Where do you put the flashiest restaurant on a cruise ship – top, middle, front, back? Tell you what, lets stick it on the side instead.
Thats whats happened with newcomer Celebrity Edge – and, as if you wouldnt notice it anyway, theyve painted it bright tangerine to make it stand out.
Why on the side? Well, the Magic Carpet, as it is called, not only has great views but – as the name suggests – can also move up and down between 14 decks, performing a variety of functions from being a dining venue to becoming an extension of the pool area or acting as boarding platform when passengers take a boat to shore.
But the Magic Carpet is not the only thing that strikes you when you first see Celebrity Edge. Most modern cruise ships have tiers of balconies while this one just seems to have a wall of glass.
Advertisement
Advertisement
This is because most cabins have what are called infinite balconies – instead of having a separate outside area, the rooms stretch all the way to the edge (hence the name of the ship).
To feel the sea breeze on your face, simply press a button and the top half of the floor-to-ceiling window winds down. If you want to sit outside, you can close two dividing doors between you and the rest of the cabin.
The infinite balconies were designed by former Dragons Den star Kelly Hoppen and, if shed pitched it to me, I would have loved to tell her: Sorry, Kelly, its a “No” from me and Im out.
But, even after a couple of days on board, I was beginning to warm to the idea, especially the extra area you gain.
The bigger cabins are part of an over-riding theme of space, style and sophistication around the whole ship. Thought-provoking and eye-catching works of art take up whole walls or even rooms. Paintings appear to drip on to the floor or guests can peer behind angled boards to see the inside of the hull.
On the top deck is a Rooftop Garden and beside the large swimming pool a light, bright and airy Solarium.
A three-storey venue called Eden, which has huge windows to the sea, transforms from a relaxed lounge with a salad bar cafe in the morning and afternoon to a night-time venue with exotically dressed dancers performing in front of spectators sipping cocktails made with fresh ingredients from plants grown on an 18ft-high wall.
Advertisement
Advertisement
The Grand Plaza at the centre of the ship also spans three levels, centred on a Martini bar.
Then theres The Club, a space which hosts games such as laser tag during the day then becomes a dance venue in the evening. But not just any old nightclub – on some evenings guests can walk through a scanner and be given a new alien identity to act out with role-playing dancers.
And not forgetting the theatre as well, putting on performances including the Shakespeare-inspired A Hot Summer Nights Dream and Kaleidoscope, described as a high-energy music and dance extravagance.
Naturally, on a ship with nearly 3,000 passengers, the Magic Carpet is not the only place to eat. In all, there are 29 restaurants, cafes, bars and lounges.
Four complimentary dining venues share 75% of the same menu. The rest of the dishes vary with each location – the Tuscan restaurant serves Italian food, Normandie is French, Cyprus is Mediterranean and Cosmopolitan is inspired by New York fare.
When booking their cruise, passengers are assigned a table at one of these four venues at one of two sittings – 6pm or 8.30pm – but can try out others if there is space.
For an extra $55 (£44) a person they can instead eat at the Fine Cut steakhouse or Le Petit Chef, an amazing experience where tiny 3D characters appear to prepare the food in front of your eyes before full-sized waiters bring out the actual dishes.
Other venues either have a cover charge or are a la carte.
Advertisement
Should you feel peckish during the day, you can nip into various cafes, grab a burger from the Mast Grill or treat yourself to a pizza or ice cream.
To work off those calories, theres a fitness centre – and a spa offering a choice of 124 treatments to ease those aching joints afterwards.
Guests who prefer a little exclusivity can stay in two Iconic Suites, sited above the captains bridge, or one of six two-level Edge Villas.
All suite guests can use The Retreat with its own sundeck, pool and bar.
Many things are different on this ground-breaking ship, down to the launches that carry passengers to the shore. Instead of cramped, plastic benches, the boats have wonderfully comfortable padded seats.
I joined the Edge on its first passenger cruise from Fort Lauderdale in Florida ahead of the ships naming by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai on December 4, 2018. Afterwards it will begin a season of Caribbean cruises.
But, if you are prepared to wait, you can see the 1,000ft-long vessel when it visits Southampton in May 2019.
Sister ship Celebrity Apex will also be named in the south coast port in spring 2020.
More: Travel
Celebrity Cruises has been so impressed with its latest addition that it is spending $500million – around £400million – on the rest of the fleet to bring it up to the same level. Its also introducing a 100-passenger ship, Celebrity Flora, in the Galapagos Islands in 2019.
Advertisement
Of all the cruise ships launched this year, this one has the Edge when it comes to being strikingly different. Even if youve never considered a holiday at sea before, this is worth checking out.
A nine-night Caribbean fly/cruise on Celebrity Edge costs from £3,429 a person, based on two people sharing an infinite balcony room, based on an April 2019 departure (celebritycruises.co.uk, 0800 441 4054).
Dave has reviewed a whole fleet of new ships for Metro.co.uk this year, including Symphony of the Seas, Carnival Horizon and Norwegian Bliss. He also writes about cruising on his award-winning blog, shipmonk.co.uk
MORE: Two friends who met on holiday as kids are reunited through Twitter 15 years on
Advertisement
Advertisement
