Some of the 3Sixty team recently had the privilege of being welcomed onto Celebrity Edge in what was the maiden UK voyage. As a non-cruiser, it was an interesting and enlightening experience from start to finish.
I’ve captured my initial thoughts from a working break I rather enjoyed, it turns out there are perks of the job!
There are always opportunities to enhance the service and product offering, but I must admit, I was very impressed with this incredible ship. Am I a cruising convert? Very possibly.
Celebrity Edge
Pre-cruise
This was actually the low point for me. There was confusion surrounding what time I had to be at the port, when my boarding slot was, how long it would take to check-in, how far the parking was from the departure point. I’m a seasoned traveller, but I was a newbie cruiser, obvious things I just didn’t know and found it difficult to find out. The new to cruise audience have very different information needs to season cruisers, they need some hand-holding, tailored and relevant content is key here.
Arrival
It turns out, that the pre-cruise fears were unwarranted. The parking was a few minutes walk from the departure point, the check-in process was both impressive and speedy, facial recognition, beautifully decorated providing a sense of excitement prior to boarding.
Boarding
I was met with an array of smiley faces from around the world, literally. All the staff were very welcoming we were directed to our room. The whole transition from boarding to getting to the room was very slick and very easy. The tactically placed art gallery near where we boarded, prepped me that this wasn’t going to be your typical cruising experience.
Homely staterooms, this room being bigger than my room at home!
Stateroom
We stayed in a modestly sized, but incredibly well designed Oceanview stateroom. It had a great feel to it, and the effort in the detail was phenomenal, from artwork to the use of materials. I later found out what some of the upmarket staterooms and suites looked like…wow! Multiple floors, private gardens, full height and width windows, some suites even had multiple bathrooms!
Food
29 restaurants, speciality dining, luxury buffet style restaurants, all the cuisine types you could imagine, bakery’s, ice cream parlours, coffee shops etc. It even had a floating restaurant in the magic carpet. Every single meal was incredible and the choice was fantastic, whether that was a huge range of options when ordering a smoothie, choosing from multiple waffle types at the buffet, or the constantly changing menus in the speciality restaurants.
The perception of cruising is often that its mass-produced low-quality food, well this couldn’t be further from the case on Celebrity Edge. The chefs are top notch as were the ingredients used. The downside was the fact I put on a few kgs in just a couple of days. Totally worth it though!
Entertainment and facilities
There is so much to do, certainly too much in 3 days. When I think of being ‘stuck’ on a cruise ship vs being on a package holiday, I probably held a misconception. Firstly the ship is bigger than a lot of resorts! For those that just lay around a pool all day, you can still do that, but with the added perk of live music, dj’s, waiters catering to your every need. The gym was better than any commercial gym I’ve ever used with the added benefit of some spectacular views. There is a casino, a cinema, a shopping centre, an impressive state of the art theatre with an impressive entertainment team, an array of spa facilities and much much more. It even had a 400m running track….which if you are anything like me, is probably needed given my ongoing gluttony.
Beautiful design features throughout
Service
Consistent. Personalised. Impressive. I’m not quite sure how, but the staff seemed to know who you were and where you’d eaten previously. The service was always slick, but again, it was the minor things that made a difference; every single member of staff had a smile on their face and seemed genuinely keen to greet you.
Destination
We didn’t actually go anywhere, and I had a great time. So with the range of incredible destinations and ports on offer, the overall experience can only get better. Cruising is high risk, it’s an unforgiving mistake if you aren’t on a great ship. For Edge, you could spend a week onboard and love every minute of it, but I have definitely warmed to the prospect of exploring some incredible port towns. Added to that, is the shore excursions which all look unforgettable.
Atmosphere
Now, this is where I remain unsure. We had the most amazing time. But how would the demographics vary with a public cruise — there was an upmarket high-end beach bar vibe on our cruise which I loved. The weather was great and everyone was wowed by Edge, people were in good spirits. Cruising is, however, known to attract the old traveller, I think the Edge offering naturally appeals to a younger, more tech-savvy and dare I say it, trendy audience. So can Celebrity attract a younger diverse mix of customers? I’d like to say yes and if anyone can, or any ship can, it has to be Celebrity Edge. I believe the launch of Virgin Cruises is great for the sector, it’ll bring energy, friendly competition and drive awareness from a younger aspirational audience.
The Iconic X
Cruise is a growing market, aggregator brand supercruises.com has recently launched hoping to capitalise on the growth and increasing interest. Celebrity Cruises Edge is a game changer and I believe that over the next 12 months, along with the launch of Celebrity Apex, they will start to create something truly unique and attract a new audience. It’s a perfect blend of impeccable design (well done Kelly Hoppen), genuinely top class food (hat tip to the chefs), the level of service you’d expect from a super high-end brand and an all-around impressive product.
Awareness and consideration is the issue here, myths need debunking, stereotypes breaking and misconceptions correcting. I’m going to get started with this task — by booking a cruise, on Edge or Apex, for my family and welcome them to the cruise club! And 3Sixty is going to ensure the Celebrity website showcases the brand and their ships in all their glory!