Not sure about E class

[dateacher]

We have booked the Beyond for a B2B in January.  I really appreciate the live posts from the blogger but at the same time am wondering if we made a mistake.  We really like the Silhouette and Reflection and the veranda.  Between the IV that we are just doing to give it a chance and the fact that it seems that the ship is catering more to the suite passengers and the regular passengers are an afterthought, I'm considering rebooking to another ship. 

 

Any insights would be helpful.  I would hate to spend 12 days thinking that we should have gone on an S class.

[davekathy]

I would rather find out for myself. One persons ceiling is another persons floor. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. 

[mikewomb]

I would not like the infinite veranda and wouldn’t want to take a chance. 

[kwokpot]

15 minutes ago, dateacher said:

We have booked the Beyond for a B2B in January.  I really appreciate the live posts from the blogger but at the same time am wondering if we made a mistake.  We really like the Silhouette and Reflection and the veranda.  Between the IV that we are just doing to give it a chance and the fact that it seems that the ship is catering more to the suite passengers and the regular passengers are an afterthought, I'm considering rebooking to another ship. 

 

Any insights would be helpful.  I would hate to spend 12 days thinking that we should have gone on an S class.

The E class is a game changer for Celebrity and you should try it out. I don't think it's designed just for suite passengers and the Beyond has enhanced the E Class concept with more bars,larger pool deck, much larger Sunset Bar, redesigned Rooftop Garden, redesigned Martini Bar. 

I think the only thing to be aware of is the IV cabin is not a veranda cabin. It's an  Deluxe Oceanview cabin with a panoramic window that opens. The feeling you get is like an open window inside a summer beach house, and not like you stepped outside to the deck on that same summer beach house. As long as you realize what an IV cabin is and isn't, your cruise vacation on the Beyond will be as wonderful as any other Celebrity cruise. If,however, laying out on your own private Veranda is of utmost importance to your cruise vacation enjoyment,I would immediately change cabins. 

Edited April 24, 2022 by kwokpot

[mac_tlc]

I would not take anyone else's word for it. We have sailed E-class 5 times, once in an IV, last 4 in suites. 

 

The discussions here are heavily weighted towards the Suite experience --- and it's better than M or S class, IMHO. But there is a lot more to E-class that everyone can enjoy.

 

The theater is one of the best we have ever seen, The circular layout, incredible projection screens -- we feel like it's more immersive than the other ships. We have enjoyed some of the best headliners on E-class (Antonio Salci, Soulwaves, The Knights , to name a few)

 

The four smaller dining rooms? Big improvement over the other configurations.

 

Eden? What a great place to sit and read a book (or not) and enjoy some spectacular views.

 

We really enjoy the Solarium, but if the main pool is your thing, the E-class has the largest of any ship.

 

The Club is a nice venue that is used for a variety of purposes, from Trivia to theme parties, to a "mini" production show (Caravan, on Apex). 

 

Is it perfect, of course not.  But I would not rely on other's to decide. You experience it and decide for yourselves. 

 

We have the Beyond booked in January (1/29) and again in 2024. 

 

We enjoyed our IV and may book another in December. 

 

 

mac_tlc

Edited April 24, 2022 by mac_tlc

[Panzano]

We've been in an infinite veranda, sunset veranda and sky suite on Edge.  We hated the infinite veranda but loved both the sunset veranda and sky suite.  Our "sweet spot" moving forward is to sail in a sunset veranda.  

The price is less than a sky suite but it's not just the price difference.  In a sunset veranda we get a huge veranda that has 2 chaise lounges, 2 chairs and a small table.  The room itself is as large as an infinite veranda (including the "balcony" part of the infinite veranda) and we can choose to eat in all 4 of the main dining rooms, which feel more intimate than the MDR's on both S and M class ships.   While we love the sky suite, we're not impressed with the Luminae menu and we're not sun people so we don't hang out on the retreat deck.  We can use the price difference between sky suite & sunset veranda to put toward another cruise or use some of the price difference for excursions or eating in specialty restaurants.

[jwlane]

31 minutes ago, dateacher said:

it seems that the ship is catering more to the suite passengers and the regular passengers are an afterthought

That's just wrong.  With 22 nites on Apex (in an SV, still no IV) in the last 9 months, I assure you this assessment is incorrect.

[jelayne]

We have been on the Edge and Apex and are booked on the Beyond.

Some in suites other times in IV.  

The E class have a lot more that just the Retreat to offer.  As others have mentioned

the 4 MDRs are excellent, more like a specialty than a MDR.  The Club is a great addition from a space for activities, to a club for dancing at night, to a venue for live karaoke.  The pool is large and seems to have more seating than on M or S class.

Eden is our favorite spot on the ship.  DH goes to read and watch the wake,  grab a quick lunch,  a spot for a quiet pre dinner drink and to  see the live entertainment at night .

The more time we spend on the E class the more we prefer them. 

[lv2cruisgrl]

We very much liked the Solstice class ships, Silhouette and Reflection. However since we sailed Edge when she first started we prefer the E class instead. Everyone is different but I would suggest you try it.

[Arizona Wildcat]

E Class - 4 MDRs are great.

Infinite Veranda - something between awful and horrible 

Ship in general - Today am cruising for the destination.   Thus less and less on Celebrity.  

[bruzin_for_a_cruizin]

We are long-time RCL passengers, and we enjoy the ocean-view balconies on Oasis-class ships for all the different neighbourhoods. We were on Apex last November, on a Move-up to a Sky Suite from an IV. 

 

We were blown-away by The Retreat experience, from the cabin to Luminae to the Retreat deck. So much so that we booked onboard for another SS for this coming November. We met some people onboard who were staying in an IV, and after checking out their cabin, my wife and I agreed it is, as so frequently pointed out here, most definitely not a balcony. The best example I read was someone here who posted "if the IV is a balcony, then my house has 25 balconies."

 

I'll be putting a deposit down next week on our Nov 23 cruise on Beyond. We're going to try the Sunset Veranda. While we loved the Retreat, we did feel like we spent most of our time on the Retreat deck and didn't experience the general run of the ship, so the SV sounds like a good compromise there.

 

The E-class ships are truly spectacular. The layout is great, the size is manageable and the "little things" are attended to. Don't bail on the entire class of ship just because of the IV. You might like it -- some people do! -- and there are other cabin categories available if you don't.

[Silkroad]

I’ve spent 22 nights aboard Edge, 15 in an Infinite Veranda (transatlantic) and 7 in a Sky Suite (Caribbean). Next up will be 14 nights aboard Apex in a Sunset Veranda.
 

I completely disagree that Edge class ships cater more to suite passengers. As others have said, the theater is fabulous, the four main dining rooms are a great improvement over one enormous dining room, and the pool is larger. Eden is a beautiful space, as is the Rooftop Garden. All of these, along with the bars, specialty restaurants and other venues are open to everyone. The jogging/walking track is great too.

 

Regarding the Infinite Veranda, unless you are a person who simply must have your own veranda on which to sunbathe, I don’t believe you will know how well you like the IV until you try it. My DH preferred our IV cabin to our S-class veranda cabins because it was larger and quieter (because of the design, one hears less noise from adjacent verandas). Though it certainly was larger, I missed having a typical balcony from which to view the world & feel the sea breeze. Depending on itinerary and price, we’d definitely book an IV again.

[mikewomb]

We have a Sky Suite on the Beyond for November. Looking forward to that experience. 

[Maggie North]

I believe there is a lot of talk about suites mostly because people like to let everyone know they are in a suite...not too many insiders boast about what their butler did for them today! Anyway, we have been on both Apex and Edge twice and have been in inside, sunset veranda, aqua and infinite veranda. All have been wonderful; we actually didn't feel left out because we weren't in a suite (those areas are rather segregated anyway). The four dining room concept is fabulous; the service is incredible and gives you the feeling you are in specialty dining. We like to return to our favorite wait staff (regardless of main dining room) night after night. In our experience, the sommeliers are very attentive and helpful in the MDRs as well.

People either love or hate the infinite verandas...their choice to abandon ship. Just a better selection of IVs for us! We personally enjoy the full view without having to hear our neighbors convos (or them to hear ours). Only opened it once just to give it a try, but liked the extra room it gave us without the permanently closed off balcony doors. We have never had coffee or dined in our cabin; too much to see and experience around the ship. Sunsets/sunrises are usually better aft anyway!

Edge class is...edgier than the more traditional ships. But everywhere you look, there is something interesting to see. In our opinion, there aren't as inside many bars as on the other classes, but we are learning more and more which fit our needs. 

This is, of course, my opinion. Everyone has one!

[Jeremiah1212]

What specially makes you think 'regular' passengers are an after thought on E class ships? You actually have access to more venues than you would on S class. 

 

Try the IV. I think many of the naysayers are just very outspoken in their disagreement with it or just don't like that it's different in general. After coming off Reflection a few weeks ago I think we plan to stick mostly to E class in the future. 

[davekathy]

We are classless cruisers. Whatever the ship is for that itinerary works for us. Then we choose the stateroom by deck and location we like. 

[Straughn]

2 hours ago, Panzano said:

We've been in an infinite veranda, sunset veranda and sky suite on Edge.  We hated the infinite veranda but loved both the sunset veranda and sky suite.  Our "sweet spot" moving forward is to sail in a sunset veranda.  

The price is less than a sky suite but it's not just the price difference.  In a sunset veranda we get a huge veranda that has 2 chaise lounges, 2 chairs and a small table.  The room itself is as large as an infinite veranda (including the "balcony" part of the infinite veranda) and we can choose to eat in all 4 of the main dining rooms, which feel more intimate than the MDR's on both S and M class ships.   While we love the sky suite, we're not impressed with the Luminae menu and we're not sun people so we don't hang out on the retreat deck.  We can use the price difference between sky suite & sunset veranda to put toward another cruise or use some of the price difference for excursions or eating in specialty restaurants.

I could have written this. This is exactly how I feel after one SV on Edge, one SS on Edge and  am currently in an SS on Apex. I have an SV booked on Beyond  in the Med next year and will use the savings for shore excursions and some specialty dining. It is a port intensive cruise and I don’t see me using the Retreat Lounge or Sundeck very much. 

[Salt Lifer]

We are on the Apex now in an IV for the first time and love it. We basically have a floor to ceiling wall of glass looking out over the ocean which is an awesome view! The extra space is a bonus. We have opened the window a few times for enjoy the breeze but as a whole we like the window shut. If I want to sit out I prefer to do it up by the pool in the sun where it is warmer, anyway. I say give an IV a chance, it is actually very nice.

[schittenden]

3 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

I would not take anyone else's word for it. We have sailed E-class 5 times, once in an IV, last 4 in suites. 

 

The discussions here are heavily weighted towards the Suite experience --- and it's better than M or S class, IMHO. But there is a lot more to E-class that everyone can enjoy.

 

The theater is one of the best we have ever seen, The circular layout, incredible projection screens -- we feel like it's more immersive than the other ships. We have enjoyed some of the best headliners on E-class (Antonio Salci, Soulwaves, The Knights , to name a few)

 

The four smaller dining rooms? Big improvement over the other configurations.

 

Eden? What a great place to sit and read a book (or not) and enjoy some spectacular views.

 

We really enjoy the Solarium, but if the main pool is your thing, the E-class has the largest of any ship.

 

The Club is a nice venue that is used for a variety of purposes, from Trivia to theme parties, to a "mini" production show (Caravan, on Apex). 

 

Is it perfect, of course not.  But I would not rely on other's to decide. You experience it and decide for yourselves. 

 

We have the Beyond booked in January (1/29) and again in 2024. 

 

We enjoyed our IV and may book another in December. 

 

 

mac_tlc

This. We love balconies. The IV was not our favorite. It has definite advantages. It makes the cabin feel more spacious than jt otherwise would. It floods the room with natural light. It also has disadvantages, namely, it is missing the traditional balcony feel (but I found that closing the screen divider and putting the window down is pretty close). The other aspects of the E-class ship were amazing. I love the dining concepts. Eden was beautiful. The theater and entertainment were stunning. I definitely feel like the IV trade-offs are worth it for everything else the ship has to offer. 

[mikewomb]

4 hours ago, dateacher said:

We have booked the Beyond for a B2B in January.  I really appreciate the live posts from the blogger but at the same time am wondering if we made a mistake.  We really like the Silhouette and Reflection and the veranda.  Between the IV that we are just doing to give it a chance and the fact that it seems that the ship is catering more to the suite passengers and the regular passengers are an afterthought, I'm considering rebooking to another ship. 

 

Any insights would be helpful.  I would hate to spend 12 days thinking that we should have gone on an S class.

I am like you, but did look at the sunset veranda and that was very nice. 

[cachouonacruise]

I have to admit to have not yet tried the E class yet. I loved the M and S class ships.

My first criteria when choosing a cruise is the itinerary not so much the ship.

This said, like the OP, I am reluctant to try the E Class, which, I agree, strongly focus on Suite Class passengers: They are the only ones with access to a front view of the ocean, unless you go to the gym or spa...

 

To me, this is a big concern! If my intent when travelling was only to sit at fancy restaurants, bars, lounges, theatres, etc..... I would go on a land vacation. A 360 degrees visual access to the ocean, for me is a must! This is why our first cruise was on RCL (Viking Crown Lounge and Wrap around deck at the time).... M and S class ship do not have that 360 degree lounge nor deck, but at least, they have a beautiful lounge, with almost wall to wall windows, in front of the ship and accessible to all passengers.

 

I am not a fan of the IV veranda concept, but this could be managed by booking a SV.

 

i am not sure about the 4 restaurant either. My wife and I enjoy receiving our restaurant service by the same staff, getting to know them, where they're from and a bit about life in their homelands... The four restaurants concept would void that experience.... It is probably possible to request always the same table, however, it would feel odd in that new concept.

 

So, I am not yet convinced the E experience is for us. 

 

[Spif Barwunkel]

Your consternation will continue right along with you until the time you board the ship, and beyond. Your post is a reflection of the doubt that exists about trying something very new and different, thus deviating from something very comfortable and familiar. You have got to get right in your head before you consider anything that emanates from someone else’s. Twelve days is a long time to regret your decision and the money spent to augment that choice.

 

I’ll not voice an opinion, although I do have comments from personal experiences on Edge Class ships. You are not yet ready to have others fill in the blanks about your upcoming cruise. Perhaps you will get there. Perhaps not.

[Reel Love]

5 hours ago, dateacher said:

We have booked the Beyond for a B2B in January.  I really appreciate the live posts from the blogger but at the same time am wondering if we made a mistake.  We really like the Silhouette and Reflection and the veranda.  Between the IV that we are just doing to give it a chance and the fact that it seems that the ship is catering more to the suite passengers and the regular passengers are an afterthought, I'm considering rebooking to another ship. 

 

Any insights would be helpful.  I would hate to spend 12 days thinking that we should have gone on an S class.

dateacher, my personal insight:  DH and myself happen to be partial to S class ships (Silhouette is our favourite) but we did sail the Edge back in December 2018 and found the ship to be gorgeous.  We sailed in an IV and in total honesty that was a "one and done" for us, but that one aspect certainly did not detract from the cruise and how magnificent the rest of the ship was.  We simply would book an aft balcony cabin if we sail on an E class ship again as we learned that we prefer a "true" balcony.  Good luck whatever your decision!!!  

Edited April 25, 2022 by Reel Love

[dateacher]

50 minutes ago, cachouonacruise said:

I have to admit to have not yet tried the E class yet. I loved the M and S class ships.

My first criteria when choosing a cruise is the itinerary not so much the ship.

This said, like the OP, I am reluctant to try the E Class, which, I agree, strongly focus on Suite Class passengers: They are the only ones with access to a front view of the ocean, unless you go to the gym or spa...

 

To me, this is a big concern! If my intent when travelling was only to sit at fancy restaurants, bars, lounges, theatres, etc..... I would go on a land vacation. A 360 degrees visual access to the ocean, for me is a must! This is why our first cruise was on RCL (Viking Crown Lounge and Wrap around deck at the time).... M and S class ship do not have that 360 degree lounge nor deck, but at least, they have a beautiful lounge, with almost wall to wall windows, in front of the ship and accessible to all passengers.

 

I am not a fan of the IV veranda concept, but this could be managed by booking a SV.

 

i am not sure about the 4 restaurant either. My wife and I enjoy receiving our restaurant service by the same staff, getting to know them, where they're from and a bit about life in their homelands... The four restaurants concept would void that experience.... It is probably possible to request always the same table, however, it would feel odd in that new concept.

 

So, I am not yet convinced the E experience is for us. 

 

Eating at the same table also gives you the opportunity to sometimes dine with the same people which can be nice.

 

[dateacher]

Thanks for the replies and encouragement.  I may look into a Sunset Veranda depending on the cost.  It's only 12 days of my life.  How bad can it be?