These Are My Favorite Edge Things

Counting Down ...

As the days get closer to embarkation day for our 7 night Western Caribbean sailing on Celebrity Edge,  we reflected on some of our favorite things from our first look at her last November, when we sailed on one of the 2 day Trade & Press Preview cruises.   It just wasn't enough time to really enjoy our favorites of course.  Here we are again getting ready to depart and the anticipation builds. It's time to start plotting what we don't want to miss on our cruise.

Pamper Yourself on Celebrity Edge

At the heart of The Spa on Celebrity Edge is the SEA Thermal Suite and its eight distinct spaces. Complimentary for all AquaClass guests, it’s a playground for the senses and an incredible place to relax before or after your treatments at The Spa. Guests in other cabin categories can purchase a one-day pass or length of cruise pass to the thermal suite, subject to availability.

 We don't have an AquaClass cabin, so the Spa will be one of our first stops once we are onboard, so that we can purchase the couples pass for the entire cruise. We loved spending some relaxation time there each day during the preview sailing.

Celebrity Edge Resort Deck

Another adults-only retreat is located in the Solarium on the Celebrity Edge Resort Deck. Celebrity ships are known for their covered pool area.   Relax in one of the water lounge chairs, soak away your aches and pains in the hot tub, or simply lounge on one of the chairs.

The Solarium features a three-dimensional art wall that represents the beautiful colors and movement of the ocean. It’s the perfect complement to the serene atmosphere.

Magic Carpet

There's no shortage of innovation on Celebrity Edge. The industry-first Magic Carpet^SM is both the best way to take in spectacular views and the most exciting place to be. By changing function and location, it provides an incredible array of visual perspectives and a distinct experience on every deck it visits. We particularly enjoyed having a drink while enjoying a sunset during our past cruise. We are looking forward to some beautiful sunsets once again.

This is only the beginning of what awaits us on Celebrity Edge. Follow our social media channels and bookmark our anchor diary post for lots more live from Celebrity Edge.  We may be sailing to 4 ports of call, but there is a 5th destination awaiting to be explored further  - we can't wait.

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Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat

Grandeur Tour Deck 4

New WOWs Around Every Corner

Grandeur of the Seas

Revitalization

Here's your chance to see all the amazing WOWs Royal Caribbean added to the Grandeur of the Seas during a recent 30-day revitalization dry-dock.   This is part of  Royal Caribbean's Royal Advantage SM program which enhances the entire fleet. See Royal Advantage Expanded for more information about the project and schedule of ship completions.

What's New on Grandeur of the Seas? 

We were fortunate to be invited to the Revitalization Debut of the Grandeur of the Seas this month.   Explore the New Grandeur of the Seas as we take you along with us on the Grandeur WOW Button Round-Up.

 
DECK 4 - CENTRUM & R BAR

The Centrum has been reinvented as a vertical theater with dazzling aerial performers providing the entertainment.  As with most ships, this is the first thing you'll see after getting onboard the ship.   The Centrum is one of the hubs on the ship.

Aerial Spectacular - Seasons of the Centrum

During the Grandeur Debut event, guests were treated to two performances of a spectacular aerial show entitled "Seasons of the Centrum".  We have posted videos on our YouTube Channel from this show.

In these pictures, you can see that the rigging is on deck 9, 5 decks overhead from the lobby of the Centrum.   You could watch the show several times and have a different experience simply by selecting a different vantage point.

View Videos on Our YouTube Channel

We opted to take our videos from Deck 6 between the glass elevators.   This provided spectacular close ups of the performers as they glided past us suspended by the devices you see in these images.

Aerial Spectacular I Grandeur of the Seas Centrum

Aerial Spectacular II  Grandeur of the Seas Centrum

Aerial Spectacular II  Grandeur of the Seas Centrum


R-Bar

Completing the enhancements on Deck 4 is the addition of the R-Bar, a sophisticated new bar with a distinct retro-glamour vibe. This is a great location to meet before dinner or the Aerial Spectacular shows.

Enhanced Technology

You may have noticed the Deck 4 sign above.  These are touchscreen wayfinders that help you navigate the ship.   Did you know that the search mechanism employed has some intelligence built in?   If several people have done a search for directions to a given location, the wayfinder will reroute you to a different route so that you don't have to wait for elevators.   We'll feature more about the new technological improvements in another post.

Congratulations !!  

You have just collected your first Button for Deck 4

Collect all  7 !!

Introducing Fun Ship 2.0

Last October, Carnival Cruise Lines announced  $500 million dollars worth of enhancements spanning through 2015. The initiative, entitled "Fun Ship 2.0", builds on the success of Carnival Magic’s new branded experiences.

Carnival Liberty was the first ship to undergo the face-lift, adding about half of the 11 new features. As Carnival Breeze comes closer to completion, the remaining features will be coming to the forefront. The new features belong to the following four categories.

Dining 

For added dining , TV personality and Celebrity Chef Guy Fieri has joined forces with Carnival to bring Guy’s Burger Joint. Guests will have the their choice of homemade burgers made with choice ground beef and complimented with hand-cut fries. This will be a lunch or dinner option for guests, topped off with their own condiment bar. Also added will be a new Cantina with Mexican delights like to order burritos and tacos. All complimentary.

Comedy 

Comedian George Lopez has revamped the Punchliner Comedy club, adding some of his own talent and appearing on some of Carnival’s ships personally. The Punchliner Comedy Club Presented by George Lopez will have pre-recorded video and voice messages from Lopez. Carnival will launch Punchliner brunch as well offering entertainment in the main dining rooms on-board.

Bars 

Carnival is giving bars at sea a new name. Carnival partnered with sports video game company EA SPORTS to bring an interactive sports bar at sea. Not only will there be tournaments and trivia but 16 46-inch big screen TV’s and a 24/7 live sports ticker. To expand on the ever-so-popular Red Frog Pub that was introduced on Carnival Magic, Carnival will be adding Red Frog Rum Pub and BlueIguana Tequila Bar. For the folks that are cruising to heal their sorrows, Carnival is adding an Alchemy Bar where passengers will create their own drinks on a prescription pad. The Library Bar will be added also, being coined “an intimate cocktail lounge.”

Entertainment 

Carnival is taking entertainment to the next level with Playlist Productions, 30-minute shows with LEDs, special effects, and sing alongs. Teaming up with game leader Hasbro, Inc. to create interactive game shows at seas. Also Carnival is teaming up with DJ Irie and creating Spin’iversity for folks who want to learn to mix music.

Which Ship is Right for You

By the end of 2012, three ships in the fleet will host 10 of the 11 new features of Fun Ship 2.0 with three more having at least 4 of the features.  Even among those ships, there will be a variance in which features are deployed on each vessel.  We've put a chart together, based on information that has been released to date, showing the features on each ship.

We've also included the schedule so that you can plan your cruise vacation following the dry dock that will complete the transformation.

Fun Ship 2.0 Feature	Liberty	Breeze	Dream	Conquest	Glory	Splendor
Punchliners Comedy Club		x	x	x	x	x
Guy’s Burger Joint	x	x		x	x
Hasbro, The Game Show		x		x	x
EA Sports Bar	x			x	x
DJ IRIE Spin’versity	x	x	x	x	x	x
Playlist Productions		x		x	x
RedFrog Rum Bar	x	x	x	x	x	x
BlueIguana Tequila Bar	x	x	x	x	x	x
BlueIguana Cantina		x		x	x
Alchemy Bar	x	x		x	x
Library Bar		x

In future articles, we'll look closer at some of the new features.  The first of which is

Hasbro The Game Show Coming Soon to Sea

Dry Dock Schedule 2011 Carnival Liberty (Dry docks Oct. 8-22, 2011) 2012 Carnival Breeze (currently under construction, debuts June 3, 2012) Carnival Dream (Dry Dock: Sept. 8-22, 2012) Carnival Conquest (Dry Dock: Oct. 14-28, 2012) Carnival Glory (Dry Dock: Nov. 2-15, 2012) Carnival Splendor (Dry Dock:  dates TBD) 2013 Carnival Destiny Carnival Legend Carnival Pride Carnival Victory 2014 Carnival Elation Carnival Freedom Carnival Triumph Carnival Valor 2015 Carnival Magic Carnival Paradise