Edge Vs Equinox Review

[Seapoint]

In December I did a cruise on Edge, and in February on Equinox. I have done about 24 cruises on Celebrity.

Both were great cruises on magnificent, well maintained, contemporary, clean ships. Each was great in its own way. These cruises so close together it gave me the opportunity to do some comparisons. I will focus on a few key aspects of my experience.

 

CABINS

Hands down the cabin (infinite verandah) on Edge was far superior to the refurbished Concierge cabin (balcony) on Equinox.

I know the Infinite verandah has been controversial, but I loved it.

It added space, made the cabin bright and open, and brought the sea closer. It was like a sun terrace.

The bathroom on Edge was much bigger, and really beautiful. Another big difference was the amount of well designed storage space on Edge compared to Equinox. I also liked that you could remotely change the mood lighting in the cabin.

 

DINING - MDR

I far preferred the MDR on Edge, where they have four smaller restaurants (Italian, French, Greek, American)

Each has three dedicated starters, and three dedicated entrees, in addition to the general menu, plus the regular classics.

On Equinox, the menus had less choices, as the dedicated starters and entrees were not offered. The quality of food also seemed better on Edge.

The ambiance, service and food in the four MDRs on Edge were more like a speciality restaurant experience, compared to the mass MDR on Equinox.

 

DINING - SPECIALITY.

Murano on Equinox was outstanding. We went there three times.

Eden on Edge was beyond outstanding. We went twice.

Tuscan Grill on Equinox was good.

Fine Cut on Edge was disappointing.

 

RESORT DECK - POOLS

This area is important to me, as on sea days I like to spend the whole day at the pool.

The main pool deck on Edge is beautiful, with a massive 75 ft pool.

The main pool deck on Equinox is also beautiful, but the pools are very small.

 

However, the big concern with Edge is the minimal amount of shade on the pool deck.

It is hard to fathom how the same management who approved the resort deck design on the Solstice class, with its abundant shade, approved the design on Edge.

On Solstice class, they went out of their way to provide a lot of shade. By my estimate, there are 200 loungers in the shade from the deck above, and shade was even provided for the loungers outside the Solarium, and on the deck above the pool deck.

 

By contrast, on Edge there is really no shade under the high and narrow jogging path on the port side. There were 16 loungers in the shade on the port side near the entrance to the Solarium. On the Starboard side, there are a similar number of loungers in the shade near the entrance to Oceanview Cafe. While there is an overhanging deck on the starboard side, the shaded space underneath is exclusively used for the for-fee cabanas. On my cruise, those cabanas were never occupied. So the very limited shade space is wasted. I really urge Celebrity to give up the minimal revenue from the cabanas and use that shaded space for loungers. The danger of cancer from over exposure to the sun has been well documented.

 

OTHER

The Solariums on both are similar and beautiful spaces.

Entertainment was similar on both ships

The Oceanview cafes were equal.

 

Net, I enjoyed both but preferred the Edge, with the huge caveat about the minimal shade at the pool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[horseymike]

Thanks for your review / comparison. Glad you enjoyed your cruises 🚢 👍

[NC58]

Thanks for your review . We were on Edge in 2019 and enjoyed the cruise a lot . We had an OV cabin which was fine for us. The infinite veranda cabins really we are not fond of . The one thing on Edge that we did not like was lack of views from the interior bars like Martini , ect . Eden was weird for us so we never went but one time . We are going on Reflection in March and look forward to the restaurants and bars with lots of glass looking out to the sea like Sky Lounge which like the Viking Crown Lounges on RCCL we loved . 
 

If they  made a Solstice class ship with the magic carpet, then game over 🚢

[Seapoint]

I agree the Martini Bar on Solstice class seems to have a lot more atmosphere than the one on Edge, even though on Edge it is in the central hub of the ship. Maybe it lost some intimacy.

Ironically, the design philosophy of Edge is to be more sea facing

[sharonann24]

We just got off the Edge and although since this was our first Celebrity cruise and I have no basis for comparison I would definitely agree with all of the positive comments about the Edge.  I like some sun but my husband definitely needs the shade so it was challenging at times to find loungers close together that fit the bill.  We did sit in both of those shadier areas near the Oceanview and the Solarium.  Many times my husband would just retreat to the Solarium, which was restful.  I would sail Celebrity again, but I am not sure which ship would be the best follow up.  You did have some nice ocean views from Cafe al Bacio and we tried to get a window seat whenever possible.  I agree that the Martini Bar is rather dark and it would have been nice to have windows there, but then, I did not design the ship! LOL.

[Seapoint]

I was not sure what to expect at Eden.

On my Edge cruise in December, it seemed a very quiet, underused space.

I did not experience any of the way out performances I had read about, just some quiet live music at night. I wonder if my cruise was not typical, or if Celebrity have rethought how to use Eden.

It was as under utilized and empty as the Sky lounge on Solstice class.

 

One important thing I did not mention was The Club on Edge. This was a very popular, well attended vibrant  space. It was like a sophisticated club which hosted game shows, events, discos, live performances etc.  Think of it as a combination of Quasar and Celebrity Central on Solstice class, but taken to the next level.

[jelayne]

We were on the Beyond recently and the entertainment in Eden at about 10:30 was amazing. Some nights vocalist/group or band and a couple of nights full blown shows that had people looking for any place to stand.  Eden was alive every evening.  It was moving in that direction when we were on the Apex a few months earlier than our Beyond sailing.

[woneill63]

Thanks for your timely review, as we sailed on the Edge in mid October and our next Celebrity cruise is on the Equinox in late May.  We have only one other previous cruise on Celebrity, a 10 night Constellation sailing during the summer of 2019.  

I am fairly certain that we will like the Equinox better.  We had booked an aft balcony on the Edge but could not stay in the room because of a strong odor.  Celebrity moved us to an aqua class room on deck 9.  We did not like the infinite veranda at all, didn't feel like a balcony, just like a room with a large window.  Celebrity gave us some other perks but it did not make up for us moving from the aft, as my sister and brother in law were two doors down from us.  

You are correct about the lack of shaded areas around the pool.  It didn't affect us as much because our cruise was mid October in the Med.  We loved Eden, probably our favorite part of the ship, dinner there was fantastic, and the nightly entertainment was first rate.  All our meals were great, to include Le Petit Chef, a nice surprise since we came in with low expectations.  We were also somewhat disappointed with Fine Cut.

We greatly enjoyed the martini bar on the Constellation, but the one on the Edge did not measure up.  It was not ice topped and had a completely different feel to it.  We did appreciate the skill of the bartenders and they put on a good show.

The noticeable lack of bars was apparent from the get go.  The Edge has more passengers than the Equinox and almost half as many bars.  Celebrity has added two more bars to their newest Edge class ships to remedy this.  

 

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, woneill63 said:

Thanks for your timely review, as we sailed on the Edge in mid October and our next Celebrity cruise is on the Equinox in late May.  We have only one other previous cruise on Celebrity, a 10 night Constellation sailing during the summer of 2019.  

I am fairly certain that we will like the Equinox better.  We had booked an aft balcony on the Edge but could not stay in the room because of a strong odor.  Celebrity moved us to an aqua class room on deck 9.  We did not like the infinite veranda at all, didn't feel like a balcony, just like a room with a large window.  Celebrity gave us some other perks but it did not make up for us moving from the aft, as my sister and brother in law were two doors down from us.  

You are correct about the lack of shaded areas around the pool.  It didn't affect us as much because our cruise was mid October in the Med.  We loved Eden, probably our favorite part of the ship, dinner there was fantastic, and the nightly entertainment was first rate.  All our meals were great, to include Le Petit Chef, a nice surprise since we came in with low expectations.  We were also somewhat disappointed with Fine Cut.

We greatly enjoyed the martini bar on the Constellation, but the one on the Edge did not measure up.  It was not ice topped and had a completely different feel to it.  We did appreciate the skill of the bartenders and they put on a good show.

The noticeable lack of bars was apparent from the get go.  The Edge has more passengers than the Equinox and almost half as many bars.  Celebrity has added two more bars to their newest Edge class ships to remedy this.  

 

I would think that you would like Equinox better also.  I do.

 

I will find out in December whether I will like M class or S class best.

Edited March 8, 2023 by NMTraveller

[Cruise a holic]

While we also love the Equinox, the Apex was a step up.  The theater is wonderful.  Rivals a broadway theatre- Eden was the best restaurant at sea.  We were in a suite (sky 1)  and the suite was just beautiful.  Plenty of storage.  In a suite also on the Equinox (royal). But the suite lounge an deck, hands down better on the edge class.  Lack of shade however.  We will continue to sail on the Edge class and the S class.  Our favorite S class ships are the Silhouette and the Reflection as we enjoy the Lawn club grill.  Have experienced the glass blowing on the other s class ships- but the Lawn grill beats it .  We also tried the infinite veranda and too many negatives.  Narrow and the window in the "florida room" was flawed.  Problem if one person opens the window, AC turns off in the cabin.  It is also too small.  Poorly designed. Just a windowed cabin.  But clearly some enjoy it.

Edited March 8, 2023 by Cruise a holic

[Cruise till you drop]

Thanks for the review.  We were on the Edge in March 2020 just before everything shut down (SV cabin) and will sail on her again at the end of this month to Panama Canal (SV as well).

And we just booked Equinox for next January (SV).

 

We absolutely love the Edge and are very excited about trying out Equinox next year

 

Wonder if anyone can compare SV cabins on both ships 

 

 

Edited March 8, 2023 by Cruise till you drop

[lola2013]

I have sailed on Edge twice in a SV…and a few weeks ago on Equinox also in a SV.  Both are wonderful.  I always try to get on a deck between decks 8 to10 and always towards the center of the row as those center balconies are wider.  I found the Edge balcony to have a bit more shade.  You can’t go wrong in a SV.

 

[phoenix_dream]

Interesting how opinions can differ so much.  We love S and M class ships and really don't care for Edge class overall.  I've been on every S class and only one Edge (Apex, a few weeks ago in a Sky Suite).  We find the E class beautiful but not nearly as comfortable.  It was so crowded (the ship was full) that we never could find a decent seat in a bar with entertainment before dinner, and usually no seat at all except undesirable upper level ones in Eden.  The theater is beautiful, but on each night where there was a good show there was not enough seating for everyone - there were tons of people needing to stand in the back of the theater to watch.  Never saw that on S or M class.  I will say that Rockumentary has to be my favorite of all the Celebrity shows fleetwide.

Service in Eden and in the central foyer/martini bar area was abysmal most of the time.  We had someone in a scooter with us and even then we rarely had a waiter stopping by, even when I specifically asked one to.  There were long times at the bar of people getting their own drinks.  Hard to do that with a scooter, right.  And speaking of disabilities, I highly recommend anyone using a scooter to sail other classes of ships.  There are very limited seats in the theater area and non-disabled people were sitting there (even way before the show started) and no one was monitoring the area.  The ship is technically compliant with whatever disability accessibility requirements there may be, but it was nevertheless difficult to get around in a scooter due to the design. And there are some parts of areas where a scooter cannot go (like some sections of the martini bar area).  I will say that the handicapped cabin he had was very nice, especially the bathroom, with the one exception of a very awkward television placement with no swivel.  In Eden, for dinner, because of the scooter we were seated in a dark corner next to the kitchen.  Not exactly a nice place to sit while paying that kind of $$.  The food was overall good except for the tasteless dessert.  The crab cake was excellent, But for the price I don't plan to revisit.

Luminae does not have a dividing wall like on other classes, which coupled with the additional amount of people caused the dining room to be extremely loud.  Hardly a nice relaxing upscale dinner.  We did, however, have excellent service and very good food.  The cabin design was nice, and the tv and its option are far superior to other classes.  I personally feel the storage is much better on S or M class, although all classes have plenty in my opinion.  Yes, the bathroom is nice and big.  For me, I'd rather have a smaller bathroom and more room in the cabin, considering where I spend more time.  The balcony furniture is cute, but not very comfortable.  We sit out on the balcony a lot and the chair arms literally rubbed some skin off my elbows.  The Retreat Lounge is amazing, and definitely better than the revitalized Michaels club.  The Retreat deck is very nice, although good luck finding a seat in the shade if that is your preference.  Unfortunately chair hogs exist in every category.

So overall for us it's S class or M class.  I would never say never for any Celebrity ship as I may need to take an E class to get a particular itinerary.  But if I have a choice, S or M class all the way.

 

[Pennstatedj]

We have recently done Equinox, veranda in Dec 22; Edge, retreat in Oct 22; Silhouette retreat in Oct 22; and Apex veranda in Feb 23. All were great cruises. I agree with the original review. If you are talking talking rooms I would take Edge class all the way. Bathrooms are much better with showers and sinks. Only is infinity rooms. We happen to love them. Dining, we loved Murano best then Eden both outstanding though. Tuscan has really gone down hill and price has gone up and service not as good as it once was a year ago. I also think the Oceanview on Edge class has more choices and both are good. MDH on Equinox was better than Apex. Food was better for dinner, lunches were same. Service same. Theater was much better in Edge class due to technology and newness. We love the martini bars on both ships and love to have something different on the Edge class and love what they did to the Edge lounge at night for entertainment. The Edge class ships lack comfortable chairs in all venues compared to the S class ships. All the chairs are very uncomfortable and hard to get out of. In summary both classes are great and differ enough to make experience different and great. 

[AquarianCruiser]

If I hadn’t sailed on the Beyond before the Edge I would have been more in love with the Edge.  The Edge is wonderful however the Beyond is just at another higher level of amazing in my opinion.  I’ve never sailed on the Equinox.  We are sailing on the Summit at the end of this month.