Equinox followed by Edge

[Hawkstar33]

3/25 - 4/3  9 day Equinox, 4/3 - 4/10  7 day Edge.   Flew into  Ft L  from Long Island, the morning of cruise.  Got to the terminal by cab, and by 11am we were allowed to enter to get checked in. Masks were on at this point. Checkin was very thorough, health protocols were followed.  Each persons paperwork, vaccination reports etc, were checked.  We were then asked to sit in a waiting area until somewhere between 11:30-12, before they allowed groups of 25 or so to enter in an orderly fashion. They informed us that our room keys would be in an envelope on the door to your room.   We walked the long runways to board, and were greeted and informed that we could remove our masks if we so desired. We did.  Some chose to wear them. Wonderful to be back on board again. 1300 guests was less then half.  First stop pool bar, and Jerome made us our first cocktails.  Jerome gets the 1st star of this review.  Just a great guy with a nonstop smile and always a warm greeting each time. Tereza was awesome as well.  We took our drinks and went directly to Oceanview for some lunch. Right outside the entrance, we met a crew member who helped us schedule our dates and times for our pre-booked Specialty restaurant package. Pre-booking saved a few dollars, and we did the 3 nt package. We ended up booking 2 more at discounted prices, during the week for a total of  5 nights.  3 Tuscan, 1 Murano, 1 Le Petit Chef.  Savio at Tuscan, maitre' d was fabulous. Joby our waiter was as well. Obviously our favorite, with many choices, and awesome staff.  Outstanding.. We ate at Oceanview for dinner on the other nights.  We really enjoyed the variety each night. With the menu changing each night we were there. Top notch. Truly a step up.  Our room was balcony 8127. Ksennia was our room attendant, and she was a pleasure. If she stays, she will be a supervisor one day. Next I must say,  Very good shows at night. Not usually my thing. Lady Valentine were great.  I'll give an Okay on the pool deck music. Otherwise they played random tunes over the speaker system around the ship.  Every crew member greeted you..Not once did any crew member, of any rank, walk by without a warm greeting. That was impressive to say the least.  Aruba, Curacao, Jamaica, Nassau, were the ports.  Tough walking. Be prepared for long walks at each port. Our dock positions were not the closest.  In each port, some wore masks, some didn't.  Signs were posted on shops that required wearing masks.  Some did ship excursions, while others ventured on their own. Most places were open to visit.  We never felt uneasy in any way.   We were greeted by the casino host within a short time of entering.  Not high rollers by any means, but felt it was nice to be recognized.  They treated us very well...Overall, Equinox was wonderful. Nothing else to say. Capt Dimitri and his crew, are a proud bunch.  Arranged for the Celebrity shuttle to transfer us to the Edge.  Long slow line at TSA disembarkation, but we managed to move fairly quick.  Great job by terminal crew. Shuttle dropped us across street from Edge at terminal 25, and we just wheeled our bags across, where a porter helped us out with a cart, for a pretty good 100 yard walk from where we got dropped off. Shuttle driver could not drop us closer as per the rules he said.  Weather was awesome.  Captain gave daily Covid updates.   I will refill my water glass, and then review Edge in a few minutes.  

[Hawkstar33]

Now onto the beautiful Edge.  Similar embarkation procedure. Masks optional. Forgot to tell you that your safety drill could be watched on your phone via the app, or on your tv in the room.  Once you watch the video, you are required to check in at your muster station before we pulled away from dock.  Simple and efficient on both trips. Modern, beautifully laid out ship. Attention to detail. Captain Costas is very proud of his ship. 12266 was our Sunset Veranda.  Best room we have ever had as far as balcony category room. Bigger room, larger balcony.  2 chairs, a small table, and 2 full size loungers.  Only issue was a lot of chair noise above, where people would eat outside at the Oceanview for breakfast. Would not chose that floor again. One floor lower would be better.  People moving chairs around at 6am above your head, was every day. Same people were locked in on that spot.  Nice spot to dine while watching the ships wake..Same routine with our first cocktail, then off to Raw on 5, where we attempted to book a dining package.  This time we did not prebook, as I wanted to do so onboard, once we viewed each menu.. Big mistake. On Equinox, you picked date and time, once on board. Not the case on Edge. We were the second group of 25 to board the ship. We were at Raw within 15 minutes onboard.  Told the crew member we wanted a 4 package dining.  Steakhouse first I asked. 6pm was my request. Sorry sir fully booked all week until 8:30, on every night. HUH????  How could that be???  Ok whatever.  Lets try Eden for same time. Nope fully booked all week, no availability any time, and there is a waiting list in case someone cancels. Again I was shocked. New rule??  Ended up starting to book raw, then Rooftop, but was not really happy, and just said forget it. The nice girl at raw, attempted to as the steakhouse boss if they could accommodate us, but he flatly denied us. We ended up having 2 lovely lunches at The Bistro.  The gem of the ship...  Slight charge of 20pp, but well worth it. Otherwise we ate at Oceanview,  which was very, very, good.  Never went to main dining room on either ship.  Not our thing.  Not very patient waiting.  As it turns out, we were a bit deceived.  Bothered me enough to where I decided to speak to Captains Club concierge. Thought being Elite might get us some pull. NOT.  Apologetic, dancing around the questions of how could that be, etc. Offered to check it out and get back to me, but never got back to us. Took our room number and everything. Very disappointing.  Long story short, not enough staff to cover. Could have told us that from the start.  honesty is best policy.  More to this to come, but tomorrow, as Im still dragging from the flights home.. Will continue tomorrow.  Forgive my long winded style of writing. 

[CarrieAP]

Enjoying your review- look forward to the remainder. Thank you!

[chemmo]

Thanks for your reviews. Friends of ours had similar difficulties booking the steak house on Edge.

 

After doing the two ships b2b do you have a preferred class of ship for your next cruise or would you happily cruise both?

Edited April 12, 2022 by chemmo

[newtampagirl]

We were on the same Edge cruise. We tried to book the steakhouse and Eden online about a week before the cruise. All they had for the steakhouse was 8:30 and Eden was sold out. We are sailing the Apex in December so we will make reservations as soon as we can.

[sunpuppy]

We were on this Edge sailing, too. We didn't book the dining package, but were able to book Fine Cut for 7:30pm on Wednesday. We were also on the first group on board and dropped our bags and then went straight to Fine Cut. We tried Eden next, and no dice. I think the only way to assure a reservation (and time you want to dine) is to pay full price and book well before the cruise. We did hear people were on a waiting list for Eden and got a call so they got in. A lot of people cancelled their Specialty dining package. I agree that Concierge was no help at all. 

 

I also read that you pay more for the Specialty dining package if you wait to book on board rather than booking at least two days before your cruise. Not sure what to do for our March 2023 Beyond cruise, but we do enjoy the Main dining restaurants, so we'll book  those reservations and at least have those. 

 

I can't imagine what will happen when they start sailing at full capacity. They'd better be fully staffed as well! I don't think they were on this cruise and we had 2017 passengers on board.

[Hawkstar33]

Ok I'm back to finish.  Not sure of the current rules for booking the dining package early.  A lesson learned.  Used to be first come, first served, once you boarded.  I do enjoy taking my wife to each one at least once, as it is a special treat for us.  We could have booked Raw, but the menu is not to the wifes liking.  Rooftop we were able to get a decent time, but we wanted a package, and it did not work out.  So like I said,  we told them to forget it. Others were also trying to book and got same news.  They actually forgot to remove the Rooftop date, sent us a reminder that we were booked, so  we had to call down and cancel. So onward to get some lunch in Oceanview..Great selection, diverse in flavors, and cultures.  Crowded up pretty quickly, but plenty of great seating.  Truly a beautifully designed ship.. Next morning breakfast was again crowded, but settled down each day until the last morning.  We did not dine in main dining, on either ship.  Not our thing.  Waiting is not for us, unless we do a specialty restaurant.  We did find a hidden gem, The Bistro, for lunch.  We did it twice. 20pp uncharge, but truly worth it.  Main entree changes everyday.  Rack of Lamb was awesome.  It then transforms into La Petit chef at dinner time.  Mast grill was busy for burgers, dogs, fries..Pizza in a separate rear area of Oceanview.  People love pizza.  Fabulous breads, and desserts wherever you did eat. We ate in Oceanview for dinner, and were very satisfied.  Kingsley is a Supervisor there.  His staff should follow in his footsteps. He was a machine.  Stepping in to assist anyone and everyone.  Joyce a server, also smiled nonstop.  Her greetings were genuine. she will be a supervisor for sure.. Cafe al bacio was a hotspot all day.  Live Music before dinner attracted many each day. Pools were great, plenty of loungers this time due to only 2000 passengers.  Magic carpet was nice but never moved.  Stayed on 14, which was ok.  Anup was a great bartender there..Very busy.  Captain Costas is a great guy.  Did a slideshow presentation about the building and operation of Edge.  It was great, as was his passion, and humor.  He loves his ship.. Shows were good, although not my thing.  Very talented performers, and the Edge band on both ships were great.  Some pool deck music and Zumba,  otherwise music piped in over speaker system, most of the day.  San Juan, Tortola, St Maarten.. Long walks from each port. Be prepared.   Seemed like we were at the furthest docking spots.  Islands were pretty much open, masks required where posted.  Otherwise not.   Nice casino, not as personal as Equinox.  Equinox host and rest of casino crew recognized your presence, and offered assistance, drinks etc.  Nice walking track, busy after breakfast till it got too hot on deck.  Weather was great.   Chandra gets a shoutout at the pool bar... Nonstop busy bar....He was always pleasant under extreme drink making pressure...Most crew said hello while passing.  Some of the higher ups should do the same...Subordinates learn from Supervisors.  Equinox wins hands down as far as comparison.  Older but to me, better...In all fairness, they were understaffed.  But I still paid good money to go on this ship.  Not the total experience I expected.  Crew that was there, worked very hard.. Seemed like double duty for many of them.  One more thing.  I checked on both the Steakhouse and Rooftop, after I was told they were booked.  Both could easily have accommodated us, and were empty at the early hours that I was looking to get. I went into the Steakhouse and questioned the maitre'd.  I expressed my displeasure when he tried to insult my intelligence and told me he was completely booked.  Place was basically empty at 6:45, when first seating was either 530 or 6.  Not good for business.  His attitude was less then I expected also.  Elite only goes so far. But you do get one scoop of free gelato.....Also walked up to see menu at the rooftop later in week.   Actually after all that nonsense,  still thought of going there if any availability... As we walked up to the gentleman, we asked to see menu.  His response completed the deal for me.  Sorry we are completely booked tonight.   Could I still see menu?  Yes but we are full...Unreal...Went to Oceanview for dinner, came back to see the crowd at Rooftop at 7pm, and the place had one table with 4 people at it.  Totally did me in...Totally unacceptable.   Spoke to a nice officer about it who I had chatted previously with during trip... Apologetic, staff shortages etc.   Not what I paid for.    WINNER EQUINOX.    Any questions feel free.  Honesty is best policy.  

[chemmo]

Again sincere thanks for a very well written review offering both factual information and your personal perspective…

 

It was particularly interesting to us as we are yet to try Edge class and find S class just seems to fit us so well…