In part two of our review of Celebrity Edge, we start discussing the entertainment options around Edge, mention some crew members and officers, and even cover what we wish was different on this great new ship. If you've not yet listened to the first part of this episode, you can find it linked in the show notes below, along with pictures, video, and more.
Link Related to This Episode
Celebrity Edge December Live Blog Posts
Celebrity Edge in Review Part 1 - Episode 9
La Petite Chef & Friends on Celebrity Edge (including video of each course)
View Episode Transcript (Machine Transcription - May Contain Errors)
So Liberty's 1st edge class ship offered so much we couldn't cover it all in one episode the bars restaurants indoor and outdoor spaces her crew and the featured entertainment gave us a lot to talk about I'm Rick Ross and I'm Billy Hersh we're recapping our 3 night sailing on the brand new celebrity ads on this 2nd of a 2 part episode of the cruise have a podcast.
You are about to set sail on the cruise have it put const on would be a voyage through the will of ship's pullets and beyond welcome a boat
one of the big draws of in the day on a ship is the production show that happens in the evening usually it's twice in the evening in order to get new art technology has to change 1st and this is an instance where I think we're going to see a lot of great new art coming out of the technology that's been used to make this new theater that I've seen called the Oculus there but that I haven't again seen that used as an official name so I'm not sure where or that naming sets in as we covered on our edge preview podcast This is a thrust the editor that is kind of hybrid thrust theater in the round my called to 70.
Around portion of the stage comes out and the seats are focused around that Bill and I notice that there are no structural pillars so it's all open. And then there's some club seating along the sides portions of the stage rise portions of the stage rotate there's some pretty.
Backdrop that's 6 panels that side across one another to cover the back but the panels can be moved independently so if you want to reveal someone from the center that your center panels can move apart if you want to have reveal some portion of the background say the 2nd panel could move behind the 3rd and you get some exposure to the the backstage area.
Then they also have a ring above the circular part of the thrust stage that has a lighting rig that you were telling me about the belly Yes So generally in a in an ordinary.
Theater with a pristine IYAM normal where you think of a new stage in a in a theater you have what are called Batten's their big metal bars were lighting lighting and or set pieces are mounted above the stage in front of the stage and might have some pockets catwalks things like that well in this particular case above the stage there was a large.
It's hard for me to estimate it's such a large room in general I don't know maybe 20 something and 30 something feet across ring. And there's lighting another rigging there sometimes used for the the aerial performances but also it's There was a void in the ceiling around this ring that was significant and makes me wonder if in some other shows maybe that we just haven't seen yet maybe that they haven't even come up with if they might fly some rather large set pieces in that are tucked away in the ceiling even though it's not in a ceiling above a stage behind a perceived him where you know in and beyond maybe a curtain where people can see it but just it's that high up and far out there that was really interesting almost all of not all but almost all the lighting as one would expect in a modern theatre was with L.E.D. and there are a lot of reasons for that ranging from he knew in power consumption to the fact that you don't need to have nearly as many lights because you don't need to gel them you don't need to put.
These clear plastic sheets in front to change the color of the lights so so that's what one would expect but there were a number of interesting mount points for for like Robo scans for moving lights and remote remote spots things like that throughout the house as well and then Rick mentioned the the back drop. Which was kind of like you're familiar with with theater construction is kind of like a sky cyc. In the it seemed like the color of the material almost like what you'd have kind is sort of not really what you'd have as a big screen that you project something onto.
I would say something between pater's canvas and a movie screen yeah yeah and that was used just to paint the whole back of the theater that wraps around a good 270 degrees or show with hyper high definition high contrast very well tuned powerful and I'm sure very expensive projectors and this is something that we're seeing we see this on the castle show in the Magic Kingdom we see this type of technology being used very frequently in theaters land sea and elsewhere but this is I've never seen it at this scale. And as as Rick mentioned these panels move so there's the they have the capability of doing things behind this is well but then to make it a really immersive experience where that.
Backdrop where that those surfaces end which are not straight by the way they kind of curve around it meets up with with lighting.
L.E.D. multi-colored L.E.D. panels that go throughout the house so imagine and I'll describe is overly simple and overly simple way I imagine there's a green light they see in the center of the the back behind the performers and then it were to start spreading it would spread across the entire background but then continue spreading with they can emulate similar colors and. In I don't potentially patterns I'm not sure through the house so it makes it very Merced of the you can actually have lighting that sets the scene behind you behind the audience. I found that along with the the the multiple mount points for Again both static and like Robo scans things like that and the the multiple points that audio is coming from to make for maybe the most immersive theatre venue that I've seen.
You don't part of the reason that you we said there's not a bad seat is because there are no obstructed views but it's also because. There's not a yeah you know where the center of the stage is you know where the center of the background is but it kind of doesn't matter.
The performers can travel throughout the space and the effects lighting and sound can travel throughout the space and I thought that was helpful especially in the type of performances that they're putting on I want to say about the theater.
I can tell that it's different because my seating preferences and my I guess the reason why I chose the places where I sat is different than in any other theater usually I want to set like and maybe 10 rows back kind of on the right hand side.
That's not the right place to be and that's there to the right place to be in this theater is as close to the stage front center as you could be because that stage is coming at you now and the reason why I want to sit so far back is so I get the wide perspective. What you have that from the 2nd row in the US in this theater and that's where we sat we sat 2nd row on the right hand aisle and great seats great seats there because the action is right there.
But the action also moves around in a pretty concentrated area with a lot of depth so it was made some for something very enjoyable to set real close to the stage yet you've never seen a theater like this especially on a ship of probably anywhere.
So we should probably talk about some of the shows that we saw there again it was only 3 night cruise so we had somewhat limited opportunities to see you know they could only put on so many shows the 1st one which was personally my favorite of the 2 that I got to enjoy Rick saw one more was hype and. The hype did not really have a storyline I mean there kind of very loosely there were some concepts but but overall hype was all about
well I mean it was the highest energy performance.
One could conceive of there was a was a main male lead performer who what made him the the lead was that he sang and danced through every single part of every single song.
There was this guy was super human His name was Marcus later chatted with him you seem like a nice guy. But he was accompanied by a number of other great performer show for the entirety of this show I think it was entirety yes there were some with a large with really joint cubes that went out maybe a story or more high on the stage and there was there were different band members that were position on different parts so I would say there's another level short there was a the keyboard player in hype was like the highest point all the way back and it was so bizarre that I'm looking at the stage and on one hand I have this. Marcus is singing he's right in front of me 8 feet in front of me and you can see just pouring sweat.
And work in ARD man meanwhile this keyboard player is I don't know 25 feet higher and a 100 feet back you you knows that that was the moment during that 1st show that I really got an appreciation for how much space they had to work with not just how big the space was but how much space they had to work with so they had the band going throughout that performs and then there were also 2.
Calling them backup singers and dancers I don't think maybe adequately explains it because they were. You would you wouldn't 2nd string these any of these people I wholeheartedly endorse that statement that is a great way to friends and they they they were going on also throughout 99 percent of the performance like Marcus and it just went from one song to another blended perfectly so that you didn't even notice your singing along and you didn't even notice or sing another song.
Through any number of genres there there was there was Prince.
There now I should have written down all the songs I would have made it better to talk about but but yeah through any number of genres.
Extremely high energy dancing and the performers would come out into the house and interact with people not in a way that I thought was hokey sometimes that can happen in show and you're like OK we get it.
You did not need to engage the audience in this show it was so freaking high energy there was no need to go out and yet And yet they did it was it was a real experience I. Want to call out and from Australia the yeah dancer that was there who else did you Madison Yes So the female backup vocalist on the 1st night like you said would you say you would not 2nd string Yeah yes when she came out and I saw how she was dancing and singing I thought OK she's going to be a backup vocalist because she's got so much more and I really hope I get a chance to see it.
As it turns out when we talk about the next show she really does get showcase there and away I thought was actually what I was really happy about.
So yeah and from Australia who I got a chance to talk to when I was when I was walking around but all the dancers really great high energy songs at one point we agreed that Marcus had some outstanding issues yeah on both occasions he where does one costume change 1st of all Marcus was so fit I believe his shoes were fit.
But yeah. I don't even know when he did the costume changes because he was always in front of the singing and dancing he must to like just run back for you know 4 seconds and change yes something.
Remarkable shoes on both occasions yeah both outfits really good.
Moment where I'm sure she just had to use the restroom but a woman got up and went to leave the theater and Marcus ran around from. Where he was down into the aisle down in front of her and there's a spotlight able to follow him at this point and theater and he gets his knees and it just happened to be that like the song was something about buying and pleading to a woman not to leave you. Think it was so good.
And he gets days in front of her and she just starts laughing and realizes you know you have a view she shouldn't walk out this guy it's really.
Just kind of have to use the bathroom so I thought I thought it was great that's a keeper show just as it is yeah explaining it can't do justice because if the Oh yeah as it is a mash up of a bunch of different songs like.
The best I would describe it not that Marcus was.
Was anything like James Brown but if you when you see James Brown you watch his performances and you realize that man was given it everything in a very different way than Marcus was certainly but given it everything and you can't look away from that you can't you can't be bored for a 2nd no matter if it's the type of music and the type of dancing that you like you just it's riveting and it was riveting for like what 45 straight minutes yeah yeah I don't know how he did it I told him I saw Marcus walking around the next day. He's actually going to relax in the Jacuzzi and he deserved it and I said hey don't want to take up any time is actually a periscope I think I don't take it on your time to let you know you are amazing. Really talented every grain and he. Told them. He probably burn more calories during that show than I do in an entire week so I can't say enough good stuff but it was yeah a lot energy Yeah one of the things that I tell performers when I run into them is that's something I'm glad I saw Yeah that's something I would say about our Yet something got us on the 2nd night we saw the jewelry box which is more of a narrative production so this this ask type of lion character comes out projected on the on the backdrop screen and he's telling the story of a land that's occupied by tribes of 4 gemstone So we've got Ruby sapphire emerald and I'm pretty sure that he said Torm Elaine so I looked up to make sure like the yellow jumped on was Tor 1000000 and here Google search summary here the colors Torm align comes out green blue black pank purple red yellow gray white brown actor I'm song we go.
So what's the other one shore yeah so I think formally represented you know make sure by the way when you're important that you stop it tore Mylene International and YOUR 3 get the value will only continue to increase.
If.
Oh it's a revised video is the episode of South Park where the family goes to ask but for the Tiber share and at every turn there's another like time share sales tactic and one of the things that they do is like don't turn over your card you've got the red sticker you've got there like you've got the red and they couldn't escape right.
In the last few years they're all right sorry.
Not the red sticker line. So. So I'm pretty sure she was formally and I found out that on the 3rd night when she was performing her name is Asia the highlight for my show is when the diamond gemstone character appears and she does a rendition of I think it's pretty sure it's Rionda rather good time and I think wrote that song. Asia performed it very well as that was the highlight of the show for me I also really liked the Emerald the Emerald tribe was represented by a couple and they were the kind of aerial gem this beats of stress that was just amazing so they're one of the contraptions they had was this kind of like 2 triangles fused together on their longer side of like a diamond divided in half and angled out from the center of that circle that's the bottom of the shape of the stage
and then in this metal frame triangle there are 2 elastic chords so they're able to suspend themselves from the metal part and then bounce themselves off the elastic part and then.
Lever can to lever themselves off of one another it was it was just amazing while blindfolded and jug.
Changed now yeah it was that was just great and then Madison who I had seen as the backup singer and hype show and the like oh yeah I there's more to her and I hope I get to see it well she comes back as the ruby tribal leader and she and the dancers who support her are. Their own hoverboard.
Yeah the I wish there was a better name for those but the things that they were controversial for a while because they were apparently Catching Fire 2 wheels you stand on you lean and it rolls you around so what was the word you came up for how they were on these hoverboard augur free.
So I got a chance to talk to Madison on the 3rd night of my graduate degree and overboard on graffiti.
The Mouse and the 3rd night of the couriers and I said All right so what was your reaction when.
The dance instructor scared you're like all right and so your number you're going to be on a hoverboard.
She was the shoes of like yeah let's go that sounds that sounds cool and much to her dance instructors credit she said that their their 1st baseline encounter with the hoverboard was just right around get comfortable you know learn what the controls are before they throw through Madison and the dancers and to any kind of you know learning the steps yes master the end 1st I suppose.
And that if.
The 3rd night as at the curtain call of jewelry box when she came out I was in the 2nd row and applauding and point and I'm like right in front of her applauding and I like point her. While I was applauding and when she asked she has 0 where were you sitting were you in the 2nd row did you like point at me like this is like yeah I was.
Like oh well.
We're yeah yeah she was she was fantastic as Dr her 1st cruise ship contract and fats that's a hell of a way to start.
Yeah so jury box I personally didn't like as much that I enjoyed I thought it was visually really cool and we've got some pictures on the live blog of just the different how they would color the entire space differently depending on which tribe was being kind of highlighted.
I'm glad I watched it hype I will go watch again in January I don't know if I will jury box. But that's me I think you said you preferred it yeah yeah I preferred it because I liked the variety of dance styles and the variety of costuming and yeah that was I mean there is absolutely nothing wrong with hype but if and I say the same for Jory nothing wrong there just that we have different preferences there and then Rick you got to see one other show that I didn't get to see.
And there was promise Yeah there was the promise so that was a song and you know I wish I remembered the lead female vocalist name I think it was actually we're going to have to look that up and
now no no it's fine oh are you going to have to look that up and you looked at me and like oh really put me on the Google spot here no not well everything if you want to I talk about it feel free.
So she came out as the lead vocalist and she was supported by Asia who had been the Torm Elaine yellow gemstone the night before and I forget the guy's name.
Who had been the diamond character in the jewelry box yeah I forgot his name he was also my muster drill station guy and.
They were sporting a tension of mustard.
So.
Supported by band no backup dancing this night and I saw of all the people who have been in the shows that weren't in that show were in the audience that night they had come out to support their their fellow OK I know you said actually on that show his were sitting in different places during jury box I notice the same was true of During jury box oh OK I saw a bunch of people that were involved in hype that weren't in GA box watching and enjoying the performance now those cool to see because you know they've been hurting even those only the 2nd revenue still you know that they've seen these a bunch so it really speaks to how much they appreciate each other's hard work yet we've had camaraderie you have a team like I was good so so the young woman comes out and she sings songs that are themed about love love is the answer.
Love is what holds the universe together kind of ideas tell stories about the birth of her niece and nephew connected with these songs for those of you who know the.
Brazilian singer Vanessa D'Amato sure minded me of her somewhat visually especially but as tomorrow's live concert there was also I can't which song it was but the 3rd song that this singer sang.
There was a moment where she really reminded me of the power of Diana Ross's final song in The Wiz movie it was I was like oh wow that really that really connects and resonates with me I had joy that are a lot.
And then when she did a quick costume change she let the female backup vocalist come out I don't know sorry it was mostly Then the male backup vocalist at another point she in the she in Asia the female backup. Had like a duet number together that was wrote very different styles subdued they're very different characters to their voice so hearing them together was cool oh if or 2 to check you know the promise I hope they do it during the 7 I presume.
I would hope so as I said something to people raving. About especially about her vocal talents
even as we're in fact we saw her. I forget the performers name I think it's I think it's actually something her initials are a so we saw her. Suppose she was going into town while we were just barking and everybody was just stopping in seeing her praises so she earned it she is a phenomenon I highly recommend So so far.
With almost everything that we've talked about we've talked about being in the ship yes.
Which is kind of funny because I've written before on the site about how important I think it is to be in place now you can see the outside see the all the water granted in oceans you can have it and other venues you have great use the water but there are some outdoor venues as well that I think we should talk about because this is a ship that
it's not that oh there are open decks we can put a bar here we can put a little raised stage here and some lights the outdoor spaces on celebrity edge are were clearly as well thought out and as intentionally designed as the indoor spaces
so the one I mean we have to start with the signature feature I guess of celebrity edge and that is the magic carpet the magic carpet is a venue that is cantilevered off the port side
no starboard side starboard side yes we're on starboard forget starboard side of the ship. And it's mounted to 2 kind of great British orange rails that go from the waterline to above the top deck. And it is a motorized venue it moves not all guests are on it to be clear it's not like the rising tide bar on Oasis clash it for example compares it it's the idea is that it can be used for different purposes in different locations so there's you can have lunch there there's dinner or sometimes there's entertainment and it's also used as I continuously call evaporative station.
For when the edge launches are used when you tender they take the magic carpet all the way down to the we're just talking about this any the.
Destination because mission gateway thank you at the waterline and you go from destination gateway on to the magic carpet and then on to the edge launches the tenders so it's really multi-purpose. Venue in different places on the ship that serve different purposes offers different views very cool I walked out on there several times I did not have a chance to dine.
There I would like to
it is the stand out feature in the sense that it stands out you notice it is the distinguishing feature of edge edge is a very unique looking ship on the outside in several ways different bow designed you can see Eden from the outside but really it's a magic carpet That's somebody that's only sailed you know they're on their 2nd cruise ever their own Carnival they've they've never even heard of celebrity they're going to go oh that's that ship with that orange thing that sticks out on the side oh yeah.
What I am curious to see is how I don't see how sustainable.
Somebody It was actually somebody on Facebook and golly if it was you.
Leave some in the Leave a comment in the show notes somebody said it seems like or maybe it's on periscope it seems like magic carpet is a solution looking for a problem.
And I get it it's a really cool venue
I'm curious to see does it change in some way I feel like they're pretty committed to it you know for Apex and beyond and oh yeah they're edged the ship but.
I guess part of it would why does it need to be there and what could it be doing in between specialty meals so I I my hunch is that celebrity will figure that out over time Oh I do want to mention before I move away from magic carpet it is lit from the outside so something that you don't get to appreciate while you're sailing celebrity edge but if you're in a port that slow or even if you're just on another ship and it's nighttime it's not just that it's lit but there are.
I don't know if they're fiberoptics or if they're giant L.E.D.S. trucks but there are dancing light effect lighting effects on the magic carpet on the tracks with a magic carpet that look amazing.
You have to find somebody else's You Tube video because I was on the ship so I couldn't get a shot of that but it looks really cool I think I actually kept in Johnny.
And harmony of the seas got a video of that so if you check that on maybe his Instagram or Twitter feed see that that's a magic carpet I monopolize that you have any thoughts about magic carpet or no I think you've covered absolutely everything it's it's not a space that I spent a lot of time on because I was so interested in the other indoor spaces especially in which we talked about going to get a special episode on.
But it's something I like to explore more on a on a summer night so I'll take a space outer space that I did explore a lot more was the rooftop garden and we I think we may have talked about this on an episode or maybe just over drinks while not having a microphone in front of us I don't know a while back
there was a lot of talk about the D. rooftop garden grill rooftop garden girls that yelled Yeah that's the restaurant portion right and it's especially restaurant neither of us dined there.
But it looks beautiful However we thought OK there's gotta be there using the space for other things and it really wasn't totally clear how separate it was until we got on board but it is on one of the top decks and if you're familiar with the long club on Solstice class ships you know that it's where they have an actual lawn and that is novel but I don't think it's really practical right for a number of reasons maintenance and just you go OK cool there's a lot on the ship
and now so what they did with the rooftop garden is it is a Wilson outdoor lounge and there's a stage there's also big screen I suspect they might sometimes play sporting events or something up there they did they played a movie OK movie Perfect.
And it's raised up from the surrounding area so that even when you're sitting in you're surrounded by all these real plants that are kind of implanters around the benches and the couches that they have but also some that are up in
they call them trees I mean they're not real trees but there are these things that have cool lights and carved wood multi-dimensional designs that have plants up in the top and in fact a guitar player played up there but you're. You're enclosed in this not enclosed but you're surrounded by these plants and these beautiful space a lot of wood all of the all of the seating all the tables the flooring even some of like the will say outdoor toys you know like giant jangan things like not all wood all natural wood beautiful absolutely beautiful and yet you can still see as you look past it on either side you can see the water. And that made it absolutely gorgeous to me there was a band up there whose name I should have put in the notes the reckless charms the reckless charms thank you they were from Nashville group of I believe 4 women 51 woman. Kind of did a kind of bluegrass style but they covered a lot of different genres of music and may have had some of their own stuff that I wanted to check them out more 3 in a cruise in busy times but they were really good.
And that that venue
it has it has appeal over time I was worried when I saw the renderings that this is going to be something that looked really beautiful that you might walk through and that was it now this is a nice place to hang out listen to music at a good volume where you can still have conversation oh yeah that's that's a good point you know and probably more in the evening than during the day just because you know it can be hot outside we're lucky it was kind of cool for Florida Florida cool on this cruise but I love the rooftop garden lorissa spent a lot of time there it's a beautiful venue by day but again just could I could imagine it getting a little bit warm welcome though it is raised as I mentioned so you should get a breeze all the time beautifully beautifully lit at night and if you if you like the performance of there you could easily enjoy those from the sort of attached rooftop garden grill.
Yes And on the rear side of the rooftop garden grill.
And I think well let me say something about the rooftop garden girl because you talked about the Mastro I think that's a venue where celebrity is really overcharging.
I'm not sure why that couldn't be a complimentary like step up from the mast grill Yes So the MET a mass grill is the the pool that's the pool I'm going to replace and which is perfectly fine I had a snack there rooftop garden Listen I'm sure the food's better I'm sure it's lovely I'm sure I'm sure they do a great job of service but it's like 55 bucks it's 25 for lunch 45 for down 4545 bucks that is a little much for where I can see that there grilling him for us right at the foot the flat I mean you know I'm sure the food is good I don't think it's 45 good yeah I'll say God I hope.
As we discussed Lisa Pearl is clearly listening right now so I hope I hope they don't do this but I feel like they could get away with charging more if the rooftop garden wasn't a fantastic venue in and of itself if it was like oh I want to enjoy that venue and have great seats for the performances and at that beautiful venue I guess I need to book a meal there to do so.
I could actually see them getting away with the truck so we'll see maybe the press come out or maybe not maybe maybe other people will do it in May So more power to him I'm glad I can enjoy the space though without laying down $45.00 for dinner or maybe I'll have a few drinks will end up drawing it you know for research Well you could have those drinks on just around the corner there which is the sunset bar yes that's kind of YOUR get some.
What like I see mixed drinks frozen drinks frozen Bacary kind of place you know beers beer but you know what's cool is right around the corner from the rooftop garden which is all again natural woods live plants but when you as soon as you do around that corner to get to the sunset bar it has a totally different palette and he's totally different feeling the the wall is kind of a illuminated orange in spots I think there's a couple different gradients that move through there but gets to the sunset feel of things.
Comfortable seating and it wraps around so there's actually a good amount of AFT seating so if you're like me and I think probably most people that aren't terrible human beings you like watching that wake trail right you know it's some point you enjoy watching the wake of the ship and you know especially near the beginning your cruise you're seeing not vacation behind you.
And it's a great spot for that there's ample seating.
And I just thought it was cool that they had that so close to rooftop garden but such a different feel agreed the feel is totally different.
And I like the wall decorations there too there is some kind of element of Ike there's almost like a large sand dollars stuck to the yeah I don't know what to other areas colors I don't I don't really know what it was but it was pleasing Yeah oh there's all and you know what else is there and all should mention is similarly for oceanview cafe.
And.
Actually really large tables not a ton of them just one or 2 so if you are with a group of like 8 or 10 people all through those places I just mentioned ocean view cafe Cafe Au box you and and and in. Sunset bar all have spaces that will accommodate you nicely and I thought those were his that's not something I see on any ships usually Yeah you are marked about that when you saw it and in the ocean you're cafe.
Let's see so then if we want to go back midship take a look at the pool celebrity says this is the largest pool they've put on a ship even bigger than on their Celera classes and pulled back one things I liked about the politicos there are a lot of different levels and a lot of variety and what was covered by shade what was out in the sun I'm now is a set of my native Floridian but I'm also very pale so I don't really like to go in the sonne but I do like to be warm and there were places for me out there yet.
By not only by the pool like I should say not only around the pool but around that whole space there were some completely covered spaces but were still really nice airflow and in comfortable loungers there were other places that were in the sun but not by the pool but even right by the pool we essentially to see days on this cruise of thing about because because of the type of cruise this was not a lot of people getting off it both times even gorgeous weather still spots available even in those that sit in the shallow like Splash part of the pool.
So that was that was nice and the pool attendants did a great job of making sure there were always fresh towels on the chairs which I liked it one of the things I liked about celebrity over some other lines is that policy is there is an abundance of towels take what you need and there will be more towels I I appreciate that level of trust and service. The well said OK going continuing forward on the ship getting into the celeriac I didn't spend much time there it's not because I didn't want to do that but I was exploring other places that were that are new where as a celeriac I've been the Slayer I'm on reflection or on reflection of an insular am and consolation and infinity and I really like it but this trip was about seeing what was now yeah. It was. Like wrecked I was like Celera on ships.
It was a pretty space I thought they could have maybe done something to make a little more you need to not because it wasn't attractive so many other spots on the ship had a wow factor and I don't know that Slim did as much.
The what I did think was interesting deep panels instead of just having like a flat glass roof or something like that they were it was not a geodesic dome at all but it was that kind of thing where you had. Panels that came together at multiple angles Yeah and they were clear plastic and I noticed that they the panels were hollow there or they were sandwiched maybe seemed on the sides but had void in the middle I suspect for insulation.
Too to keep the space from getting too hot and then also the the there were a little hoses connected in there that ventilated my guess to keep condensation is just an interesting observation but yeah I was trying to figure out what kind of thickness that material must have and my where I've settled as it's probably more like a yoga ball kind of potential in-city but it's supposed to be much lighter than the what it would have to be to be plexiglass so it's a way to increase the energy efficiency of the of the ship by making the ship lighter. One thing we noticed that night was when you're walking along the dock and you look into the so Larry and there's the pink and blue lights coming from within the celeriac through those panels because the panels are a flat surface but 2 curved surfaces it catches all of that light and it looks like the entire panel Islam has a very cool really back to the whole ship at night on the outside I mean getting back for just a brief moment to talk about the pool area something that I noticed there's a bar in addition to the pool bar there's like a bar with stools and you can put your drink up and enjoy the view that wraps around one end of the $25.00 yard long pool and it looks like a white solid surface however when you if you actually sit there and you set your drink down you'll notice that as soon as your hand in your drink shade it it's actually kind of glowing pink and that's because at night that comes alive with pinks and purples as do the white support structures around the pool cabanas on one side and it is gorgeous I'm a sucker for ships at night when and they the outdoor spaces I really think they paid more attention housing to look at night than during the day and not which not say not a bad way at all it's beautiful during the day oh my god it is it has another dimension at night yes you know yeah really I there were a couple times I just stood out there.
It's so pretty.
So this point we talked about the spaces on the ship how about we talk about the entertainment the people who occupy those spaces and kind of the live acts and stuff yes I kind of. Started talking about this a little bit when we were discussing the rooftop garden and I mentioned Well I think you mention the reckless charms like blanking on their name. They were they were really enjoyable easy to listen to but. Toe tapping at the same time and that was neat enjoyed them a lot they were actually joined. For a couple songs by a guitarist by the name of Michael Redd who I think you're just a totally separate performer I don't think he was like part of their deal but they seemed to enjoy playing together a couple times and he would occasionally play up at the rooftop garden but I saw him in a number of spaces around the ship. And see the one of the martini bar sometimes at night.
Yeah longarm and yep and he reminded me a lot of the guitarists that you see in Central Park on away squash ups OK which I really like so so that was cool then there was out by the pool usually I'm used to
I guess one of 3 different music musical performances or types of music at a pool on a cruise ship one is OK there's some sort of Calypso or reggae like that recorded the 2nd is there's some type of.
Reggae calypso band. Yes it. Is the 3rd would be just general pop music and I'd actually I would say a small 4th is I've seen on Celebrity ships where they just have a guitarist doing very sad songs that Franklin the musician he was on the celebrity century like 13 years ago he was great I wrote I wrote a letter about him.
Why remember that.
So many on the on edge they had a group called those duo or group it was it was a duo. Man and Woman and singing and playing guitar and also I think working with some additional I don't with the backing tracks but some additional sounds in some some sense at times I believe and they they were great because you barely notice them and what I mean is.
You notice that you weren't listening to ambient music that was recorded you noticed it was a little more lively but did not was not distracting it was just the right level for me and I enjoyed listening them in it was cool because it wasn't just recorded music you had the option of you know that they didn't say this but I'm sure if you went up yet to request you wanted something it's nice to have the option of a live live person you know what sense did you give a chance to listen to them yeah I heard them liked them a lot I thought her voice was very good his guitar playing reminded me of a guitarist named tuck and dress whose husband of a husband wife daughter and talk and Patti if you've watched Dawson's Creek can remember the version the cover of Cyndi Lauper time after time that was made popular by the show Dawson's Creek that was talk and Patti the wife Sang's Billy's still have laughed Billy the wife I'm just thinking that somebody could right now no. So down so many things about when you grew up NO NO NO NO NO I but OK here's the thing I didn't learn about talkin Patty from that I had already known about them for more than a decade and then they became very popular because her became known because of this but I chips or I would have not panned wagon jump big talk and Patti found I Ben there are.
So many out with his guitar playing talk and dresses just has a really different style of guitar playing he talks about on their website what what he does and how he gets the sounds that he gets and this guy sounded a lot like him and had techniques like cab and I really have not ever heard anything else like that other than talk of doing it himself so I was very happy to hear them and I'd listen to his guitar style rickets a quarter every time he mentions talk on the podcast.
I love to see talk about it
hasn't happened so another another bit of entertainment on edge that I enjoyed and I'm
I hope that this is something they keep I called them roaming even ists So some of the even performers
which you'll have to listen to the even episode because it really takes like an hour to just explain the concept of even some of the even performers are at times they just show up in different places in the ship I saw in the grand Plaza by the martini bar I saw them somewhere outside and I remember was by the pool No but just. Just popping up in different places and. Going about their routine as if nobody's watching.
All right and you could actually interact with them we did.
He one of them even actually at one point called out to the bit of interaction that that I had with the performance the night before OK but I love the roaming even this doesn't get in the way of anything that's happening you have just 2 people playing around that look a bit different than the other guests.
But adds at something you know what maybe for me is just reminding me of Eden which ended up being one of my favorites based on the ship so I hope they I hope they keep that wasn't just a teaser trying to draw people in the evening. And then lastly and actually I did not get to see there's one other performer but you did learn who did yeah. Wall I was kind of waiting for the even café to open for lunch on on day 3 went down and one of the guys who's an actor in what could be called the even production he's one of the even those characters was down there in costume playing a set tar and Loris was very end of that so I texted her daughter now OK going to get out here because this is why Vegas totally want to say I think that was what initiated the like now that you weren't already really going to hang out I mean but I think once she got down there and there was the sitar player and when he rapped and we went to the outside area and then came back in and went to the bar I think that combination really solidified for the rest so that that's where you guys were going to be from the rush for the rest of that day will be tending bar at Eden on celebrity edge since your contract begins in Jenner.
Yeah I look forward to that because I love sitars all I need to call instrument and goes well with that venue
agreed that it fits the vibe for. So a vibe maybe that isn't as much my thing but I certainly thought was interesting.
Was in the club which such a creatively named in the club the club yeah.
A 2 storey nightclub venue primarily nightclub though during the day like they have a ping pong table there which is like that's weird but cool I liked Ableton it's it's also the Lazer Tag venue I did not know there was laser tag yet well I'm unclear whether it act ever actually happen or not just maybe some guests just brought some laser tag stuff with them not on the prohibited items list I've seen it says no irons power strips nothing about legit sorry.
We're we're getting goofy.
So so this multipurpose venue 2 stories it is.
I'm not a nightclub person I do respect I do respect that is a better venue than a lot of cruise ship nightclubs because a lot of time they say we don't need to do much here people are going to get drunk come here listen to loud music we just need some flashing lights and a dark room and a bar nearby and this is definitely more than that in terms of. Once the fact that it's 2 stories in the that the way it was laid out but also in the furniture was a little bit different they had a big screen. And the bar actually felt like a bar not just a place that you're fighting to get drinks in a club so there was on the 1st night I think it was there was a show or another show there was a thing going on there happening a happening called Andromeda and Andromeda
we walked into the club there's loud kind of futuristic dance music playing
there are all just go with space people. I don't know what to say. Column.
Roaming about in different states of being you know of some of them just hanging out like like their gas others clearly playing the parts of androids like robots.
There's a fortune teller all these things in so you see them as you're walking in and you're escorted through a scanner of sorts and is like a metal detector not real but and it says scanning in lights when you step in there and they tell you that they're going to scan you to see what what species you are you're then handed a card telling you what species you are and inform you some of your traits and so it's a roleplaying sort of thing and while this wasn't for me of like oh OK I like that they're adding an element to this that's cool and I like I like performance art and that type of stuff so so I was ready to see what the characters were doing to performers and how they were engaging
and learn and I read our cards and really I really don't understand what we're supposed to do and giving like little mini missions but it's not clear so we start to go up engage with some of the performers and ask them about the things that we're clued into through these cards and we did this for a while had some really interesting conversations got you can see some video clips of this and photos in the live blog
but at no point were we able to identify an endgame
so I don't know if the roleplaying part so slowly exists to try and get people to go in there and stay and interact with the performers
or if there is an actual objective it was not at all clear to us if there is an objective they need to make it easier as we were getting there and I don't think anyone else was either it was interesting I'm not sure if this will last again I like the spirit of it.
And it was very cool to watch the performers all really really neat but yeah you make it seem like a game and yet I don't see oh way to win it sounds you know if it sounds that sounds like overly competitive in a knot but I wasn't sure what to do it OK I've I've been to something similar.
A night before Thanksgiving party at a kind of Soviet themed bar in Tampa that used to be around called czar and I guess it's still around in some form but not what it used to be where when you came in you had to give a password to come in then you were given a passport you had to have a conversation with someone in the 1st room who would stamp your passport in order for you to get access to the 2nd room where you had to talk to the right person to get a stamp to give you access on and on if you get to the 3rd level then if you know the secret code and you find the roving person and under the secret code then you get access to the V.I.P.'s area.
That's that sounds neat and I feel and maybe this is supposed to be like this I will tell you.
At one point you mention the stamp your passport in a drama one of the guys has a stamp Oh yeah.
And he goes in the lyrics I asked him a question about her character something stamps her hand and there's no issues like oh there's no ink on there or anything it was like oh well maybe it's a black light maybe it's black light response of ink so it was like OK and we look around we see a light that seems to be the right area of spectrum and she runs over it like no no there's just knowing that's down so like for a 2nd we thought we were like oh we're going to figure this out and no.
Well we'll see oh I know another thing that I did want to mention here yeah.
They were roaming around like will say alien or space cocktails they were in shock classes.
They. Looked and had a text you're similar to what I would imagine clown vomit.
OK and tasted terrible so as a guy who is always down for a free drink.
I was I was disappointed.
But it was neat that there hey it's neat that they're trying these things out hopefully they get some feedback in the matter and like more into what you're talking about as are I would characterize that tasted like cloud vomit to the feedback. They're getting som.
I agree with the spate of your assessment of the space.
In the club it's another example of what you said about there being different levels because there was the kind of the bar area as a bar there was a seating area adjacent to that that had the oblate nobody was in while we were there but I think that's I guess it was kind of people felt like it was more of an overflow area but it was perfectly good I thought yeah and then there was just like a V.A.P. area if they wanted to section it off really had kind of that feel to it and I'm surprised it wasn't being taken advantage of those little things I feel like if.
If Disney had a cruise line they do of cruise line like I Disney parks would go all right that area right there. 10 bucks to get in and one of fills it becomes 15 you know. What do you get oh we're going to give you a bottle of water when you walk out.
Oh great OK And you got a pen pen commemorative pen. So the.
A lot of levels where the 1st level there's some seats up a few steps up another level of seating a few steps up the D.J. a few steps up another level of seating a few steps up from that like the 2nd level and so there's a I think there entrances on back 5 and back 4 to the club maybe it's 4 and 3 but 2 levels and it is on both I really liked it for the 3rd night or the Last Night of the of the cruise
there were some he was offering the silent disco which has been getting more and more popular on cruise lines and I had just been to one on Celebrity Infinity I had never been to a silent disco so this was a new concept for him and if you're not sure what one of these is it's where you get a set of headphones and there are 3 channels on your headphones red blue and red blue and green. In this case Red was a pre recorded track of Latin music blue and green were 2 live D.J.'s in the venue who were spending whatever and people could select whether they wanted to listen to the right track the blue track the green track and so you kind of get a sense of who is listening to what who's moving to what and one of my favorite things is like watch a group of girls who are all listening to the same track and then one of them tries another they're all listening to green and then one of the light switches over to blow and like hooks the other end points that are headphones like no girls you've got to be listed below also which they like start dancing if I recall what you were that girl.
Look who we all want to play the princess dives.
From South Park's Black Friday trilogy.
So yeah I just I love a silent disco I think because they had a really good time I think I had a really good time there and there's a reason Billy likes the silent disco a lot I'm not a loud music person as I think I've probably said 9 times in this podcast alone in this episode and I enjoyed that I could control the volume I don't need music to be deafeningly loud I don't like when I leave any venue in my years or meaning so the fact that I could control the volume and the music I mean obviously I was a great perk for anyone but on the music you prefer fact I control the volume was pretty great and the headphones were actually really comfortable Oh absolutely I had no problem people rated audience all you know bad audio quality but very comfy So yeah I. I don't know that I'm going to be rushing to do a disco but feeling lyrics I want to go back in January and I'll go and it won't be nearly as bad as a normal club experience so so those are OK.
Well I guess that kind of wraps up going venue by venue restaurant bars we got great service on the ship and met some really exciting people so I'd like to give some staff and crew shout outs 1st of all my state room tenant Paul did an excellent job but when I think about this new state room the design philosophy and all the work that Kelly Hoppen and all the other architects and designers have done to create a celebrity edge they're developing a vision like they have an idea of what they want a guest state room to look like and I thought Paul did a great job of restoring that vision in the state room after we you know so up in the beds and use the towels and I'll have papers lying all over and clothes thrown on the on the sofa I think he did a great job of putting it back putting the state room back into an order that the designers would have wanted.
And it's you mention the state of my realize we don't even talk about steroids on the SEC So. OK you're right the I'm going to hour 3 of this one guy OK they are we both had infinite Brenda staterooms I'll just mention real briefly OK signature state rooms floor to ceiling window top of the top section of the the window opens to the you have the veranda you have some doors in the middle of your room you can section off so it's as if you have rented or you just have a much bigger room with a floor to ceiling window I know that's weird to picture but the good news there are a number of pictures in the day one live blogging crews have a dot com and we'll be posting we'll throw it in that article but you can also find soon on our You Tube channel a video of exactly how those work it should help you visualize it a bit because a lot of people have questions around that so I think it is important to your point and actually we had the same statement and because our games were just. Room each other. That yeah Paul did a great job of. Keeping that in mind because a lot of. Their beautiful state rooms regardless of infant veranda are not there there's teams with design and I've seen that on some ships but I don't see that on a lot of ships and I liked it even the you know the coral piece right there like that. Piece just like that fall in my head was like 3 years old so if you bad memories but.
Say I was like yeah because of I have sailed with the line before the like to leave a gift in the room.
I want to fix this so to speak.
Like you know it's like well I mean I think I'm just going to take it away because my credit card just for.
As I said like that I just funny you know just an object are in the room a piece of a piece of cord or a shelf so you shout out to yes shut up Paul for keeping that. Maintaining that vision and for being so sneaky like oh yeah he was there I actually wonder if the rooms if they have access of the statement and have access to the presence sensors in the room because there are too much in the answers because you can have the room in like an eco mode in all sorts stuff and I kind of wonder because it was I've had that happen on other ships before so maybe it's just they're really maybe just that good but I kind of wonder if they actually know me leave or something. So other other people of note to people that will be over my God sick of me by January 20th.
Marta's and ravine a at the Eden bar.
Ravine it was on handmade a lot of the syrup from the mixes so you get a drink in Eden bar that oh it has such and such here but all in something out of a can they make it right or even to do that in addition to being a regular and also friendly helpful good bartender Maurice was amusing and he he was really great about he quickly learned what I liked the type of stuff that I liked and he started getting really creative with a lot of the tools tricks that they have access to and he can barter and that they were just there fun so looking for to hang out with them. Yeah I got to hang out with the both them for a little bit and and need to watch Maurice make a liver.
A cocktail that was not a menu cocktail and not something I'd seen on the ship or even something I had necessarily seen before with techniques like lighting a lighter right next to an orange rind and then rubbing that on the rim of the glass that was that was interesting. I've failed that trying that trick many times even when I was a bartender years ago.
Well he's more expect he's more experience yes again I think I mentioned my look at the chef summary Carol they're not only great service for me and Jose but really great helping the table next to us when there was some issue about the husband not yet arriving at dinner and then catching a Mazda Now I.
Know I leave that to them and I don't ask questions.
But it's just a really fantastic job about keeping that situation under control for the park she was responsible.
For the shows Madison and from the production shows Madison the singer backup dancer and then the and then and one of the featured dancers there Imani and Carly Imani who played for that one of the eagerness and Carly who plays bloom and then also as the servant character.
Great to talk to both of the deuce of audience interaction with them and then also talk to them as as the humans you know they are yeah that they really listen I'm sure that all of the performers are fantastic These are just a few of them that we were lucky enough to have some extra interaction with and I look forward to interacting with even more of them but they were great. So I think you can probably tell if you're still listening this far.
And as as we're recording this I'll confess that I don't know how many different episodes the show is going to be right this is the one of a question mark to a question mark yeah.
But you can probably tell we're pretty smitten by edge.
Really just the ship offers a great experience the service was was phenomenal I would say everything was at least in line with what we've come to expect from celebrity and when so many ways.
Exceeded it exceeded our expectations despite having seen the ship rendered 3 D. and so much you know we paid so much attention to it all of that in mind we had a great time this is the 2nd sailing ever on a brand new ship the 1st in its class that deviates from every norm except for the fact that it floats. So there are things that we thought could be improved and some of these things are little tiny things that maybe by the time I'm back on in January will be different others. Maybe we have to wait for a pax to see if things change as it depends but we did want to touch on some of those in fairness Yeah I'll jump in with what I think was the 1st thing that I noticed that I would like more of and that was some way to tell what way I was oriented on the ship it was hard to tell what was after what was forward. And when I was in a public space which way I was I was going it was kind of like a long walk to get to the elevator bank and then realize oh I just walked after not forward time to turn around and turn back which it's not a huge ship so that was a big deal but I did that a few times and I'm not sure it got any better while I was on there I understand why it's confusing I don't understand why they don't why can't these really be fixed and maybe can't easily maybe will be easily fixed but. Because the ship is not. Designed in a will say modular way like so many cruise ships where you say oh that is where space to plug in a square venue and that's how they laid it out because it's so different it's asymmetrical it's not only symmetrical side to side but even the levels are different all over the place that makes it a little.
Potentially confusing and because some of the venues are so complex there are times you go I want to go over there I have to go up on across and down that type of thing.
It would just be helpful if right away when you came out of the elevators when you came out of a shop or whatever if you just knew for a half you know one thing that I will say is attempt to 2 people who are going to sail on the edge if you want to go down to Guest Relations the easiest way to do this is find a martini bar yes find the corner of the martini bar with the G.P. café go to the opposite corner along that long wall and that will take it or not it will find you can't get there from here right and that's that's exactly right and that's why.
You have the you had a improvement that you had a couple incident you had a couple and some multiple ships multiple cruise lines we now see them using these. Sliding Doors that are usually clear glass sometimes or frosted or have an image on them.
And in many cases they detect motion in the open as you walk up and some you have to push a button no problem totally fine with that these open way too slow and I know because I and many other people I saw happen would start walking and you expect that you know when you see the door start to open you go OK at this pace I'm A clear that door and you don't hear the door you shoulder check the door and it's awkward and the only thing that makes it so that you don't feel too bad is that you just watch like 14 people do it right before you. So that would seem an easy enough to week I don't know why they did it that way hopefully they'll they'll fix that another.
Another Well I guess there are a couple kind of. Door issues you have down here door to bathrooms in the Celera I'm always open Yeah and I'm not sure why that is I so I notice that and I thought that I was just always walking by a lake when they were in the process of cleaning or something so now that you say that that is odd it's like full view and to the bathrooms in the cellar I'm at all times I wonder if they're having a big problem latches were getting stuck in people trapped inside there's like OK well this is one of the sliding doors where you press the button and sides open it is or lighting or it's a motion sensitive we are like yeah I don't know it was just something I noticed very much on on every occasion another thing with the doors a door magnet indicates that you're sleeping vs out I could do not disturb I've been on ships that were years older than this designed way before like in sales breakaway Plus class or at you've got a set of switches inside the room. Where you live I'm a go way way earlier Rick I've seen those on ships that were built not fit in the 70s that I sailed in the early eighties Yeah the idea of a switch that turns on a light outside not tricky not tricky yet still using a door magnet and a dead door hangers that also said deep sleep yet which those disappeared one or at least the one in my room disappeared so it has a think that was a loyalty gift.
Not the ropes stay in the room so yeah it really celebrity needs I it was just a dichotomy I could be half way across the ship. And you know what I mean go back to the room and relax for a while I'm going to knock the AC down to degrees I'm going to turn all the lights and I'm going to raise the blackout curtain from my phone then use my phone to unlock the door when I get to the room yeah but I have to mess with a magnet to say that I'm sleeping you're right yeah weird you know I want that as a switch on the wall and I want to integrate into Yap you know.
All right so I think those we hit the improvements.
So now we're I think we're going to get to our more serious part which I don't yeah as as we're walking through the hallway and we were discussing one of the things that we thought was a really really.
Of the something that was an error on celebrities part I said well we could call this part on forgivable sounds like yeah and now in retrospect I think that might be harsh so I'm going to if you want to think of a lighter name for this segment it's how did this happen
which is where it sounds like there should be game show music.
How did this happen.
Sign and I don't know how this happened OK and I owe.
Them or Merv Griffin a state $20000.00
we'll let it out. So 1st one paper you have here paper tells an ocean view cafe I notice the same type of paper towel things were and several other Ok bathrooms as well that's where it bothered me most sure.
So tell me out because we didn't talk about this much which is that of paper towel and yes tell me if we had the same issue here yeah
they don't like so you grab like a Kleenex or tissue right usually and the next one pops up or a paper towel dispenser is same idea but flipped you grab one and the next one pops out down so since the paper towel dispensers are recessed above the sinks. If there's not a paper towel hanging down you don't know where to get a paper towel and if you do know where to get a paper towel but it's not hanging down what do you have to do Eric you have to grope around. And like touch every surface with your just washed hand in order to fish a paper towel out so dry your eat now I guess and then what I've done is that I want to wash my hands again and it's a whole big one too though you know what to balance out the sensors for the sinks even though they look like the same model for the soaps which were quirky but overall OK.
So the sensors for the sinks in the soap works like a 1000 times better than on symphony and I'm pretty sure they were the exact same model on Symphony where kept going to wash my hands and nothing would happen.
Maybe I'm a vampire
No OK But yes so the paper towels like it just cannot be that I have to touch some kind of surface that I don't know how many people just touch like the whole point is that we are not touching the same surfaces so yeah that one that was just got to be fixed. In conjunction with this I'm I'm going to say that. I do want people to be able to wash their hands I also want hand sanitizer as an option and there was no hand sanitizer on the ship except when I saw it in a little service cubby in the Ocean View cafe Oh really I know what they were giving it out on embarkation.
Oh OK yes yes yes I did get it then I will withhold judgment until I and you know I'm actually And look this up now I want to see studies on are people more likely to wash their hands if there's not hand sanitizer like what is what is the net positive OK fair enough I will assess that you backed evidence based anything else say about paper toss claim sure it's jets paper towel right so.
One of the things that we are seeing in.
Renovated state rooms or state rooms on newer cars of ships or you know everyone wants a U.S.B. charger so just put the U.S.B. port and then people just have their cable and they don't need their charger great bedside people are going to use their phone U.S.B. port bedside fantastic somehow there is a U.S.B. port a pair of them on one side of the bed and nothing on the other side of the bad which meant for Jose to have something to charge this phone there had to be a U.S.B. cord draped across my bed and then over to his and bike I'm not going to get strangled in the middle of night by his U.S.B. cord so yeah it was it was weird so they have at the vanity there's a little charging box that has 2 U.S.B. ports $2110.00 all it's an E.U. outlet and then next to the bed on the wall there's a one towel it to U.S.P.S. and then I don't know if you notice this on the phone right under those U.S.B. ports there's another U.S.B. port on the phone Yeah I do if there was a U.S.B. port on the side of the phone 3 U.S.B. ports 110 outlet on one side nothing on the weird yeah I think because I think a lot of people that plug in their phone on their side of the bed yeah.
One thing I also noticed and this occurred to me later I forgot where I was reading this on.
A form or something the electrical outlet and the little stool that's near the bed see Pat machines.
You know so now you just plug it in next to the bed set the machine on that still and yeah yeah don't make sense unless you like sleeping on the other side of the.
You know every level brings us all to compromise I got I got to say something positive about outlets OK. In the bathrooms there is a regular outlet not a wired in with the light overhead and only for low current things like Shavers there's a $1510.00 or 15 amp $110.00 outlet so hairdryer.
Curlers hair are and stuff like that can be used in the bathroom and that's a huge improvement I've only ever seen that I think in suites I don't know I took along OK so try trying to balance out you know where they where they were they did well alright yeah I did like that charging box thing on the on the desk that was set on the stables out of the way yeah I was a static on ice All right so this one is something that I experienced when I was in the Eden restaurant was the seating so is the seating for even a restaurant or the restaurant whole part is on the lower deck or the lower level so you have to go down a flight of stairs and then there is like. Along the back wall there are 3 seating areas
the entrance level is a mezzanine that overlooks the restaurant there well if you are in the 3rd section back. You can't see anything and I was in a seat that was even facing away so I was in the 3rd section back and facing away I could not see anything so if I was there just for the meal that probably would have been fine but this has been promoted as something that had a show element to it and I got old Most non of the show and so I was thinking in oh OK in fairness that may not be such a big deal if you're on a longer cruise and you've experienced that you didn't show you've been to the bar you kind of know what the Eden area is maybe for the hour and a half that you're having the meal you could be focusing just on the meal but for me I wanted to take in more and I got to take just about nothing so that was a big disappointment so maybe my 2nd my suggestion here is that no one caught a problem without giving a suggestion and that was a night one don't see people in that section.
You know it's it's just not interactive enough.
The other thing I would say so for even they have some novel presentations Well one of the presentations included serving something on a bed of gravel. I really am against putting anything inedible on a plate or anything serving some of that especially like I don't like even the plastic fence and sushi boxes that separates like the gentry or in the what's obvious from everything else I don't think that plastic should be on there so to serve something on gravel for me is even worse in especially in a dimly lit restaurant where I'm having to stick my fork into this thing to get a piece of cake I'm almost like digging with the like it's when something's going to happen to somebody and I didn't like having to be as cautious as I had to be to make sure it wasn't me.
I've got some others but anything you want to jump in with or something you noticed if it.
You know I think we're on the same page with most of these I know one thing that you wanted to bring up was and maybe this is just a matter of growing pains the app is new it's the new it's it's essentially the same new app for Royal Caribbean there's some additional features and they develop the same ones as role criminal and his celebrity.
And it's great for a lot of things add a lot of capability execs cept
there were some inconsistency in the celebrity today in the schedule of events some things just disappeared. Like the need and the edge launce experience that we thought were going to get tried as well and they maybe that's because they thought they were going to end whether something when I don't know they couldn't I don't know. But I have noticed there were times that were going to one of the shows it was 112112 jury box yeah a bunch of people walking up.
We're asking lake where the comedy show was because they see that the stage doesn't look like there's about to be a comedy show and apparently for some people not everyone the app's of there is a comedy show there at that time and clearly this was just a few people misunderstanding because they had crew members saying feel the comedy show unfortunately it's mistake is the show called jury box place face available.
Yeah so it's you know I guess that kind of stuff is not in forgivable that that kind of stuff is they're growing pains but they're you know it's kind of kind of big when you have so much stuff you want to take in on it on a ship that it just doesn't match yet well for me one of the ones as the edge launches because to say that we were going to get to try something like that it looked like they were going to commit 2 hours on day $2.00 and $2.00 hours in day 3 to do that and then there was nothing and it just suddenly wasn't there that was for me it was for me a big disappointment to have that have I'm here dangled out in front of us and then and then taken away.
And I one of my one of the things that I'm curious about is how much was just a reproduction of maybe what was done on a previous 3 night cruise but this cruise was going to have a totally different entertainment mac to Vittie calendar because it was also the corporate trip where they were using a lot of venues during the day to to entertain and to do to their seminars and breakout sessions a lot so I'm curious how much stuff wasn't done for us because those venues were in use for other purposes that kind of office are great about that but I still think there is money to do but I'm curious how much got taken off of the money yeah for that.
So.
Again we talked about global glowing reviews for a lot of us we talked about honestly with you the stuff that we thought could be better should be different.
But overall we had a really great cruise unfortunately much to my chagrin and almost in a way surprised every single cruise it's worthy and every cruise I walk around going how do I make this last forever.
So far I've not figured that out now. So disembarkation and men I know a 3 night cruise in years
getting the disembarkation instructions and luggage tags on the 2nd night you're sleeping in your stay or M S.
That should really be outlawed that was really torture so so disembarkation indeed came and I think it went pretty smoothly. It was somewhat different if it was different than what we've experience on a lot of other cruises but I'm curious to hear your thoughts overall on the process but also if you thought it was similar to any recent cruise you've taken
well with the change in the paperwork requirements I thinks that you no longer have to fill out the form. I think that's made disembarking from the ship a lot smoother than that
before and after that rule change disembarkation have had to go more smoothly now.
In comparison is there some is there something more something more specific you want to do so on so yeah so I think there I experienced Yeah I don't know if you experience this on Mariner or not but something that I experienced on symphony a couple weeks ago and then again when we were disembarking edge over all the process you know they tell you hey be out here and by this time breakfast served here way for boarding that would be called Same deal.
When we got off the ship.
All we did was walk up to a thing that scanned our faces that took our picture and then green light and somebody said OK you're going to go and you just now that was the whole thing so I'd mention what feels like about 9 hours ago when we started talking about her experience on celebrity edge and on the 1st of however many episodes this breaks out to when we should mention all right I mentioned that.
Laura's and I had her pictures retaken and said well I guess they need to make sure that the pictures are whether it's the contrast ratio the lighting how close up whatever the case may be so that they can use those pictures for the facial recognition to confirm that there are no issues with those individuals so they know who you are just by walking up to that machine it's like it's just a.
It's a screening camera on a.
On a stand that almost looks like.
The more successful siblings of a hand sanitizer dispenser.
So you know that and not having to fill out the customs forms we've been thing for a while really made it smooth and have Global Entry you do not I really like when they start adding Global Entry lines to some cruise terminals because I meant with a separate line that we just walked on through that is no longer necessary with this.
It was butter smooth lightning fast mean what we say from stepping off the ship to being outside to get our lift was No 5 minutes 10 minutes. Closer to 5 it feels like for the.
How easy this was is best illustrated by the fact that the greatest take up in the process was the fact that at the end of the line right before you got to the one Customs agent was there it said Wait here for next available agent but we weren't supposed to you're supposed to keep walking so when people started stopping there and piling up like I was no come on through come on through you know what I found interesting so I understand that they had some customs agents there case and it was declaring anything or if somebody had an issue the minor injury you know whatever whatever the case may be
there were desks the little customs officer booths sort of that used to it Cruise Turmel's and in airports there were desks for like at least 6 if not way more yeah
that terminal was only the 2nd cruise revenue cruise at that terminal they just built that I sailed out of the terminal across the parking lot or across the street from that terminal a year ago almost to the date and that building was in there they just built this why if they're using all these biometrics did they build I mean it's this is no big deal it is it is of no consequence it just made me wonder like they built something that was.
Immediately erstwhile immediately integrated well yet probably safer to have both but they have to demonstrate that they that if this doesn't work which is totally going to totally does I don't think they had that at Terminal A I could be wrong I think you know I have a different ports different government Mars.
Well let's say let's let's end on a bank so what are the the great successes of of edge. I think you can guess the 1st thing that all fairly say and that's because nobody knew what Ian was going to be. Talking to some of the performers I think even they didn't know what they were walking into.
It speaks to how different of a venue it is. A collection of options and experiences that are offered there.
The fact that we saw it on 3 D. some videos about it read about it and nobody knew what they were walking into and I you know I heard some people that didn't prefer the performance there overall I think people were most people I spoke with were happy about it but just as a whole rezoning success everything everything that was eaten.
Yeah that was that's that's my home base in January.
For me I would say one of the great successes the production shows getting all those talented young people together and just giving them a showcase for what they can do the singing the singing and dancing the dancers the aerialists.
And then the people who create the technology for the backdrops and the kind of projected sat there.
All great work I thought
it.
It's funny I feel like we could probably talk about the things that we were blown away by on edge for a while and maybe that's what we did so maybe we're trying to end on a bang but maybe with the exception of a couple paper towel dispensers and such maybe maybe that was the whole those little cruise.
A resounding success it was it was and if travel is ever is anything it is a journey of self discovery and if there's something I've discovered about myself it's that I like 2 sets of packed house so I think from here on out I'm requesting that from my statement and and Paul did that for me and it was fantastic I never treat yourself exactly exactly as you know what if I come back at night from going to the club and I want to shower I can knowing I have a fresh talent a fresh bathmat for the next morning you know who I'm going to try this out on my next trees is kind of like my thing when I realized that I should keep socks for more than like a month.
Fresh shocks feel so that man a man I know I heard saying.
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