Edge August 2 Dawes Glacier Review

[Ferry_Watcher]

1 minute ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

Wow.  On ours, I heard a rumor there were 48 under the age of 18, but I believe that was inaccurate…seemed to be much higher.

 

I think 2 sailings ago that the Quantum of the Seas had 1000 kids sailing to Alaska (similar capacity size as Ovation OTS).

[Ferry_Watcher]

18 hours ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

Fellow Passengers: I'm just going to bite the bullet and get this out of the way now, as it affected every aspect of our cruise. Tiki_Man and I met some very lovely people, as we always do on our cruises. However, I have never experienced so many rude and unpleasant fellow passengers as we did on this trip. And they were equal opportunity offenders - they were equally insufferable to crew members and other guests. 

 

 

@Mrs_Tiki, were these fellow Retreat guest that you encountered acting badly, or just guests overall? 

 

I would love to see some photos of the Retreat area.  When I sailed in May to Alaska I was in a regular Sunset Balcony, which I really enjoyed.  I am very curious about the Retreat Deck and what the Retreat Lounge looks like.  (Maybe some day...)      ;  ) 

Thanks!

[mac_tlc]

50 minutes ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

Glad that you mentioned this - remind me if you are in the Retreat for that one?

Yes indeed, we are in a Sky Suite for that one. 
 

mac_tlc

[cruisetonowhere10]

10 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

I think 2 sailings ago that the Quantum of the Seas had 1000 kids sailing to Alaska (similar capacity size as Ovation OTS).

That’s a lot of kids.  That would be a noticeable number for sure.

[Ferry_Watcher]

Just now, cruisetonowhere10 said:

That’s a lot of kids.  That would be a noticeable number for sure.

 

Yes, so many kids that it was announced at the morning staff meeting at Pier 91.

[Maggie 1008]

We leave for the Edge Alaska cruise August 23rd. I was hoping most of the kids would be back in school by then. So sorry you had low class guests on board. 
Do you know who will replace Brent when he goes on holiday break?

 

Really enjoying your review. This will be our 8th cruise to Alaska. We enjoy getting away to a cool weather destination when our temperature is over 100 degrees all summer long. 
cheers 🥂 

[Mrs_Tiki]

42 minutes ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

Wow.  On ours, I heard a rumor there were 48 under the age of 18, but I believe that was inaccurate…seemed to be much higher.  We avoided the buffet and honestly rarely encountered many kids.  We did hear them bowling in the rooms adjacent to us as well as doing whale calls late into the night… 

I’m pretty sure that there were close to that many in the Retreat alone….

[Mrs_Tiki]

31 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

Yes indeed, we are in a Sky Suite for that one. 
 

mac_tlc

Just put a hold on the last Sunset Sky Suite - 4/4/26 Silhouette 8-day ABC itinerary, right?

[mac_tlc]

6 minutes ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

Just put a hold on the last Sunset Sky Suite - 4/4/26 Silhouette 8-day ABC itinerary, right?

That’s the one ! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

 

mac_tlc

[doghog]

47 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

I think 2 sailings ago that the Quantum of the Seas had 1000 kids sailing to Alaska (similar capacity size as Ovation OTS).

Note to self. Stick with Celebrity Alaska cruises and avoid RC cruises going to Alaska. 

[Mrs_Tiki]

35 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

@Mrs_Tiki, were these fellow Retreat guest that you encountered acting badly, or just guests overall? 

 

I would love to see some photos of the Retreat area.  When I sailed in May to Alaska I was in a regular Sunset Balcony, which I really enjoyed.  I am very curious about the Retreat Deck and what the Retreat Lounge looks like.  (Maybe some day...)      ;  ) 

Thanks!

I would say the bad behavior among Retreat guests was in the simply annoying category, and the more egregious displays occurred when we were in other areas of the ship.

 

I am not a photographer and didn’t take many photos anywhere, but here are a few on the Retreat Sundeck. I was tickled that the towel station was transformed into a towel/blanket station - we used both! The Sundeck affords great forward-facing views. And we love the bathroom design in most Sky Suites. It is nice to have an ocean view from the shower, although you have to be aware when you are in port next to another ship. (The mirror does slide closed when needed.)

 

Do you know who will replace Brent and Mary Amanda while they are on break?

[Mrs_Tiki]

30 minutes ago, Maggie 1008 said:

We leave for the Edge Alaska cruise August 23rd. I was hoping most of the kids would be back in school by then. So sorry you had low class guests on board. 
Do you know who will replace Brent when he goes on holiday break?

 

Really enjoying your review. This will be our 8th cruise to Alaska. We enjoy getting away to a cool weather destination when our temperature is over 100 degrees all summer long. 
cheers 🥂 

Hopefully @Ferry_Watcher might have that answer….

[Ferry_Watcher]

1 minute ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

Do you know who will replace Brent and Mary Amanda while they are on break?

Sadly, no.  I wish I had asked them.

[Irishredhead21]

44 minutes ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

Just put a hold on the last Sunset Sky Suite - 4/4/26 Silhouette 8-day ABC itinerary, right?

@mac_tlc I forgot to tell you that I reserved a sunset Sky Suite on this sailing as well a while back. Looking forward to reuniting with everyone!!

[Mrs_Tiki]

Shore Excursions (cont'd):

 

After rejoining the ship after the Dawes Glacier adventure, we had just enough time to grab a burger at the Mast Grill and collect our tickets for our next excursion. Since all-aboard in Juneau was not until 9:30 pm, we felt comfortable booking an independent excursion.

 

Edge docked at AJ Dock, which was a 20-minute walk from downtown. Shuttles ran continuously and dropped at the Tram Ticket Office, which seemed to be a meeting place for many excursions.

 

Whale Watching (Independent):

 

We did the 3-hour Juneau Whale Watch Tour with Juneau Tours and Whale Watch (Juneau Whale Watch | Top Whale Watching Tours in Juneau Alaska). There are many tour companies with similar names, so I wanted to provide the exact name and website. We checked in with representatives near the Tram Ticket Office at 3:30 as directed. After waiting for all to show up, loading and unloading from a 20-minute shuttle to the marina (in a full-size coach bus), and organizing 2 busloads of people into 3 boats, it was 4:30 before we go onto our boat. It was a jet boat with 26 passengers. (Pro Tip: There is only inside seating for 22 or 24. A family with 3 young boys were adventurous and took the uncovered bench seats on the aft of the vessel and they got SOAKED! Mom moved to an empty seat inside for the trip back to the pier!)

 

Our naturalist with a South African gal who totally gave me Aesha (from Below Deck) vibes.. at first. She was very enthusiastic and obviously loved her job. By the time we got to the first whale site, it felt like she was just constantly screeching into the mic - "THERE!!! Just look at that peduncle!" (Yes, that it a real thing!) Our captain liked to drive the boat fast but stayed very far away from the whales we spotted, so it was difficult to see them and even more difficult to get a photo or video. The rule is 100 yards distance, which most of the other boats appeared to be adhering to, but we must have been several times that.

 

We did see lots of tail flaps and experienced the uncommon occurrence of several humpbacks grouped together but from very far away. It was frustrating to see all of the other boats so much closer to the whales, and we compared photos/videos with a couple of young men on the ship the next day. Interestingly, they were on the water at the same time as we were and stayed at our initial site the entire time. There was really no comparison - their photos were amazing, and ours were barely recognizable as whales. Oh well, we were lucky to have had the opportunity to swim with them in French Polynesia, so that will remain our treasured whale memory!

 

We did see salmon jumping in a creek on the way back, and DH spotted a bear (not me again!) So we did see some wildlife close up!

 

By the time we transferred to the shuttle back to the Edge and dragged ourselves onto the ship, it was 7:30. While we were glad that we made the most of the day, we are too old for a 13-hour day and literally staggered into the Retreat Lounge. Happily, the kind server was very happy to deliver our drinks to us!

Edited August 11 by Mrs_Tiki
Correct typos

[bigbenboys]

3 hours ago, doghog said:

Note to self. Stick with Celebrity Alaska cruises and avoid RC cruises going to Alaska. 

Friends are on Quantum of the Seas this week. We are sailing to Alaska out of Vancouver BC next month on Solstice.

[Mrs_Tiki]

Shore Excursions (cont'd):

 

White Pass Railway (Celebrity):

 

I had to really talk @Tiki_Man into booking this excursion, and I think he relented because I had agreed to the double-feature the day before. We were initially disappointed that the VIP car(s) were sold out but were later grateful. Interestingly, it was less expensive to book the ship tour for this excursion than to purchase the tickets directly from the railway.

 

Edge's docking position required a short shuttle ride (like 1 1/2 - 2 minutes) to the end of the pier. We surmised that it was for safety reasons. The train pulled up right to the end of the pier, so Shore Excursion staff lined us up there. We were careful to let others go ahead of us to create some space between us and a family who had behaved badly on the glacier boat, as we did not want to be trapped in a rail car with them!

 

Our plan worked, and we ended up a few cars away from them (and passengers are not allowed to transit between cars, so hooray for us!) As we began our journey from sea level to 2,880 feet, we were delighted to learn that, in addition to the main guide who provided narration on the PA throughout the trip, there was a guide who walked between cars to answer questions as we went along. He was very knowledgeable and engaging and even provided local craft beer recommendations for DH!

 

The weather made this an extra-special trip. They left the doors at the front and rear of the cars open, which not only provided a wonderful breeze but also made it easy to step outside onto the platforms for an unobstructed view. I thought that we might get bored on the almost 3-hour trip, especially because the train turns around and retraces its path going back down, but there was so much to see that my head was on a swivel the whole time!

 

In the end, DH was glad that we had made the decision to take this excursion. And after chatting with another couple who had gotten tickets in the VIP car, we were glad that we had not. Another family from Edge who let their small children scream and run amok had caused their enjoyment of the ride to be much less than ours.

 

And again, I am not saying that families should not take children on cruises. It is my opinion that they should choose experiences that are developmentally appropriate for their child. Reading @GenerationX's accounts of her cruises with her mini-me makes me hope that we might sail with the two of them (and Jeremy would be an extra bonus!)

 

 

[doghog]

1 hour ago, bigbenboys said:

Friends are on Quantum of the Seas this week. We are sailing to Alaska out of Vancouver BC next month on Solstice.

Because of the possibility of less kids with Celebrity? We will be on the Edge in September. Seattle to Vancouver. Like all our cruises we picked this cruise for the itinerary. 

[cruisetonowhere10]

2 hours ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

Shore Excursions (cont'd):

 

White Pass Railway (Celebrity):

 

I had to really talk @Tiki_Man into booking this excursion, and I think he relented because I had agreed to the double-feature the day before. We were initially disappointed that the VIP car(s) were sold out but were later grateful. Interestingly, it was less expensive to book the ship tour for this excursion than to purchase the tickets directly from the railway.

 

Edge's docking position required a short shuttle ride (like 1 1/2 - 2 minutes) to the end of the pier. We surmised that it was for safety reasons. The train pulled up right to the end of the pier, so Shore Excursion staff lined us up there. We were careful to let others go ahead of us to create some space between us and a family who had behaved badly on the glacier boat, as we did not want to be trapped in a rail car with them!

 

Our plan worked, and we ended up a few cars away from them (and passengers are not allowed to transit between cars, so hooray for us!) As we began our journey from sea level to 2,880 feet, we were delighted to learn that, in addition to the main guide who provided narration on the PA throughout the trip, there was a guide who walked between cars to answer questions as we went along. He was very knowledgeable and engaging and even provided local craft beer recommendations for DH!

 

The weather made this an extra-special trip. They left the doors at the front and rear of the cars open, which not only provided a wonderful breeze but also made it easy to step outside onto the platforms for an unobstructed view. I thought that we might get bored on the almost 3-hour trip, especially because the train turns around and retraces its path going back down, but there was so much to see that my head was on a swivel the whole time!

 

In the end, DH was glad that we had made the decision to take this excursion. And after chatting with another couple who had gotten tickets in the VIP car, we were glad that we had not. Another family from Edge who let their small children scream and run amok had caused their enjoyment of the ride to be much less than ours.

 

And again, I am not saying that families should not take children on cruises. It is my opinion that they should choose experiences that are developmentally appropriate for their child. Reading @GenerationX's accounts of her cruises with her mini-me makes me hope that we might sail with the two of them (and Jeremy would be an extra bonus!)

 

 

Yes you have to know your kids and many in this day and age do not have a 3 hour attention span in a contained environment.  I say this as a teacher…the trips we could take 10 years ago and 20 years ago are not ones that would work now.  Not having an escape plan (stuck on a train) would stress me out with young kids.  One time I had to cart DD out from a swim class as a toddler/preschooler so that she understood I meant business and would not tolerate the behavior or an attempt to garner the attention of others. if you’re on a train, you are surrounded and confined.  Glad you were in the other car.

[Cruise till you drop]

8 hours ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

School had already started in most counties in Georgia by our cruise date. It was just naive of me to think that would be similar elsewhere. Regardless, there were more kids on this particular cruise than any Celebrity cruise we had been on, even during March/April during spring break season.

In our part of the country, school starts by mid August (next week) and in some states not until after Labor Day.

 

We booked next year for Aug 30th

[Mrs_Tiki]

Just now, Cruise till you drop said:

In our part of the country, school starts by mid August (next week) and in some states not until after Labor Day.

 

We booked next year for Aug 30th

That sounds like a good plan! 

[dctravel]

Jealous you saw the Northern Lights! We were on Solstice the week before you, and were told they were possible, but it was too cloudy every day. Maybe next time (fingers crossed there is a next time!)

[singleflyer]

I was on the August 2 sailing of the Edge too (though not in The Retreat).  I had one of the Single Staterooms with Infinite Veranda on Deck 6 and for the most part loved it.  

 

I agree that the ship was crowded!  Especially around 5:30 at the main dining rooms.  You are lucky you had Luminae and Blu as an option.  Our party of 8 was unable to get reservations and it was a scramble to get a table each night.  Fortunately it always worked out (sometimes we would send someone from our party to each of the four restaurants around 5:15 to get in line to see if we could get a spot).

 

Our group had three kids in it (7, 9, 17) with a lot of energy -- I apologize to anyone near us though I saw a lot of people laughing at our group's antics so hopefully we brought some joy to other passengers!

 

I did a post of some of my thoughts on the Edge as a ship, as well as well as the Single Infinite Veranda room.  

 

This was my first Celebrity cruise and I LOVED the ship!  Probably my favorite ship I've been on.  And I have to say, I am in the camp of loving the Infinite Verandas.  

 

The weather could not have been better (I'm from Seattle so know that it can be hit or miss this time of year)!  Even got to see the Blue Angles fly over on embarkation day in Seattle.  

 

 

[Mrs_Tiki]

@singleflyer, so glad you loved your first Celebrity cruise! Your website is awesome - I had never seen such a comprehensive review or photos of a single infinite balcony room.

 

And I’m really not a kid-hater, just think there’s a big difference between kids being kids and feral children gone wild with inadequate parental supervision!

 

And I totally forgot about the Blue Angels! That was really neat. DH and I were napping at our hotel downtown on Thursday afternoon when they flew right overhead. Very disconcerting at first, but fun when we figured out that we were not under air attack!

[cruisetonowhere10]

25 minutes ago, Mrs_Tiki said:

@singleflyer, so glad you loved your first Celebrity cruise! Your website is awesome - I had never seen such a comprehensive review or photos of a single infinite balcony room.

 

And I’m really not a kid-hater, just think there’s a big difference between kids being kids and feral children gone wild with inadequate parental supervision!

 

And I totally forgot about the Blue Angels! That was really neat. DH and I were napping at our hotel downtown on Thursday afternoon when they flew right overhead. Very disconcerting at first, but fun when we figured out that we were not under air attack!

Agree on the solo review…I read it this morning.  Very cool to compare to a regular IV room.