Beautiful but missed the mark on so many levels
Celebrity Edge Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 45
11 Night Amalfi Coast & Greek Isles (Rome Roundtrip)
Sail date: May 25, 2019
Ship: Celebrity Edge
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 9261
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
While we enjoyed our cruise, any cruise is a good cruise and we went to some beautiful places, we were disappointed in the Edge. We missed the feeling of being on a ship. First, the Infinite Veranda is not a Veranda, it's a big window. You do not feel like you are outside, because you are not. The Promenade is missing. No walking around the deck. Separating off the entire front of the ship and making it off limits for most of the passengers was a terrible idea. The layout of the pool area doesn't flow at all. The Eden area is a waste of a beautiful view out the back of the ship. The sunset bar is small with very limited seating. The Magic Carpet is a gimmick looking for a reason to be. The Martini Bar is beautiful but small. The Atrium is tiny and noisy. The elevators are fast but enclosed, not glass like in the other ships. The entire ship felt closed in. If you aren't walking around the upper deck you can't really see the ocean. It is beautiful, it is innovative, it is creative but it has lost so many of the qualities of sailing on a ship. The Edge is not inexpensive to sail on. Everything is an add-on. The classic drink package is now very basic and most drinks are an additional charge. The specialty restaurants are pricey. We went to 4 and none were worth the cost. The shops on board are very high end. We saw no one shopping there during our cruise. The excursions were pricey but were good with the exception of one. For us, after putting a pencil to it, we will be cruising with an all-inclusive line from now on. It seemed like we were nickel & dimed a lot on this ship. But more than that, the focus seems to have been on designing a nice hotel and in the process, they've lost the qualities of a ship.Embarkation
Celebrity has this down. Easy and quick but we did have to go to customer service several days into the trip to let them scan our credit card even though all of that had been done online before we left home.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
A bit disappointed with the food. The specialty restaurants are not worth the extra cost and every restaurant is very noisy. Design of ship puts everyone in a central atrium of noise over the martini bar. During dinner at Fine Cut, we couldn't even talk to each other over the noise from the bar downstairs. In Blu, the noise level was equally high.
Onboard Activities
Not much to do really. The pool area was beautiful but the hot tubs are located 2 decks above. A long walk or stair climb to get to them. Only one very small bar near the pool and there is always a long line. The entertainers have to play from behind a large pillar tucked out of sight on the floor above. This is a terrible layout.
Entertainment
The ship's musicians (one band who worked so hard all over the ship) and the stage shows were good. The guest performers were terrible. One guy talked about the "history of Rock and Roll" and the talks were boring. We only went to one.
Service and Staff
The staff, for the most part, were wonderful. The only ones who weren't were the bartenders at the main pool who were clearly overworked. They had a hard time serving everyone.
Ship Quality
The ship was very clean but the design is terrible. No promenade. No windows in most restaurants that don't look out at lifeboats. No front lounge (the entire front of the ship is off limits unless you are a guest in a Suite). Eden takes up three decks on the back of the ship and no one is ever there. Seating is strange and doesn't take advantage of the view and space just doesn't work. The infinite "veranda" is simply a big window that opens. When opened you can't use the A/C. The folding doors are worthless and in the way. The pool Cabanas were empty most days (there is a charge for these). The Magic Carpet, while interesting, was so windy most days that is was unpleasant to use. We ate dinner there one evening ($99 pp) and while the food was amazing it was a joke trying to keep the food on the plate and we were wrapped in blankets trying to endure the wind. Many people just gave up and left. The wine steward couldn't even pour the wine without it blowing to the next table. I could go on but I'll stop.
Cabin / Stateroom
The bed was very comfy. Pillows are feather and go flat immediately but they will bring you whatever you want. The room does seem bigger because of the infinite veranda but it's not worth the trade-off if you like to go outside and experience the ocean. It is just a big window. The storage is great. The bathroom (we had aqua class) is large and well laid out. We did have a problem with the mirror. It is heated to reduce fogging but it is over-heated! It ran you out of the bathroom. We asked if it could be turned down and was told it could not. The bathroom was always hot. The shower drain would back up and flood the floor every time we showered. There are no hooks to hang anything on other than two very small ones on the back of the door where they put robes. No place for a wet towel or swimsuit.
Ship tip
I wouldn't book it again but it is an interesting ship. If you can get a suite maybe you would have a better experience since you would have access to more of the ship.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Terribly crowded. Went to the Acropolis and was herded through thousands of folks. Then on to Plaka after for lunch and it was crazy. Our guide took us for a long walk past many sidewalk cafes only to end up standing in line to get a wrap handed to us through a side-door and being told to "find a place to sit" somewhere. Oh, and you can find your own drink. Terrible.
Disembarkation
We were off the ship quickly. No lines. Celebrity always does a good job with this.