Edge Panama Cruise Feb. 13-24 thoughts

[sharonann24]

We just got off the Edge cruise to the Panama Canal on Friday and I would like to share a few thoughts since in the weeks leading up to our departure I was becoming stressed about some of the negative reviews. We have cruised on other lines (NCL, HA, Princess, RC and Viking River, but this was to be our first Celebrity cruise.   First of all, upon our arrival home in NY we were greeted with 27 degree weather and snow yesterday, so being on the Edge was a marked improvement for 11 days!  LOL.

 

However, our experience was very positive.  Starting with the transfer from FLL airport to the terminal--it was seamless.  Embarkation on board the ship was easy and quick and our reception was very warm.  We were able to get to our stateroom right away, which was an Infinite Verandah balcony on Deck 7.  The room was spacious as was the bathroom, and I found plenty of storage for our clothes, etc. though I could have done with a few more regular hangers.  Our steward Niyomen was wonderful and supplied us with extra towels daily.

 

Embarkation lunch was in the Oceanview Cafe and it was typical for embarkation day.  It was crowded and it took sometime to get a table but we were successful.  The food was wonderful, and the service was also very good, as we began our lunch with our cocktail.  We were traveling with my 94 year old father and brother and sister in law and were able to find them easily in the dining room.  My father quickly determined that our classic beverage packages needed to be upgraded to Premium as we all enjoy the specialty coffees and Cafe al Bacio (more on that in a bit), not to mention the alcoholic beverages.  I am a wine/Prosecco drinker usually but did try the Cosmo martini at the Martini Bar which I would highly recommend. The premium package also entitled us to better wine selection at dinner so it was worth it to us.

 

We did not have any specialty restaurant reservations as my father is "old school" and prefers the MDR experience, thinking we would be in one dining room for the entire cruise, which was not the case.  We visited all four dining rooms and it was also a positive experience.  There are some similarities with each menu, and each restaurant (Cyprus, Tuscan, Cosmopolitan and Normandy) did have their own special entrees each night.  Our favorite restaurant was Cyprus--delicious escargot, onion soup, short ribs!), followed by the Cosmopolitan.  Our least favorite was Normandy but It was still pleasant.    The waiters and assistant waiters were attentive and the wine steward was omnipresent.  We had breakfast one morning in Cosmopolitan which was a change from the buffet.

 

A word about the Oceanview Cafe and the selections.  Although we did not have dinner there, breakfast and lunch offerings were plentiful and varied.  I tend to the continental breakfast and generally focus on fruit (watermelon, honey dew, cantaloupe and pineapple), yogurt,charcuterie meats and cheese and wonderful breads. My dad and husband are traditional breakfast fans with eggs, bacon, potatoes, pastries.  There were traditional English and Indian breakfast offerings, and "eggs your way station" and a carvery.  Lunches had themes (English, American, Latin) and again there was always plenty.  The salad and sandwich bars were very popular.  The pizza stand was also great.  We usually skipped a full lunch but would do a late afternoon pizza, which was delicious.

 

Cafe al Bacio was hands down our favorite bar/coffee stop.  They had great pastries as well.  I would typically pick up the skinny latte for myself after my morning walk and the triple expresso and a pastry for my husband.  I did do morning room service coffee the first three days of the cruise since I need my caffeine fix, but much preferred the Cafe.  We would also stop there for a night cap before heading back to the room where we could hear the music from the Grand Cafe and Martini Bar.  The Martini Bar was our pre-show and pre-dinner stop to meet with our family and they did a good job trying almost every martini!  Service was a little slow there, but improved over the course of the trip.  It was always very crowded from 515-6:30, and then would thin out. We had an 815 dinner reservation so we were fine.

 

The shows were very good, entertaining and high energy.  My one disappointment/criticism is the lack of real activities during the day other than trivia.  And no Bingo!  Though they did have Deal or No Deal, which was really of no interest to us.

 

I opted to use the jogging track each morning rather than the fitness center.  I liked being outside and other than the two very gusty days it was a pleasure to do.

 

The only Celebrity excursion we did was post cruise in Fort Lauderdale to the Everglades since our flight home was not until 5 pm.  That was excellent!  The guides were knowledgeable and entertaining, plus we were dropped at the airport at the end of the tour.  We took a couple of tours from outside vendors in Aruba (sunset cruise) and a Cartagena tour, but otherwise did the ports on our own.  Bonaire is very small, cute but not much there.  Did enjoy a coffee on a pier.  Curacao was also very pretty and we walked the town, over the bridge and viewed the site.  Biggest port disappointment was Aruba but that was because we had a passenger fall ill and we needed to divert to Jamaica so they could be taken to the hospital, which meant we did not get to Aruba until after 3pm rather than the 7am arrival.  That scuttled our plans for a beach day and we just made the other excursion.  However Celebrity did make the health and safety of the passenger a priority and that was most important.  There was another passenger who also became ill as we were about to enter the Panama Canal, and that was also handled appropriately.

 

All in all our trip was wonderful.  I would consider traveling on Celebrity again and might even consider an Aqua class if only to experience Blu and have access to the thermal spa, but that is not a deal breaker.  The prices for the specialty restaurants are pricey. That is where NCL has the advantage because if you book Free at Sea packages they are included.

 

I apologize for the lengthy review but as I said I wanted to give a more positive take on the Edge experience.  

 

 

[Silkroad]

Thank you for sharing your experiences. We’ve sailed twice on Edge, but we’ve not yet been to the Panama Canal. It’s lovely to see two positive reviews of this cruise, yours and that posted by @cgolf1

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Thanks for your review.  For future reference, if you require more hangers, your room steward will be happy to provide them.

[cgolf1]

Glad you had a great time and we were on the cruise with you and also the post cruise excursion. It was a great trip. Hoping the person with the medical emergency we dropped of in Jamaica is doing better. We were on excursions during the captains announcements in Bonaire and Curacao so wasn't sure if further updates were made on their condition. 

[sharonann24]

I just read your review and it was so thorough and the pictures were great.  We were your "neighbors" on deck 7 in 7162 so I am sure we passed along the way.  We probably will not be cruising again until next year as we are settling into a retirement rhythm.  This was my retirement trip and a bucket list item as well. I am eyeing Australia and New Zealand...but perhaps the British Isles.