Celebrity Edge

Celebrity Edge is a 130,818 gross tonne ship delivered in October 2018 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique, carrying around 2,900 guests over 15 decks. She is the first of the Edge class, and the design decision that defines her is the refusal to treat the hull as a fixed box: the Magic Carpet, a cantilevered platform that travels between decks, serving as tender platform, bar and restaurant, and the Infinite Veranda, which folds the balcony inside the cabin wall. Both were genuine departures from convention. She holds a second record. On 26 June 2021 she sailed from Fort Lauderdale as the first cruise ship to leave a US port after the pandemic shutdown. Her deployment has moved on: through 2026 and 2027 she runs seven night Alaska round trips out of Seattle, then crosses the Pacific for a southern summer of Australia and New Zealand sailings.

What she does well is sightlines and outdoor space. The Grand Plaza works as a social centre rather than a corridor, Eden occupies three decks at the stern behind full height glass, and the Rooftop Garden and Resort Deck give the top deck some shape. Dining is split across four main restaurants, Cosmopolitan, Tuscan, Normandie and Cyprus, with Fine Cut Steakhouse, Raw on 5, Le Grand Bistro and Eden charging extra. The Sunset Bar is among the best places at sea to watch the light go.

The criticism is fair. Cruise Critic's editors rate her 4.5 out of 5 but flag expensive upcharge restaurants, spa and drinks, and a thin late evening programme. Longstanding guests miss the quiet lounges and the fixed table dining the four restaurant model replaced. The Infinite Veranda has drawn the most sustained complaint: reviewers describe it as a large window rather than a balcony, note that the inset side walls narrow the view, and report that the folding inner doors leak warm humid air and unsettle the air conditioning when the glass is down.

She suits couples and solo travellers who want design, good food and a calm ship. Celebrity sits in the premium bracket, priced above Royal Caribbean, and Edge leans adult. Families are accommodated rather than courted, and anyone wanting waterslides or a traditional formal cruise should look elsewhere.

The cabin decision matters more here than on most ships. Some 918 of the 1,467 staterooms are Infinite Verandas, where the outer glass drops at the touch of a button and bifold doors separate the veranda end from the bed. The trade off is real: you gain usable floor area and a warm room in cold weather, and lose a separate outdoor space, so nobody can sit outside while another sleeps. If a conventional balcony matters, book a Deluxe Veranda, Sunset Veranda or Sky Suite, which have them. The Retreat, the suite enclave with its own restaurant, lounge and sundeck, is the ship at its best, and priced accordingly. Our per cabin quiet and convenience scores are not yet published for this ship.

Check the deck plan before booking: what sits above and below your cabin decides more than the category name.