We enjoyed everything about our week on the beautiful Edge
Celebrity Edge Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 47
7 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)
Sail date: February 03, 2019
Ship: Celebrity Edge
Cabin type: Balcony
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
We throughly enjoyed everything about our week on the beautiful Edge. Throughout our stay we were treated to friendly and efficient service, spectacular sights and exquisite dining. Looking forward to our next Edge experience, possibly in another part of the world.Embarkation
We arrived at the terminal at 11 am and was on the ship by Noon. We had checked-in on line the week before our cruise so going through the passport lines took only a few minutes. You are allowed to go to your stateroom as soon as you board where you pick up your stateroom key cards.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We were in an Aqua Class stateroom so we had access to Blu. We only used it twice for dinner however because we wanted to try some of the other specialty restaurants. All of the ones we tried were excellent: Rooftop Garden Grill, Eden, Le Petit Chef, Raw on 5. One night we used the Oceanview Cafe for dinner and were very impressed by the variety and quality of the food.
Onboard Activities
Spent most of our pool time with the solarium (indoor) pool. Not because of the weather, we just enjoyed the peaceful music and the less hustle and bustle more than the outside pool. Our one request was the there be more frequent service attendants coming by to see if we needed drinks. The Relaxation Room and the Fitness Centers are both exceptional. Anyone looking for a good workout will find an abundance of equipment to suit their needs.
Entertainment
We especially enjoyed the very special show titled "Revelation" held nightly in Eden by an extremely talented troupe of young singers, dancers and acrobats. We returned to this show three times during our week and each time watched from a different location and saw something different each time.
Service and Staff
Everyone was extremely helpful and friendly. Very professional, hardworking. Always a smile.
Ship Quality
This beautiful ship was kept immaculate the entire week. Small items of trash left behind by passengers were scooped up almost immediately. Spills were taken care of immediately. Our stateroom attendant was super attentive and took care of our room perfectly. We found the ship a little easier to navigate than other ships we have been on, although I have always looked at getting lost on a cruise ship as one of the fun features. The layout of the Edge is quickly figured out as soon as you understand the difference between "aft" and "forward". These are marked prominently at the elevator banks along with signage indicating on what level and what direction all the primary facilities are.
Cabin / Stateroom
The room was a good size for the two of us and was laid out very efficiently. Would have liked the room to be about 6 inches wider or the bed about 6 inches shorter to give more room to get past the bed without feeling like I was bumping into the big (50") flat screen TV on the wall across from the bed. This was not a big deal to me however. The bed itself was extremely comfortable; firm, but not too firm, which was perfect for us.
The TV viewing offerings are far superior to any other cruise we have been on. An added plus is you are not bombarded by promotional videos every time you turn it on. When you turn it on it goes to a quiet home screen that has a picture of the ship and a very user friendly menu system that takes you to a large variety of live TV channels that do not disappear when you leave port, as well as dozens of movies in many genres.
The Infinite Veranda is a great feature. It expands the size of the room and provided a pleasant sitting area next to the bed. The TV is visible from one of the chairs with the other chair providing a handy foot rest. There was only one evening when we were prevented from lowering the window due to rain (it can be prevented from opening by the Captain during bad weather). Our only suggestion would be an additional way to lightly shade the window without the need to lower the blackout blind.
Care of the room was perfect throughout our stay. Despite our hectic and unpredictable comings and goings, the room was always fixed up after sleeping and was turned down at night before bed. Our room attendant was beautiful and friendly and always helpful with our questions.
One final small thing, the bathroom mirror is heated so that it never fogs up. And the heat it emits is enough to take the chill out of middle of the night bathroom trips.
Ship tip
Go to Eden around 9:30 pm, find a seat not too close to the platform stage, request a drink and be prepared to be entertained.
Thumbs up
1
Ports of call
Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida Did not visit port
We just passed through on the way to getting on the ship. Wasn't aware there was anything to do there.
We were only there a few hours during the day. Key West is best at night but the ship left at 5 PM.
Not a lot of activities there unless you take an excursion outside. Many shops with every imaginable souvenir, jewelry and other types of goods. Spent some fun time watching a dolphin experience and hanging out in a huge open air bar/restaurant shaded by the largest thatched roof in the world. Watched some amusing "Nacho Libre" style wrestle matches there while sipping a couple of beers. The staff gave me my space but were instantly by my side when I needed them.
Did a 3 hour sailing/snorkling excursion which I would highly recommend. Water was beautiful with the most incredible colors I have ever seen. I would go back just to watch the water while we sailed. Many,many fish, but the coral was so-so. Our guide said the coral would have looked better if it had been sunnier. Staff on the excursion were exceptional. All equipment, food and abundance of alcoholic and non-alcholic drinks were included.
We did a dophin "push/pull" experience at this port. We would highly recommend this excursion. A little nervous at first, but we quickly became accustomed to touching and interacting with these creatures following our instructors guidelines. In short order we where having our dolphins push us by our feet at high speed across a pool. In another session we were holding their fins while they swam on their back pulling us through the water. It was quite an amazing and enjoyable experience
Disembarkation
Had plenty of time to have breakfast before being called to leave the ship. The disembarkation process was very fast and efficient.
Traveler Photos
