I Am A Celebrity!

Sunday, May 4, 2025

Another Year; Another Caribbean Cruise

Rainbow; Caribbean 2014
Copyright Andy Richards 2014 - All Rights Reserved

WE DEBUTED our Caribbean Cruising way back in 2012, aboard Princess' Ruby Princess, just two years after our first-ever cruise to Alaska. Living in northern Michigan in the center of SAD territory, a warm - weather cruise is a welcome respite. For the preceeding 35 years or so, we hunkered down during the cold season, working and saving, and reserving what time off we did have for trips to see family at Christmas and during the summer. Before that, my own family had a similar approach. For my dad, "spring break" was a good time to find a part-time job and save some money for college. Unlike many of my contemporaries, I had never taken a warm-weather, "spring break" (or any other time during the winter months) vacaton in my life.

we loved it. Who wouldn't?

PERHAPS NEEDLESS to say: we loved it. Who wouldn't? We left Saginaw, in February, covered in dirty, slushy, old snow; cold, grey and dreary. The next day, we boarded a cruise ship in Fort Lauderdale, and spent the next 10 days in the bright, warm sunshine. Though we didn't make it every year afterward, did a Caribbean Cruise several more times after that.

The Pier at Redcliffe Quay - St. John's, Antigua
Copyright Andy Richards 2025

IN 2015, we bought our retirement home in Palm Harbor, Florida (Tampa Bay area). By then we had focused our cruising pretty heavily on seeing the world in places like The Mediterranean and Europe. Reasoning that we now lived in a quasi-"Caribbean" place (it can get cool here in Florida, but never snows and most of the time is sunny and warm), we took a few-year hiatus from Caribbean Cruises.

Cargo Ship; St. George's, Grenada
Copyright Andy Richards 2014 - All Rights Reserved

THE COVID-19 pandemic hit the travel industry and patrons hard in 2020, and by the time we came up for air in late 2021, we were looking for any excuse to get on a cruise ship in just about any place again. We ultimately jumped back on a Princess ship (Regal Princess) in and around The English Channel, in late 2021. Then again in January, 2022 we were once again on the familiar old Celebrity Reflection, returning once again to the Caribbean (albeit this time the "Western Caribbean). We had missed the warm-weather cruising. Missed the relaxing days at sea and the always warm sunshine. We have cruise again in the Caribbean every year since.

in January, 2022 we were once again on the familiar old Celebrity Reflection, returning once again to the Caribbean (albeit this time the "Western Caribbean). We had missed the warm-weather cruising

THIS YEAR (2025) we boarded The Celebrity Beyond (the Celebrity fleet's 3rd of 5 in their "Edge Class" and a new ship for us), joined some friends we had met on a cruise in the Baltic in 2022. We had cruised with them on a very similar itinerary in 2023 in the Eastern Caribbean. As we always seem to do, we met some more new friends too (and will be joining them on a Caribbean Cruise again in 2027).

Incoming Cruise Ship; St. George's Bay, Grenada
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

IT SEEMS like the Caribbean Cruises get kind of "same old, same old," after a while. But we always find something new to do and learn something new about ports (even the ones we have visited multiple times). This year, our 11-day cruise stopped at St. Maarten (where we have ported multiple times), St. Lucia (we spent a day there in 2023), Grenada (once in 2014), Barbados (a day in 2023) and Antigua (again, a day in 2023). On our cruises in Europe and other parts of the world, we try hard to make the most of our shore time, booking an ambitious schedule of excursions. On the Caribbean cruises, we have developed a much more "laid back" style of travel. We booked just two formal events and let things fall where they did, on the rest of the ports.

Fuel Tanker - Castries, St. Lucia
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

OUR FIRST stop was St. Maarten, and it had actually been a few years since we had been there. The main line cruise ships all dock in the more accessible deep-water port of Phillipsburg, on the Dutch side of the island. As some readers may know, St. Maarten is divided north and south with the Dutch territory being roughly the southern half of the island, and the northern half: French territory (up there is it know as St. Martin). We have only ventured up to the French side on one of our four times there. Nothing against it. Just circumstances. Our first trip was our first time in the Caribbean, and it had been a very eventful year. We did not book much in the way of excursions. In St. Maarten, we walked around the main street of Phillipsburg, had lunch in a shady spot on a quiet beach in the city's marina, and generally kicked back. The second trip, we made up for it, taking a guided tour around the entire island and spending a couple hours in the main town in the French side: Marigot. The third trip was with a group of two other couples from Michigan and we elected to rent chairs on the beach and have a few beers. This year, we had no real plans other than to get off again and walk around. On the first day on board, we met our newest Candian friends: Sandi and Steve, who live just north of Niagara Falls in Port Erie, Ontario. They knew of a special cigar shop and liquor store and we agreed we would get off the ship together and walk around with a mission to find it. We did, but the rest is pretty much anti-climactic. Due to world conditions they had virtually no cigar inventory. I ended up buying a couple that were purported to be rolled in St. Maarten using cuban leaves (no tobacco is grown in St. Maarten). They weren't very good. I did get a nice deal on a couple bottles of very nice bourbon. It was a showery day and I didn't even bother with the camera that day.

In 2023, I started purposefully making photos of these "welcome" signs (didn't get this one in 2023, but made it a point to do it this time)
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

ST. LUCIA was the next stop (so-called southern Caribbean cruises generally involve about a day and 1/2 to get down there, daily stops for 4-6 days, and a day and 1/2 to get back to Ft. Lauderdale. We had been there 2 years ago, with the same group and taken a very nice tour around the island, seeing some of the highlights like the rainforest, a very nice botanical garden, and from the distance: the island's famed landmark twin peaks of the Piton mountains. That group generally goes to a beach at most stops. We don't, so in those cases we fend for ourselves. But this day, none of us had "a plan," so we got off and walked around, staying mostly in the tourist area at the port.

"Birdseye View" of our Celebrity Beyond Cruise ship (From Ft. Frederick)
St. George's, Grenada
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

MY WIFE and I had booked an excursion for the following day in Grenada. True to form, our travel mates sought out a beach and enjoyed the tropical weather. To put things in perspective, they live near Buffalo, New York and had endured one of the hardest winters on record there. They were trying to soak up as much sun as they could to take back to (well, almost) the "North Pole" with them. In 2014, our only other stop in Grenada, my wife had a (thankfully minor) health emergency. We had arranged for a multi-passenger golf cart and driver to take us around the island and we had to back out at the last minute. More than 10 years later, we had a chance to get that back.

Grenada's seat of government, the Parliament Building, sits high up on a hill in St. Georges (but not the highest viewpoint), giving some great photographic views from the grounds
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

THE EXCURSION was pretty good and very interesting. We began the day with a stop at Grenada's Capital seat (Grenada is a parliamentary system, and they call it their "Parliament" building). With a population of just under 120,000, Grenada is part of the British West Indies federation. While King Charles is the titular "head of state," the country is primarily run and governed by the Parliament with the Prime Minister being the leader of the government. If I can say so, the Parliament is both austere and grandiose at the same time. We did not go inside but it appears from the glimpses we got that it is built for utility. I did find a few nice views from the grounds, however.

A view to the south, from the Parliament Grounds
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

TO THE south you can see houses in the hills, and what was apparently a stately mansion which appears to be in a state of disrepair today. Yet I still found it photogenic. To the west, there is a nice view of the St. George's (Carenage) inner harbor. We drove around the harbor at the end of our excursion, but did not stop. On my next stop in Grenada, I want to make my way to the harbor, and walk around. It was full of boats - mostly the working fishing fleet which did not seem to be out on that day - and surrounded by colorful buildings. It would be a fun "walk-around."

Carenage Harbor from the Parliament Grounds
St. George's, Grenada
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

OFF IN yet another direction was a view of a less urban flavor, looking at some of the rural housing and businesses on the island. As so often happens, it was the splash of color that drew the eye. Careful observers might note that the painted wall along the road sports Grenada's official colors and mimmicks the Flag of Grenada.

Rural Landscape as viewed from the Grenada Parliament
St. George's, Grenada
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

THERE ARE 3 (remaining) forts on Grenada: Ft. George, Ft. Frederick and Ft. Matthew. Two of them (George and Matthew) are under major reconstruction and cannot be visited. The last one is the smallest and there isn't a lot to see, but the views down and over the town of St. George's are amazing; and the history fascinating. The three forts are all on high points with commanding views. The largest, Ft. George, is on the other side of the inner harbor from the other two, between the Caribbean (St. George's Bay) and the Carenage Harbor. According to our guide at the fort, they are also all connected by underground tunnels. We could see Ft. George and its commanding postion in the center of the island facing the port of St. George's. Ft. Frederick is probably the smallest fort and although the buildings were mildly interesting to me, I mostly took advantage of the high viewpoint to make some photographs.

From high above the Parliament Building (from Ft. Frederick) yields a more dramatic and complete view of the building. I was hoping we would have an opportunity to see it from up above, and was pleasantly surprised.
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

AFTER THE fort, our driver took us to a beautiful park a ways south of the cruise port, with a large field overlooking the Caribbean. Known as "Quarantine Park," it is out on a point jutting out into St. George's Bay. Though the views were impressive, including a shot of our Celebrity Beyond Cruise Ship, it was a very windy day and our stay was rather short.

Celebrity Beyond docked at St. George's Cruise Port and viewed from Quarantine Point - approximately 2 miles away

GRENADA IS known in the Caribbean as "The Spice Island," ("not to be confused with the historical "Spice Isles" of Indonesia) as numerous various spices are its primary export. Most of them are native to the island. Ironically, the one that isn't, nutmeg, was brought into Grenada in 1843, when a British ship left a small number of nutmeg trees on the island. Information is mixed, as are its sources, but our guide (and at least one internet sight found on Google agreed) told us Grenada is the second largest producer of nutmeg in the world; second only to Indonesia. Other sources differ with that ranking, but suffice it to say, they all agree that Grenada is a significant provider of the nutmeg consumed in the world. Other importan spices are turmeric, coco, mace and cardamon. During our stop, our guide gave us a quick demonstration of the fresh spices, even offering them up for taste, before delivering us back to our ship.

Quarantine Park - St. George's, Grenada

THE STORY behind Quarantine Point/Quarantine park is that in the 1892, the then governor of Grenada built an area (it is very small) out on this rather isolated point to isolate victims of smallpox, yellow fever, malaria and similar highly contagious and communicable diseases of the times. In modern days, the property has been converted into a public recreational space, hosting public events and cultural gatherings. Today, the park is flanked by several very high-end beach resorts.

St. George's, Grenada from the deck of our Celebrity Beyond Cruise Ship

JUST SOUTH of us lies the famous St. George's University. Our driver drove us through the impressive and attractive campus. Another thing I would like to do on another trip to Grenada is spend some time (camera in hand, of course) walking around the campus. Situated in perhaps the most affluent area of St. George's, the campus is relatively compact. The university opened in 1977 (chartered in 1976 by Grenada's parliament), as strictly a medical school. The brainchild of several U.S. residents, it was started as an alternative to U.S. students who weren't granted admission to any U.S. medical schools. By 1999, the university had added a liberal arts program, and degrees in veterinary medicine soon followed.

St. George's, Grenada from the deck of our Celebrity Beyond Cruise Ship

FOR ME what gives it its notoriety to the many of us who are not directly involved in the medical profession was its role in the only direct military action of the Reagan presidency. In 1979, there was a forced turnover of the long-entrenched, conservative prime minister, Eric Gairy (serving and instrumental in the charter and establishment of the university), by a Marxist regime, resulting in the ousting of Gairy and the establishment of Maurice Bishop as the new prime minister. For years of dissaray and infighting resulted in violence. In 1983, Bishop and several of his ministers were executed by an insurgent element in Bishop's own party. In a rather drastic approach, the newly controlled government instituted martial law, including a "shoot on sight" curfew. The U.S. was concerned about the 1,000 - odd U.S. citizens in Grenada, including over 100 students at the university. Encouraged by U.S. and British, U.S. troops conducted a surprise invasion of Grenada, presumably to rescue U.S. citizens. It was controversial. I'll leave it at that. But there is history there, and it was fascinating to see the university in person.

St. George's, Grenada from the deck of our Celebrity Beyond Cruise Ship

THAT ENDED our day and we returned to the ship. The sunlight of the late afternoon was setting over the city and from the viewpoint of our cruise ship deck, I made some nice photos of the city. Like so many cities all over the world, the landscape is often punctuated by church steeples. St. George's is no exception.

THE FOLLOWING day, our stop was Barbados. The only other time I was there was in 2023, with the same group. They went to the beach. I demurred, planning to go ashore and explore. When there is no shuttle running from the ship to the port terminal, it is quite a long walk around the jetty to the terminal. The terminal is similar to most modern cruise terminal stops in the Caribbean. Tourist trap. On steriods. Intending to walk out an explore, to me everything looked really sketchy. One of those fimes I should have done my homework. But I hadn't, and not feeling particularly adventurous, I walked around the terminal for a few minutes, bought a T-shirt, and returned to the ship. My bad. This time I did do some homework. I learned that there is a nice beach/boardwalk just outside the port, and it is a short distance to the center of town, where there are some impressive colonial structures. I will check them out. Next time.

"Tall Ship" style cruise ship - St. John's, Antigua

THIS TIME, I had another mission. As a younger person, I played in the pit orchestra for my home city's players performance of the humorous historical musical: 1776. I remember lines from a particularly dark song about slavery that ended with the phrase: "Barbados and rum." I have always remember the connection and during my homework session, discovered Mt. Gay Rum distillery (the oldest in the Caribbean). I had a hankering for a tasting, and my wife and I made an appointment. I must have liked it because I brought 2 liters home with me. 😊

Redcliffe Quay; St. John's, Antigua

OUR FINAL port stop was St. John's Antigua. Again, my sole other visit there was in 2023. On that day our whole group got off and hired a driver to take us all around the island. It was a long, but very fun day. There is an awful lot going on on this island. We had such an in-depth excursion that when we returned to the port we were ready to get back on board, get cleaned up, and relax over pre-dinner cocktails. We didn't explore the immediate port area. The main cruise port today in St. John's is "Heritage Quay." It is large enough to dock multiple ships and on this trip we shared the dock with one of Princess' newest and best: The Enchanted Princess. It is a beautiful ship and given the opportunity I couldn't resist photographing her, as well as our Beyond side-by-side.

Redcliffe Quay; St. John's, Antigua

PRIOR TO the cruise, my pre-cruise research involved searching for things to do in St. John's. For the most part, it seemed like we had done or seen most of it. There was one area, though, right under our "proverbial nose," that we had missed. The legacy port immediately adjacent to Heritage Quay is Redclifee Quay. It is still there and still being used by some smaller cruise ships and some specialty cruise ships (like the "tall ship" cruiser docked on the Redcliffe Quay pier). As such the older buildings of a retro-cruise port remain. They continue to operate as shops and restaurants and are beautifully maintained in their colorful painted clapboard form. I got off the ship alone this time, with a short mission: to photograph as much of Redcliffe Quay as there was to shoot. Turns out is is pretty small. Still I had some fun and made a few pictures.

Redcliffe Quay; St. John's, Antigua

THE NEXT two full days were spent "at sea," returning to Fort Lauderdale. Ironically, the entire first part of the cruise, including the downward sail, and every day except for Antigua, were very windy. Indeed this is the windiest Caribbean Cruise we have been on. Then from Antigua on, things turned calm and it finally felt like the Caribbean we remembered. Little wind, calm seas, and lots and lots of sunshine. So those last sea days were delightful. Just enough to get us back again. On board, we booked February Caribbean Cruises for 2026 and 2027. Both will be on "new" ships for us (Ascent in 2026 and the older solstice class Eclipse in 2027). 2027 will bring 3 new islands for us - the so-called "ABC" Islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaco, in addition to 3 familiar eastern Caribbean Islands. Lots to look forward to - intermixed with our other cruises.

The Enchanted Princess - St. John's, Antigua

OUR NEXT cruise will be in August/September, on the Celebrity Apex out of Southampton, England to the Norwegian Fjords. Stay tuned!

Celebrity Beyond and Princess Enchanted Princess - St. John's Antigua

Sunday, April 20, 2025

Juneau

Juneau, Alaska (from Mt. Roberts)
Copyright Andy Richards 2010 - All Rights Reserved

TYPICAL OF some shorter cruises, this one began and ended with some "at sea" days. In the middle, there are often cruise stops that are close enough together that the ship can leave port by late afternoon/early evening and arrive at the next one early the next morning. That is how our Inside Passage cruise worked. We left Vancouver in the late afternoon and cruised for a couple nights before our arrival at Ketchikan. That made at least one "at sea" day immediately after departing Vancouver. Then we made stops in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway on consecutive days. Those were the land-based "stops" we made on the cruise.

Mendenhall Glacier - Juneau, Alaska
Copyright Andy Richards 2010 - All Rights Reserved

FOLLOWING OUR eventful day in Ketchikan, we arrived at Juneau early the next morning. Once again, we had pre-arranged off-ship excursions.Plural, because we split up. We had found a "photography" excursion for me and the others went on a "whale-watching" excursion.

Auke Bay - Juneau, Alaska
Copyright Andy Richards 2010 - All Rights Reserved

MY PHOTOGRAPHY excursion included a stop at the famous Mendenhall Glacier right outside of Juneau, a short hike through a nature area, and then whale watching. Ironically, I later learned, the rest of the group had a much better experience on their "whale watching" trip. Like us, they made a stop at the Mendenhall Glacier before proceeding on up to the primary whale excursion location in Juneau: Auke Bay. Our whale excursion was very close to a bust by any standards (it is like fishing, of course - there are no guarantees). I have one (not very good) distant shot of the "tale up" breach. A few unremarkable shots (you can see them here) and not really anything else. Our other group saw a few nice breaches, but nobody caught them on camera.😏

Early morning sun on The Gastineau Channel - Juneau, Alaska
Copyright Andy Richards 2010 - All Rights Reserved

JUNEAU IS on the "mainland" west coast of continental Alaska. Along the passage, there is very little human habitation, and where it is, there is generally only a very narrow "rivieria" for building. Alaska's capitol city is situated on the Gastineau Channel; a narrow channel which separates Juneau and the mainland from Douglas Island, to the west of Juneau on the other side of the Gastineau Channel. You can see though, from my shot from our cruise ship bow, that the approach is pretty dramatic at times. Across the channel, Douglas Island is largely uninhabited, with some recreational trails and a small ski area.

"Downtown" Juneau, Alaska
Copyright Andy Richards 2010 - All Rights Reserved

LIKE MANY of Alaska's towns, Juneau can only be reached by boat or by small plane (including by seaplane). There are roads in the immediate area, but they don't really lead to anywhere other than the city and its outskirts. The primary road on the Juneau side goes from just 6 miles south of town (apparently primarily to serve the cruise terminal) to about 12 miles north of town, to Auke Bay. You pass Mendenhall on the east on your way up to Auke Bay. So what about all those cars? We learned that to have a car in Juneau, you must either purchase one at one of the couple auto dealerships in Juneau, or bring it over by ferry. There was a surprising amount of automobile traffic, given this tiny road network.

Auke Bay Harbor - Juneau, Alaska
Copyright Andy Richards 2010 - All Rights Reserved

ONCE OUR excursions were complete, we took the gondola up to the top of Mt. Roberts, and did a short hike along a trail with high up and pretty impressive views of the city and the channel below us - including a "birds-eye" view of our docked cruise ship. We ate lunch at the restaurant at the top of the tram, before returning to walk around Juneau's downtown area briefly. Soon enough, it was time once again, to return to our cruise ship for our sail-away from Juneau, and on to our next destination: Skagway.

Diamond Princess - Juneau, Alaska
Copyright Andy Richards 2010 - All Rights Reserved

Sunday, April 13, 2025

"Celebrity Beyond" - Our Newest Cruise Ship Experience

Celebrity Beyond - St. John's Antigua
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

WE JUST returned from our 21st cruise; this time on Celebrity's third newest ship: The Celebrity Beyond. Beyond is also the third ship in the cruise line's newest and best of its fleet - the Edge Class. The Celebrity Edge, the first of this newest class of ships operated by Celebrity was launched in January, 2018 (with sister ship, The Celebrity Apex, following close behind in May of 2019). Edge and Apex were a so-called "cutting edge" design and are essentially the same layout. We have sailed on Apex 3 times and Edge twice (with a booked September cruise again on the Apex). From what I can see there is very little difference between the Edge and Apex; none of it substantial. The Beyond and (presumably) Ascent? Another story. A number of changes that are notable. We are slated to sail on the Ascent next February and I will do some comparisons at that time, but would bet that there are few differences between it and the Beyond.

The "legacy" Martini Bar on Celebrity Millenium and Solstice ships was kind of tucked away on the port side of Deck 4; but was nonetheless a very popular spot in the evenings
Copyright Andy Richards

THE EDGE class was a significant departure from the more classic designs of the older but still very modern and relevant Solstice line and the even older Millenium class ships. Maintaining some very popular venues from its older ships, like the Martini Bar and Sunset Bar, their configurations were largely re-imagined. The Sunset Bar changed from a rather intimate space on the back of the ship to a sweeping bar across the back. The "lawn" areas on both sides of the sunset bar were replaced with a large seating area for both smoking and non-smoking passengers on the ship's starboard side with no public area on the port side of that deck. The Martini bar was moved from its somewhat aft position tucked away on the port side of deck 4, to become a two-story central atrium on the Edge ships. The lawn club (just forward of the Sunset bar area) was replaced on the Edge ships with a new "Rooftop" garden and the Lawn Grill replaced with the Rooftop Garden Grill. Replaceing the large lawn area is now a "park-like" labyrinth of seating (slightly reconfigured on each new "Edge" participant). New restaurants (Raw on 5, the Fine Cut Steakhouse, and the oppulently appointed Eden bar and restaurant) were added, replacing old favorites like Murano, Tuscan, and the Lawn Club Grill. Some of them (e.g., Raw on 5) have now found their way onto several of the Solstice class ships during re-fitting).

PERHAPS THE most significant change: the Edge class ships replaced the traditional "Grand Ballroom" main dining room approach of most mainline cruise ships with 4 smaller "themed" (Greek, Italian, French and "cosmopolitan") restaurants. This seems to fit with the trend toward "freestyle" type dining, and I suspect as newer ships come out and older ships are re-fitted, we will see more of this. It is still possible to have an assigned seating table and time. It is also possible to order anything of any of the 4 menus. We like the variety and intimacy of the smaller spaces, but I have talked with many who miss (and/or prefer) the large, "grand" dining room.

TWO OTHER changes that are notable are the re-work of The Martini Bar and The Sunset Bar on the stern of the ship. The Sunset Bar on the Solstice class ships was a major upgrade from the space on the older Millenium class ships. The partially sunken oval directly in the center of the aft-most part of deck 15, has a very intimate feel to it. Indeed, on the several times we have sailed on these ships, we have gotten to know the bartenders very well. There is nice, tiered seating facing aft on both sides. The port side is smoker - friendly (including along the "lawn" section just forward), and has become one of my all-time favorite spots on any cruise ship. The "Lawn" areas on these ships are unique and to the best of my knowledge, not present on any other cruise ships. Unfortunately, they have redesigned this going forward. I am not sure why, but I suspect maintaining a live grass lawn area aboard is a major and expensive feat. But it is a cool space. Extending forward around the engine/smokestack superstructure on both port and starboard side is a strip of "lawn" that takes up most of the space, save a walkway. Forward of the stack there is a large lawn area ("The Lawn"). The narrow sides are frequently used for bocce and ocassionally as a putting surface. The port side lawn strip is part of the smoker-friendly area.

THE REWORK of the entire space on the Edge and Apex (both of which we have sailed on multiple times) results in a very different look and feel. Having grown to love the Solstice design, it took some getting used to, and it has its (for me) good and bad points. First let me say I don't like the new Sunset Bar itself at all. On both the Edge and Apex, the bar now sweeps straight across the stern of the ship. There is seating behind it - but it is pretty limited (more on the Edge with a slight improvement on the Apex, but still limited). In my opinion this bar configuration gives that space a "cold" commercial feel, and lacks the "intimacy" of the Solstice class bar. There is no seating at all on the port side back here.

THE ADJACENT seating areas are different and have their points. Seating generous. For better or worse, all passengers must walk through the smoking area on their way to the bar. But it is open enough that it shouldn't really be a serious problem. I like that the bartender/wait staff also has to walk through the area, which means we are still seeing them frequently and interacting with them. Not quite as intimate as before, but still getting to know them and making friends. On the real negative side, As you can see from the picture below, the area is wide open. There is no shelter from wind, rain or sun (and that sun can be brutal during the afternoon in some climates). This often also results in wet cushions the morning after. But "First World Problems." We cope.😀

ALSO NEW on the edge class was the unique "Magic Carpet," an elevator-type, cantilivered structure on the starboard side of the ships that moves up an down, depending on its current function. Most of the time it is on deck 14 and serves as one of the many bar venues. It is also used as a disembarkation point when tendering to ports. Finally, there is an occasionally offered special dinner meal in the Magic Carpet. Its bright orange color marks the Edge ships unmistakably when you see them on the water or in port.

THE EDGE class also added another new and innovative space that takes up a substantial part of the aft section of deck 5: Eden. A somewhat integral space, Eden had its own namesake bar, a small buffet, a small entertainment stage, very nice seating around the rear of the ship, and its own smaller outside deck area that is partly smoker-friendly. I describe the furnishings as opulent. The bar has top-shelf liquor and usually a mixologist and the restaurant is almost over-the-top elegant (and, not surprisingly, is a surcharge venue - thought the bar and buffet are open to all passengers). Eden appears to have been unchanged on the Beyond and Ascent. But look for big changes on the upcoming Xcel.

AS THE third entry into the Edge class, apparently Celebrity decided it was time for some new features - primarily re-designs. The martini bar was moved to the middle of the venue instead at one end - presumably to make room for more seating in the area. The bar now is in a trapezoidal shape and interestingly the new Sunset Bar (more below) mimicks the design in terms of shape, colors and surfaces. I am not sure whether the re-design is a result of feedback or some other reason, but Celebrity is showing me a bit of indecision here. Recently looking at photos of the Xcel, the final "Edge" class ship which is scheduled to launch late this year, they appear to have once again moved the bar forward in the space at one end again.

THE SUNSET bar area on the rear of the ship is moved to nearly the center of the space and features a trapezoidal shape. It is also (newly) placed under a covered portico, protecting patrons at the bar from sun and rain. Not only is this a cool look, but it brings back some of the "intimate" feel of the legacy (Solstice) bar. It also re-opens some space for seating on the port side of the bar. This is a welcome change and I think it carries through to all 3 of the newest Edge class offerings.

THE SEATING area for the Sunset Bar remains to the rear (all the way across and around to the port side as well) and on the starboard side. The smoking area (as well as the rest of the starboard side seating) has been completely re-designed, with several narrower, tiered spaces. The result is that the smoking area is somewhat more secluded from the main bar, something that non-smokers probably appreciate. It is also "screened" on top and plexi-glass panels to the seaside, giving relief from the harsh sun and to an extent, the wind. Overall, they are very nice, comfortable spaces. It is possible to get to and from the bar without walking through the smoking area. My only issue with that is that it means the wait staff can also do that. Our experience on this cruise was that the bartender/wait staff don't seem to frequent the area as much. That is remedied simply, by more trips to the bar for us, but it does seem to have taken away the opportunity to get to know the staff more personally.

ON THE starboard side, just forward of the smoking areas there are now two small plunge pools at the edge of the ship (I understand that on the Ascent, they have added two more on the port side).

THE BEYOND and Ascent have added an additional deck (17), creating more space for seating above (but with a view of) the pool, and creating a new outside Bar on a formerly unavailable space on deck 16. The "new" Mast Bar on the Beyond is one deck above 15, accessed by a single flight of stairs on the starboard side, just back of the pool. The former Mast Bar is now referred to simply as The Pool Bar and has not moved. The new Mast Bar is small, but well stocked and tended, with a television and shady space. I found it at times to be a better alternative to the always crowded Sunset Bar, to take a quick walk, get a drink, and bring back to the smoking area. In addition, they have brought The World Class Bar (found on some Solstice ships) on board. They have some very high-end liquor as well as a master mixologist. We have fun with some of their specialty drinks and have participated in a couple of their mixology "seminars."

The Rooftop Garden on Deck 15 replaced "The Lawn" on Solstice ships and serves as a multi-purpose area including movies and occasional sports games on the TV screen and these day, the world's most popular and growing sport: Pickleball.
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

THEY HAVE also added an additional new surcharge-based restaurant: Le
Voyage, which they boast, is designed and managed by celebrity chef Daniel Boloud. I have mixed feelings about these so-called "specialty" restaurants. They are not a new concept. We dined in Princess' "Sabatini" Italian restaurant on our first ever cruise aboard the Diamond Princess in Alaska. In that case, I have to say that food was excellent and a cut above the main dining room with which we were already duly impressed. We have also dined in several of the specialty restaurants on Celebrity ships, including Eden, The Fine Cut Steakhouse, and Raw on 5, as well as similar venues on both Holland America and Oceania (on Oceania's so-called "luxury" ships, all the restaurants are included in your fare - so no surcharge). We have had somewhat mixed results. On Oceania, we dined in both offered extra restaurants and they were the two least memorable meals aboard. The food in the main dining room was nothing short of excellent. Probably the best food we have had on any cruise. On Holland America, we again did both of their offered specialty restaurants. They were underwhelming. Rather than their own separate venue, they were in a cordoned-off section of the buffet. The food was pedestrian (which we found indeed to be the case in the main dining room most nights also - though the buffet food was comparably decent). On Celebrity, we have found the food in the specialty restaurants to be very good. Better than the MDR.

Are they "better" enough to justify the rather stiff surcharges?

BUT ARE they "better" enough to justify the rather stiff surcharges? We generally think the food is good enough in the included restaurants that you can easily have a great cruise and great food without any of the specialty restaurants. When we have partaken, it has usually been in conjunction with non-refundable on-board credits, special deals, or both. The two on HAL were "comped" as part of our particular package. We have taken advantage of first night deals with Fine Cut. Sometimes we are part of a group or invited to join one and will splurge on those occasions. Raw on 5 is an ala carte surcharge menu and we have felt the prices to be well worth the ability to get food not otherwise available on the ship (like sushi). But at this point we are drawing the line at Le Voyage. The per passenger surcharge is $120! Nope. My overall concern is that because of the clearly preferable profit margins from these ventures, cruise lines are moving more and more toward this model, and pushing cruisers in that direction whenever possible. I worry that in the end, the formerly great food and experience in the ships' standard, included venues may well suffer.

WE WILL sail on the Ascent in February, 2026. In November of 2025, Celebrity will launching what is supposed to be the final member of the Edge class: The Xcel. I would expect it to be different in a number of ways from the Beyond and Ascent. As I learn, I will keep you posted.