improved muffins. They didn't have a sawdust texture anymore but the paper wrapper was still sticking to them. Baby steps. Still impressed that they're listening and trying to make things better.

 

After breakfast, we made a coffee stop in Cafe al Baccio and heard the Captain's morning announcements. They did regular COVID testing of the crew yesterday and had some positives. There had been a few crew and passengers that tested positive before today, but the total was now 10 crew and 6 guests. All were mild cases and doing okay. Captain Costas did a talk in the theater after morning announcements and answered some very interesting questions from guests. He seemed to enjoy interacting with the passengers; when the moderator said he could take 2 more questions, he took about 5.

 

For lunch, we went to Luminae for the first time since embarkation day. The burger wasn't as good as the first time (overcooked and underseasoned) but there was a very good chicken soup. We stopped by the Magic Carpet for a bit to see the view. Everywhere on the resort deck was busy; I can't imagine what it would be like with a full complement of guests. We're very spoiled by the half-full sailings.

 

We went to origami again in the afternoon and did a couple different items. I never find time for origami except when on the cruise ship. There's something so relaxing about it. There was also a mixology class and a putting challenge going on. The activities staff wanted to make sure no one was bored on the last day.

 

We started packing before getting dressed for our last night in Luminae. On Summit, in a CS, we didn't have to put bags out until the morning, but it's still 10pm the night before here. We have a late flight so no sense rushing to walk them off ourselves. We'll have breakfast and say goodbye to the wonderful crew we've been seeing all week, and then hang out in the Retreat Lounge until last call. To everyone currently onboard and everyone heading down for the 4/3 cruise, safe travels!

[DWhit]

1 hour ago, zaxanon6 said:

To everyone currently onboard and everyone heading down for the 4/3 cruise, safe travels!

It’s been a rough evening for many heading to FLA through the Atlanta airport.  At one point, almost every flight to anywhere in Florida was canceled, leaving hundreds of people waiting in lines to try and get on another flight.  No rental cars available to drive to Florida.  No hotel rooms available near the airport.  I have to say it was the second biggest travel mess I have seen in over thirty years of traveling, with the first being the days after 9-11.

 

We were at first listed as standby on a flight where 160 people were ahead of us for two seats.  Needless to say we did not make that flight.

 

Somehow, an agent was able to book us the last two seats on the last flight to West Palm.  We still do not have our seat assignments, so who knows if we will really get on.

 

We checked three bags, and had to exit the secure area and retrieve two of them and check them on our flight to West Palm.  For some reason they sent our third bag on to Fort Lauderdale. 
 

So we are hopeful that we can get to Fort Lauderdale tonight and make the cruise tomorrow with our luggage, but only time will tell!

[zaxanon6]

1 minute ago, DWhit said:

It’s been a rough evening for many heading to FLA through the Atlanta airport.  At one point, almost every flight to anywhere in Florida was canceled, leaving hundreds of people waiting in lines to try and get on another flight.  No rental cars available to drive to Florida.  No hotel rooms available near the airport.  I have to say it was the second biggest travel mess I have seen in over thirty years of traveling, with the first being the days after 9-11.

 

We were at first listed as standby on a flight where 160 people were ahead of us for two seats.  Needless to say we did not make that flight.

 

Somehow, an agent was able to book us the last two seats on the last flight to West Palm.  We still do not have our seat assignments, so who knows if we will really get on.

 

We checked three bags, and had to exit the secure area and retrieve two of them and check them on our flight to West Palm.  For some reason they sent our third bag on to Fort Lauderdale. 
 

So we are hopeful that we can get to Fort Lauderdale tonight and make the cruise tomorrow with our luggage, but only time will tell!

Oh my goodness. I hope you really are on that flight and are reunited with all of your luggage. And that once you get onboard, all the stress will melt away.

[miched]

On 4/1/2022 at 11:21 AM, zaxanon6 said:

This made me laugh. While I was in there yesterday, three attendants came in to do something with the sauna and a couple other areas, and they were chatting and bickering with each other all the way. I thought they just didn't notice me on the lounger and believed the room to be empty, but... maybe it's just the norm that the crew doesn't think of it as a quiet area. 🫤

We were on the APEX RECENTLY DOING A B2B in AQ.  We used the Thermal Spa 3 times.  The heated loungers don’t seem as comfortable as those on the S class.  Don’t understand the crystal and  salt room. One has a  I guess a crystal in it and the other a salt block.  Don’t know what sitting  in a 4 walled room with a salt block or crystal is supposed to do????    The heated and steams rooms are want they are.  Dry heat or hot and steamy.   We were in the caribbean.  It is hot, sometimes hot and steamy and also salt in the air. 

And as other reported the attendants and others were very noisy.   The worse were,those that had the sound effects when using their tablets.   If it wasn’t from the sound effects for the games they were playing it was their finger nails tapping the screen or the sound effects for the keyboard   Then there were also those that were doing face time.   

 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[miched]

On 4/1/2022 at 8:45 PM, zaxanon6 said:

)-oday was our first time stepping on land since we left on Sunday. We received tendering instructions last night in our room (though had to ask our butler for the Retreat specific instruction sheet). We went up to the Retreat Lounge to wait around 10:30-ish. By the time they'd taken care of the folks with ship excursions, about 30 people had come to the Lounge. The Retreat concierge put us in two elevators down to deck 4, then led the way down to the Destination Gateway on deck 2. Once the tender reached the shore, we found we didn't have to show any ID or vaccination information, though we'd been told to bring them. We had to have masks when going inside shops, but not when walking around outside.

 

We've been to Grand Cayman multiple times, both on dive trips and on cruises. We didn't have a planned excursion, just walked around downtown reminiscing about past vacations. We stopped at a small craft market and sampled (and purchased) some sauces and jam. It seemed like the people were happy to have the tourists back.

 

When we went to get back on the tender, they wanted ship IDs to get through the fence but still no check of ID or anything. We headed to Eden Cafe for lunch, and thank you to whoever recommended the chicken pesto sandwiches because they were amazing. We were beat from the heat so went back to our cabin to relax for the afternoon.

 

Tonight was the second elegant chic night, aka Lobster Night. I requested a small filet mignon on the side of mine to make it surf and turf. For dessert, I tried the baked Alaska for the first time. Yes I know it's been an option for years, but when dining in the MDR, I'm a sucker for the chocolate cake.

 

As we got ready to leave, we were approached by the maitre d' of Oceanview. We'd submitted feedback through the QR code in the daily (no more paper feedback forms, I guess) with some kudos and suggestions, plus mentioned the terrible Spa Cafe muffins. He wanted to let us know that they'd adjusted the recipe (offered to have some delivered to our cabin in the morning) and they're working on a fix for how the cold plate + condensation make the paper wrapper disintegrate on the muffin. He thanked us for the feedback, and we were amazed he'd taken the time to come talk to us personally. This kind of service onboard is why we put up with the long phone waits for customer service and wonky website - the cruise is always worth it.

How did the Maitre D know who submitted the feedback and recognize you? 
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[miched]

Love your photos.  They are very good.   Whenever I take a photo of food it looks like garbage on a plate. 
 

When I take a picture of a room it doesn’t really give a good view of the room. 

I know it isn’t the camera it is the photographer.   
 

Have enjoyed your experience and will definitely try the Bistro.  That bisque and burger really looked great 
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

[zaxanon6]

7 minutes ago, miched said:

How did the Maitre D know who submitted the feedback and recognize you? 

The online feedback form has a line for your cabin# and name, though I guess you could put in "0000" and "N/A" if you wanted to be anonymous. It's just a Microsoft Teams form, so while it requires some entries, it's not super smart.

 

Many things you do are logged in computers onboard (like drinks and meals). This helps them make decisions on menus and inventory. So I'm sure the maitre d' could find out when we normally ate and get the table# we were sitting at from the hostess. We didn't think we were hard to find, but still impressed that the effort was made to respond to our feedback.

[DWhit]

5 hours ago, zaxanon6 said:

Oh my goodness. I hope you really are on that flight and are reunited with all of your luggage. And that once you get onboard, all the stress will melt away.

Thanks,  we made it to our room, luggage in hand, at 3 am 😀.  Stress is gone.

[zaxanon6]

5 hours ago, miched said:

Love your photos.  They are very good.   

 

Have enjoyed your experience and will definitely try the Bistro.  That bisque and burger really looked great

Thank you very much, and I hope you have a wonderful time.

[zaxanon6]

This morning, I woke up to an alarm instead of the sunrise; vacation is definitely over. We had our last breakfast in Luminae, grabbed our bags, and hung out in the Lounge for about 45 minutes. They were running ahead of schedule for disembarkation. In no time at all, we were off the ship, through customs, and on the way to the airport.

 

Since this was an experiment in 'the Suite Life', some thoughts:
First of all, the cruise was very enjoyable. There were some minor issues, but that's not unexpected on any vacation. Edge has redeemed herself - in fact, we booked another cruise on her while we were onboard.

Are we going to pick only suites from now on? No. It's nice to get pampered every now and then, but I'm actually looking forward to a non-suite cruise. The larger stateroom is nice, but if you're not taking full advantage of the other perks that come with it, the extra square footage alone doesn't seem worth the cost. 
- We don't need our PRH or Retreat concierges for much, though they are very nice and helpful if you do need them. Our stateroom attendant was great, but we've had fantastic stateroom attendants in non-suite cabins, too, so that's not an exclusive perk. We never thought there would be such a thing as having too many people taking care of you, but we think we reached that point (and feel bad saying it 😳).
- They created beautiful Retreat spaces, but they weren't very beneficial to us because of how we like to cruise and COVID restrictions. Organized activities in the Lounge (officer party, music, etc.) have been suspended due to COVID, which is strange because all kinds of other get-togethers have resumed. We're not the type to get pre-dinner drinks with a crowd of folks, but if you enjoy vacationing to meet other people, you'll probably put it to more use. The Sundeck was also a very nice space but we likely would have used it more if on an Alaska or Baltic cruise with a little cooler weather. 
- I've heard a lot on this site about the special food and treatment at Luminae. I don't have any significant complaints, but also have no issues with the MDR food, layout, or service. If you feel differently, Luminae will probably be more important to you. We've received great service in the MDRs, and since COVID, at least, it seems like their staff is less rushed than Luminae. Maybe we've just been lucky to be seated away from the main walkways, and we'll see what happens to MDR service once the passenger counts increase.
- We loved having the beds in our Sky Suite face the wall of windows; this was unique from any other stateroom we've been in. We spent 5 days onboard the ship and part of 1 day on shore, so there was a lot of time to enjoy the view. The larger bathroom was also very nice - two people could actually be getting ready at once. If you're on a port-intensive cruise or spending a lot less time in your suite, the extra space may not be as useful.
- A suite on M-class seems like a better value than on E-class, even if they were the exact same price. There are fewer places to go and things to do onboard an M-class ship (not a complaint, just an observation) so it's better to have special amenities and more space in your cabin. There's SO MUCH going on onboard an E-class ship. Staying in just the Retreat areas seems like a waste, but also not using the Retreat areas you paid for seems like a waste. Too much internal conflict for a vacation!

 

So this isn't a recommendation one way or the other for anyone else, just what we're thinking based on how we like to take vacations. I'd be happy to answer more questions if anyone has them. Thank you to everyone who has followed along this week. ♥️

Edited April 3, 2022 by zaxanon6

[zaxanon6]

 

 

[LGW59]

1 hour ago, zaxanon6 said:

This morning, I woke up to an alarm instead of the sunrise; vacation is definitely over. We had our last breakfast in Luminae, grabbed our bags, and hung out in the Lounge for about 45 minutes. They were running ahead of schedule for disembarkation. In no time at all, we were off the ship, through customs, and on the way to the airport.

 

Since this was an experiment in 'the Suite Life', some thoughts:
First of all, the cruise was very enjoyable. There were some minor issues, but that's not unexpected on any vacation. Edge has redeemed herself - in fact, we booked another cruise on her while we were onboard.

Are we going to pick only suites from now on? No. It's nice to get pampered every now and then, but I'm actually looking forward to a non-suite cruise. The larger stateroom is nice, but if you're not taking full advantage of the other perks that come with it, the extra square footage alone doesn't seem worth the cost. 
- We don't need our PRH or Retreat concierges for much, though they are very nice and helpful if you do need them. Our stateroom attendant was great, but we've had fantastic stateroom attendants in non-suite cabins, too, so that's not an exclusive perk. We never thought there would be such a thing as having too many people taking care of you, but we think we reached that point (and feel bad saying it 😳).
- They created beautiful Retreat spaces, but they weren't very beneficial to us because of how we like to cruise and COVID restrictions. Organized activities in the Lounge (officer party, music, etc.) have been suspended due to COVID, which is strange because all kinds of other get-togethers have resumed. We're not the type to get pre-dinner drinks with a crowd of folks, but if you enjoy vacationing to meet other people, you'll probably put it to more use. The Sundeck was also a very nice space but we likely would have used it more if on an Alaska or Baltic cruise with a little cooler weather. 
- I've heard a lot on this site about the special food and treatment at Luminae. I don't have any significant complaints, but also have no issues with the MDR food, layout, or service. If you feel differently, Luminae will probably be more important to you. We've received great service in the MDRs, and since COVID, at least, it seems like their staff is less rushed than Luminae. Maybe we've just been lucky to be seated away from the main walkways, and we'll see what happens to MDR service once the passenger counts increase.
- We loved having the beds in our Sky Suite face the wall of windows; this was unique from any other stateroom we've been in. We spent 5 days onboard the ship and part of 1 day on shore, so there was a lot of time to enjoy the view. The larger bathroom was also very nice - two people could actually be getting ready at once. If you're on a port-intensive cruise or spending a lot less time in your suite, the extra space may not be as useful.
- A suite on M-class seems like a better value than on E-class, even if they were the exact same price. There are fewer places to go and things to do onboard an M-class ship (not a complaint, just an observation) so it's better to have special amenities and more space in your cabin. There's SO MUCH going on onboard an E-class ship. Staying in just the Retreat areas seems like a waste, but also not using the Retreat areas you paid for seems like a waste. Too much internal conflict for a vacation!

 

So this isn't a recommendation one way or the other for anyone else, just what we're thinking based on how we like to take vacations. I'd be happy to answer more questions if anyone has them. Thank you to everyone who has followed along this week. ♥️

Thoroughly enjoyed your review and pics, thanks for making the time to do it.  While I love Retreat on E-Class, appreciate your posting about it in such an objective manner very refreshing.  

[dreamer321]

On 3/31/2022 at 10:15 AM, zaxanon6 said:

 

 

Is the deck area immediately in front of the Thermal Spa (see above) open to passengers? That would seem like a nice spot for sail-away if one could get access to it.

[cangelmd]

18 hours ago, zaxanon6 said:

It's the last day and we tried to take things slow and draw strength for returning to the real world.

 

After breakfast, we made a coffee stop in Cafe al Baccio and heard the Captain's morning announcements. They did regular COVID testing of the crew yesterday and had some positives. There had been a few crew and passengers that tested positive before today, but the total was now 10 crew and 6 guests. All were mild cases and doing okay. Captain Costas did a talk in the theater after morning announcements and answered some very interesting questions from guests. He seemed to enjoy interacting with the passengers; when the moderator said he could take 2 more questions, he took about 5.

 

 

Glad you had a wonderful cruise. We were on Edge the week before you boarded and had a great time as well. Not sure if I mentioned on this thread, but I came home and tested pos for Covid on Tuesday. Highly likely I got it on the ship. We only had about 4 cases reported to us. There are probably 10 times as many people infected as reported. I say all this not as Celebrity bashing, I think all their precautions are keeping cases low in number and mild, and perhaps most important, limiting spread among crew so they keep sailing. Appropriate speedy reaction, not overreaction.

 I bring it up just to say, be very suspicious of any symptoms you your family might have in the days after you get home. My onset was sudden and a bit dramatic so I tested and isolated very fast after I started feeling bad, and my DH has seemed to have escaped, he is still well and I’m moving out of strict isolation.

Here’s hoping your trip continues to be as wonderful as it has so far, I have no regrets or second thoughts and I’m busily preparing for our next cruise in May.