First Celebrity Cruise, walked away totally satisfied.

Item: Celebrity Edge
Rating: 4.6
Author: GIL155

Celebrity Edge Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

GIL155

Contributor Level: Captain

49 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 69

Overall rating:

4.6 out of 5

10 Night Ultimate Southern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 12, 2022

Ship: Celebrity Edge

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 6273

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

I was so happy I had the chance to enjoy the Celebrity Edge. Part of the pleasure could have been the low passenger attendance for this particular cruise. I was told between 1400-1500 passengers were aboard (or about half full). Everything was available, seating was never an issue. The ships crew was such a pleasure to interact with (which I did frequently - I am a talker). Captain (Master) Tasos Kafetzis was so much admired by his crew. The Cruise Director, Lewis, is probably the first Cruise Director I have ever experienced who was very interactive, entertaining (and as usual for most Cruise Directors) ALWAYS present and positive !!

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Started the embarkation process with on-line app. I believe from the time I left the group bus, less than 45 minutes elapsed before I was in my cabin. Maybe 30-minutes. Extremely efficient.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Le Petite Chef is my #1 all-time most memorable dining experience. The Fine Cut steak house was noisy due to location just off the main entertainment area. I was told newer ships of this class have added a noise barrier. Next dry dock, the Edge will be enhanced. The buffet was nice. Frequently different Countries are highlighted, so different foods are available. The main dining restaurants are all adequate with a good rotation of entrees. The group I was with had the premium beverage package. So nice not to EVER worry about drinks. The staff NEVER expected a tip (but yes, I did some additional tipping at the end to my favorites).

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Good selection and variety every day. Over 50 items listed. I was with my group mostly, yet the opportunity to enjoy the ship was plentiful.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

I liked the main shows, especially the Liars Club special event. The piazza singers were OK, but did not WOW me. The song and dance entertainers, like most ships, are talented with a ton of energy.

Children's Programs

No Children.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Disclaimer - I am Princess Elite. I always wanted to try Celebrity. The Staff/crew is what made this cruise so memorable. Everyone made time to talk to me (and I talked to many). Highlights are the buffet hand wash Lady (Widi) and the Lady at the head of the buffet line (Susanti). On day three of the ten, they asked my name and remembered it each and every time we met. So personable, and professional. Wonderful employees and roles models for Celebrity Cruises. Even the buffet 'busgirl' Elsa, and the coffee cart Lady Jennylyn, were excellent crew members, always there with a smile and a short happy conversation.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The Housekeeping and Maintenance staffs were ALWAYS sanitizing and cleaning the common areas. My room Steward, Husni was fantastic !! At the first port stop, I even saw the crew cleaning the exhaust stacks from the engines. Little details, that make the ship so overall impressive.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

A balcony with a twist. Expanded room with an enclosed balcony. A mechanical screen, when closed, made the room so very dark - sleeping was great! The screen could be opened during the day, and the top half of the balcony window lowered to experience the ocean breeze. I never opened the window, but it was an interesting feature. I do believe, I prefer my normal balcony experience better, but this was interesting (in a good way). The bathroom was top shelf in design and functionality.

Ship tip

My biggest difference was odd cabin numbers on one side of the ship, even numbers on the opposite side. It took a couple days to get used to this (for me).

Thumbs up

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Again, fantastically fast. Docking about 0700, first group off at 0730. As I had a late flight, I was the second to last group scheduled to depart at 0915. I believe they called our group a little after 0900, left the ship, picked up my bag, walked up to a screen which showed my face, and I was cleared to leave the terminal. Again, under 30-minutes. Surprisingly fast !!

Traveler Photos

Cleaning the Ship's Stacks in port (2 of 2)

St Maarten. Small ship on right pulling in anchor, grabs ship on left anchor too.

OH, MY !! Two anchors !! Unfortunately the Edge left port without a seperation (saw two attempts)

The cabin gets VERY dark when the automatic blind is fully closed.

Operated power plants most of my life. I love the power, exhibited in the stack exhaust.

Walking around a half empty ship is easy (1 of 2)

7 Comments

GIL155 1 year ago

willwork4cruz - as I stated in the review, I am Princess Elite so that comes with a lot of perks. That said - I WILL do Celebrity again. Most new ships are special, but the Celebrity Crew/Staff were amazing!! They are enough to gladly return for another Celebrity cruise. Perhaps because only half full, this cruise seemed quieter, but I liked always having a seat, never a wait,and feeling appreciated - even as a first-timer. IMO - Celebrity did about everything right. Just like Arnold says -- "I'll be back"

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willwork4cruz 1 year ago

Gill155, so what's you overall impression of Celebrity compared to Princess? We took some Celebrity cruises a long time ago and loved it.

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GIL155 1 year ago

wkran71 - I will definitely cruise with Celebrity again. If for no other reason, than just to have someone with me to enjoy Le Petite Chef (and family) dining experience. Gotta add, one couple in our group DID NOT like the animated characters on their dining plates prior to eating their meal. The rest of us - TOTAL amazement.

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javawoody 1 year ago

Thanks for the feedback

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Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise

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wkran71 1 year ago

Thanks for taking the time to write your review. Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Wondered if you would cruise with Celebrity again.

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cruising2004 1 year ago

Thank you for sharing your experience. Glad you had a great time!

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