With all the hype over the new Celebrity ship, I wanted to see for myself whether it was warranted. The answer is mostly yes. The ship is beautiful in a rather stark way and breaks new ground in many areas. I would call it the cruise ship for the smartphone generation. You check in on your smartphone which means that you walk right onboard just showing your passport and the express checkin page on your phone. Everything you need including your key is waiting for you in your stateroom. It works so well that I hope it becomes the new norm. Once in your cabin, you can control the lights, television, window shade and temperature from your phone as well. You can also book shore excursions, make dinner reservations, check the day's activities and menus, and look at your account, all from your phone. The only missing feature is the ability to chat on your smartphone with other guests. The ship's internet is amazing, operating just as fast as a land-based system. The ship's most heralded innovation, the magic carpet, seemed mainly a gimmick. However, there were no tender ports on my itinerary so I did not see how it performs as a link to the tenders. Incidentally, the Destination Gateway is a brightly lit attractive space which, when not in use to leave and enter the ship when docked, becomes a room for seminars and other functions. The Martini Bar, a popular feature on other Celebrity ships, becomes the Edge's focal point at the center of the three-level Grand Plaza. The plaza is used for many activities -- even flying drones! The other distinctive feature of the Edge is Eden, the striking three-story room aft that is filled with plants. It's a beautiful space, but it takes up space that might have been used for a few more intimate spaces. The lack of a proper bar with an ocean view is a shame. There are too few bars in general, only two inside and two outside. The Solarium is a very attractive space for air-conditioned pool lounging. There seemed to be plenty of deck chairs for the ship's size both poolside and elsewhere. The Rooftop Garden is an attractive multipurpose space on the top deck. The Oceanview Cafe is the most attractive ship's buffet I have ever seen, with its two-story windows and light furnishings. The buffet itself is exceptional with an unusually wide variety of stations, including one for Indian food and another for Latin food. The food in the Cosmopolitan dining room (one of the four main dining rooms that share 75% of the menu) was consistently very good, probably the best I have had on the ship. At $65 a pop, I think the alternative restaurants are overpriced. I did have a very good $20 lunch at the Grand Bistro. Speaking of prices, everything on the ship is pricey: baseball caps are $25, tee shirts are $ 55 and golf shirts $95. To rent a movie costs $14.99. A cabana is $400 a day. A tour of the ship costs $129. Some culinary shore excursions were well over $200. With its Tiffany, Cartier and Bulgari shops, the target audience is definitely upscale. The good news is that we are spared the sight of schlocky clearance sales clogging the aisles as on most other ships. The theater is extremely high-tech with a circular stage surrounded by panels for a variety of projections. The entertainment emphasized techno rock which I sometimes thought was mainly an excuse for showing off the many wonders of the projections. There are no quieter American songbook type programs. There is no venue for quiet classical music before dinner. There is also no afternoon tea, no library, no daily newspaper, no after-dinner mints upon exiting the dining room. I was not traveling with a child, but my impression was that it was not a good ship for children, with only one space for children of all ages. The casino was large and busy. Bingo has been replaced by a game called Deal or Not Deal.

There was little in the way of lectures and no listings for bridge games or other special interests. Celebrity has been the cruise line with the most highly developed class system, but I gather that the gap between the experience of those in suites and the rest of us is even greater on this ship. Dining room service and cabin service was excellent. When I ordered breakfast in my cabin, the eggs arrived cold and the English muffin was like a brick. The ports on the Eastern Caribbean itinerary are not very interesting for frequent cruisers. I think Celebrity could have made a greater effort to plan shore excursions that would appeal to repeat visitors. I will say more about my cabin below. All in all, I had an enjoyable week, but I doubt that I would choose the Edge over other Celebrity ships in the future.