Dug720
See the line where the sky meets the sea?
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2012
...and LOVED it!!! (As a note, I will use Celebrity and X interchangeably in here as they are the same. Celebrity was started by the Greek Chandris family, and in Greek X is the letter that equates to the “ch” sound, so X is the iconic symbol on all the Celebrity ships.)
I just got back yesterday from my first Celebrity cruise - a 7-night Western Caribbean that went to Key West, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman. We were supposed to go to Costa Maya, but due to strikes and blockades by taxi drivers and bus drivers, Captain Kate made the decision to cancel the port - both because we were the smallest ship in (around 2900 passengers) due in port (Harmony of the Seas and one of the NCL behemoths were due in also) so the port area would have been jammed with people and because there is always the possibility in strike/blockade situations of them turning violent. So we had a sea day and overnighted in Coumel.
The details of the cruise can be found here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2732738-live-trip-report-edge-216-23/
This is my comparison between Celebrity and DCL and my final verdict (if you don't like spoilers, don't look at my signature yet)... To note, I had a Single Stateroom with Infinite Veranda, so no special early boarding or restaurant perks. I did go in as a Captain's Club select member because of my status with Royal Caribbean. Also some things apply specifically to Edge Class - like their 4 dining rooms, Eden, and the Infinite Veranda
Embarkation:
You can do everything including taking your picture using Celebrity's app and have "Expedited Arrival". No going to the counter for you - a quick check with representatives with iPads (including them asking you the health questions in person) and then you can sit. They have a terminal in Port Everglades that was constructed specifically for the Edge class ships - other X ships use it when Edge is not in port (or Apex once she begins sailing out of PE). The suites are seated in a separate area - I got there about 10:30 and they were being escorted on board along with any Captain's Club Zenith cruisers (their highest level). The representatives in the terminal were having everyone sit down before they would begin boarding, so there was no crowd to weed through to board. Boarding started with Concierge guests, then Aqua Class (a category of stateroom), then Captain's Club Elite Plus, then Captain's Club Elite, then Captain's Club Select, and then anyone. I was on board before 11am.
No, you're not announced as you board, BUT you are offered a glass of sparkling cider or champagne when you board. Nice touch!
Also, you can go directly to your stateroom to get your key card (in a sealed envelope outside) and drop off your carry-ons.You can't stay in your cabin at that point, but it is SOOOOO nice to not have to schlep your stuff around.
Advantage: Celebrity
Food:
Buffet:
Those familiar with Royal's buffet will be right at home with Celebrity's Ocean View Cafe. Rather than a line - even a line with pods along the line - there are a couple of "lines with pods" but most is at stations in the center of that area. Lots of offerings every day, and they win the gluten-free desert game by a MILE!! Every day there was a variety of cakes to choose from as well as mousses, creme brulees, and ice cream (ice cream in a separate area). The last day they even has cake pops!! At breakfast they had a gluten free muffin made on board and options of gluten-free bread that was in a separate area with its own toaster. At lunch you could get gluten-free pizza that was prepared in its own oven! Lots of choices!! I did learn that (at least right now - I mentioned it and will mention it again in my follow-up email) you do need to ask with some things to be sure as the labeling is not always consistent - hopefully they will get that corrected.
Other quick service:
They have a grill for burgers and hot dogs, a coffee shop (fee) with included pastries INCLUDING fresh-made (not packaged) gluten-free macarons and one of the cake options, a Spa cafe with smoothies (fee) and light, healthy options, and Eden Cafe which has some breakfast wraps and such as well as lunch offerings. The latter two were not as gluten-friendly from the menu. I did not ask about options as I was full from the Ocean View Cafe.
Main Dining:
On Edge they have 4 main dining rooms. You either have Traditional Dining at either 6:00 or (I think) 8:30 OR Select Dining, where you can go at any point between 5:15 and 8:30 or 9. If you have Traditional, you are assigned to one of the 4 main dining rooms with a set table (usually shared) and the same service team each night. You can request to go to one of the other dining rooms, but you do have to request that and have it set via the maitre d'.
With Select (which I had), you can choose where you would like to eat. It's recommended to make reservations, which I did at a time between the fixed times but closer to Early - and I went to each of the dining rooms at least once. Each dining room has a small signature menu that remains the same each night - Normandie is French, Cosmopolitan is American, Tuscan is Italian, and Cyprus is Greek - the Celebrity Everyday items (standard type apps like escargots, caesar salad, French onion soup and entrees like chicken, steak, and salmon), and a section of the menu "Celebrity Signatures" that changes each night. Everyday and Signatures are the same in all 4 dining rooms. My favorite by far in terms of decor, service, and all around ambience was Tuscan. I was surprised by how much I liked Cyprus - decor-wise it is the least impressive (looks like an old conference hotel dining room) but service and food there was great.
Extra-charge Dining:
On Edge there are a few for-charge dining options. Raw on 5 is mainly Sushi, Le Petit Chef is a dinner where through animation you see little chefs prepare the dish that will appear (so if you're on an alternate menu it won't match) - at lunch this is a for-charge Bistro, the Rooftop Garden Grill which is steaks and other grilled things, Finer Cut Steakhouse which is steaks, and Eden which is an experience.
I only went to Eden on the final night, and I loved it!
A video review:
Simply put, it was an amazing dining experience!!
Advantage: Honestly it is pretty much a draw - I do love rotational dining on DCL with the same servers, but the food was every bit as good on Celebrity and other than some labeling inconsistency which is easily cleared by asking (and I have to ask period on DCL in the buffet, so...) I never felt unsafe with my wheat allergy. The extra care for gluten-free desserts that were made on board as opposed to pre-packaged Enjoy Life cookies and “soft foods” like mousse only on DCL makes me give X a slight edge. And as for pay restaurants, even with all of Disney’s creativity, there is nothing like Eden, and that completely won me over.
Stateroom:
A bit hard to do a direct comparison as Edge has single staterooms have the infinite verandas, which Disney does not have in either form.
I will freely state that the infinite verandas are a big source of debate over on Cruise Critic. People love them or hate them. Basically it makes the veranda a total extension of your cabin, sort of like a Florida room. There are French doors with frosted glass that can be closed to separate the veranda area from the cabin or left open. The window area goes floor to ceiling, and the top portion can be lowered. It can be locked by the bridge for cleaning (they announce that in the Daily Planner which you receive in your stateroom nightly) or in the event of weather that necessitates them being locked - I never experienced the weather and was on an excursion on port side cleaning day.
The single staterooms are about 50 square feet larger than the interior studios NCL has, plus you have the veranda. They are on Deck 6, so the lifeboats (sorry...launches - each one cost a million dollars and have extra features) are at the bottom of the window area, and some have the hardware that holds the lifeboats that blocks some of the view. Neither is a huge deal for me.
A video of my cabin:
Advantage:
Taking into account that these cabins are designed for solo travelers and as such do not have the single supplement, for me they are a game changer and it is not a true comparison as Disney does not have solo cabins. If I compare a 2-person cabin on X then often the price comes out to about the same, X maybe being a tad less. But with the single stateroom, which is perfect for me, there is no comparison. I can do 7 nights on X for pretty much what I would pay for a 4-night Dream Cruise.
Honestly, for me as a solo, unless and until Disney does solo cabins AND has at least some that are not interior, this is game, set, and match to X.
Entertainment:
Ok, this is overall the one area where I fully expected it to be game, set, and match to Disney...but it wasn’t quite the slam dunk I anticipated.
The shows on Celebrity may not fully have the story that Disney ships do (the first one looked like it was going to have a story, but lost the thread early on; the final night show “Colors of Life” had a story that , with different (read: Disney) music could fit right in on Disney.
The singers and dancers were all excellent and extremely talented and had some cabaret-type shows in the smaller Club venue as well.
I don’t do magicians or comedians regardless, so I cannot comment there.
There was a Cirque-type group that did a show in the Club which was generally good (even if I did roll my eyes and mutter “Called it” when it opened with the 2 girls doing a routine on 2 chandeliers to Sia’s “Chandelier”.
And then there was Eden. Eden as a whole is a 3-deck area complete with a living wall, a bar with very unique drinks available, the cafe for breakfast and lunch, many different seating areas and different types of seating, and the restaurant at night. There is a group of entertainers hired by X specifically as “Edenists” and they will interact in the restaurant but they also have a show “Revelations” that is essentially the Adam and Eve story but more generic - like the male and female sides of the world. There is some singing and dancing, and some interactive elements. Again, it elicits strong feelings on both sides. I have seen someone call it “Disney meets Avatar” but given that Pandora is my favorite world in WDW, that is hardly the insult they intended it to be.
Advantage:
This is really the only true draw, which surprised me. Based on my entertainment experience on Holland America and in particular Royal Caribbean (since it is Celebrity’s parent company) I expected Disney to win this one hands down. But I was pleasantly surprised with entertainment on X.
Service:
Nothing to really detail here - it was a draw. My stateroom host, my servers, and every crew member I encountered was polite and friendly and helpful. They were always cleaning the public areas, and the service was excellent.
General Observations:
* Celebrity does skew older, though there were a fair number of children on this sailing as it was Presidents’ Week. But they were generally well-behaved and seemed happy with their club (called Camp At Sea) experiences from little snippets I overheard.
* There is a casino onboard, but smoking is not allowed inside, so even if you walk through you do not have to deal with a nasty stench.
* Quite simply, the ship is a work of art. There are unique pieces all throughout the ship. They do offer a tour that comes with a coffee table book, but I refused to pay $139 for it.
Overall:
I loved it! I had already booked a cruise on the Apex - Edge’s twin which will be launching in the next few weeks - for summer 2021 for my 50th birthday based on the itinerary. Within a couple of hours on board, I had booked the week before so I will have my first back-to-back experience. And by the end of the cruise I had booked Presidents’ Week for 2021 and 2022. (My travel agent joked that she liked having me booked in the forward section as I seemed to keep tripping and falling into Future Cruises.) I’m sure that if the itinerary and price is right, I will be back on Disney - and perhaps they will have non-interior solo cabins on the new ships - but I really have fallen in love with Celebrity. At least their Edge class ships!
I’ll try to answer any questions I can.
I just got back yesterday from my first Celebrity cruise - a 7-night Western Caribbean that went to Key West, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman. We were supposed to go to Costa Maya, but due to strikes and blockades by taxi drivers and bus drivers, Captain Kate made the decision to cancel the port - both because we were the smallest ship in (around 2900 passengers) due in port (Harmony of the Seas and one of the NCL behemoths were due in also) so the port area would have been jammed with people and because there is always the possibility in strike/blockade situations of them turning violent. So we had a sea day and overnighted in Coumel.
The details of the cruise can be found here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2732738-live-trip-report-edge-216-23/
This is my comparison between Celebrity and DCL and my final verdict (if you don't like spoilers, don't look at my signature yet)... To note, I had a Single Stateroom with Infinite Veranda, so no special early boarding or restaurant perks. I did go in as a Captain's Club select member because of my status with Royal Caribbean. Also some things apply specifically to Edge Class - like their 4 dining rooms, Eden, and the Infinite Veranda
Embarkation:
You can do everything including taking your picture using Celebrity's app and have "Expedited Arrival". No going to the counter for you - a quick check with representatives with iPads (including them asking you the health questions in person) and then you can sit. They have a terminal in Port Everglades that was constructed specifically for the Edge class ships - other X ships use it when Edge is not in port (or Apex once she begins sailing out of PE). The suites are seated in a separate area - I got there about 10:30 and they were being escorted on board along with any Captain's Club Zenith cruisers (their highest level). The representatives in the terminal were having everyone sit down before they would begin boarding, so there was no crowd to weed through to board. Boarding started with Concierge guests, then Aqua Class (a category of stateroom), then Captain's Club Elite Plus, then Captain's Club Elite, then Captain's Club Select, and then anyone. I was on board before 11am.
No, you're not announced as you board, BUT you are offered a glass of sparkling cider or champagne when you board. Nice touch!
Also, you can go directly to your stateroom to get your key card (in a sealed envelope outside) and drop off your carry-ons.You can't stay in your cabin at that point, but it is SOOOOO nice to not have to schlep your stuff around.
Advantage: Celebrity
Food:
Buffet:
Those familiar with Royal's buffet will be right at home with Celebrity's Ocean View Cafe. Rather than a line - even a line with pods along the line - there are a couple of "lines with pods" but most is at stations in the center of that area. Lots of offerings every day, and they win the gluten-free desert game by a MILE!! Every day there was a variety of cakes to choose from as well as mousses, creme brulees, and ice cream (ice cream in a separate area). The last day they even has cake pops!! At breakfast they had a gluten free muffin made on board and options of gluten-free bread that was in a separate area with its own toaster. At lunch you could get gluten-free pizza that was prepared in its own oven! Lots of choices!! I did learn that (at least right now - I mentioned it and will mention it again in my follow-up email) you do need to ask with some things to be sure as the labeling is not always consistent - hopefully they will get that corrected.
Other quick service:
They have a grill for burgers and hot dogs, a coffee shop (fee) with included pastries INCLUDING fresh-made (not packaged) gluten-free macarons and one of the cake options, a Spa cafe with smoothies (fee) and light, healthy options, and Eden Cafe which has some breakfast wraps and such as well as lunch offerings. The latter two were not as gluten-friendly from the menu. I did not ask about options as I was full from the Ocean View Cafe.
Main Dining:
On Edge they have 4 main dining rooms. You either have Traditional Dining at either 6:00 or (I think) 8:30 OR Select Dining, where you can go at any point between 5:15 and 8:30 or 9. If you have Traditional, you are assigned to one of the 4 main dining rooms with a set table (usually shared) and the same service team each night. You can request to go to one of the other dining rooms, but you do have to request that and have it set via the maitre d'.
With Select (which I had), you can choose where you would like to eat. It's recommended to make reservations, which I did at a time between the fixed times but closer to Early - and I went to each of the dining rooms at least once. Each dining room has a small signature menu that remains the same each night - Normandie is French, Cosmopolitan is American, Tuscan is Italian, and Cyprus is Greek - the Celebrity Everyday items (standard type apps like escargots, caesar salad, French onion soup and entrees like chicken, steak, and salmon), and a section of the menu "Celebrity Signatures" that changes each night. Everyday and Signatures are the same in all 4 dining rooms. My favorite by far in terms of decor, service, and all around ambience was Tuscan. I was surprised by how much I liked Cyprus - decor-wise it is the least impressive (looks like an old conference hotel dining room) but service and food there was great.
Extra-charge Dining:
On Edge there are a few for-charge dining options. Raw on 5 is mainly Sushi, Le Petit Chef is a dinner where through animation you see little chefs prepare the dish that will appear (so if you're on an alternate menu it won't match) - at lunch this is a for-charge Bistro, the Rooftop Garden Grill which is steaks and other grilled things, Finer Cut Steakhouse which is steaks, and Eden which is an experience.
I only went to Eden on the final night, and I loved it!
A video review:
Simply put, it was an amazing dining experience!!
Advantage: Honestly it is pretty much a draw - I do love rotational dining on DCL with the same servers, but the food was every bit as good on Celebrity and other than some labeling inconsistency which is easily cleared by asking (and I have to ask period on DCL in the buffet, so...) I never felt unsafe with my wheat allergy. The extra care for gluten-free desserts that were made on board as opposed to pre-packaged Enjoy Life cookies and “soft foods” like mousse only on DCL makes me give X a slight edge. And as for pay restaurants, even with all of Disney’s creativity, there is nothing like Eden, and that completely won me over.
Stateroom:
A bit hard to do a direct comparison as Edge has single staterooms have the infinite verandas, which Disney does not have in either form.
I will freely state that the infinite verandas are a big source of debate over on Cruise Critic. People love them or hate them. Basically it makes the veranda a total extension of your cabin, sort of like a Florida room. There are French doors with frosted glass that can be closed to separate the veranda area from the cabin or left open. The window area goes floor to ceiling, and the top portion can be lowered. It can be locked by the bridge for cleaning (they announce that in the Daily Planner which you receive in your stateroom nightly) or in the event of weather that necessitates them being locked - I never experienced the weather and was on an excursion on port side cleaning day.
The single staterooms are about 50 square feet larger than the interior studios NCL has, plus you have the veranda. They are on Deck 6, so the lifeboats (sorry...launches - each one cost a million dollars and have extra features) are at the bottom of the window area, and some have the hardware that holds the lifeboats that blocks some of the view. Neither is a huge deal for me.
A video of my cabin:
Advantage:
Taking into account that these cabins are designed for solo travelers and as such do not have the single supplement, for me they are a game changer and it is not a true comparison as Disney does not have solo cabins. If I compare a 2-person cabin on X then often the price comes out to about the same, X maybe being a tad less. But with the single stateroom, which is perfect for me, there is no comparison. I can do 7 nights on X for pretty much what I would pay for a 4-night Dream Cruise.
Honestly, for me as a solo, unless and until Disney does solo cabins AND has at least some that are not interior, this is game, set, and match to X.
Entertainment:
Ok, this is overall the one area where I fully expected it to be game, set, and match to Disney...but it wasn’t quite the slam dunk I anticipated.
The shows on Celebrity may not fully have the story that Disney ships do (the first one looked like it was going to have a story, but lost the thread early on; the final night show “Colors of Life” had a story that , with different (read: Disney) music could fit right in on Disney.
The singers and dancers were all excellent and extremely talented and had some cabaret-type shows in the smaller Club venue as well.
I don’t do magicians or comedians regardless, so I cannot comment there.
There was a Cirque-type group that did a show in the Club which was generally good (even if I did roll my eyes and mutter “Called it” when it opened with the 2 girls doing a routine on 2 chandeliers to Sia’s “Chandelier”.
And then there was Eden. Eden as a whole is a 3-deck area complete with a living wall, a bar with very unique drinks available, the cafe for breakfast and lunch, many different seating areas and different types of seating, and the restaurant at night. There is a group of entertainers hired by X specifically as “Edenists” and they will interact in the restaurant but they also have a show “Revelations” that is essentially the Adam and Eve story but more generic - like the male and female sides of the world. There is some singing and dancing, and some interactive elements. Again, it elicits strong feelings on both sides. I have seen someone call it “Disney meets Avatar” but given that Pandora is my favorite world in WDW, that is hardly the insult they intended it to be.
Advantage:
This is really the only true draw, which surprised me. Based on my entertainment experience on Holland America and in particular Royal Caribbean (since it is Celebrity’s parent company) I expected Disney to win this one hands down. But I was pleasantly surprised with entertainment on X.
Service:
Nothing to really detail here - it was a draw. My stateroom host, my servers, and every crew member I encountered was polite and friendly and helpful. They were always cleaning the public areas, and the service was excellent.
General Observations:
* Celebrity does skew older, though there were a fair number of children on this sailing as it was Presidents’ Week. But they were generally well-behaved and seemed happy with their club (called Camp At Sea) experiences from little snippets I overheard.
* There is a casino onboard, but smoking is not allowed inside, so even if you walk through you do not have to deal with a nasty stench.
* Quite simply, the ship is a work of art. There are unique pieces all throughout the ship. They do offer a tour that comes with a coffee table book, but I refused to pay $139 for it.
Overall:
I loved it! I had already booked a cruise on the Apex - Edge’s twin which will be launching in the next few weeks - for summer 2021 for my 50th birthday based on the itinerary. Within a couple of hours on board, I had booked the week before so I will have my first back-to-back experience. And by the end of the cruise I had booked Presidents’ Week for 2021 and 2022. (My travel agent joked that she liked having me booked in the forward section as I seemed to keep tripping and falling into Future Cruises.) I’m sure that if the itinerary and price is right, I will be back on Disney - and perhaps they will have non-interior solo cabins on the new ships - but I really have fallen in love with Celebrity. At least their Edge class ships!
I’ll try to answer any questions I can.