We were on the Reflection March 2017 when the previews of the brand new and very innovative Celebrity Edge were launched, so we booked. Four months later, we were informed that our cruise week had been fully chartered, and they gave us the option of either the week before or the week after (locked pricing and extra OBC). We weren't thrilled, but we'd already put down the deposit and were excited to go. With all of the OBC combined, we ended up with $800, which we used for two shore excursions, some shopping, a Blendtique class, specialty dining, and extra gratuities. It was a very busy cruise!
We reserved parking at our usual place, Park N Go. We arrived just past noon, and it was a shitshow - cars and people everywhere waiting to board the shuttles. There were 8 ships leaving Fort Lauderdale, and it was absolutely the busiest we have ever seen it. From now on, we will continue to try to get there around our usual time - 11ish. Lesson learned.
The Terminal
Yes, the new Celebrity terminal was built specifically for the Edge and its future sisters! It is beautiful, and we didn't have to stand in a single line with their new security and check-in processes. I'd say it took 10 total minutes from the moment we were dropped off by the shuttle and walked onto the ship.
The Room
Infinite Veranda 6157. When we had to re-book our week, we stuck with the same side of the ship - away from the Magic Carpet. Now that we are back, I don't think the Magic Carpet would have really affected us so I don't have a reason not to book that side in the future. 6157 does have The Club right under it, though, which turned out to be terrible. We could feel the bass through the bed and could hear it even with our white noise apps running. Guest Services gave us an alternate room down the hall so we could sleep night 4, and they found another room for us for the next 3 nights - what a difference! We could sleep! Our new room was 7155, still an Infinite Veranda.
We will not pay extra for an Infinite Veranda again, not that it was really bad, but there were a couple cons that aren't worth the price. The pros: good length so the room felt a little bigger with the folding doors open, the bathrooms in the newly designed rooms feel bigger and have more shower space, nice decor, great robes, and a full length mirror.
The cons: The only "curtain" is the mechanical shade that either goes up or down and is right against the outside window so I couldn't be on the veranda while the hubs was still sleeping. The room itself is very narrow. The top window of the actual veranda is slow to open and close. In the first room, we had to squeeze between the TV and the end of our bed to get to the couch and veranda. The set-up was opposite in 7155 so we didn't feel the need to squeeze as much. In summary, stay away from 6157 and its immediate neighbors!
The Ship
The Edge is gorgeous with really wonderful public spaces. The rooftop garden has live plants and lots of seating, the gym is large, the theater is the best we've ever seen, and the Magic Carpet is a cool outdoor space with a good amount of seating and a dedicated bar.
My favorite new space is Eden. Some people like it, some don't. There is a little cafe inside that has small selections for breakfast and lunch, and it's very quiet and bright during the day. Great for reading or just relaxing. Live plants in this area as well. Great view of the water tail because it's directly in the back of the ship. It gets busier in the evenings.
Restaurants/Bars
We ate in two specialty restaurants - Fine Cut (the steakhouse) and Eden. Both are solid with amazing service and fantastic food. Eden is worth going once, as the menu is very small - the food, though - WOW! We were not disappointed and definitely not hungry after leaving. Love the interaction with the Edenists (performer) throughout dinner. It's a fun experience.
We ate at each of the main dining rooms because we had Select Dining and were not assigned to just one. None stood out as better than the others - they were all very good. One thing that I did notice is that the sommeliers have much larger sections so they aren't as attentive as they are on other ships.
The buffet area is well-laid out with great food options. This is one of the best buffets we've seen. Spacious and plenty of seating. I loved the daily cheese and charcuterie options to pair with my wine.
The Martini Bar on Edge is very different than it is on the other ships. It is actually in the main atrium and is the only bar in this area. Although there is a lot of seating, it's a very popular and busy place.
The casino bar - great spot - is upstairs. It's not smokey at all, as we are used to on other ships and lines.
We didn't really enjoy the Sunset Bar at the back - always crowded and the bartenders were too busy with the large amount of guests to keep up. I consider the lack of staffing in some key areas a fail on the part of Edge management, not the wonderful staff themselves.
We missed Cellar Masters on this ship as we usually spend our "happy hours" and evenings there.
Entertainment
The shows and entertainment options in the evenings were great. There was an aerial team who performed in The Club as guests that week. The theater has been designed as a "theatre in the round" and has a giant moving screen that spans well beyond the stage itself. There is really not a bad seat in the house. The stage has many moving parts and rig designed for aerial performances. Celebrity definitely got this space right!
We purchased the Blendtique experience, and one time was enough for us. It felt rushed, we were paired with people we didn't know, and the directions from the sommeliers weren't helpful. I was hoping for an educational experience, and it was more frustrating than fun. Won't do it again.
Ports
St. Maarten - We booked the America's Cup sailing regatta excursion through the ship. It was a strenuous but fun activity that I would do again. We were each assigned a task on the boat and were guided through how to do our job and then prompted throughout the sailing experience. There are a lot of tripping hazards and a risk of getting hit with something if you aren't paying attention, so don't do this one if you have mobility issues.
Tortola - Having been to the Baths at Virgin Gorda, we wanted something a bit different. The Norman Island snorkeling excursion through Celebrity fit the bill. We met the group right at the end of the pier and then were off to our first snorkeling location that featured caves you could swim into, being careful of fire coral and sea urchins. Very cool. At the second location, we followed a couple sea turtles for a while. Would definitely recommend an excursion to Norman island.
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| The Edge Theater - Pre-Show |
We reserved parking at our usual place, Park N Go. We arrived just past noon, and it was a shitshow - cars and people everywhere waiting to board the shuttles. There were 8 ships leaving Fort Lauderdale, and it was absolutely the busiest we have ever seen it. From now on, we will continue to try to get there around our usual time - 11ish. Lesson learned.
The Terminal
Yes, the new Celebrity terminal was built specifically for the Edge and its future sisters! It is beautiful, and we didn't have to stand in a single line with their new security and check-in processes. I'd say it took 10 total minutes from the moment we were dropped off by the shuttle and walked onto the ship.
The Room
Infinite Veranda 6157. When we had to re-book our week, we stuck with the same side of the ship - away from the Magic Carpet. Now that we are back, I don't think the Magic Carpet would have really affected us so I don't have a reason not to book that side in the future. 6157 does have The Club right under it, though, which turned out to be terrible. We could feel the bass through the bed and could hear it even with our white noise apps running. Guest Services gave us an alternate room down the hall so we could sleep night 4, and they found another room for us for the next 3 nights - what a difference! We could sleep! Our new room was 7155, still an Infinite Veranda.
We will not pay extra for an Infinite Veranda again, not that it was really bad, but there were a couple cons that aren't worth the price. The pros: good length so the room felt a little bigger with the folding doors open, the bathrooms in the newly designed rooms feel bigger and have more shower space, nice decor, great robes, and a full length mirror.
The cons: The only "curtain" is the mechanical shade that either goes up or down and is right against the outside window so I couldn't be on the veranda while the hubs was still sleeping. The room itself is very narrow. The top window of the actual veranda is slow to open and close. In the first room, we had to squeeze between the TV and the end of our bed to get to the couch and veranda. The set-up was opposite in 7155 so we didn't feel the need to squeeze as much. In summary, stay away from 6157 and its immediate neighbors!
The Ship
The Edge is gorgeous with really wonderful public spaces. The rooftop garden has live plants and lots of seating, the gym is large, the theater is the best we've ever seen, and the Magic Carpet is a cool outdoor space with a good amount of seating and a dedicated bar.
My favorite new space is Eden. Some people like it, some don't. There is a little cafe inside that has small selections for breakfast and lunch, and it's very quiet and bright during the day. Great for reading or just relaxing. Live plants in this area as well. Great view of the water tail because it's directly in the back of the ship. It gets busier in the evenings.
Restaurants/Bars
We ate at each of the main dining rooms because we had Select Dining and were not assigned to just one. None stood out as better than the others - they were all very good. One thing that I did notice is that the sommeliers have much larger sections so they aren't as attentive as they are on other ships.
The buffet area is well-laid out with great food options. This is one of the best buffets we've seen. Spacious and plenty of seating. I loved the daily cheese and charcuterie options to pair with my wine.
The Martini Bar on Edge is very different than it is on the other ships. It is actually in the main atrium and is the only bar in this area. Although there is a lot of seating, it's a very popular and busy place.
The casino bar - great spot - is upstairs. It's not smokey at all, as we are used to on other ships and lines.
We didn't really enjoy the Sunset Bar at the back - always crowded and the bartenders were too busy with the large amount of guests to keep up. I consider the lack of staffing in some key areas a fail on the part of Edge management, not the wonderful staff themselves.
We missed Cellar Masters on this ship as we usually spend our "happy hours" and evenings there.
Entertainment
The shows and entertainment options in the evenings were great. There was an aerial team who performed in The Club as guests that week. The theater has been designed as a "theatre in the round" and has a giant moving screen that spans well beyond the stage itself. There is really not a bad seat in the house. The stage has many moving parts and rig designed for aerial performances. Celebrity definitely got this space right!
We purchased the Blendtique experience, and one time was enough for us. It felt rushed, we were paired with people we didn't know, and the directions from the sommeliers weren't helpful. I was hoping for an educational experience, and it was more frustrating than fun. Won't do it again.
Ports
St. Maarten - We booked the America's Cup sailing regatta excursion through the ship. It was a strenuous but fun activity that I would do again. We were each assigned a task on the boat and were guided through how to do our job and then prompted throughout the sailing experience. There are a lot of tripping hazards and a risk of getting hit with something if you aren't paying attention, so don't do this one if you have mobility issues.
Tortola - Having been to the Baths at Virgin Gorda, we wanted something a bit different. The Norman Island snorkeling excursion through Celebrity fit the bill. We met the group right at the end of the pier and then were off to our first snorkeling location that featured caves you could swim into, being careful of fire coral and sea urchins. Very cool. At the second location, we followed a couple sea turtles for a while. Would definitely recommend an excursion to Norman island.
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