Thrifty Couple Celebrity Edge Review Jan 27th to Feb 3

[cgolf]

Hits (Not in any particular order)

- Magic Carpet, very nice spot to relax

- Celebrity Theater Shows, especially Kaleidoscope. Overall this was the best entertainment we have seen on a cruise ship

- With the tall windows and the loungers that face the ocean, shame on lines like Disney and RCCL for having their loungers face into the ship, we felt very connected to the ocean. The Magic carpet was on Deck 5 one night and we got to sit out there a while, it was a very unique feeling. The magic carpet in general felt very connected to the ocean.

- Live music around the ship Michael Reddon was our favorite.

- While the activity list was not huge, we were busy onboard and actually missed some of the live music around the ship because we were doing other things.

- The inside stateroom attached to the sky suite was the best inside room we have ever stayed in.

- We got lucky all of the people we sat next to in the MDRs were very friendly and it we had wide ranging discussions during dinner.

- Staff was very friendly onboard. I don’t think we encountered one cranky staff member.

- The CD Damian was great and he really seemed to be a perfect fit for the edge.

- Food - This was the best food we have had on a cruise ship.

- Gluten Free labeling in the Oceanview buffet. This is something all lines need to do, I felt like a normal passenger for once at the buffet. Other lines I always had to ask for a chef to walk me around.

- The desserts, gluten free and gluten loaded, all had a lot of flavor. This always seemed to be a miss on other lines especially with the cakes.

- There didn’t seem to be any obstructed views in the theater.

- The ship was super easy to navigate and the signage was helpful without being tacky.

- The chair hogs didn’t seem to be as bad as we are used to. They did put signs on the chairs in the morning saying that personal belongings would be moved if a chair was unoccupied for more than 30 minutes.

- The artwork and the design was very whimsical, between the wooden figures, Mr Edge, textured walls, pictures, etc. (lots of pictures)

 

[cgolf]

Misses (Not in any particular order except the first)

- The scent they use in Eden is awful. My wife likened it to beef jerky mixed with urine. She tried to watch the Eden show, but had to leave after 5 minutes and step outside to clear her head, it made her very nauseous.

- Judging by the reactions of the crowd, some of the shows were a miss. Not sure what Celebrity does here, but I am sure they will figure it out, because for us this was the best entertainment top to bottom we have ever encountered on a ship.

- This ship I saw more inconsiderate and entitled people than we ever saw on Disney or Royal. It wasn’t a majority by any means but it was definitely noticeable.

- Clocks – get some, not sure why, but this is a common issue where cruise ships don’t have enough clocks. Ones near the pool would be very helpful since many people don’t wear a watch in a pool.

- On island days, there should be a free dining venue open between 11 and 12 that serves gluten free food. We found out that the Mast Grill isn’t gluten free because of the potential for cross contamination. We did end up eating late breakfast in oceanview a little before the next day before our next excursion.

- On deck 5, other than the seating outside of Eden, no spots to sit and look out at the water. While the views up top our nice, a promenade deck with a view is always nice because of the protection from the weather and sun, so maybe find some more spots on deck 5 for chairs if possible.

- Showtimes/Theater Capacity - It seemed that everyone wanted to go to the 9 pm show and seats were difficult to get if you didn’t show up 15 to 30 minutes early. I believe a decent amount of people had to either stand through the show or left. Perhaps either having a bigger theater and/or moving the early show earlier to allow more people to have the opportunity to attend the early show.

- How reserved area for retreat guests was handled during shows - It needs to be made obvious to everyone that the balcony is reserved for retreat guests during the 3 Celebrity production shows and available to all for the other shows. We tried to sit on deck 5 and didn’t know until we got to the seating section that the whole thing was reserved. We only later learned that it was open seating for non Celebrity produced shows because of a call we got because of a comment we put on our comment sheet they handed out early in the cruise.

- Gluten Free preorders when dining in different dining rooms each night. I tried two different methods and the chefs didn’t get my order ahead of time with either method. I am guessing that they will work this out as time goes on. Had we stayed in the same dining room every night, I am pretty confident it would have been better.

- While the Martini hot tubs are nice and provide a nice view, there should be a hot tub on the resort decks too.

- The shops should offer a wider range of Edge products. Having only higher end stuff really limited what we bought. Had there been magnets, playing cards, etc we would have picked up some items for family members as gifts.

- No forward facing view. I totally get that the retreat guests get an area to themselves, we experienced something similar on Disney sailing a concierge room. All I am asking for is maybe an area down one side it doesn’t have to be a huge area. Or on the Edge see how much of the retreat area is utilized and perhaps downsize it on the future ships. When we were on Disney the area was not that large and wasn’t used all that often by guests. On Disney all guests had access to a forward facing view.

- The Mast Grill doesn’t support gluten free burgers or hot dogs. This is unfortunate since it is the most convenient on port days.

 

[cgolf]

So-Sos

- The dinner service was really spotty, but we did have more good services than slow ones. I really think with time this will smooth out. You can tell how new the ship is, when they use maps to find the location of the table you will be seated at.

 

[Dug720]

Not sure why I quit getting updates on this one, but glad I came back to finish it!

Out of curiosity, have you (or anyone else reading this) cruised on the Equinox? I'm VERY interested in their Eastern itinerary for next Presidents' Week - and it would solve my dilemma of not really feeling a Marvel Day at Sea and not really wanting to deal with American's silly connecting flights to Orlando thing). The Edge has a Western that week which is not horrible, but it's about $1500 more for a single with Infinite Verandah as I could get an Aqua Class on the Equinox.

 

[SevenWonkas]

There is no Infinite Veranda on Equinox, just the Edge. Just a heads up!

 

[Dug720]

There is no Infinite Veranda on Equinox, just the Edge. Just a heads up!

I am aware of that. I personally do not get the appeal of the infinite verandah. I was just saying that that is like $1500 more for just a cabin than I can get AQUA CLASS on Equinox.

 

[starvenger]

Not sure why I quit getting updates on this one, but glad I came back to finish it!

This happens to me all the time. I think the DISBoards db only keeps track of x number of threads you're "subscribed" to?

 

[Dug720]

This happens to me all the time. I think the DISBoards db only keeps track of x number of threads you're "subscribed" to?

Except this is the only one I'm subscribed to. LOL. Oh well!

 

[starvenger]

I used the quotes because I think that if you reply to a thread you're "subscribed" or "following" or whatever terminology you want to use, which mixes in with threads you've actually subscribed to.

Regardless, I suppose it's not that hard to keep track of threads in the Royal forum (fortunate or unfortunate?). When I stop getting alerts for a thread in the DCL forum I usually find it about 4 pages in and I'm 50 posts behind.

 

[Dug720]

I used the quotes because I think that if you reply to a thread you're "subscribed" or "following" or whatever terminology you want to use, which mixes in with threads you've actually subscribed to.

Regardless, I suppose it's not that hard to keep track of threads in the Royal forum (fortunate or unfortunate?). When I stop getting alerts for a thread in the DCL forum I usually find it about 4 pages in and I'm 50 posts behind.

Ah, gotcha.

 

[Dug720]

I used the quotes because I think that if you reply to a thread you're "subscribed" or "following" or whatever terminology you want to use, which mixes in with threads you've actually subscribed to.

Regardless, I suppose it's not that hard to keep track of threads in the Royal forum (fortunate or unfortunate?). When I stop getting alerts for a thread in the DCL forum I usually find it about 4 pages in and I'm 50 posts behind.

It is possible vacation brain has kicked in... Just gotta get to 2:50, then head home to change from pajamas (pajama day at school) and get my scheduled Lyft to a Hampton Inn by LGA for the night. Crack of dawn flight tomorrow to MCO and Sunday embark on the Wonder!! (Yes, LGA is my least fave airport here, but when one is using miles, one takes what one gets. And by using points to apstay at a close hotel, I can nap a little longer in the morning rather than getting a Lyft from my apartment at around 2.)

 

[starvenger]

Hah! Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Dug720]

Hah! Enjoy your vacation!

Thanks!

 

[cgolf]

Not sure why I quit getting updates on this one, but glad I came back to finish it!

Out of curiosity, have you (or anyone else reading this) cruised on the Equinox? I'm VERY interested in their Eastern itinerary for next Presidents' Week - and it would solve my dilemma of not really feeling a Marvel Day at Sea and not really wanting to deal with American's silly connecting flights to Orlando thing). The Edge has a Western that week which is not horrible, but it's about $1500 more for a single with Infinite Verandah as I could get an Aqua Class on the Equinox.

Would love to hear about your cruise on the Equinox. Based on all of the discussion on CC, we don't think the other Celebrity ships would suit us well. It would be great to get an unbiased opinion of one of their other ships The Edge has really stirred things up over there lol.

 

[Dug720]

Would love to hear about your cruise on the Equinox. Based on all of the discussion on CC, we don't think the other Celebrity ships would suit us well. It would be great to get an unbiased opinion of one of their other ships The Edge has really stirred things up over there lol.

Yeah - I only pop in there if I have a burning question. More than once I have been scared off branching out because they take the "critic" seriously and are so negative. I will report back. I'm doing Aqua Class, so that will be a little different too.

 

[Denise W]

We just booked the Edge for a transatlantic from Rome in October 2020. It looks like a wonderful ship!
Denise

 

[Malyficent]

Thanks for this review. Seems like a great ship and I hope they sort out the kinks.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Did you happen to see the kids clubs? Any kids on board? Great review

 

[Dug720]

Random silly question... Did they really take the extra TP rolls out of the bathrooms the final afternoon?? People on cruise critic are talking about Celebrity stateroom hosts removing the extra TP rolls on the last day because people were packing them!! (And not replacing almost used up rolls!!)

That is insane!!

 

[SevenWonkas]

Did you happen to see the kids clubs? Any kids on board? Great review

I have seen several blogs and posts on Facebook groups with photos and reviews of the kids clubs on the Edge. There are groups on Facebook just for the Edge, and I’ve seen people post scans of the daily kids activities on them. We’ll be on the Edge with our 7 year old in a few weeks!

Here is one blog about the kids clubs on the Edge. I’ve seen others, I just don’t remember what they’re called.
https://travelbabbo.com/celebrity-edge-review/