Review: Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas 9 day Greek islands Sailed: Oct 2019 Here’s my thoughts. Just got off the boat ! Note: I’ve cruised many times on most lines. Both as a couple and as a family. This was a mid aged couples honeymoon trip for us THE GOOD - itinerary ! Couldn’t beat the stops for the 9 night Greek islands. Trip was worth it for the ports and the ports are the #1 thing I booked based off of. ***So overall this boat is worth it because of its itinerary and I don’t know many other boats that had as good of an itinerary!! *** - schooner bar area is really nice. Classy. Where lots of people gather to mingle. Also where chopps is. Safari club. This was the nicest area of the ship IMO - chopps grill : was the nicest one I’ve been to on any RC ships. Intimate enough and very nicely decorated and the service was top-notch. Worth checking out even for one night. Recommend an earlier dinner time so that you can see the sunset because the view and windows are beautiful in chops Grill see if you can get a seat near them. - windjammer - some seating areas are really nicely decorated. - staff: no complaints Re any staff. Our waiter. Assistsnt waiter and steward were all amazing. Mohammed Arteum and Sugi - hot tubs: Although generally pretty full; was still able to get in one and they had several hot tubs which is better than most ships I’ve been on! - “the key”. Before boarding the ship I heard a lot of controversial information on if the key was worth it and my opinion is if you were going to fork out the money for the internet package anyhow then for the few extra dollars per day it’s worth it to get the key! Priority getting off the boat for Santorini was definitely worth it. Santorini was the only port where you really needed it and where they offered The key service. The key embarkation lunch by chops Grill (but not actually hosted in chops Grill) as well as the disembarkation breakfast was really nice. this was the first time I didn’t feel rushed off the boat. - steady boat: I felt the jewel was the most steady of a boat that I have been on not very much movement at all ! He stayed on deck 7 middle/ forward to ship. Inside state room. - weather: whoever said that October is the cold / low season for Greece is totally wrong! This was *the best* time of year to go!!! it was actually very comfortable in the mid to high 20s for touring and beaching. I would not want to do Greece in high season July or August with the hot weather and the double size crowds!! it was busy enough in October!!! - main dining room menu: no complaints here there was always lots of variety as well as some popular nightly favourites !! the spaghetti Bolognese. steak. Beef Short rib. cream of mushroom soup and the apple pie with ice cream where some of our favourites on-board. Once again the waiters were fantastic and always had what they knew we wanted in terms of drinks ready to go THE NOT SO GREAT - the entertainment was overall lame for my personal taste. Probably the most boring ship I’ve been on in terms of entertainment. (but that could be because it’s a European cruise with an older crowd?). Didn’t have the quality broadway style shows I personally prefer. I walked out of 3 shows after a few numbers Read Less

I had multiple frustrations long before boarding. Most of which were related to the fact that my mother and I were in different staterooms and it was very difficult to coordinate reservations for excursions or dinner. I was able to for main dining after I figured out how to associate a reservation (tho website still less than intuitive as you have to check the selection you JUST entered for it to associate). However specialty restaurants reserving with two separate rooms was awful. Called concierge. Sort of helped. But when room two called back they showed no availability. Even though we each were singles and would only need one table of two they couldnt do that without days delay and could reacting concierges. Day of embarkation there were multiple stories of same at captains club. It seems to be an incompetent process. I reserved finding ahead of boarding and was assured cancellation would go to my card. So when we cancelled one restaurant that I had out on my CCard for two separate staterooms they credited the respective staterooms rather than my card. I had to fight to get the credit removed from second room back to mine. And notably NOT to my card but as a room credit despite what I was told when booking weeks prior. WiFi - this was a selected perk so we didn’t pay for it (seems expensive). Quality was pretty good however it dropped a LOT (several times a day) and had to continually sign in. Also we had a single device so had to switch between iPad and iPhone but that was a personal frugal option. Drinks. - pool bar frozen dacqaris really bad. They didn’t have Lime (and bartender didn’t even know what I meant by traditional lime) and then added (dark!) rum after so it was not mixed in. The REAL benefit of a drink package is you can just trash the bad drinks and get a different at no charge. Regular margarita was typical and good. I didn’t have many mixed drinks but not one I had wowed in the least. My mother is elite captain level and supposed to get three free wines. They told her free was “not at dinner”. What?? That is just pathetic. Way to value your customers. They really seem to nickel and dime on everything here from alcohol to coffee to dining. Really takes away from overall experience Fitness: The jogging track was lovely as it traversed two levels so had “hills” and went by garden view and sunset bar as well as around pool (a floor above). A very nice walk and longer than most ships at nearly a 1/4 mile per lap. I had heard there was one or two Pelatons on the edge but found no reviews of them so here it is: Peloton. 6 bikes. 2 never seemed to be available for use - always covered. Technically, you must be in suite or have own pelaton account (used peloton before). Free but must reserve a time to use It (or take chance it will be free which it mostly was). However they told one woman it would be $50 for cruise to use them - I think bc she was neither I suite nor had ever used it before. They remove the seats unless someone is scheduled to use it though you might get lucky if you show up after someone finished, but you can just ask trainer to get them. There are never any seats on until 7 am when trainers begin day and you have to ask. They will provide clip on shoes in your size if you want. I LOVE Pelaton and loved that I could use it daily. For me, it was one of the best part of the Edge. I was not in a specialty room but told them (truthfully) I had my own Pelaton account. Something a trainer said led me to believe they may begin charge for using it (if they don't already - no clear policy it seems) They are very tight with making seats available for peloton use. Don’t know why. Sailing day - arrived on ship early and toured gym. Looked good and only 1 or 2 using it. First day we didn’t port until noon. Got there at 7:30 am and hopped on a peloton (before i knew you had to reserve) got kicked off after 30 minutes for someone who had it reserved. Still a good workout. The real shortcomings of the gym: lack of cool down stretching space. Quite crowded (yoga room in use or probably could do there). The free weights area is quite small too and crammed on sea day. There were enough cardio equipment that something was open whole time I was there - stair master, treadmill, techno bike etc. Day two first sea day. Had reserved peloton for 8 am but forgot the time change and got there late. No problem they accommodated me as others were finishing their ride. There was a good amount of buffering at sea and I cut my 45 Min ride to 30 due bc of buffering. The Pool: love the pool for many reasons the main one being it is actually long enough to swim laps in. It is between 20-25 meters (Based on personal stroke count) so a very respectable swim workout can be had. Even at 10:30 am first sea day there were very few in the pool and I was able to swim 1/2 hour without dodging others much at all. However many days into cruise it was clear anyone who had goggles (and some who didn’t) decided to swim laps even if this meant dog paddle, as they realized others were swimming laps. It got congested much of the time after morning. The pool length gets huge points in my book. You could have the pool to yourself in the evening as no one ever there after 6 it seemed. The pool setup with a sundeck and chairs is lovely and pool has submerged rim all around is very nice. Best pool I have experienced on a cruise ship. Pool itself was busy after excursions but still usually could get a couple seats, always both sun and shade available. Did not pay money for fitness classes but there was a good variety of yoga boxing HIIT and Techno Hume RYDE classes. I did yoga in my room a few times which was nice with infinite balcony feeling part of the room. $149 gets you unlimited classes which include yoga, hiit, boxing and more Entertainment. Mediocre. All of the dance and song performances (which seem to be most nights) are a different version of same. 4-5 women are dressed in boy shorts and halter tops (sometimes sequences sometimes In different colors) and the 4-5 men are in tanks and tights or pants. They pair up. One male and one female lead sing. Songs are mostly known songs and they set some plot to it (which is not evident without narrator or reading write up) They finally got a comedian to come after cruise director got feedback of too much of same thing. Musicians were quality violinist and piano from what I heard. I only made it through one full performance. But shows are not my thing. Food. Overall pretty good. Spa cafe is nice, light and healthy - however it is the same bfast and same lunch every single day. Main dining rooms have quality food and service with a different ambiance in each. La Petite Chef was great and worth it. Best food of all and really fun. Ocean view cafe had great variety and all seemed good. I will say desserts are better looking than tasting - in all venues. Eden. First impression on day 1 visit. Feels 70s and dated with plants growing out of walls. Some decor just seems weird. It is not a place I would seek out for any reason particularly to read or relax. Had dinner there night 3. The presentation was wonderful, the service (too) attentive and the food was very good. Not great. The steak dish was decent but far from a great steak. I don’t think it is worth the supplemental expense and wouldn’t do it again. The Eden performance - I misunderstood and thought there was something to happen during dining. Nope (tho we had an early seating). A few crew walked around with weird costumes which is what they wear for 10:15 performance which only happens every other night. Never went but ship mates went and said it was only a singer. I just don’t get (nor did I like) Eden. Finally, this was my first celebrity cruise and I truly enjoyed many things. I really appreciate they now offer single rooms with balcony without doubling the price for solo. But I doubt I will cruise Celebrity again unless there is a fabulous itinerary. It is fine. But if I traveled with my young adult kids I would want a ship that had more fun - race cars on NCL, rock climbing/surfing etc on Royal Caribbean - I like those things too. Yes celebrity is a 'bit classier' but also not as many options for fun. And mixed drinks were not good and packages are ridiculously expensive. If I go by myself I will go Crystal from now on. That is class, never crowded and ALL inclusive with awesome itineraries. Ports: The Nafplio Greece port was the best of all. Beautiful quaint town with great shops and not busy with tourists. Pick an itinerary with that port! Did Corinth canal which was good. Skip OIA in Santorini. It is a MADHOUSE. Horrible. Mykonos was crazy busy too but great streets and shops to wander through. Malta was a let down. Beautiful from ship, great historical buildings but kind of too short stop to do real substance and it just felt like a big city (w traffic) - though historically stunning. Read Less

I chose this cruise because of the new ship the Edge. I’m an elite plus member and I’ve been on many ships starting with the Century I believe Celebrity has cause a major faux pas introducing this series of ships. This ship is for those guests who have it $$$$$$ and those who don’t For instance I chose the infinity room It is a lovely room with an oversized picture window. It can be opened half way with a movable button. However it is not a balcony. If you want a balcony you need to upgrade to a suite. This infinity room cannot be enjoyed by you if your significant other is sleeping. There is no way to order even a pot of coffee without disturbing your mate. Second of all the suite guests can enjoy the top of the ship. The rest of us are not allowed on that floor. The Club established for the elite and above is a darkened room with no windows. Tried it once and at least I’m able to go to other bars for remainder of cruise. On a positive note I will not be spending much time on this ship as we have many ports of call. I’ll be spending future cruises on the Solstice class. At least I’ll be able to enjoy sky lounge and roof top without being turned away because of this caste system. Good luck Celebrity with filling up these ships after the curiosity wears off Read Less

This was our 15th cruise on our 5th different cruise line (Celebrity, Carnival, NCL and Holland America). We’ve always liked Royal and went on this ship in February to the Caribbean and wanted to do a Mediterranean cruise. We flew from Canada the week before the cruise and spent three days in Munich and then four days in Rome. Took the train to Civitivecchia the morning of the cruise and started walking to the pier with 8 other cruisers. When we couldn’t find out how to get there, we realized we had to get on a port shuttle bus to take us to the cruise shuttle buses to take us to the terminal Very confusing port with insufficient signage to tell people how to get to the ship. Embarkation – Once we got there, the embarkation was very quick and smooth. Food – the food was very good everywhere, especially in the Windjammer. We didn’t go to any specialty restaurants as I found the food in the buffet and the dining room was great and had lots of variety. Ship – the ship is really nice. I like the layout of the Radiance class and have been on Radiance, Brilliance and the Jewel. The adult solarium pool is very relaxing and the outdoor pool is nice too.. I got a coffee card and had a special coffee (latte, cappucino) almost every day. Ports – we liked all the ports but Malta and Santorini were our favourites. I hadn’t heard much about Valetta but it was beautiful, clean, picturesque. We did a Segway tour and it was a blast. Entertainment – we don’t usually go to the shows but I found the one or two that I went to were as good as any other ship. Summary – Overall, I found the cruise to be great in every way and the itinerary (especially Malta) was everything we hoped it would be! Read Less

I choose this ship for the itinerary, goal was to see the Greek Islands without many sea days. I had read some poor reviews but we have to disagree with them! The ship more than met our expectations. We loved the size of the ship, it never felt overly crowded. We felt it was in fine shape and noticed staff always working on maintaining it. The crew were friendly and did their best to make our time great. We never had to wait for a table for anytime dining, which was much appreciated after long port days, don't know if we just timed it right though but never saw a long line. I really can't comment on shore excursions offered by the cruise line as we just did our own thing. For us onboard entertainment is not very important either, we mainly use the ship as a way to get from point A to point B but do enjoy the perks. We did go to a couple of production shows and found them to be well done with talented singers and dancers, quality costumes, sets and content. Read Less

Lovely ship, food was excellent in all areas. Did not try speciality restaurants.Staff all very friendly. Entertainment different to other ships but enjoyed them. Loved the rooftop garden with film in afternoon. Eden was our favourite bar for pre dinner drinks Oliver the bar attendant was great. Also loved breakfast outside of Oceanview Restaurant. Shops way out of our price range. Lovely cruise despite being diverted and change to ports due to bad weather over Greek Islands but Captain Kate and her team went to great lengths to get us into ports. Santorini was a nightmare 4 large ships and a smaller one in port. Island was packed and no organisation with the queues for cable car and became very dangerous especially getting off no handrails. We witnessed 2 accidents. Definitely not for disabled or people with difficulties walking. Enjoyed the ship and cruise but would go for a balcony cabin in future not infinite for me but other people we spoke to liked it. Read Less

I have been on over 25 cruises and i thought other cruise lines were great well forget about them. This was my first Celebrity Cruise and it was fabulous! Lets start with embarkation which was a breeze from the front door of the port to inside the ship in 10 minutes. They avoid getting in long lines for your sea pass card instead you go right to your room and they are on the door. We were greeted by Erik our stateroom attendant and he was fabulous from beginning to end. Our room was so clean and he explained everything to us. We were in concierge level so we had a sit down lunch but decided to go explore and then eat at the oceanview buffet. I cannot get over all the different stations and food that was available and delicious. After lunch went back to our room and our luggage was there unbelievable not even on the ship two hours! The muester was so funny with a video that had us in stitches and introducing the new female captain Kate. What can I say such a wonderful story about her and she is a class act. She was visable all over the ship and even had a picture with her. Due to some weather issues we changed some of the ports and I loved them even better than the ones we were suppose to go to. Celebrity did so much for their passengers went out of their way to make us all happy. The food was delicious. We ate at all the individual restaurants all beautiful and great service as well as the steak house sushi on five and eden. We loved the steakhouse the best sushi on 5 was average but great service and Eden is another story. Very strange place food was good but did not like the options of food to order. Our excursions were all booked on Celebrity and they are so organized and it was great. Now for the entertainment some of the shows we left early but for the most part the others were really good. Silent disco is a must! as well as other CLub activities. Loved having our martini each night in the martini bar before dinner great music and people watching. I am a complainer but sorry there was nothing to complain about on this cruise. In fact getting off took 10 minutes from the time they called our number to standing outside the door with our luggage! Best vacation ever! Read Less

The ship is nice and new. I do like the new ship design but I do not think that it is worth the extra dollars to take the Edge. The staff is nice. Our ports were rerouted due to weather. The rerouting of the ports caused chaos for the shore excursions staff. We had 3 Discovery Collection/Exclusive shore excursions, but were only able to take the one in Athens (which was very nice). The others were cancelled due to port rerrouting. For us the excursions are the highlight of the cruise. This is our 10th cruise overall and our 4th on Celebrity. The Santorini excursions were a hot chocolate mess in a flaming dumpster. Due to us being one of the last cruise ships in port many excursions were cancelled and others were very very negative experiences. I recommended the firing of our tour guide and the bus driver. Celebrity tried to make it up to us so I give them 2 stars instead of one. Celebrity also tried to save the excursions for its suite guests in Santorini. In Santorini shore excursions issued free cable car tickets to the many people who had their excursions cancelled. As a result the cable car lines were two hours long and as a result people were walking through the donkey poop. The shows were average in talent level and content, although the layout of the theater was better than the other Celebrity ships. We spent several hours on the magic carpet for a glass of wine. It is very windy out there while the ship is moving. It is convenient for tenders. The Fine Cut and Eden restaurants were very good. The Fine Cut restaurant was difficult to book on sea days. Eden had a menu that was good for our unique dietary requirements. La Petit had a nice projection show, but I preferred the menu choices of previous ships of steak or lobster. The menu choices in La Petit were not as good. The spa was also very nice but crowded on sea days. The embarkation process is very smooth. In fact embark/debark were the smoothest that I have seen to date. The silent disco was very good. I wish that the other cruise lines would adopt the concept. The photographers were very average. On some other lines the photographers take longer to get the perfect picture. Celebrity cruises used to be my favorite line, however the shore excursion debacle on this cruise has knocked their ratings down a notch or two in my eyes. Read Less

We have sailed with Celebrity on numerous occasions over all classes of ships and wished to try The Edge. We are in our late 50s/60s and we were joined by my husband’s daughter and her husband in their 40s. Embarking the ship at Civitavecchia was very easy. Bags in, up the escalators, through security and staff with iPads to check you in standing in the main hall. Our daughter was able to change her credit card at the desk and we were off. As for the cabin, we were not in all honesty sure we were going to like the IV arrangement. We like a balcony. However, on this cruise, we loved it! We had extra space in the room, the privacy was good with no chance of faces around the screen. We slept with the blind part way down and with the bed near the balcony woke to lovely views. We could bring down the window as much as required to have fresh air and sun on our bed if facing the right way. Our stateroom attendant Joanna was excellent and very friendly. Dining. We loved the different restaurants on select dining. We booked them in advance and had no wait whatsoever. If we wanted to cancel, we did this on the App which we had pre loaded. The food and service was superb. Oceanview. Absolutely lovely. The food excellent and friendly staff. Martini bar. The staff great, especially Jonis. We are however lovers of the old set up with the ice bar. It was difficult to get a seat - anywhere. It was really the Passport bar, martini bar and crush in one. It is dramatic and the setting lovely, but our preference is the Solstice class. The pool was fabulous and very spacious. There is not much shade for those who want it however. The cabanas did not appeal to us at all. The carpet was lovely as tender aid, but I could not see the point of it as it was cold when at sea. Aesthetically it looked unpleasing! Subjective however. The cruise and ports were fabulous. Bad weather tested the Captain and her staff. They went above and beyond to deliver the cruise and the ports. Very well done - you all did great! Eden is a lovely space for a pre dinner drink. We did not eat there however. We did watch the show one night - it is ‘different’! We found this cruise to have a great many younger passengers. As a family everything worked well for us on our chosen entertainment. We do like a bit of a party scene and this is all worked well. We would happily return for another cruise. Read Less

Overall lovely ship and itinerary, despite changes due to bad weather. However single cabin booked off plan with Celebrity 18 months ago did not indicate a 50% obstruction. Lifeboats situated all the way along single cabins on decks 6 and 7 port and starboard. Some have 0% obstruction and some 50%. Mine was the latter. I have photos to show entire bottom half of infinity window blocked. Even with no obstruction there was no visibility down to the ocean. Met other single cabin occupants who had the same experience. Stonewalled by Customer Services. Very little storage space nd no shelves at all. Dining experience very good and quality of food in both complimentary restaurants and Ocean. Kew were excellent. Staff were very friendly. Itinerary was changed due to adverse weather around Greek islands but Captain Kate did a sterling job trying to get us into as many ports as possible. Santorini shore experience was a nightmare due to too many ships in port at same time. Also Catania in Sicily was a container port and ver6 poor. Taoramina is a much nicer port of call. Entertainment, some good and some not so, particularly Eden brief and random performances were slightly weird. Read Less

We chose this cruise wanting to experience the Edge and the great Mediterranean itinerary. The highlights for us were the cleanliness of the ship, superb customer service, phenomenal food, and we loved the solarium pool. We were able to eat in all of the main dining rooms as well as a few specialty restaurants including le petite chef, Fine Cut Steakhouse, and the Rooftop Grill. We loved them all. While having dinner on the rooftop grill, the volcano on the island of Stromboli erupted . So surreal having dinner and watching a volcano erupt. We had drinks on two occasions on the magic carpet. Great spot fo happy hour. Our cabin steward Ricky kept our cabin so tidy. We had a sunset veranda room. Beautiful sunsets, however very hot in the afternoons. We loved Eden as well. Great spot for cocktails and to listen to music. The shopping options onboard were very limited unless you enjoy very high end shops. The only time the ship felt crowded was of course on sea days. Get a spot early if you don’t want to be in the sun all day. It was 95 degrees most days so very warm. Our favorite bar was the martini bar. You just have to give it a try. Definitely a step in the right direction for cruising. We have been on most cruise lines. This was hands down our favorite. We had some amazing shore excursions. Will post separate reviews of those. Lastly embarkation was a breeze. We arrived about 11:00. Since we were checks in online and downloaded our sea pass on the ap, we were on the ship in less than 10 minutes and laying by thepool and having lunch by 11:45. Make sure if you are cruising from Rome that you line up your transfers ahead of time. We used welcome pick ups and it was seamless. Keep in mind that if you are a group of 4 or more, consider using tours by locals or get your guide for private tours. Read Less

We chose this cruise mainly for its itinerary but also for the opportunity to sail on a new, innovative ship. What we found was a beautiful ship with excellent service. Having said that, there were some areas that need improvement. Please keep in mind that these are only our personal views and may not reflect everyone’s perspective. We are senior citizens and on our recent 11-day Greek Islands Cruise observed that the majority of passengers (approx. 65-70%) were seniors as well. There were very few children on this voyage. Regarding the entertainment, except for one or two shows, found that the entertainment was geared towards a significantly younger audience. The theater itself is beautiful with state of the art equipment. It’s a shame that the quality of the shows did not live up to what we have experienced on other Celebrity cruises. Regarding our infinite veranda cabin, it was quite spacious with plenty of drawer and storage space, a beautiful big screen TV and the best bathroom we have ever had. With all of that, I still prefer a cabin with a real balcony, not a sunroom, which is what this cabin really is. For this reason, I would not choose this type of cabin again. Now to the restaurants: I like the four smaller restaurants as opposed to two large dining rooms. We opted for Select dining and never had to wait for a table. The quality of the food was very good to excellent and service was outstanding. We ate at only one specialty restaurant- Le Petite Chef, which was entertaining and the food surprisingly good. Service was excellent. Now to the ports: The original itinerary was Catania, Malta, Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, Katakolon, Nauplion, and Naples. Unfortunately due to weather conditions (strong winds), the itinerary had to be shuffled around, causing a serious logistical problem for the crew. This is where Captain Kate and her amazing crew took over, shifting port order while not cancelling a call, but substituting alternate ports which were actually more attractive, IMO. They did a fabulous job, providing free shuttles on Crete and offering assistance to those with private shore arrangements. Bottom Line: would we sail on the Edge again? Maybe, but they need to provide more live music venues, both for listening and dancing and only if we can get a cabin with a real balcony. Read Less

This was our first Celebrity cruise, 4th overall cruise. It was just my husband and myself travelling. We were celebrating my 50th birthday. We typically pick cruises based on itinerary first, ship second. We picked the Edge because it is a new ship and we wanted to experience that. We were fortunate enough to be able to book about 2 weeks before the prices shot up out of range. The ship: The ship did not disappoint. We marveled at every detail. The public spaces were well laid out. I especially liked the size of the outdoor pool, which, when not busy, is large enough to do laps in. I know previous reviews complained about the lack of bars and seating in the martini bar. We never had to wait more than 5 minutes for a drink (except in the club, where their bar was seriously lacking). We did spend most of our time at the martini bar as their bartenders were top notch. We only walked through Eden once, never saw a show, so we can't comment on that. Eden had some nice quiet spaces, though the prices of their drinks exceeded what our allotment was on the premium package. We went to most shows, especially the ones that featured live music. We loved the live music shows (not the theatrical ones), though one complaint on this is the over-the-top autotuning. The Whitney Houston tribute singer was so autotuned, it made her sound horrible! The comedian was fantastic! Embarkation/disembarkation: We were on the ship within 10 minutes of arriving to the port. Disembarkation was the same. Our stateroom: We had an oceanview stateroom. This room had plenty of space to move around in. My only comment on this is that it would be nice if the bed had an additional 6 inches of space between it and the window. It was a tight squeeze to get in on that side. There were also no outlets on the window-side of the bed, so I had to charge my phone on the other side. With no clocks in the room, and not being able to keep my phone charged on that side, it was difficult to determine the time when waking up in the middle of the night. There was plenty of closet space for all of our belongings for the 11 night voyage (I know I packed a good 8 days worth of clothes to wear day and night). Activities: This itinerary was port-intensive with only 2 sea days. I felt there was plenty to do if you wanted it. We went to most shows, spent lots of time in the martini bar, theater, and the club. I even attended one talk about the Naples port. I actually wished I had gone to some of the other talks, it was so informative. During the sea days, there were trivia, martini tastings, pool-side games, etc. We chose to chill during those days, as we were exhausted from the port days. The only comment here was the lack of channels and free movies in the stateroom. A couple of nights we retired early due to having to get up early the next day to go to port. Who wants to pay $14.99 to watch a movie that we are just going to fall asleep to? Service: The service was top notch on the EDGE. Captain Kate and crew did a phenomenal job rearranging ports so we could see Santorini and Mykonos. The crew was extremely responsive to our needs, from the guest relations, to our stateroom attendant, to the bar tenders and waiters. Our favorite main dining room was Tuscan, due to its outstanding service. We felt Cypress was a little disorganized in the service department. The food was excellent in all places. We didn't dine at any specialty restaurants, so we can't comment on those. Ports: All of the ports were a joy to visit, except Sicily and Santorini. I think it was partially our fault for not researching Sicily enough. Definitely get a shore excursion as the port town is not too impressive. We liked Santorini, though we hated having to climb up the hill to get there. There were 4 ships in port, with a 2 hour wait for the tram. We walked up the steps. This was a big mistake, and is enough to make us not want to ever go to Santorini again. It was very dangerous as it is the same path the mules take as they carry passengers up the mountain. I felt the passengers riding the mules weren't safe either as the mules had a mind of their own, were not tethered, and could basically walk (or trip) any way they wanted up the hill. When they dropped the passengers off, it was a stampede as they ran back down the hill. The town of Fira was nice, but not as beautiful as some of the other islands we visited on this trip. The island is basically overrun with tourists. It is difficult to walk through the narrow streets to navigate through the crowds and vehicles, which appeared to drive anywhere! Read Less

Cruise Ship: Celebrity Edge Sail Date: 9-9-2019 to 9-20-2019 Cruise: 11 Night Amalfi Coast & Greece Original Ports: Civitavecchia,Italy, Catania, Sicily, Valetta Malta, at sea, Santorini, Greece, Piraeus, Greece(Athens), Mykonos, Greece, Nafpilion, Greece, Katakolon, Greece(Olympia), at sea, Naples, Italy, Civetavecchia. Revised Itinerary: Civitavecchia,Italy, Catania, Sicily, Valetta Malta, at sea, Piraeus, Greece(Athens), Rhodes,Greece, Crete,Greece, Mykonos, Greece, Santorini, Greece, at sea, Naples, Italy, Civetavecchia. Pre-cruise hotel: Marriott Grand Flora Rome Tours: Pre-cruise: Tours by locals (Fabio) Rome and Vatican Sicily: Castlemora wine tasting and canoli Malta: no tour Athens: Highlights of Athens Rhodes: Tsambika beach Crete: no tour Mykonos: Sailing around Mykonos' famous beaches Santorini: Tour of Santorini and Oia village Naples: Breathtaking landscapes of Amalfi coast, Positano and Capri tour. Room: Sky Suite 10193 Purchased weekly pass to sea thermal suite Now for the review: The reason why Celebrity Cruises is the best cruise line is because of the following: During our cruise, Greece experienced some very bad weather with high winds that would have prevented us from visiting Mykonos and Santorini since these are "tender ports". The majority of cruise lines or captains would have simply made the decision to cancel both of these ports and simply add "days at sea". Since these ports were the highlights of the itinerary, this would have been greatly disappointing for all passengers. The Captain (Kate McCue) and her crew decided to reschedule the whole itinerary so we would not miss these ports. She took the ship all the way across the Aegian sea to Rhodes and then to Crete in search of perfect weather and wonderful ports. The amount of cost and work hours required to do this is unimaginable. From the cost of fuel, to rescheduling and adding all excursions, to securing port access, to rescheduling guest entertainers, etc... shows an incredible amount of commitment by Celebrity Cruise Lines to keep their passengers happy. (AND WE WERE VERY APPRECIATIVE!). Everything turned out perfect, we had the chance to visit two great ports Rhodes and Crete, and kept Mykonos and Santorini on the itinerary with great weather throughout the cruise. Bravo to Captain Kate and her crew. Now the details: Pre-cruise hotel: Marriott Grand Flora was an exceptional hotel. Great central location. Clean rooms. Amazing rooftop breakfast buffet overlooking all of Rome and the Vatican, across the street is Harry's Bar (iconic venue in Rome for movie stars). Highly recommend this. Pre-cruise tour: Booked a private tour with Fabio by tours by locals. This was somewhat expensive but worth every penny if you don't speak Italian and you don't have a lot of free time. He picked us up at the airport, dropped our luggage off at the hotel, we had a 2-3 hour tour of the Trevi fountain, Collesium, Spanish steps, Patheon in a private bus just the two of us. We returned to the hotel and had a skip the lines Vatican tour in the morning pre-cruise. He took us back to the hotel, collected our luggage and dropped us off at the cruiseport. Cost was a little over $1000 for the two half days. Embarkation: Since we were suite guests, we were sent to a special embarkation lounge provided with snacks and drinks (well appreciated since we missed lunch) and boarded the ship within a few minutes at our own pace. We noticed the other lines for non-suite guest did not appear to be long but we arrived in the mid afternoon. Champagne on arrival. The Ship: The ship is amazing, can't believe the negative reviews on this. The decor is modern and tasteful. I agree that in some places they sacrificed some comfort in seating for more pleasing aesthetics, but it was really well done and never an issue. The layout was great with two banks of elevators that worked very well and we rarely ever waited more than a few seconds. The Room: Immediately upon arriving we met our Butler (Costin) and our room attendant (Bart). Both were exceptional throughout the cruise. The room was impeccably clean, quiet and spacious. The bed was facing the balcony which we loved. The balcony was huge and we requested loungers that were place on our balcony for the remainder of the cruise the following morning. The bathroom is huge and the storage is massive. We travel quite heavy and still had empty drawers and room int he closet. There were enough outlets both 110 and 240. The electronic climate and light controls are amazing. Touch a button and the shades close and the light dim to off. Various touch setting based on the situation. Separate toilet area in the bathroom and largest shower and tub we have seen. Double sinks, separate vanity area in the bathroom and also a desk area in the main cabin. This room was definitely worth the upgrade to suite class. The Butler: Extremely helpful, especially when our itinerary changed and he coordinated all excursions, did special decorations and treats for my wife's birthday, took care of our laundry(there is an extra charge) (24 hour return). He got coffee at cafe Baccio for my wife, and coordinated many other activities and reservations. A really great service that kept us from needing to go down to guest relations multiple times. We did give him an extra tip at the end of the cruise for exceptional service above pre-paid gratuties. The Food: We ate at Luminae every night but one. This is the specialty restaurant for suite guests. We normally sail Aqua class so we had been used to Blu as our primary restaurant. The food and selection was exceptional. Natasha, Yasin and Roder ensured that we never had to wait and did an incredible job at coordinating the open seating. Our waiter Jonathan along with his assistant Tracie and wine steward Kimberling provided the best service of any cruise we have ever been on and we only went to one outside restaurant once. For cocktail, try the Return from Tokyo, The Ultraviolet or the Peach Bourbon all very good. The outside restaurant was Eden and was "different". Food was very good there also and the entertainment reminded us of a "toned down" cirque de soleil. We had breakfast every morning in Luminae and that was excellent. We also had lunch a few times in Luminae but found that to be too much right after having a big breakfast. We preferred the spa cafe with its smoothies and healthier options for a light lunch. We rarely ate at the oceanview cafe, but the selection and quality appeared the same or superior to other Celebrity ships we had been on. The Bars: Multiple venues available. Celebrity got it right by placing the martini bar in the central plaza. You can now sit or dance while enjoying entertainment and martini's best service and great drinks (special call out to Derwin). We also enjoyed listening to Bryan James the acoustic guitarist in the bar at Eden. He was amazing, tributes to the Beatles, James Taylor, Elvis, Ed Sheeran, etc... The bar served great cocktails "the Fig" was my favorite and the "Forbidden" for my wife. (Shout out to Jovana). Sunset bar and rooftop bar were also favorites that we visited. Each place seemed to have their own cocktail lists. The Entertainment: Bryan James: Awesome acoustic guitarist. Main Show: We saw one show and it was fantastic. One of the singers sounded and looked just like Prince. The dancing and choreography was of Broadway quality and we usually don't like these type of shows on other ships. The new theater is AMAZING. The visual effects and acoustics are stunning. Impossible to describe in writing, you have to experience it. Guest entertainers: Elton John tribute and Whitney Houston tribute was incredible. Too short, I would have loved another two or three hours it was that good. The comedian was very funny. The only show we did not like was the violinist who did the weirdest combination of classical, hard rock and somewhat burlesque show. We left the theater on that one. I believe that was a trial and was the only disappointment of the cruise. House bands: There were multiple, but one brazilian singer was really good, can't remember her name. Eden: Great show, different, a mixed of rhythmic gymnastics, ariels and Cirque de Soleil with great vocals. The Retreat Lounge and Pool: Celebrity got it right. Never appreciated Michael's lounge, but having a separate area for suite guest was well appreciated. Great bar, enough seating, nice plunge pool with a hot tub that never seemed overly crowded. Best views on the ship. Worth the extra money if you can afford it. The main pool and solarium. As suite guests, we only went to the main pool once and never went to the solarium pool. The main pool was great when the crowds were low in the morning and you could even do laps. Putting the "Champagne" hot tubs on a different level actually made sense and gave great views. Most people probably would not make the two story trek to get to them making them less crowded. The running track is the best especially with the incline. Unfortunately never used the fitness center, but I should have. The Thermal Suite: We always love this part usually sailing Aqua Class. Nicest of any Celebrity ship. There are 8 different venues. A Turkish bath steam room, an aromatheray room, a sea salt room (???) (I would convert this to something else), a crystallarium (cool concept), an infrared sauna, hanging basket chairs and ceramic loungers. I felt it was worth the extra cost for this service. My wife did get a massage and acupuncture and loved both. Photo package: We did get the photo package and loved the improved service of getting access to your digital images while on the shift within a day or two. We left with over 300 photos by the end of the cruise. The photographers Lazar, Kravitch, Wanda, Rodrigo were really fun. I'm glad they got rid of the prints. Never used them and often added several pounds to our suitcase. The value for the package is great since the memories are priceless. My wife loves the memories of what dresses she wore on different cruises. Excursions: Sicily: Castlemora wine tasting and canoli: Excellent tour scary bus ride but great wine. Athens: Highlights of Athens. Average the guide gave a good review of the Acropolis dropped off in Athens for lunch and shopping on your own for 3 hours. Rhodes: Tsambika beach (great beach, would recommend) Mykonos: Sailing around Mykonos' famous beaches (great excursion, great beach) Santorini: Tour of Santorini and Oia village Loved this excursion. Great wine, great village. Naples: Breathtaking landscapes of Amalfi coast, Positano and Capri tour. Too much to do in one day, I would suggest choosing either Capri, Sorrento or Positano and doing just one. Miscellaneaous: Cafe Baccio great, Gelato is limited and part of the oceanview cafe, but at a cost, ice cream is free. They had a great guy giving port information and a history of the Mediterranean. Older gentleman, he was very good. The conference center was very good. Attended some medical lectures there. Disembarkation: Very quick, no issues. Finally, I would like to comment on Captain Kate. This was her inaugural cruise as the Captain of the Edge. We had sailed with her on the Summit twice previously and she is amazing. The best Captain ever. She truly cares about her passengers. Her daily messages are informative filled with both funny riddles and quotes. She gets her photo taken with all the passengers and most importantly shake everyone's hand on disembarkation and asks how was your cruise. I have never seen that done before. We truly appreciate that. Unfortunately she is on vacation for the next few months, so some of you won't be blessed to have her as your Captain. In conclusion: Lisa Lutoff-Pelo CEO, Kelly Hoppen, Scott Butler, Patricia Urquiola,, Tom Wright , Nate Berkus and Jouin Manku, you got this right when you designed this ship. I hope all the other Edge class ships are as beautiful as this one and paying extra for suite class was definitely worth the money. Read Less

I want to start this out by saying the ship is gorgeous and the staff is incredible. I appreciate everything Celebrity tried to do with this ship. To me, the ship lost some of it's charm though. The reason my wife and I chose this cruise was partly due to it's itinerary, but mostly because we were on the Celebrity Soltice and were smitten hearing about this new amazing ship. The solstice, although an older ship, had some features that we really liked. We had access to the front and back of the ship for better views, everything was accessible, and the balcony outside the room was nice. The "infinite veranda" was kind of weird on the Edge, the window that goes up and down makes and awful screeching sound, and we didn't really use it. Also, everything was spread out on the Edge, and only the very exclusive top-end customers got access to the front of the ship. Also, everything that wasn't included (The spa, spin classes, drinks above the classic drink package) were almost double the price of the Solstice ship. The reason I gave it 4 stars was due to the incredible staff and the fact we were sailing around Europe. The intinerary was awesome, and the captain did a great job due to having to cancel 2 ports (bad weather) and finding us 2 different ports so we didn't have to just spend it out at sea. Read Less

The Edge is a fairly new ship trying to break the mould, but unfortunately it is a bit like Marmite, you etither love it or not! We are the not type. Although I have stated we had a Balcony there are two types on this ship and the Infinity balcony is definately a miss selling as it is more an ocean view with a window that opens (when it doesn't get stuck and makes a lot of noise). The ship decor is clean and modern with some odd twists but to acheive this they have removed the odd lounge and bar. The old style main resturaunt has beem replaced with smaller ones and unfortunately did not live up to expectations and I can say the food was some of the worst I have had on a cruise having to send at least three of my meals back and the selection was poor even our waiter made recommendation NOT to order something and agreed the buffet was better especially for deserts. The entertainments I have to admit compensated for some of it with some very good guest acts and the house acts putting on some excellent shows. On a positive point the Captain (Kate) went out of her way in ensuring we got to a port when bad winds affected the cruise changing two ports for safer options and switching the itinerary for the others where other cruise lines would have just had an extra sea day. The Captain also was at the gate when we all left at the end of the cruise. So in summary, if you don't care about a balcony and having good food then this ship might be you for the experience it gives you. Read Less

Just returned from the Rome to Athens cruise on the Voyager. Four of us chose this cruise to celebrate two 60th Birthdays. We had Penthouse C cabins on the 8th Deck which were beautiful and our Butler, Bish, was outstanding and so attentive! We ate at all of the dining venues with Prime 7 and Compass Rose being our favorites although they were all outstanding. (I was very confused about a previous horrible review that stated baseball caps & shorts being worn everywhere after 6:00 pm - this was not in evidence at all on this cruise.) We did experience some rough seas which resulted in an alternative port being selected over one of the scheduled stops as the seas were too rough to take tenders in to the original port. We were very impressed with how fast they were able to come up with alternative shore excursions and we loved the one we chose (Sorrento: beautiful views, shopping, & pizza!). The tours were all very organized and impressive. Malta and Santorini were amazing. Overall, customer service was excellent, particularly in the restaurants and destination services desk. The pre-cruise hotel in Rome (Westin Excelsior) was very nice and in a very safe area (right next to the American Embassy!). Our rooms were beautiful and the Concierge Desk was extremely helpful in setting us up with a private car & driver. The only disappointment were the shows. Although they were entertaining, the level of performance was just average. The one exception was the show on the final evening call Crew Capers. This was outstanding and some of the crew members have serious talent! We had a wonderful time on this trip and are already looking to book another cruise in a couple years!! Read Less

With high hopes we boarded another Royal Caribbean cruise (this time from Rome), and as with other RC cruises, we were left wanting for more and better - although there were a few bright spots that deserve mention. We knew this ship was aging and had some low level reports around sanitary food handling and conditions, but we were still hopeful. However, the food quality was among our biggest complaints. Although the buffet for breakfast and lunch had a few bright spots, most of the hot food was lukewarm at best with little taste, and the cold food was not really cold. In the Tides main dining room service was spotty at best and food was mostly mediocre or not very good. Typically when ordering a glass of wine it took 5-8 minutes to get someone to take your order, and then you were lucky if you got the right order within another 5-10 minutes. There was one time the steward brought me a glass of chardonnay three times (within one hour) when I did not order a chardonnay. On a positive note, the meal in the Chops Grill (specialty dining spot) was pretty good. I say pretty good because my rib eye steak was thin and tough, while my wife's filet was very good. Even there the service was slow. One of the other specialty restaurants Giovanni's was pretty good, but again service was at a snail's crawl. The osso buco meal was very good though and all other food was pretty good. But it is a sad day when you have to pay extra to get a good meal on a ship, and this was a perfect example of that kind of situation. Around the pools there are signs posted about not leaving a chair for extended period, but almost every chair there was empty except for towels that reserved them. And there were a few kids in the 16 and older pool area for adults. Most of the service crew, including bartenders, maids, etc. were friendly and provided good service and were pleasant to be around. However, the people at Guest Services desk were obviously stressed and sometimes provided short, terse information that might or might not answer your question or concern. regarding shore excursions, we visited three locations (a forth was not completed due to high wind). The two we did through the ship were Very, VERY crowded, making for a less than stellar experience. For example, the day this ship chose to visit Santorini there were five other large cruise ships in the harbor. So an island with a total population of 15,000 had to deal with 12,000 - 15,000 cruisers on this day - something it is not set up to do - and not sure why RC chose that date to visit. At disembarkation the people that left the ship early were treated to blaring music in the main lounge area where they were waiting. When asking the attendants to lower the volume they just smiled. So overall, an average cruise on an average ship, with slightly below average food, good accommodations and average value for the money. We will go with newer ships with better food and value in the future. Read Less

We chose this cruise as it was going to the islands we wanted to see. The embankment was a breeze. We were on the ship within 15 minutes of arriving. The ship was in very good shape and very clean. We had a balcony cabin and was very nice. Comfortable bed and plenty of storage. The bathroom had a shower door which was nice and a medicine cabinet to store toiletries. I do not understand the complaints I read about the ship before we sailed. The food was very good in the Winjammer cafe. We had my time dining and the food and service were both good. Probably some of the best food we’ve had on a cruise and we have been on many. The one thing serverly lacking was the entertainment. The pool pretty much had nothing not even any music. The only day was the last day a sea day they had band and a few things going on. At night they have the shows which we don’t enjoy and that was it. No comedian. We went to the Skooner bar and listened to the singer, Michael and he was very good. The ports were good but very crowded. We loved Santorini and Athens. We were not able to tender to Mykonos so we missed that port which was a big disappointment. All in all we had a good time except not much to do at night and the pool activities were lacking. Read Less

This is our eighth cruise, our sixth with Celebrity. We chose the Edge because we wanted something new, but trusted the company to provide us with the five-star treatment we've been used to. There are reviews from inexperienced new cruisers who loved it, and experienced cruisers who hated it (and a few in between). We weren't disappointed, so this review is aimed towards the semi-experienced cruiser who has previously been on Solstice class ships. The positives changes: - Check in and out, no lines at all. Great to get right to your room instead of hauling your carry-on up to the buffet. - Cabins were larger, with decent storage (when you moved all the art out of the way) and the bathroom very easily handled two adults with, shall we say, no small amount of "product". - Infinite Veranda came as advertised, seemed to open up the room, especially light-wise. Amazing to come into Malta and lie on the bed and see castle walls right there. Blackout shutter worked when you wanted it dark, bi-fold doors worked when you wanted light but privacy. - Food was either excellent (Eden, Le Petit Chef), or very good (Normandie MDR, buffet, Pool Grill). Both Eden and Le Petit Chef could be seen as kitschy (hey, its called "Edge" for a reason), but both the food and service were incredible. Our friends ate at the steak house and Raw and said the food was also excellent so if you want only "old school" specialty, you might want to skip the new places and try there. - Service was excellent, a few (obviously tired) crew near the end seemed to fade a bit, but Paul our cabin steward was amazing and our MDR crew very good. - The Flying Carpet was pretty amazing, nice view of Messalina and Etna as we sailed past Sicily at 8 in the morning. When we tendered it provided a great platform (and the new tenders are pretty nice too). When on the pool deck it was a great option from the very busy pool bar. - Cabanas: our friends splurged and got a cabana on the sea day, so I have no idea how much it cost, but it was a great experience, so it might be worth it for some. - Eden: we loved it. Beyond the actual setup, the service at the bar was excellent, the view amazing and during the day, it was a very quiet and uncrowded spot. The actual 10:15 show was fun if you like that Cirque de Soleil stuff, and don't miss the food options, which were a nice change from the buffet for breakfast. - Theater: we're not much into this aspect cruising, but went a few times for talks on the upcoming ports, as well as a couple of shows. Sound was amazing and the screens for the shows were great. - Other entertainment: one great solo male and solo female, (sorry, names aren't coming to me), one great band, one mediocre band. The negative changes (and some quibbles): - Shade. Yes, the Negative Nellies are actually not wrong. The Sunset Bar has little, the otherwise amazing Garden Deck basically none. Maybe this might work in Alaska or the Baltic, but not in the Mediterranean in August. We resorted to pulling chairs into the walkway for a breather. Although I didn't really miss the live grass, at least there is a canopy on the top deck of Solstice class. - Grand Plaza. Ok, not really that negative, but its certainly no Solstice. While many might not miss the atrium with the glass elevators up to the 14th floor, and the new Martini Bar is very nice, with the dance floor, multiple levels and "showtime" bartenders it wasn't near as nice as the Passport Bar. I think more would miss the size (and elegance) of the Passport Bar, Cellar Masters, Ensemble Lounge, the old Martini Bar (with the ice-counter), the World Class Bar, and the Sky Lounge. - Mast Bar is gone, which was my "go to" as you could get a burger and a beer and not have to deal with the Pool Bar. - I'm glad we didn't book the Flying Carpet for dinner: our day in Mykonos was very windy, and while the FC is amazing for drinks or simply watching the coast go by, beware of having to eat with the wind. - Dining: couldn't find out exactly how to move from one MDR to another, so we had to stick to Normandie. As well, we were seated in the far back, and had trouble actually getting into one seat as the curtain was right up against the chair. - Flow to the ship (I mean walking-wise). As we are now missing being able to access the bow (first class only!), its hard to move from side to side as you often have to walk past the specialty dining areas to get anywhere: you can't simply go straight across to get to portside from starboard. - Hot tubs. I have no idea if they are any good because I wasn't about to walk upstairs from the pool...as well, the indoor one had a large number of suspiciously young "adults", i.e., over 16... - Infinite Veranda: window SQUEEEEEKKKKKKEEEEED when used sometimes, which wasn't fun for anyone in the early morning/late nights. As well, the blackout curtain was top-down, which means when you wanted to see what it was like out...you had to open it a bit then duck down... - I couldn't get the much-vaunted app to load on my (not exactly old) tablet. The ones in our group who could get it loaded found that it didn't update automatically, and we even heard one crew member to trust the printed sheets, not the app. You've been warned... - Small quibble: no deck chairs on the lower decks. Nice to find a quiet spot on sea days especially and have a nap with the breeze going by. General Issues (which could happen on any ship): kids. Seriously, I'm not old and cranky enough to always complain about kids having fun, especially on a cruise ship vacation. But the pool was virtually held hostage by kids who continually ran and jumped in, not to mention throwing a ball from one end to the other. Fun for a few minutes but hours of it? As well, we apparently had an entire stateroom full of children with no adult supervision right beside us - both sides. As they didn't have security cards, they would open the deadbolt, they push the doors open (which would then SLAM closed). From the deck plans we saw, every OTHER stateroom has pull outs...so that means families are on either side of couples. How about...a section for quiet couples? All in all, 4 out of 5 stars. Will probably be on the Edge again next year...but...all those modern doo-dads don't appear to be very robust. Unless its refurbished more often than Solstice class, I'd hesitate to book five years from now. Read Less

The cruise experience is terrible on this ship with fun prohibited at every turn - one small pool for 3000 guests to fight over - pool marshals warn kids not to splash, just sit and be quiet NO FUN - on the disco the DJ asked that no drinks be brought onto the dance floor NO FUN - casual events such as bingo and trivia are hard to come by, no prizes / swag to be won NO FUN restaurant staff are pleasant but seem rushed and service is slow theatre productions are hit or miss The ship uses powerful facial recognition on board which makes you feel like you are being spied on during your vacation. For example, I had an issue with my beverage package and the manager said he would get back to me. Later that evening as soon as I sat down for dinner he showed up to chat about my issue. Other crew I spoke with about various issues happen to run into me around the ship but it was too coincidental. Worst of all, I never asked for facial recognition to be used on me. This is why facebook is in hot water - because of the invasion of privacy and not notifying customers of the extent of the data collection and usage. The same with Celebrity. Only this time, it is not a free social media service but an overly expensive cruise operation. The cruise is not worth the money and I would not take my family on it again. Read Less

This is an honest review from a Royal Caribbean Oasis Class enthusiast. Celebrity Edge is beautiful. There were 25 of us, 2 children, 2 seniors, 4 Gen Z, and the rest Millennial Boarding in Rome– disorganized, there was no sign where the Edge entrance was, we almost entered another ship. We were dropped off in one area, we had to drag our luggage from limo to drop off (outside the building) to the terminal, to a disorganized luggage check in. Then, we have to ask somebody to tell us where we could enter to check in. Once we were in, it was a breeze. First impression – very modern, did not get the AHH!!! that I was hoping for. Being used to the Oasis class and its grandeur, the ship looked very small. As you enter, there is a pictorial area, then the poured champagne, then you look for your cabin. The chandeliers looked classy, the decors modern. Eden was okay. There was some kind of incense smell at night that was disturbing. We left. Roof top garden, beautiful at night, very hot in the morning. Music – we did NOT find it too loud. Rooms – beautiful. LOVED the IV. No noise issue, no problem with blinds, always opened the balcony. At one time, there were 25 people having a drink in one IV, laughing and talking for half an hour, we never heard the sound outside the cabin. We were amazed. Bed was great, pillows were big and fluffy. Bathrooms – A BIG PLUS, towels need upgrade. Food – A plus, but we noticed a decline in the last three days of the cruise. We were assigned to Cosmopolitan, but have no issue with trying to get in the other three venues. We loved our Cosmo Waiter - Jonathan and Assistant Waiter-Belen. Book the Magic Carpet as you board. We cannot get a booking on the second day. We were planning to try the Specialty restaurants but cancelled and went back to Cosmo. Shrimps were small. Asked where we can get bigger shrimps and the waiter said, that is it!! Desserts were okay Oceanview was very nice, high ceiling and airy. Found it small and some days, one or two buffet counters are closed/empty. We loved the Pizza and the Pizza chef Ramesh. We visit him nightly for our last bite. He made special pizza on request from us. We were lucky to have met Head Sous Chef Jeff. He is in charge of the Specialty Restaurants aboard Edge. As we sat down for dinner Aug 26, our waiter said, “No Menu” tonite. We were surprised. Then came the specialty Filipino food from the kitchen. Chef Jeff made us a dinner we will forever remember!!! Thank you Chef!!! First Aid – my grandson had a bite that got infected. We took him to the First aid station. The doctor treated him and gave us the antibiotics – no charge. Thank you Doctor!! Entertainment and activities – for the seniors who only want to sit around and people watch, this is the ship. For the rest who wants to be active and busy, this is not the ship. There is nothing to do between 7:00am to dinner. The activities being offered are so,so and not challenging at all. In other words, boring. There were three groups of entertainers that were amazing..That’s it. Children Camp at sea – My grand son (8) and Grand daughter (5) got bored and went only once. My grandson was placed in a 6-9 (I believe) level and they were doing dinosaurs and coloring. He was so interested in doing robotics. We asked for him to be moved to the next level and they declined. Staff – A PLUS – our room steward KIMBERLE was an A plus – such a lovely guy, always smiling and accommodating. The EDGE staff made our cruise wonderful!! We chose this sailing for the Ports. We were not disappointed. Tenders – most of the time, the tenders used were from the local suppliers and not the Edge life boat- Semi awful. Only once I have heard that it was used. Most people in our group who used it said it was nice. FINALLY – We loved Edge, but because we always travel together, Edge is not the ship for our active members. And one more very important thing..if you do not have a drink package, there is only ONE place to get coffee (self serve) – you have to go to Oceanview. Read Less

Hi All First want to thank the boards for all the helpful info before the cruise! Our family had a wonderful time on the beautiful Edge. Boarding: (4.0/5): Apparently the port in Rome does not let cars close to the ships. So our car service drop us off in a parking lot and we then had to take a bus over. It all ended up okay. Probably the only knock here is that we were not aware of this issue. Past that, once we got to the port everything went smoothly. Rooms: (4.25/5) Beautiful room. The only issue was noise. We could hear movement pretty often above us which made it hard to fall asleep some nights. Housekeeping: (5.0/5) Genuinely friendly, super attentive. MDR's: (4.25/5) Loved the concept of 4 MDR's. It's definitely is nice to have the change of look/menu. The staff again was GREAT in each location. The food was above average in all. Nothing stood out as over-the-top but certainly all above average. Specialty: Eden: (3.5/5) Just not our cup of tea, I guess. Fine Cut: (3.5/5) First off read the reviews about it being loud - but it WAS loud. This doesn't seem like a big deal, but once you're there it is. The food was fine, but nothing you couldn't get in many restaurants in every major city. Rooftop Grill: (4.5/5) 2nd biggest surprise for us. When the weather is right, this is a great place to eat. Unlike fine cut for example that you can do anywhere, finding a nice place to sit outside and eat good food is a treat. Well done! Le Petit Chef: (5.0/5.0) WOW, what fun! This was our #1 surprise as we almost skipped it. This was BY FAR OUR FAVORITE dinner on the Edge. It's done in 2 seatings so your experience all as a group - which is not something I seek out - but is SUPER FUN. We actually were sitting next to someone from Silicon Valley and they said people just don't realize how special this technology is. The room was like a party, we all had an absolute ball. The staff gives extra energy to the room. The food would not necessarily be what I would pick, but we all LOVED IT because of course these little chefs made it for us!! There was very little signage for this, in fact we had to ask someone where this dinner was. The reason we went was because another couple at the pool said it was the best dinner of theirs. Here's the biggest compliment, on our last night we all decided to go back a 2nd time (we tried some items from the alternative menu) and if anything enjoyed it even more because we all saw little bits of the amazing animations that we didn't pick up the first time. Plus we got to see 2 different chefs win the night which was super fun. BIG CONGRATS TO CELEBRITY for giving us a night(s) we will remember. Entertainment: (4.5/5) The shows were a little hit and miss, but overall kept us entertained. Probably the biggest issue was early on they had a group called Barricade Boys and they were great, so it was hard to keep that level up - but overall good. Ports: (4.5/5) Beautiful locations. I will say that we hired private cars/tours on our own and were very happy with all of them. I'm not sure how it would be if we went through Celebrity or just fended for ourselves. So I guess the take-a-way is to look for local companies with very good reviews. Drinks: (4.0/5) We are not huge drinkers (1-2 a day) so we did not do a drink package. The prices were fine. The only knock is that different locations within the ship did not make the same drink the same way which seem like an easy fix. Everything else was really well done. The ship is absolutely beautiful. Each staff member is nicer than the next. You couldn't go 20 feet without hearing some wonderful live music. I cannot fathom how someone could give this ship anything but a lovely review. Thank you Celebrity, we look forward to many more family cruises making wonderful memories. Read Less

Cruised the August 19th Almafi,Greek Island. Let me start by stating the ship is a beauty. So, I have a few things and I'm interested what others thoughts are. First Eden, I really enjoyed Eden it was a great space and the Eden dinner was fantastic. My question is why did they build a fancy entrance that doesn't take you into Eden, instead you come out in a generic cruise ship hallway and a restaurant and a jewelry store befor your actually in Eden. Second, why isn't there any forward facing observation areas for passengers who aren't in the Retreat, standing in the spa or gym to watch to the ship sail into a port is not an option. Finally, the Martini bar, on past cruises we've loved the Martini bar on this cruise nor so much. I'm not sure making it the focal point of activity was the best idea. It was not possible to have a pre dinner drink and conversation because the noise level was to high, there shouldn't be a rock band playing at this bar the volume of there music not only drowned out the Martini bar but also the surrounding atrium. Read Less

We booked cruise as part of our Golden Wedding celebrations. The ship is simply stunning, very understated very chic. We had a Concierge Balcony cabin which was beautiful and had everything we needed. Bathroom was a little bigger than others we've had on Celebrity ships, though still quite snug. I was attracted to this cruise by the itinerary because we love the Greek Islands. Sadly as a disabled cruiser, I was unable to get off the ship as much as I would have liked because they had to resort to using tenders to get ashore because of weather conditions. Now I come to the piece de resistance, the food on Edge is just fantastic. We ate most nights at Tuscan and the food was outstanding. Every morsel just fabulous. Beautifully served by Tatiana (sorry for any misspelling) who knew all about the menu and ingredients used and she was ably assisted by Ranesh. Anna answered all our questions on the wine and never failed to find just the right wine to accompany the food. The service on board the Edge is just superb. Always discreet, never too much. I really can't praise the staff too much. Our stateroom was beautifully kept by Komang who did a fabulous job. We would love to sail again on the Edge but would have to save very hard as this was a very exoensive cruise. Could I say a very heartfelt thank you to Eduardo of Jet 2 based in Rome, who came to our rescue in Rome airport and helped with my wheelchair and guided us to where we needed to go. If there were 6 stars for dining an d service that's what I would give. My only negative would be the entertainment. It needs a couple of separate pubs. Maybe a nice quiet wine bar and a completely separate music bar for younger guests (adequately soundproofed). All entertainment seemed to happen around the Atrium with everything clashing together. Did it spoil my cruise, not really. If you get the entertainment to the level of the rest of the ship, what a cruise ship you will have Read Less