Some musings from a recent cruise on the Equinox.

[Hopefulhawkeye]

My husband and I have cruised only twice now, both times with Celebrity. Last year we sailed on the Edge for 7 days in the Mediterranean, and earlier this month we were on the Equinox for 9 days in Grand Cayman, Aruba, and Curacao. I wanted to share some thoughts from the recent sailing and compare/contrast a bit between the two experiences. 

 

The overall experience with Celebrity feels premium whether it is on the newer Edge class or the Solstice class (Equinox). Service is impeccable. I have felt like my stateroom attendant or my poolside server is a friend of mine by the end of each cruise. On both cruises there was someone who went the extra mile to make the experience special. It saddens me to know that certain passengers don't appreciate these wonderful people as human beings. While perhaps an overshare, one staff member told me that some people treat her as if she is their personal slave and she was nearly in tears. Do better cruisers! It's okay to expect a premium level of service from a premium cruise line, but treat these people how you would want to be treated! 

 

The food on both ships has been a highlight. For main dining, we love the buffet, the poolside grill, and the main dining room (MDR). Only have a few minor complaints with main dining. Neither ships MDR could execute a quality pasta dish -- only Tuscan Grill (specialty dining) had great pasta. I vastly preferred the choice of main dining venue the edge class ships provide and also their ability to better accommodate a private dining experience. I also thought the wait staff was stronger on the Edge class ships -- not for lack of trying, but I couldn't help but be annoyed by the waiter who read every last item verbatim off the menus each night. Give me the highlights -- I can read.

 

Celebrity could not miss with the specialty dining -- at least for dinner options. On the Edge we tried both Eden and the Fine Cut Steakhouse - both were among the best meals I've ever had. Murano and Tuscan Grille on the Equinox are also incredible -- I loved the tableside lobster preparation at Murano. I find some of the Lunch specialty dining to be unremarkable though - Sushi on 5 (Equinox) is very mediocre. Le Grand Bistro on the Edge was better but still didn't feel premium.  

 

One thing I've learned between the first cruise and the second is not to buy the drink package. They are not worth it unless you drink like a fish. Consider that you get even less value from it for every day of your cruise where you will mostly be off the ship. I priced out the value of the classic package when it was 20% off per person, per day and it was about $58.00. Our actual spend on alcohol and other beverages was $26.00 per person, per day. Granted we are light drinkers, but its still an awful value - especially when you consider that the classic drink package doesn't cover the vast majority of the cocktails featured on bar menus. You'll be paying a 2 dollar or more (+20%) surcharge at just about every bar for every drink. Celebrity absolutely needs to amend their classic package to allow cruisers more choice without a surcharge. 

 

One other gripe I have, especially with the more recent cruise, was the heavy-handedness of the sales push onboard. Every drink I got came with a suggestion to get a package, every meal came with reminders of specialty dining, and then there's the spa, the casino, the shops, and on and on....I get that this is the bread and butter for Celebrity and on the front end of a cruise in particular I can forgive this, but this went on through the last night. 

 

Let's talk demographics. Celebrity ships, despite what there marketing may have you believe, skew very old. On the Med cruise there was at least a contingent of Europeans that were in their 30's/40's, but on the Equinox, you could've fit everyone under 40 at one large table. It also struck us that there was a wide gulf between the mobility of European seniors versus Americans. We saw so many canes, walkers, and scooters on the Equinox. To be clear, I love seniors, I'm just not in a rush to be one. Multiple cruisers (and even Celebrity's security staff!) thought my husband was a dancer for the theatre shows. There was a distinct lack of shows/activities on both ships that appeal to a younger demographic. We left this cruise with a strong feeling that we need to try a Virgin cruise next, if only not to be called "younguns" for just one day of the cruise. 

 

To be clear, even though most of the shows and activities don't have youthful appeal, there is a ton of talent. The singers (theatre cast and headliners) for both cruises were exceptional. I love the emphasis Celebrity has on supporting live music experiences. The cruise directors are always a ton of fun -- I'm young and I still couldn't maintain that level of constant energy. We even saw our cruise director from the Edge serving as activities director on the Equinox. It was great to see a familiar face ("Hi Dave!"). 

 

One last tidbit for those who've been curious about the Art aboard celebrity. In addition to the beautiful works that adorn Celebrity ships, both ships have a dedicated art area with pieces for auction. Celebrity appears to lease some of their ship space to a company called Park West to sell art. We didn't engage with this on the Edge, but we did give it a try for the Equinox as we did actually come across a piece of artwork that evoked our Mediterranean vacation that we both loved.

 

As for the auction process itself, it is very gimmicky. They provide complementary champagne and do a sort of reverse auction where they start at a dollar and have everyone get used to holding up their bid card and then drop their hand as they go up in price -- all intended to loosen you up for a higher dollar transaction. They have a couple high-value items that they auction off at extremely high prices and it isn't immediately apparent whether there was anyone actually bidding on those items or if it was just for show. They tell you that you can pre-reserve pieces at a set price that is 5-10% lower than what the piece will start with at auction and as long as no one bids against you, you will get the work at that pre-reserve price. 

 

My advice if you see a piece you like is this. Unless you see evidence that others are interested in the same piece, (which is unlikely because art taste is very subjective and there are only 3,000 people on the ship and maybe 150 of them at most are engaging with the auctions) wait until the last day. Make an offer below their "minimum pre-reserve price". You'll find their minimums to be much more flexible at this point. We ended up getting the piece we wanted for about $200.00 less then their "minimum" by doing this. We may well have still overpaid, but the price was fair to us at this point. We loved the piece, we weren't making an investment. 

 

All in all, another great cruise. I will be back to cruise with Celebrity, probably many more times. I just need a more youthful cruising experience to switch it up for the next go around. Thanks for listening. 

[jelayne]

If you stick to ordering drinks from the bar menus those are the “special” drinks of that bar.  However you can get a large variety of other drinks at those bars.  When it comes to cocktails the main difference between Classic and Premium is the brand of liquor used to make the drink.  A margarita, pina colada, dry martini, Bloody Mary can  all be made with liquors from the Classic if that is the package you have.  If you have the Premium package the margarita, pina colada, etc will be made with liquor from that package.  

[39august]

I have found with premium, it is better to designate the desired liquor brand to be sure your cocktail is made with premium liquor, else the bartender may be inclined to make it with the cheaper, "well", liquor. And yes, most popular cocktails can be made with classic package liquors.

[Texed]

Thanks for posting.  😊

[Hopefulhawkeye]

Both comments above are great tips about the alcohol - there are still options for those with the classic package. Just wish they featured some cocktails that are in range for those with the classic package. You'd think this would be kind of win-win for them because it would also free up the bar staff who wouldn't need to spend their time collecting signatures. 

 

Just remembered one more amusing part about the art buying process. Early in the cruise, a female member of the staff asked us about what pieces we like and when we told her about the piece we liked because it reminded us of "Porto Venere", she exuberantly exclaimed "Because it is!". When we actually came back to negotiate we ended up working with her male counterpart. He told us the painting was of one of the towns of Cinque Terre. We didn't care, but I'm convinced I could've named any Italian waterfront town and that woman would've been like "Because it is!" 😂

Edited March 31 by Hopefulhawkeye

[PTC DAWG]

Fair review..my Wife and I never sail without a drink package.  It is very subjective for sure..I’m really not even sure why folks try to say they get value or not out of it..if I even come close to breaking even it’s worth it for me to not have to sign slips..it does cover more than just alcohol too..some folks forget/overlook that part..

 

We always enjoy looking at the art, have never gotten serious about purchasing any of it to this point..

Edited March 31 by PTC DAWG

[sofietucker]

A tip to anyone considering buying ParkWest art on board: PLEASE, before you attend an auction, go to EBay and search for your preferred piece by artist and title. Excellent chance you will able to find what you want, that someone else bought previously and is now selling.

 

For instance, we saw a Michael Cheval starting at $2500 (at auction last week on Connie) selling on eBay (framed by PW) for $1600. A print of same on EBay for $17. A giclee of same (print on canvas, the usual medium--BTW, ALL the artwork sold by PW are reproductions of various sorts--paint on lithograph, etc.) in many sizes at Amazon, for $53 for the size sold on the ship. But then you have to add the frame. (To be fair, ORIGINAL Chevals sold by his own rep are painted on aluminum, not canvas and sell for an extra zero in the price. But still. I got my SIL her preferred work of art from Amazon instead.)

[Nashna]

Thank you for posting.  I am curious about your impressions sailing an older ship vs. the Edge Class.  Our last three sailings were on Edge Class ships, and we are about to put down the deposit on the Eclipse.  You did mention you preferred the dining choices on the Edge Class.  Were there any other differences between the ships that you noticed?  

[D. B.]

6 hours ago, Nashna said:

Thank you for posting.  I am curious about your impressions sailing an older ship vs. the Edge Class.  Our last three sailings were on Edge Class ships, and we are about to put down the deposit.

 

[D. B.]

I have sailed a lot on all 3 classes of Celebrity ships.

 The older ships are less glitzy and also less crowded.

 They do have Fewer Specialty Dining options than you had on the Edge class ships.

   Some of us are not big fans of the Infinite Veranda window cabins on E class ships and like Real Verandas.

 My biggest dislike of the Edge class ships is the lack of a Forward-facing Sky Lounge that is a feature on All of the older ships.

  Do some Youtube video tours and see what the Eclipse looks like?

 

 

[realnice46]

10 hours ago, D. B. said:

I have sailed a lot on all 3 classes of Celebrity ships.

 The older ships are less glitzy and also less crowded.

 They do have Fewer Specialty Dining options than you had on the Edge class ships.

   Some of us are not big fans of the Infinite Veranda window cabins on E class ships and like Real Verandas.

 My biggest dislike of the Edge class ships is the lack of a Forward-facing Sky Lounge that is a feature on All of the older ships.

  Do some Youtube video tours and see what the Eclipse looks like?

 

 

I agree about E class faux verandas. Also lack of forward facing sky lounge, we tried a Princess cruise last year and it also lacked that type of space as well as poorly planed main dining areas. We will stay with M and S clas Celebrity ships.

[Cruiscs]

On 3/30/2024 at 7:11 PM, Hopefulhawkeye said:

My husband and I have cruised only twice now, both times with Celebrity. Last year we sailed on the Edge for 7 days in the Mediterranean, and earlier this month we were on the Equinox for 9 days in Grand Cayman, Aruba, and Curacao. I wanted to share some thoughts from the recent sailing and compare/contrast a bit between the two experiences. 

 

The overall experience with Celebrity feels premium whether it is on the newer Edge class or the Solstice class (Equinox). Service is impeccable. I have felt like my stateroom attendant or my poolside server is a friend of mine by the end of each cruise. On both cruises there was someone who went the extra mile to make the experience special. It saddens me to know that certain passengers don't appreciate these wonderful people as human beings. While perhaps an overshare, one staff member told me that some people treat her as if she is their personal slave and she was nearly in tears. Do better cruisers! It's okay to expect a premium level of service from a premium cruise line, but treat these people how you would want to be treated! 

 

The food on both ships has been a highlight. For main dining, we love the buffet, the poolside grill, and the main dining room (MDR). Only have a few minor complaints with main dining. Neither ships MDR could execute a quality pasta dish -- only Tuscan Grill (specialty dining) had great pasta. I vastly preferred the choice of main dining venue the edge class ships provide and also their ability to better accommodate a private dining experience. I also thought the wait staff was stronger on the Edge class ships -- not for lack of trying, but I couldn't help but be annoyed by the waiter who read every last item verbatim off the menus each night. Give me the highlights -- I can read.

 

Celebrity could not miss with the specialty dining -- at least for dinner options. On the Edge we tried both Eden and the Fine Cut Steakhouse - both were among the best meals I've ever had. Murano and Tuscan Grille on the Equinox are also incredible -- I loved the tableside lobster preparation at Murano. I find some of the Lunch specialty dining to be unremarkable though - Sushi on 5 (Equinox) is very mediocre. Le Grand Bistro on the Edge was better but still didn't feel premium.  

 

One thing I've learned between the first cruise and the second is not to buy the drink package. They are not worth it unless you drink like a fish. Consider that you get even less value from it for every day of your cruise where you will mostly be off the ship. I priced out the value of the classic package when it was 20% off per person, per day and it was about $58.00. Our actual spend on alcohol and other beverages was $26.00 per person, per day. Granted we are light drinkers, but its still an awful value - especially when you consider that the classic drink package doesn't cover the vast majority of the cocktails featured on bar menus. You'll be paying a 2 dollar or more (+20%) surcharge at just about every bar for every drink. Celebrity absolutely needs to amend their classic package to allow cruisers more choice without a surcharge. 

 

One other gripe I have, especially with the more recent cruise, was the heavy-handedness of the sales push onboard. Every drink I got came with a suggestion to get a package, every meal came with reminders of specialty dining, and then there's the spa, the casino, the shops, and on and on....I get that this is the bread and butter for Celebrity and on the front end of a cruise in particular I can forgive this, but this went on through the last night. 

 

Let's talk demographics. Celebrity ships, despite what there marketing may have you believe, skew very old. On the Med cruise there was at least a contingent of Europeans that were in their 30's/40's, but on the Equinox, you could've fit everyone under 40 at one large table. It also struck us that there was a wide gulf between the mobility of European seniors versus Americans. We saw so many canes, walkers, and scooters on the Equinox. To be clear, I love seniors, I'm just not in a rush to be one. Multiple cruisers (and even Celebrity's security staff!) thought my husband was a dancer for the theatre shows. There was a distinct lack of shows/activities on both ships that appeal to a younger demographic. We left this cruise with a strong feeling that we need to try a Virgin cruise next, if only not to be called "younguns" for just one day of the cruise. 

 

To be clear, even though most of the shows and activities don't have youthful appeal, there is a ton of talent. The singers (theatre cast and headliners) for both cruises were exceptional. I love the emphasis Celebrity has on supporting live music experiences. The cruise directors are always a ton of fun -- I'm young and I still couldn't maintain that level of constant energy. We even saw our cruise director from the Edge serving as activities director on the Equinox. It was great to see a familiar face ("Hi Dave!"). 

 

One last tidbit for those who've been curious about the Art aboard celebrity. In addition to the beautiful works that adorn Celebrity ships, both ships have a dedicated art area with pieces for auction. Celebrity appears to lease some of their ship space to a company called Park West to sell art. We didn't engage with this on the Edge, but we did give it a try for the Equinox as we did actually come across a piece of artwork that evoked our Mediterranean vacation that we both loved.

 

As for the auction process itself, it is very gimmicky. They provide complementary champagne and do a sort of reverse auction where they start at a dollar and have everyone get used to holding up their bid card and then drop their hand as they go up in price -- all intended to loosen you up for a higher dollar transaction. They have a couple high-value items that they auction off at extremely high prices and it isn't immediately apparent whether there was anyone actually bidding on those items or if it was just for show. They tell you that you can pre-reserve pieces at a set price that is 5-10% lower than what the piece will start with at auction and as long as no one bids against you, you will get the work at that pre-reserve price. 

 

My advice if you see a piece you like is this. Unless you see evidence that others are interested in the same piece, (which is unlikely because art taste is very subjective and there are only 3,000 people on the ship and maybe 150 of them at most are engaging with the auctions) wait until the last day. Make an offer below their "minimum pre-reserve price". You'll find their minimums to be much more flexible at this point. We ended up getting the piece we wanted for about $200.00 less then their "minimum" by doing this. We may well have still overpaid, but the price was fair to us at this point. We loved the piece, we weren't making an investment. 

 

All in all, another great cruise. I will be back to cruise with Celebrity, probably many more times. I just need a more youthful cruising experience to switch it up for the next go around. Thanks for listening. 

 Which ship do you prefer? Have only done Edge like you and will be on Silhouette soon. 

[D. B.]

Of the 5 Solstice class ship I like Silhouette because it offers an added specialty restaurant in Lawn Club Grill that I very much enjoy.

 The only one of the 5 that I avoid is the Reflection because the forward-facing Sky Lounge was butchered up to add more suites and is not very inviting.

  All of the S class ships have the large Real grass Lawn area on the upper aft deck that is a pleasant departure from the normal hard deck surfaces. The activities there are an added plus.

 It is a good thing to try the different Classes of Celebrity ships.

[D. B.]

2 hours ago, realnice46 said:

I agree about E class faux verandas. Also lack of forward facing sky lounge, we tried a Princess cruise last year and it also lacked that type of space as well as poorly planed main dining areas. We will stay with M and S clas Celebrity ships.

Realnice46.... My Experience on 2 Princess ships I sailed on was the same as yours.

[Hopefulhawkeye]

For those who asked, I prefer the Edge but there's not a ton of daylight between the two. The Edge is just slightly more modern/refined. The Edge had slightly better specialty dining -- especially Eden. The Edge theatre is a nice upgrade over the Equinox. There were less "dead spaces" on the Edge -- I felt like Equinox had quite a few areas, like Quasar or the glass blowing area that weren't particularly great uses of the space on the ship. 

 

That said, if a balcony cabin is a high priority for you. I would say the Equinox wins in that area. I had an inside cabin on the Edge both to save money and because the infinite verandas do not appeal to me. I got a Sunset Balcony on the Equinox and that was wonderful. 

[Gracie115]

1 hour ago, Hopefulhawkeye said:

For those who asked, I prefer the Edge but there's not a ton of daylight between the two. The Edge is just slightly more modern/refined. The Edge had slightly better specialty dining -- especially Eden. The Edge theatre is a nice upgrade over the Equinox. There were less "dead spaces" on the Edge -- I felt like Equinox had quite a few areas, like Quasar or the glass blowing area that weren't particularly great uses of the space on the ship. 

 

That said, if a balcony cabin is a high priority for you. I would say the Equinox wins in that area. I had an inside cabin on the Edge both to save money and because the infinite verandas do not appeal to me. I got a Sunset Balcony on the Equinox and that was wonderful. 

Silhouette (our favorite S class) does not have the hot glass blowing area.  Instead it has the Lawn Club Grill restaurant which is great.

 

Agree about the theater on Edge class, other than that, for us S class wins everytime.

[Cruise till you drop]

On 3/30/2024 at 2:11 PM, Hopefulhawkeye said:

My husband and I have cruised only twice now, both times with Celebrity. Last year we sailed on the Edge for 7 days in the Mediterranean, and earlier this month we were on the Equinox for 9 days in Grand Cayman, Aruba, and Curacao. I wanted to share some thoughts from the recent sailing and compare/contrast a bit between the two experiences. 

 

The overall experience with Celebrity feels premium whether it is on the newer Edge class or the Solstice class (Equinox). Service is impeccable. I have felt like my stateroom attendant or my poolside server is a friend of mine by the end of each cruise. On both cruises there was someone who went the extra mile to make the experience special. It saddens me to know that certain passengers don't appreciate these wonderful people as human beings. While perhaps an overshare, one staff member told me that some people treat her as if she is their personal slave and she was nearly in tears. Do better cruisers! It's okay to expect a premium level of service from a premium cruise line, but treat these people how you would want to be treated! 

 

The food on both ships has been a highlight. For main dining, we love the buffet, the poolside grill, and the main dining room (MDR). Only have a few minor complaints with main dining. Neither ships MDR could execute a quality pasta dish -- only Tuscan Grill (specialty dining) had great pasta. I vastly preferred the choice of main dining venue the edge class ships provide and also their ability to better accommodate a private dining experience. I also thought the wait staff was stronger on the Edge class ships -- not for lack of trying, but I couldn't help but be annoyed by the waiter who read every last item verbatim off the menus each night. Give me the highlights -- I can read.

 

Celebrity could not miss with the specialty dining -- at least for dinner options. On the Edge we tried both Eden and the Fine Cut Steakhouse - both were among the best meals I've ever had. Murano and Tuscan Grille on the Equinox are also incredible -- I loved the tableside lobster preparation at Murano. I find some of the Lunch specialty dining to be unremarkable though - Sushi on 5 (Equinox) is very mediocre. Le Grand Bistro on the Edge was better but still didn't feel premium.  

 

One thing I've learned between the first cruise and the second is not to buy the drink package. They are not worth it unless you drink like a fish. Consider that you get even less value from it for every day of your cruise where you will mostly be off the ship. I priced out the value of the classic package when it was 20% off per person, per day and it was about $58.00. Our actual spend on alcohol and other beverages was $26.00 per person, per day. Granted we are light drinkers, but its still an awful value - especially when you consider that the classic drink package doesn't cover the vast majority of the cocktails featured on bar menus. You'll be paying a 2 dollar or more (+20%) surcharge at just about every bar for every drink. Celebrity absolutely needs to amend their classic package to allow cruisers more choice without a surcharge. 

 

One other gripe I have, especially with the more recent cruise, was the heavy-handedness of the sales push onboard. Every drink I got came with a suggestion to get a package, every meal came with reminders of specialty dining, and then there's the spa, the casino, the shops, and on and on....I get that this is the bread and butter for Celebrity and on the front end of a cruise in particular I can forgive this, but this went on through the last night. 

 

Let's talk demographics. Celebrity ships, despite what there marketing may have you believe, skew very old. On the Med cruise there was at least a contingent of Europeans that were in their 30's/40's, but on the Equinox, you could've fit everyone under 40 at one large table. It also struck us that there was a wide gulf between the mobility of European seniors versus Americans. We saw so many canes, walkers, and scooters on the Equinox. To be clear, I love seniors, I'm just not in a rush to be one. Multiple cruisers (and even Celebrity's security staff!) thought my husband was a dancer for the theatre shows. There was a distinct lack of shows/activities on both ships that appeal to a younger demographic. We left this cruise with a strong feeling that we need to try a Virgin cruise next, if only not to be called "younguns" for just one day of the cruise. 

 

To be clear, even though most of the shows and activities don't have youthful appeal, there is a ton of talent. The singers (theatre cast and headliners) for both cruises were exceptional. I love the emphasis Celebrity has on supporting live music experiences. The cruise directors are always a ton of fun -- I'm young and I still couldn't maintain that level of constant energy. We even saw our cruise director from the Edge serving as activities director on the Equinox. It was great to see a familiar face ("Hi Dave!"). 

 

One last tidbit for those who've been curious about the Art aboard celebrity. In addition to the beautiful works that adorn Celebrity ships, both ships have a dedicated art area with pieces for auction. Celebrity appears to lease some of their ship space to a company called Park West to sell art. We didn't engage with this on the Edge, but we did give it a try for the Equinox as we did actually come across a piece of artwork that evoked our Mediterranean vacation that we both loved.

 

As for the auction process itself, it is very gimmicky. They provide complementary champagne and do a sort of reverse auction where they start at a dollar and have everyone get used to holding up their bid card and then drop their hand as they go up in price -- all intended to loosen you up for a higher dollar transaction. They have a couple high-value items that they auction off at extremely high prices and it isn't immediately apparent whether there was anyone actually bidding on those items or if it was just for show. They tell you that you can pre-reserve pieces at a set price that is 5-10% lower than what the piece will start with at auction and as long as no one bids against you, you will get the work at that pre-reserve price. 

 

My advice if you see a piece you like is this. Unless you see evidence that others are interested in the same piece, (which is unlikely because art taste is very subjective and there are only 3,000 people on the ship and maybe 150 of them at most are engaging with the auctions) wait until the last day. Make an offer below their "minimum pre-reserve price". You'll find their minimums to be much more flexible at this point. We ended up getting the piece we wanted for about $200.00 less then their "minimum" by doing this. We may well have still overpaid, but the price was fair to us at this point. We loved the piece, we weren't making an investment. 

 

All in all, another great cruise. I will be back to cruise with Celebrity, probably many more times. I just need a more youthful cruising experience to switch it up for the next go around. Thanks for listening. 

Thanks for your post and I would agree with all your assessments except the Art part where we couldn’t give a darn about art 

[notme2012]

On 3/30/2024 at 1:11 PM, Hopefulhawkeye said:

Let's talk demographics. Celebrity ships, despite what there marketing may have you believe, skew very old. On the Med cruise there was at least a contingent of Europeans that were in their 30's/40's, but on the Equinox, you could've fit everyone under 40 at one large table. It also struck us that there was a wide gulf between the mobility of European seniors versus Americans. We saw so many canes, walkers, and scooters on the Equinox. To be clear, I love seniors, I'm just not in a rush to be one. Multiple cruisers (and even Celebrity's security staff!) thought my husband was a dancer for the theatre shows. There was a distinct lack of shows/activities on both ships that appeal to a younger demographic. We left this cruise with a strong feeling that we need to try a Virgin cruise next, if only not to be called "younguns" for just one day of the cruise. 

I just came off a 12 night cruise on the VV Resilient Lady. The average age on the ship was 54. Now in the Caribbean, where VV runs 4 and 5 night cruises, the age skews younger, but not as young as Virgin Voyages advertises.

 

After our cruise, I would not sail Virgin Voyages again. Cabins are smaller than most contemporary ships. Entertainment venues and restaurants are not big enough to accommodate all the passengers on-board. The food was average to mediocre. Most of all, I never felt the pampering that a cruise vacation should offer. Overall, I was very disappointed with VV. If food is a big deal for you, you will hate VV! But there is no selling of restaurant or drink packages.

 

Virgin Voyages is still trying to find themselves, LOL. Maybe in 5 years, when Royal Caribbean or Carnival buy them, they will improve. Because they seem to think that their version of cruising is "be all, end all". This was my 56th cruise. I did not think that any cruise line could be worse than MSC. Virgin Voyages proved that to be wrong.

 

[indy406]

We've been on probably 10 Celebrity cruises, all but one on S class ships. We think they're great. Our next trip is on Infinity and I'm sorta ready for a letdown. No Murano, no Lawn Club, no Porch and we just learned the Persian Garden doesn't have the heated tile loungers. Just some kind of a bench and the PG has no outside view. Those loungers are great.

We booked the trip because it was going to Israel and Egypt. Well, we know how that turned out. We could have gotten a refund when it was changed to a Greek Islands cruise but stuck with it. Not whining about Infinity, it's our choice and I'm sure we'll have a good time. No Edge class for us, btw. We love the balcony on M and S class. Final thing: Thanks for your post, Hopefulhawkeye. I too am a Hopeful Hawkeye. Fingers crossed for a National Championship tomorrow.

[sofietucker]

We're on the "edge" of becoming elite plus, so have cruised X for awhile... The only Edge-class ship we've sailed was in fact, the Edge, first cruise out after the pandemic. They took only 350 pax!

 

(The big booboo on their part: they filled the suites, leaving the rest of the ship empty, so the Retreat and Luminae were crowded: pool bar was wall-to-wall, lines for dinner, no Retreat loungers, the small pool filled with--eek!--children. So much for distancing. But the martini-glass hot tubs were always empty, as was the big pool. And really everywhere else aboard.)

 

We loved so many spaces: the rooftop garden, the weird sculpture garden on the way to Eden, the cozy hidden cabanas alongside the pool... The amazing spa (M and S class Persian Gardens, etc., don't hold a candle). And FOUR very varied MDRs!! Brilliant. Plus much fab entertainment. We were prepared to not like it because it was so BIG. Our favorite ships have been less than 800 pax (Prinsendam and lately Azamara Quest).

But someone on these boards rightly pointed out that it--and the Apex--actually carry fewer pax than the S-class ships! They hold 3,148 people; the Edge & Apex hold 2918! Plus two S-class, Reflection and Silhouette, actually carry 3,324!  That being said we've not actually booked another Edge-class cruise--mainly because of where we are cruising next.

Edited April 7 by sofietucker