Celebrity is the luxury brand of the Royal Caribbean line and the Celebrity Edge is their newest and brightest luxury cruise ship. Texas Traveling Mom Jill and her husband had the chance to experience the luxury of Celebrity Edge on one of their pre-inaugural cruises and she’s got the scoop on what makes the Celebrity Edge an extra special luxury travel experience.
My husband and I are cruise people. We. Love. To. Cruise. We have been on five cruises and are currently booked on two more (but if you talk to my husband, we’re booked on ONE CRUISE. Wink wink.) We have cruised as a couple and with our kids and we are absolutely convinced that cruising is THE best way to vacation. When I learned we had the opportunity to sail away on the Celebrity Edge, my outfits were planned and my bags were packed about five minutes after we got the notification we were going. For reals. Here’s why the Celebrity Edge blows other cruise ships out of the water and why we can’t wait to go on a return voyage.
1. The Magic Carpet
The Magic Carpet is innovation at its finest. It’s a cantilevered floating platform that can move up and down the ship, changing function along the way.
When we boarded the ship, the Magic Carpet was on Deck 16. It was a tranquil, trendy bar space that offered comfortable seating and glorious ocean views.
When the Magic Carpet Moves to Deck 2, it serves as the debarkation point for passengers to board tender boats to go ashore. This is a fantastic, innovative space and I can’t wait to see more to come. You aren’t allowed on the Magic Carpet when it’s in motion, but it is really quite something to see.
Related post: What to expect from the Celebrity Reflection
2. Infinite Verandas
The Infinite Veranda absolutely blew me away…and I’m a little hard to impress, let’s be real. First, a veranda stateroom is always, always, always worth that extra little bit of splurge. You get more room and come on…a private ocean view just can’t be beat. Part of the reason I love cruise life so much is because I can sit and look at the sun come up over the open ocean while I have my coffee. And the ability to do that in my nightgown without other people around is one of the reasons we always book veranda staterooms.
The Infinite Veranda takes things up several notches. With the touch of a button, your entire living space becomes the veranda, letting you walk right out to the water’s edge. These staterooms feature the latest in design and technology, and they’re 23% larger than the award-winning Solstice® Class veranda staterooms. The entire stateroom was extremely smart and intuitive and so easy to manipulate. It is truly next-level innovation.
Want to watch the water while you sip your morning coffee? Press a button. Want to feel that ocean breeze while you dress for dinner? Press a button. Want to close everything off so you can get some amazing sleep? You guessed it…press a button. And, can I just say that the bedding on the Celebrity Edge was super dreamy? The king-size mattress and luxury sheet and accompaniments (yes, I said KING and yes, we were really on a cruise) gave me some of my best sleep of the year…and I’m a mom. I totally cherish that good sleep.
3. Eden
Eden is the most incredible space on The Celebrity Edge, and while I will do my best to describe it, no description or photos will do it justice.If you want a unique place to eat, have a drink, enjoy one-of-a-kind immersive entertainment experiences, or to just soak up the atmosphere, this is your place. It’s such a unique and versatile space. You need to visit Eden at various times of the day to get the full effect. We visited mid-afternoon, pre-dinner and after 10 p.m. for their amazing, interactive entertainment experience, Revelation. Our experiences were different each time.
It’s an incredible space. I really think I could sit here all day and not see everything. Dining at Eden is not included in your cruise although the food at the café is included. There are some really unique cocktails served in Eden and they will play to all of your senses.
No two visits to Eden will ever be the same. This is a don’t miss…I mean, the entire ship is a don’t miss, but definitely make it a priority to spend some time in Eden.
4. The Spectacular Theatre
The entertainment on the Celebrity Edge is truly one of a kind. Their theater in the round with four stages and three moving backdrop blurs the lines between performer and audience. The shows are always a big deal for me on a cruise…we prefer later dining and going to the early show but if you want to eat earlier and enjoy a later show, you can do that.
The thing I love most about the Theatre on the Celebrity Edge is how much the audience reaction is valued and a part of the show. You’re not just watching; you’re really a part of things, as much as you want to be, and that is SERIOUSLY cool.
Celebrity Edge has five original shows, which to date, is something no other cruise line offers. We got to preview Hype and The Jewelry Box and both were stunning. I can’t wait to take a longer cruise on the Celebrity Edge to see the other three shows offered: A Hot Summer Night’s Dream, Purpose, and Kaleidoscope all look amazing. I got to see a little sneak peek of rehearsals and the dedication to making these shows really pop for the passengers is really felt at all levels.
Don’t miss the shows on the Celebrity Edge…they are such a visual treat!
5. So. Many. Dining. Choices.
The Celebrity Edge offers four complimentary (AKA included in your cruise) main restaurants: Normandie, Tuscan, Cosmopolitan, and Cyprus. Each restaurant features the same menu (it changes nightly) but each offers its own special ambiance along with a selection of exclusive, regionally inspired dished and drinks.
You can choose from traditional early or late seating, which allows you to have dinner at the same table with the same waitstaff each night of your cruise. This allows them to become familiar with your group and guarantees an extra-special level of service. You’ll be assigned one of the four main dining restaurants, but you also have the option to dine in the other three upon request. “Upon request” means making reservations, which isn’t difficult to do. I recommend making reservations as early as possible.
There are a plethora of extra-fee dining options on the Celebrity Edge: The Spa Cafe and Juice Bar, Cafe al Bacio (amazing coffee drinks and treats), the Rooftop Garden Grill (the scenery alone is absolutely stunning up here), Raw on 5, Fine Cut Steakhouse (pretty much a carnivore’s paradise but vegetarian options are available), Le Grande Bistro, and Eden. Important to note: the cafe inside Eden offers breakfast and lunch that is included in your cruise cost but the sit down, immersive dining experience is not.
I’d love to give a special shout-out to Le Petite Chef, which is the dinner experience at Le Grande Bistro.
Le Petite Chef is an entirely digital dining experience. You’ll watch a mini chef prepare your meal on a digital screen which is also your table top. A different virtual chef will prepare each course. You will vote for your favorite chef at the end. It’s very interactive and insanely fun. The Celebrity Edge probably isn’t the most ideal cruise ship if you’re cruising with young kids (although young kids are certainly welcome and will be entertained) but if you do take young kids on the Celebrity Edge, you NEED to budget for this.
6. Exclusive, high-end shopping
If you enjoy on-board shopping, Celebrity really takes things up a notch with their on-board offerings. You’ll find Cartier, Bulgari, and Tiffany, just in case you want something sparkly to commemorate your dream vacation. They also offer upscale spirits, a perfumerie, and a store called To the Edge, which sells a little bit of everything, to include branded Celebrity Edge memorabilia. They also offer a selection of upscale (yes, think pricey) resort wear in case you’ve forgotten something.
7. The Spa on Edge
The Spa on Edge is truly the most remarkable and innovative spa I’ve ever seen, on land or on sea. I went on a spa tour and although my schedule didn’t allow me to book any treatments on this sailing, you better believe spending an entire day in here is at the top of my list for next time.
You can relax in their Sea Thermal Suite, which includes eight separate experiences. You can also book many different types of massage therapy sessions, to include the one-of-a-kind Ocean Spa Wave Massage, which is a feast of massage, seaweed wrap, and color therapy performed on a water cushion. It looks absolutely heavenly.
The Spa on Edge also offers facials, manicures and pedicures, waxing, hair care services, Chinese medicine and more. There’s also an Ideal Image Ocean Med Spa on board.
The fitness center is located inside the spa. In addition to cardio machines and weights, you can find personal training and fitness classes, to include yoga. I’ll be honest…I’m not usually a “work out on board a cruise ship” kind of person, although I probably should be, since I’m also not a “push away from the table on board a cruise ship” kind of person. The view from the fitness center alone has convinced me that next time, I need to throw that workout gear in my bag.
The spa menu can be found here.
The Celebrity Edge is modern luxury at it’s finest. This is an “upscale without being pretentious” experience from start to finish. To learn more about the ship and to see itineraries, visit here.
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