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For us, Royal is for group cruises, Celebrity is for couple cruises. Of course, most of our friends only cruise Royal...so that is part of it. ?

So first, what's not changing (in any material way): The physical ship. The build is the same. There have been tweaks to account for things like the bartenders getting drenched on the Magic Carpet and at the Sunset Bar whenever it rains. Things like that, the materials used on stairs in the Grand Plaza (the current materials scratch and were already changed in some places on Edge). I'm sure there are others, but these are minor and more about operational enhancements. For entertainment, Celebrity will continue to offer a combination of the more contemporary shows like Hype, Hot Summer Night's Dream, Elysium, etc (links to live blogs talking about each of those shows), as well as some more traditional mash-up type shows. This really isn't about Edge though, as Celebrity started producing these new-style shows several years ago. I first saw one (blanking on which) on Constellation over three years ago. Elysium we saw on Equinox in September. In other words, Edge got a lot of attention - even when it was for things Celebrity has been doing for a bit. I will say that the first batch of performances on Edge did leverage much of the technology in the theater a bit more than they do now - and I think that was a matter of trying out new stuff to see what works for a given show. Ric recently sailed Sky Princess, which has a VERY high-tech stage and actually said he found the use of tech distracting - but conceded it's likely a matter of "play with new stuff, see what works" as that ship had been sailing just a short time when he boarded. Entertainment in Eden will change, and while I can't share too much about how, when Celebrity says each night will be a different show, they mean it (they aren't just saying each is different as in it's a dynamic performance). They'll still have that Edge quality, but in the first year Edge sailed we saw MANY adjustments to Eden (some which we liked, others which we saw as them having to water things down a bit). I really like some of the new shows I've heard about coming to Apex, and as someone who LOVES Eden, I'm looking forward to this more than I am fearing change. I've actually not got any insight into cuisine changes themselves. I know the feedback on the multiple MDR setup has been extremely positive, and Edge has had good guest responses all around cuisine. Yes, some find the cuisine in Eden Restaurant too "exotic", and if I am being honest, it's hard for me to grasp how. I found the food well prepared, with flavors and textures that were thoughtfully combined. Presentation was unique (and has been tweaked in the first year), but aside from sea-urchin, I don't recall much on the menu that most people aren't accustomed to eating, just prepared differently. Don't like sea-urchin? Afraid to try something new? Don't order it. I think you see a lot of strong opinion shining through here ? Celebrity, I am confident, is not going to "over correct". Yes, people like things that companies do, and they don't like when those things go away or change. The good news is that Edge offers a wide variety of entertainment and dining options, so it's not as if anyone is being forced into audience-participation during Eden or force-fed any given menu item. If they go back, they don't innovate, and if they don't innovate, they only keep those happy who don't want change, the current customers who welcome it, and the millions of potential cruisers that haven't tried the product yet, those are the people they're eyeing. To wrap up my thoughts for now, a lot of this is in messaging. When a traditional cruiser who isn't interested in trying new stuff sees an ad that touts the innovative things happening in Eden, they decide it's not for them. Ask that same person if they're interested in seeing aerialists, eating XYZ foods, etc, and they just might be. Every line learns and tweaks second builds (which is one of the things I love), but messaging will be tweaked too - making sure the right message gets to the right people, even when that means different messages going to different folks who are all about to enjoy the same ship.

Thanks for starting this Bill. I hope we get some good Celebrity Cruise discussion going. I enjoy Royal Caribbean for family cruises but my wife and have discovered that we really enjoy cruising Celebrity as a couple.