Celebrity Edge – First Impressions – Part 1

We have finally arrived for our long-awaited cruise on the Celebrity Edge.  Will the ship live up to the hype?  Upon arriving at the port, we could see many differences from the outside.  The flat surface of the Infinity Balconies and the shape of the bow, as well as the the obvious attachment of the Magic Carpet, which can move up and down the height of the ship.  The first day was interesting with may likes and some dislikes.  Furthermore, this is a high-tech ship, which enhances the experience in some ways and detracts in others.

First of all, embarkation was a breeze.  Since we had completed all the information online, including uploading our photos, we went through the embarkation process in 15 minutes.  Even the security screening was fast.  The Edge docks at a new terminal in Fort Lauderdale that is extremely attractive.  However, we spent no time in the terminal.  The use of technology allowed scanning of our tickets and passport.  We were directed straight to our room, where the keys were in the mail slot.  We arrived before noon, so the ability to drop our bags off at the room was a much appreciated benefit.

Now that we are on board, let’s talk about some of the good and bad on the Edge, let’s start with the cabin.  We had purchased an Infinity Balcony (category BA) close the to aft elevator.  I selected our room so we had the sleeping area near the door and sitting area near the balcony – rooms alternate with some having the bed next to the balcony.  Our first impressions of the cabin:

• The decor was modern and bright.  The extension of the room into the balcony gave it a much larger and open feel.  The light decor further enhanced the feeling of size.  Although I did not measure the room, it seems narrower than other balcony cabins.  However, it did not feel smaller.  We did find out that the ship also has Single Balcony cabins – I saw one and, while it is smaller, it definitely is adequate for persons traveling along and significantly cheaper than paying for a full-size balcony.  All-in-all, the room gets an A+ rating, even though there are some features we did not like (see below)
  
• The bathroom layout was wonderful.  We actually had a shower we could really use and lots of storage, so no fighting for bathroom shelves.  The shape of the bathroom enabled the designers to provide a larger shower with a wonderful shower head that could be removed and used as a hand shower.  The glass enclosure goes nearly to the ceiling.  Combined with the exhaust vent in the shower ceiling, the means no fogged up mirrors or steamy rooms after a shower – what a blessing.  And there are shower hooks in the shower to hang wet swimsuits to dry.  The sink is modern and attractive and the lighting is wonderful (not dim like some other ships).  Kudos to the designers for this bathroom.
  
• The bed is very comfortable.  We slept the first night like bears hibernating.  And the pillows were great and numerous.  I am not sure how they split the bed into twin beds, since there does not seem to be sufficient space as the bed is located in a cutout and is next to the closets – maybe they use the alternative configuration for twin beds.  During the course of the cruise, we found it hard to get up in the morning, especially if the shade was down.
  
• The lighting is well thought out, but can be confusing. You can control lighting independently or via the control panel/thermostat or the Celebrity app.  There are settings for different modes and all the light appear to have dim and bright modes.  It will take some experimenting and patience to learn how to set the lighting to your preferences.  The placement of the lights works well and there are no glare spots as I have encountered on other ships that use LED lighting.  The only complaint we had is why Celebrity, with all the technology at their disposal, did not put a motion sensor in the bathroom.  My wife insisted on leaving the light on all the time.
  
• Lots of storage, but difficult to access closets.  Our cabin had plenty of storage.  In addition to the closets, which were sufficient, if not large, we also had several “hidden” storage areas, and three large drawers.  I say the closets were ample as this was a Caribbean cruise, so we did not have a lot of items to hang.  The problem is that the closets are next to the bed with narrow access (which was also where shoes are thrown) and minimal space to open the door to access.  Since it was on my wife’s side of the bed, I had to navigate her shoes and disturb her when I needed access to the closet, which is also where the safe is.  On top of that, it is difficult not to sit on the bed when accessing the safe.  I suspect the configuration is better when the layout has the bed by the balcony, but that poses other issues for us.  We did manage, but do not understand why the designers did not provide an extra six inches, which would have made access easier. 
  
• The infinity balcony is great.  We have accordion French doors between the room and balcony and a fulll floor to ceiling view.  When the French doors are closed, the balcony functions as a standard balcony.  However, they can also be left open, extending the size of the room and the top pane of the window can be lowered to provide a breeze and fresh air.  We did hear a few complaints about the balcony that I will relate later.
  
• Sofa which is also a lounger. The side of the sofa facing the balcony did not have an arm, so the sofa could be used as a lounger to lay down and get a view of the ocean.  Great for my afternoon naps and for reading the news.
  
• Lots of outlets, including a power station on the desk. A box on the desk houses two 110 volt outlets, one 220 volt outlet, and two USB ports for charging devices.  On top of that, there is a 110 volt outlet and two USB ports next to the bed, which is a wonderful feature.  There is also an outlet in the bathroom, but is is primarily for the hair dryer and shavers – not very practical for general usage.
  
• High tech room controller.  Most cruise ships only provide a very simple thermostat in your room.  The Edge has a versatile electronic room controller.  It not only controls the room temperature, but it can set the lighting color and brightness, as well as lower the shades remotely.  Presets adjust all parameters for morning, movie, evening, or sleep.  These settings are also available from the smartphone app.
• Smartphone app.  The Celebrity smartphone app not only provides the standard features, such as daily activities, deck maps, current account charges, and reservations, but it also incorporates all the room functions such as temperature, lighting, and shades.  While the app still needs some refinement, which I am sure Celebrity is working on, it was a very useful app.  My only complaint is that it interfered with my iPhone enabled hearing aids.  I know this is not a problem for most people, but it did irritate me.

Here are some minor items we would like them to change.

• No hooks on the wall outside the bathroom.   Hooks on the wall would enable us to hand robes, shirts, and other items we do no want in the bathroom.  While this is not a major problem, it would be simple to add a few hooks on the wall.  I would have used it for a few items I use frequently which I did not want to hang in the closet due to the difficulty getting to the closet.  Instead, I just draped them over a chair.
  
• The safe is very small.  We could barely fit the essentials into it.  Normally, my wife puts her purse in the save, but there was no way we could manage this with these safes.  Even with minimal items it was difficult to close the door.
  
• Only phone was difficult to access.  The phone was placed on the nightstand next to the closet, not the desk which is the usual location for a phone.  This location has two problems.   First, it is difficult to get to the phone when it rings.  Second, we do not look to that location to see if we have messages.  I am not sure why Celebrity chose this location.  It probably works better when the sitting area is next to the closet, but not for our room configuration.  
  
• Room balconies cannot be connected.  This was reported to me by a passenger who was traveling with a group.  They had three rooms next to each other and wanted to connect their balconies like other ships so her group could move between the rooms.  However, the Edge does not have the connecting door on the balcony, presumably because the balcony is an integral part of the room.  This is not a problem unless you have adjoining rooms, in which case I would get rooms with connecting doorways.  However, it is something to be aware of.
  
• Cannot close shade only for room.  This is another item reported to me by a fellow passenger.  She likes to sit on the balcony, while her husband takes a nap.  He prefers to have the curtain closed to cut off the light.  Since the shade on the Edge balconies is at the balcony window, it cannot be closed without also cutting out light to the balcony.  Further, the balcony window must be up to close the shade.  Some rethinking might be in order here, as it would be nice to have curtains on the French doors or some other way to get privacy in the room while someone uses the balcony.
  

We were very happy with the cabin.  With the exception of the closet access, all our complaints are minor.  The cabin decor was cheerful and we made good use of the balcony, both with the French doors open and closed.  If you can work with the room in the configuration with the bed by the balcony, I think you may find that eliminates the problems with the closet and phone access.

Proceed to Part 2 for our assessment of the rest of the ship.  In the meantime, please complete our survey of what features in a room are important to you.

If you have traveled on the Celebrity Edge, please let us know what you thought by commenting below.