Celebrity Edge

Highlights Of Celebrity Cruiseline’s Newest Ship… “Celebrity Edge”!

Celebrity Edge
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Recently we sailed on Celebrity Cruiseline’s Newest Ship… “Celebrity Edge”!

As this was Celebrity’s first new ship in 6 years she was for sure HIGHLY anticipated… especially since “by design” Celebrity Edge was built to offer many Different & Unique experiences that can’t be
found 
on other ships in the Celebrity Fleet!

If you Google “Celebrity Edge” no doubt you’ll come across a ton of articles from Travel Agents & Media who will all name the same few highlights they experienced during their 1 or 2 days onboard during “Preview Sailings” but (as we describe here in # 6)…

as we like to give our clients WAY better reviews than that, we decided to sail on Celebrity Edge for a week on our own dime so we could tell you about the best restaurants to eat in, the best rooms to stay in, the best entertainment to experience, etc.

Basically, we want to give you an in-depth review of Celebrity Edge to help you see if sailing on this new ship is a fit for you or not (and we’ll give you a couple of the ship’s downfalls too) so you won’t need to make your decision based on all the “hype” reviews that all plug the same few features the Cruiseline points out!


Okay, let’s get going! 🙂

Celebrity "The Retreat" Logo
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Like our last Celebrity Cruise two years earlier, we made sure to stay in a Suite when onboard Celebrity Edge as, as we talk about in this detailed Blog Post and as Celebrity goes over here, staying in a Suite when onboard Celebrity Cruises DEFINITELY enhances your experience when onboard a big ship/mass-market line!!

And right away one of the big highlights we noticed onboard Celebrity Edge was that her “The Retreat” perks & benefits were even better than when onboard our last sailing!!

The main reason is because this is Celebrity’s first new ship that they built since they launched their “The Retreat” program 3 years earlier so they made improvements based on guest feedback from their other ships & they designed Celebrity Edge with their “The Retreat” in mind from day 1.


First off, as we mention in the captions under the pictures here and here, like on Celebrity’s other ships, Celebrity Edge has a private restaurant & private lounge for their Suite guests but what was special onboard Celebrity Edge was that these venues are much more private & more exclusive & are closer to some of the top Suites which makes their locations very convenient… and, due to their ideal higher deck locations, these venues provide WAY better views onboard Celebrity Edge compared to their other ships. Check out this view from the private lounge for Suite guests!!

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A NEW feature onboard Celebrity Edge (that has been so well received it’s being implemented into their older ships) for Suite guests is “The Retreat” Sundeckwe REALLY liked it up here & thought it was a highlight on Celebrity Edge for sure!!

Whether you wanted to have a drink, a light meal, take a dip in the pool or simply chill out & suntan… this was the PERFECT place to do those things in an EXCLUSIVE setting… not having to head to the main pool at 8am to get the perfect spot for the day… as anytime we went to “The “Retreat” Sundeck onboard Celebrity Edge there seemed to be lots of space for all of the Suite guests.. overall, it was a GREAT new perk!! 🙂

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Check out this picture & the several that follow it to see some visuals of this new space onboard Celebrity Edge… FYI, most of the pics have a caption under them to explain what you’re seeing.


By the way, you may notice sometimes in our photo & video gallery we said “Suite Class” (the old way Celebrity described their program for Suite guests) & other times we said “The Retreat”. (the new way they’re describing it)

FYI, going forward keep “The Retreat” in mind when you’re on Celebrity’s Site looking at more details as this is the area you want to stay in & have access to if quality & exclusivity are important to you when you Cruise!

As we talk about in this picture & the next one, whenever we saw “The Retreat” logo somewhere onboard Celebrity Edge we were excited as we knew it meant a high quality product was nearby and/or a venue that was going to add some “Luxury” to our Vacation!! 🙂

 

FYI, like onboard Celebrity’s other ships they have Sky Suites, Celebrity Suites, Royal Suites & Penthouse Suites onboard Celebrity Edge…

…BUT, if you’re a Suite Lover & are looking for a new/exciting room type to try, you’re in luck as onboard Celebrity Edge they have 2 new Suites!

1. Iconic Suites: If you love BIG then this Suite is for you… as you’ll see in this video they’re the biggest Suites onboard Celebrity’s Fleet at almost 2,600 square feet!!

2. Edge Villas: As we talk about in this video we LOVED this room… it was also roomy at 950 square feet but the highlights for sure were the Hot Tub on the patio & the view from the bedroom… PERFECT for a Romantic get-away for a week or 2!! 🙂


FYI, this link will take you to a great resource that explains more about “The Retreat” for Suite Guests & it explains what “Perks” come with each type of Suite.

 


Speaking of new room types, new Suites weren’t the only new rooms onboard Celebrity Edge… here are 2 other new room styles unique to the Fleet:

1. Infinite Verandas: As we share in this video these are VERY similar to a “French Balcony” room onboard a Tauck, Uniworld or Crystal River Cruise ship… from reviews we’re seeing online not everyone likes this style of room but after being on 62 Cruises our personal opinion is these are a “Smart” style of room as if the weather isn’t agreeable & you can’t use your outside Balcony you can “Close Up” your Balcony and not lose 1 foot of square footage which is great as we’ve been on ships where it was too windy to go outside so we were forced to sit on the bed when enjoying our room.

2. Infinite Verandas for Single/Solo Travellers: As you’ll see in this video this room is PERFECT for 1 guest & they don’t get “dinged” with the nasty 100% extra “Single Supplement” when staying in this room!!

 

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One last word about the rooms, we LOVED the new technology that they all came with… a wall control as well as controls on your phone (through the Celebrity Edge app… perfect when in Bed!) where you could control the lights, the drapes, the TV, etc. When on Vacation NOBODY wants to have to work too hard so these little new technologies all made things nice & simple!! 🙂

 

 

 

While we’re on the technology topic the Internet connection was GREAT onboard Celebrity Edge… it was pretty much the fastest we’ve ever experienced at Sea & we COULD make VOIP calls when at Sea which is Super important to us as we always need to be available for clients… with technology like this now on Ships you may find us more & more at Sea!! 🙂


Also, the Port used Facial Recognition software to help with embarkation/disembarkation… we literally walked past a camera in the port when getting off the ship & didn’t need to stop or show our passports… talk about a FAST experience compared to normal… no doubt new technology isn’t always the best thing but in this instance you’ll appreciate it compared to the normal 100s of people lined up/going through customs!

 

Okay, so far we talked about the enhanced Suite program, the new room types & the new technology onboard Celebrity Edge.

 

Here are the other highlights we thought stuck out onboard Celebrity Edge:

Magic Carpet onboard Celebrity Edge
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Magic Carpet
– If you’ve read any reviews for Celebrity Edge NO DOUBT you’ve heard about the “Magic Carpet”!! In this picture & the next one after it we give you some visuals & we describe how it’s an “Elevator Style” Venue that gets you close to the Sea where you can have a drink, a meal, meet up with friends, etc. No doubt it’s a unique venue that you’ll want to visit at least once when onboard Celebrity Edge!

 

Eden onboard Celebrity Edge
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Eden– If you check out this picture & the dozen or so pictures & videos that follow that one (and if you read the captions under each picture & video) you’ll see we describe “Eden” in great detail! As we mention (and you’ll know what we mean once you check out “Eden” yourself onboard Celebrity Edge) “Eden” is a SUPER tough venue to describe as it’s an “experience” type of place that you need to “feel” yourself… the bottom line though is you can chill out there, enjoy a light lunch, people watch, there’s some VERY unique & cool entertainment you can experience performed live by Eden’s “Inhabitants” in the evenings and you can have a VERY unique & VERY yummy meal at the “Eden” restaurant!!

Overall, we think Eden is a venue that’s worth visiting for at least one full day & evening during your Cruise to get the full experience so you can appreciate this unique venue that Celebrity designed that’s truly unlike anything we’ve experienced before at Sea!! 🙂

 

New Restaurants– We thought a few of the new restaurants onboard Celebrity Edge were highlights to point out… as we mentioned above we really enjoyed the restaurant at “Eden” & we totally thought it was worth the $65 per person charge! That’s not the only new restaurant we really enjoyed though… as we share in this video (and the few that follow it) we thought “Le Petite Chef” was a truly AMAZING dining experience that we WON’T forget for a very long time & one we HIGHLY recommend you experience for yourself… it’s about the most FUN you’ll ever have while sharing a meal with your loved one(s) & friends! 🙂 And as we show in this picture & the next few, there’s not much to not Love at “Raw on 5” when yummy Sushi & a “Tower” of Seafood are the highlights!! 🙂

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Separate “Main” Dining Rooms– Okay, we have to be upfront about this… we NEVER actually ate in the “Main” dining rooms during our entire Cruise onboard Celebrity Edge (between eating at ALL the specialty Restaurants onboard & at “Luminae” there was no time to squeeze them in) but we thought separating the Traditional 1 main dining room into 4 smaller venues made a lot of sense! (If you’ve actually dined in these places & disagree, let us know why i& possibly we’ll update this section! ;-)) It just looked more appealing when we walked by these smaller/more intimate venues that weren’t as crowded and for sure weren’t as loud as when you have 1,000+ people in 1 big dining room at the same time! Also, because these 4 restaurants had their own “Theme” (American with Global Influences/French/Seafood/Italian) we thought it was pretty cool that they all had the same “Main” dining room menu each night but also a specialty dish or 2 based on their theme… even though we have no problem spending extra money onboard to go to all the specialty restaurants, not everyone feels the same, so for those who want to eat for free the entire time onboard we think it’s great they can go to 4 totally “different feeling” places with some unique dishes!

 

Entertainment onboard Celebrity Edge
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Entertainment– We went to EVERY show onboard Celebrity Edge in the Main Theatre & we REALLY enjoyed ALL the entertainment & thought it was a MAJOR highlight of our Cruise!! If you check out this picture and the 1/2 dozen pictures & videos that follow it (and if you read all the captions underneath) you’ll see we mentioned not everyone onboard enjoyed the Entertainment as much as we did. We’re really not sure why besides the fact it was very modern style Entertainment but as we mention in our pictures & videos, even if you didn’t love all the new music & didn’t 100% understand the stories you can’t argue these weren’t a passionate & skillful bunch of performers! We’re confident if you take our advice & open your mind & go to ALL the shows your evenings will be very “Entertaining” ones when onboard Celebrity Edge! 🙂

 

The Club onboard Celebrity Edge
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“The Club”– Like on other Celebrity ships they have a nightclub onboard Celebrity Edge with a DJ/Dancing every night so that wasn’t new but we really did like their new 2 story-style venue called “The Club”… and since they still had their Famous “Silent Disco” in there 1 night it made it even better! 🙂

 

 

 

Resort deck onboard Celebrity Edge
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Resort Deck– In our opinion, Celebrity Edge designers did a VERY god job when it comes to the main Pool area and they made some major improvements which was a highlight… for one, they named it “The Resort Deck” which sounds much better then simply “The Pool”! 🙂 But as you’ll see in this picture & the few after it, not only the name made it better but also the way they bring guests closer to the Ocean and the “Ramp” between decks was very cool as was the “Martini” shaped hot-tubs & the walk-way at the Cabana area. Overall, it’s a GREAT place to spend some time during a relaxing Sea Day! 🙂

 

Thermal Suite Onboard Celebrity Edge
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Thermal SuiteWe thought the “Thermal Suite” area at the Spa onboard Celebrity Edge was improved compared to other ships… as you’ll see here they have heated beds there like on other ships but in the pictures that follow you’ll see a salt room, a Crystalarium, etc. If you’re into LOTS of relaxation like us it’s hard to argue that the new additions here aren’t good ones! 🙂

 

 

 

Grand Plaza Onboard Celebrity Edge
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Grand Plaza– As you’ll see in this picture (and you’ll appreciate it WAAAY more once you’re onboard & are standing there yourself!) the “Grand Plaza” onboard Celebrity Edge is a Beautiful/Exciting/Energetic venue that’s the perfect “Heart of the Ship”! Not much to say here except for if you like to “Spend a night out on the town” when you’re on a Cruise Ship you’ll for sure be getting to know this Beautifully designed area!! 🙂

 

 

Well, there you go, that’s what we thought were the biggest highlights of Celebrity’s brand new “Celebrity Edge” ship! 🙂

 

By the way, anything we DIDN’T love onboard Celebrity Edge?

Not much, but here’s a few things we think Celebrity can improve upon when they build the “Celebrity Apex” & other “Celebrity Edge Class” ships:

We thought the Shops onboard were WAAAY too expensive!! They had “Bvlgari” onboard, “Tiffany’s”, “Cartier”, etc. If you follow our blog updates & reviews you’ll know we also Cruise on small/Luxury ships A LOT and although these shops may work on Regent, Seabourn, Silversea, etc. they didn’t seem to appeal much to Celebrity’s clientele. We heard A LOT of people complaining how there was nothing affordable to buy. And we totally agreed with them! As it was a few days before Christmas when we sailed we planned to shop onboard as we usually always find good deals on the big ship Cruises but not this time around… anyways, we’re guessing based on feedback they’ll change this over time & on their newer ships but if one of the main reasons you go on a Cruise is for the bargains at the shops this ship may not be for you! No worries though if you don’t need to shop onboard, there were still good deals to be had in San Juan, St. Maarten & Tortola as there will be in the other Caribbean ports Celebrity Edge visits! 🙂

 

Speaking of overpriced items, we did think the prices for the “Eden” & “Le Petite Chef” Restaurants ($65 per person & $55 per person respectively) were worth it due to the entertainment components they came with but we felt “Fine” Steakhouse & “The Rooftop Grill” were both too much money! Don’t gets us wrong, we LOVED the meals at both places & if you’ve got some onboard credit to blow onboard go for it as they make for nice nights out but at $55 per person at “Fine” we thought it was too much compared to other ships with similar restaurants being $25-$30 & same with “The Rooftop Grill” where we paid $45 per person to split a burger & 1/2 brisket & 1/2 ribs which would have cost a lot less on land. Again though, these were YUMMY meals, we just hope they lower the price a little to increase the value of these venues!

 

Even though we thought this walkway was Beautiful it didn’t seem fair that everyone was walking through there and past the “Cabana” guests who paid $100s for their Cabana rentals for the day… there were signs that said “Private Area” but as no staff were there “Policing” it lots of people walked through here so we hope for the sake of those who rent Cabanas, they start to “Police” this area with staff or change the design of the Cabana area on their future ships for more privacy.

 

So, as you can see, there wasn’t much we didn’t like about Celebrity’s newest ship… overall, we felt Celebrity Edge was a VERY modern designed/modern feeling Ship which we liked… it had bright colours, beautiful woods, it was “high tech” & had good energy!

If you’re an avid/loyal Celebrity Cruiser who loves their older style ships it may take some getting used to the newer venues onboard Celebrity Edge but no doubt once you do you’ll enjoy! 🙂

 

Want to see more pictures & videos & get LOTS MORE DETAILS about Celebrity Edge? If so, visit here and make sure to read all the captions underneath the pictures & videos!

 

Ready to book your own Cruise onboard Celebrity Edge or on another Celebrity Ship or other Ocean Cruiseline or on a River Cruise or Tauck Land Tour?

If so, contact Shawn here and he’ll help you plan your next Amazing Vacation!! 🙂

 

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Nancy & Shawn
Your Trusted Cruise Experts!

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