Live: 10 Nights Ultimate Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Celebrity Edge January 13-23

[hcat]

Great review!

After seeing the pics we may add EDEN to our specialty dining wish list!

Hope you  continue having fun and share  with us!

[bnurick]

8 hours ago, hcat said:

Great review!

After seeing the pics we may add EDEN to our specialty dining wish list!

Hope you  continue having fun and share  with us!

100%! Recommend doing night #1 and last night (bookends). Best meal of the cruise by far and only 55 guests a night.

[LouChamp]

On 1/14/2023 at 2:15 PM, mcclarke1 said:

Retreat Sundeck Treats-Mango Sorbet 

Aloha. Just read it from my library. Interesting information about his military service but I shall say no more.

[bnurick]

 

Good evening from the Edge!

 

Running a little behind with our first port day and early excursion, a private charter to hit all the spots we wanted, but wasn’t offered via Celebrity. 

 

Last night we ate a Luminae. The amuse bouche was a beet root (Cameron enjoyed, I am not a beet person).  Appetizers were the turkey soup and braised short rib which both were outstanding. Our server then snuck in a nice cheese plate to accent the wine. For entree’s, a NY strip (ok) and veal cannelloni (very good). No dessert as we has an early morning. 

 

More to come on our long day and afternoon monsoon! 🌧️ 

 

 

Edited January 16, 2023 by bnurick

[hcat]

Cheese plate..nice touch!

[sdnich]

We will be on the same cruise in March so definitely following along and enjoying your pictures ! I am going to definitely book one evening at Eden after seeing your food and the menu for our March cruise !! The last time we had a private charter also on St Marteen and  it rained the entire day!! 

[sfoltz]

On 1/6/2023 at 4:55 PM, bnurick said:

Will be trying out the Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach hotel for a couple nights before Embarkation, a first for us. 

Stayed at the Conrad prior to our 10 day southern Caribbean back in September & really liked the hotel.  Very convenient to the port.

[bnurick]

3 minutes ago, sdnich said:

We will be on the same cruise in March so definitely following along and enjoying your pictures ! I am going to definitely book one evening at Eden after seeing your food and the menu for our March cruise !! The last time we had a private charter also on St Marteen and  it rained the entire day!! 

More to come on the monsoon, but we started at 9am and it was awesome. Hit two snorkel spots and a grilled lobster on  a beach restaurant. Unreal. Then… 😑 
   

[bnurick]

1 minute ago, sfoltz said:

Stayed at the Conrad prior to our 10 day southern Caribbean back in September & really liked the hotel.  Very convenient to the port.

Absolutely agree. Booking it for next January already. 

[bnurick]

Good evening from The Edge!

 

So today was St. Maarten, Port #1.  The offerings on Celebrity didn’t hit all the stops we wanted.  After some research on Trip Advisor we book a private excursion with Billy Bones Boat Charters with a specific itinerary: snorkeling, Carribean lobster lunch and airplanes at Maho beach. After some negotiations everything was set.

 

We had a 15-20 minute walk to the marina where we met up with the accountant that handled paperwork and Captain Jim Kirk (yes, but from Canada 😂). By the end of the excursion it was clear Captain Jim was very good at his craft.

 

We boarded our boat and headed to two snorkel spots, first Creole Rock for lots of fish and coral and Tintamarre Island for turtles, fish and stingrays. Both were fun and we were able to see a lot even though the winds were in the opposite usual direction and made the waters more aggressive with lower visibility.

 

After the two stops we then headed in Pinel Island for fresh Carribean grilled lobster. What I appreciated the most was the Standard of Care displayed by Captain Jim as he accompanied us away from the boat (waist deep water) to insure we had the appropriate reservation, table and service.  Once that was insured, he left to go back and watch the vessel.

 

The restaurant did NOT disappoint; Yellow Beach restaurant and beach bar. A first for us, was pickings our lobster right at the beach, small, medium and large. To top it all off they offered painkillers with Meyers Run floaters, one of our favorites.  Pictures below do not give it justice, but ‘wow’ is all I can say.

 

After our lobster experience the weather went way south and bad. It rained like madness. The boat got a good salt removal cleansing for sure. We did make it to Maho Beach to watch the Delta JFK to SXM flight land only to see it get diverted to Puerto Rico! (See video clip in the rain below).

 

We then battled the elements back to the marina, the short boat ride to the port and then the walk to the ship. It was the biggest rain we have EVER encountered in all our Carribean travels.

 

Highly recommend the day, it was adventurous and fun, all in one. Would book again. Today was a good day. 🙂

 

Cheers from the Edge!

 

PS: To our new Craps friends, hope you won Bigley 💰 tonight 🎲…

   

Edited January 17, 2023 by bnurick

[bnurick]

Here are the dailies for Day 4 and 5 as I think I missed a day.  Cheers!

   

[bnurick]

Review to come on our excursion today in St. Lucia. We are rushing to make the dinner portion of it.  Cheers!

   

Edited January 17, 2023 by bnurick

[Jim_Iain]

On 1/15/2023 at 12:35 PM, mcclarke1 said:

I know this post will be out of order with Brian’s, but the Slow Roasted Turkey Gyros for lunch today at Luminae were really good.  Thanks for the recommendation @Jim_Iain.

 

 

I was just salivating when I say your shout out.    They definitely are one of my favorites.  

 

I as surprised the Luminae burger was served with the fries on the side as oppose to the little metal cups that are used on other ships.  Wonder if it's an E-Class kinda thing.

[mcclarke1]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I was just salivating when I say your shout out.    They definitely are one of my favorites.  

 

I as surprised the Luminae burger was served with the fries on the side as oppose to the little metal cups that are used on other ships.  Wonder if it's an E-Class kinda thing.

You’re right, they were served on the side on embarkation day.  Brian ordered the Luminae burger on Day 3 and the fries were in the metal container then.  Not sure why that was different on the first day.

[CruisingGrandmaW]

On 1/15/2023 at 12:46 PM, bnurick said:

Good afternoon all! This post is about being incredibly dumb by me. 😊

 

So I wanted to make sure my pipes were moving at full speed as with travel can come some constipation. I purchased dulcolax in the cruise store.

 

Took one pill at midnight. Next morning felt like nothing, so I took a second at 10am.  By 1030am all hell broke loose! We are talking a full blown cleansing.  Stomach in knots you name it.

 

After about 4 hours of some serious battle I was able to get a nap in. Now starting to feel a little better about food being my friend again. 😂 

 

My advice to anyone out there that wants to try dulcolax, read some personal experiences first!  It is no joke…. But the joke is clearly on/in me… 😆 

 

What. A. Day.

LOL !!!!    I used to have "slow pipes" on cruises as I don't eat as many vegetables etc with Cruise Menus.  Learned to bring Physllium capsules for added fiber when cruising.  2 Tablets in the AM - usually brings a nice easy normal "morning relief".  If that doesn't do the trick - then another 2 capsules at bedtime.  BUT NO MORE dulcolax or similar - they are awful!!

[bebe08]

Thank you so much for posting about your trip I am really enjoying it 🙂  We sail the Edge very soon...our first E class ship 🙂

 

I have a couple questions re Eden, wondering if you know the answers to.  No worries if not...don't expect you to run around the ship and research lol!

- Eden Cafe - I had read that Eden Cafe is a complimentary and open for breakfast and lunch but don't see it appearing on the dailies

- Eden Bar - can you get "normal" cocktails there or just the really fancy expensive ones.  We have the classic beverage package and typically just pay the difference for more expensive drinks.  Works out cheaper than upgrading our drinks package but having never been on an E class perhaps the drinks are more expensive especially in Eden?

 

Thanks so much and enjoy the rest of your cruise!

 

 

[bnurick]

14 hours ago, CruisingGrandmaW said:

LOL !!!!    I used to have "slow pipes" on cruises as I don't eat as many vegetables etc with Cruise Menus.  Learned to bring Physllium capsules for added fiber when cruising.  2 Tablets in the AM - usually brings a nice easy normal "morning relief".  If that doesn't do the trick - then another 2 capsules at bedtime.  BUT NO MORE dulcolax or similar - they are awful!!

Ha! Dulcolax is a never again item for me!

 

4 hours ago, bebe08 said:

Thank you so much for posting about your trip I am really enjoying it 🙂  We sail the Edge very soon...our first E class ship 🙂

 

I have a couple questions re Eden, wondering if you know the answers to.  No worries if not...don't expect you to run around the ship and research lol!

- Eden Cafe - I had read that Eden Cafe is a complimentary and open for breakfast and lunch but don't see it appearing on the dailies

- Eden Bar - can you get "normal" cocktails there or just the really fancy expensive ones.  We have the classic beverage package and typically just pay the difference for more expensive drinks.  Works out cheaper than upgrading our drinks package but having never been on an E class perhaps the drinks are more expensive especially in Eden?

 

Thanks so much and enjoy the rest of your cruise!

 

 

 

Will see if I can get the printed menu as sometimes it breaks out the package offerings.

[bnurick]

Part I

 

Chef’s Market Discoveries overall was a nice excursion and very low key.  We met ship side around 10am; 11 people plus the Chef, but we had 2 no shows which then left us at 9.

 

We had a driver and van for the day.  First was a stop at the local market. The Chef took us around to see various spices, fruits and vegetables at the market. A lot of interesting items were pointed out.  After 30 minutes, the Chef met a local buying agent to gather what he wanted and then back to the ship to start cooking.

 

The van then left for a few sightseeing stops before getting to Pink Plantation. There we learned in depth about various local fruits, vegetables and plants. After, we had a cooking demonstration of what I’d call a version of conch fritters and a type of bread, as well as some passion fruit or lemon drinks.

 

After the demonstration, we moved to the outdoor dining room where we had a lunch of pumpkin soup, a choice of chicken or pork with rice and salad plus a few sauce options. For dessert we had vanilla ice cream with a homemade passion fruit sauce.

 

We all then headed back to the ship to clean up for the private dinner…

   

Edited January 18, 2023 by bnurick

[bnurick]

Part II

 

The group met at Cafe el Bacio at 6pm for some champagne and an introduction of the meal from the Chef. Off to Cypress Restaurant we went where we started with a tour of the kitchen, which is quite the operation. Really makes you impressed with all they do to turn out the great meals onboard.

 

After the tour, we had a very long private table for our feast!  Here is the menu to accompany the pictures:

 

Conch Fritters

Corn and Plantain Soup

Red Snapper Ceviche 

Lobster, Prawns and Filet Mignon

Banana Cake

 

This was a great time and a fun group to hang with. I would do this excursion again, but ask if we could just do the meal since we’ve seen the other portions of the day. Also, the sightseeing probably wasn’t needed as we ran over time slightly.

 

Cheers from the Edge!

  

[bnurick]

Barbados Excursion: Today was a beach day. First, you have to bus from the ship to the port area. Second, the staging area for all ship excursions makes this our least favorite port to book through Celebrity.  Today we got in a bus and had a short ride to Carlisle Bay Beach. You show your wristband, get a free drink and head to any white umbrella and two chairs. It’s well controlled and not a fight for a certain spot. The lunch was a ham type sandwich Cameron ate, I did not. After 2.5 to 3 hours you bus back and then van to the ship. We agreed, for $20 a taxi ride, we would do this on our own next year. No pictures today, think, well, a beach 🏝️. Cheers!

   

[Jim_Iain]

19 hours ago, mcclarke1 said:

You’re right, they were served on the side on embarkation day.  Brian ordered the Luminae burger on Day 3 and the fries were in the metal container then.  Not sure why that was different on the first day.

LOL -  I was just thinking it looked different.   I love the burgers but try to limit my self to just one per cruise. 

[Jim_Iain]

I was reading with Interest.   Last year we were scheduled for one in France (On the expensive side at about $250 pp but had lots of OBC).      About 2 days before the tour they cancelled it with no explanation leaving us to scramble to spend the OBC with only 3 days left. 

 

Was yours also on the expensive side?   Also did the Chef continue on with you after the market or just an hour or so and they you went on without the chef?

 

Might be something we would enjoy.   Year ago they had small group cooking classes in Murano's and after we made many of the dishes etc they served us a nice dinner in the wine cellar of Murano.    Obviously they didn't serve us our own versions ... LOL   It was a fun event.

[bnurick]

7 hours ago, bebe08 said:

Thank you so much for posting about your trip I am really enjoying it 🙂  We sail the Edge very soon...our first E class ship 🙂

 

I have a couple questions re Eden, wondering if you know the answers to.  No worries if not...don't expect you to run around the ship and research lol!

- Eden Cafe - I had read that Eden Cafe is a complimentary and open for breakfast and lunch but don't see it appearing on the dailies

- Eden Bar - can you get "normal" cocktails there or just the really fancy expensive ones.  We have the classic beverage package and typically just pay the difference for more expensive drinks.  Works out cheaper than upgrading our drinks package but having never been on an E class perhaps the drinks are more expensive especially in Eden?

 

Thanks so much and enjoy the rest of your cruise!

 

 

A very nice gentleman with Celebrity explained everything to me. For the Eden Bar, the classic package gets $10 off and premium $15 off. So if the drink is $17, you pay $7 or $2 depending on the package.

 

The Eden Cafe is open for breakfast and lunch only at sea days, never at port days.  He said the food is included with the cruise price.

 

Here is the bar menu, it’s like a book so the pictures are not perfect.

 

I didn’t specifically ask about normal drinks, but on our last Edge cruise I ordered an old fashioned and there was not a charge.

 

Cheers!

   

Edited January 18, 2023 by bnurick

[bnurick]

Eden Bar: The Garden (left) and the Forbidden (right). We felt they were OK but not something we would get again. Also, pretty much everyone here seem to be ordering from their beverage package. Cheers from the Edge!

   

 

Edited January 18, 2023 by bnurick

[mcclarke1]

1 hour ago, bnurick said:

Barbados Excursion: Today was a beach day. First, you have to bus from the ship to the port area. Second, the staging area for all ship excursions makes this our least favorite port to book through Celebrity.  Today we got in a bus and had a short ride to Carlisle Bay Beach. You show your wristband, get a free drink and head to any white umbrella and two chairs. It’s well controlled and not a fight for a certain spot. The lunch was a ham type sandwich Cameron ate, I did not. After 2.5 to 3 hours you bus back and then van to the ship. We agreed, for $20 a taxi ride, we would do this on our own next year. No pictures today, think, well, a beach 🏝️. Cheers!

   

I have a photo of part of the beach.😊

Edited January 18, 2023 by mcclarke1