Celebrity Cruises launcheS Celebrity Edge
Three years in the making and Celebrity Cruises launched its highly anticipated ship; Celebrity Edge. The latest addition to the fleet comes with an array of well-known architects and designers attached to the project and brings cruise holidays very much into the 21stcentury.
To celebrate the launch Celebrity enlisted the brilliant, brave and pioneering Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai to be the godmother of Edge.The dramatic and action packed naming ceremony brought together Malala and Grammy nominated Andra Day to celebrate and mark the occasion. Various blessings were made over the ship whilst the traditional smashing of a champagne bottle across the ship's Parabolic Ultra Bowwas swapped out for an 18 litre bottle of Badoit water. There was much talk of equality and equal opportunities which Celebrity very much champion. Over 30% of their workforce as well as three of their captains are female and they look to continue to expand on this. They currently hire 50% more females than any other cruise-ship company!
As for the ship, after much excitement and many shared teaser images there was a keen gaggle of press waiting to explore and run amok. We were let loose and were all desperate to see the Kelly Hoppen designed infinity style suites that take your eye from the bed directly to the ocean with all suites even offering your very own veranda and some a personal hot-tub! The suites (some spanning across two storeys) are plush, minimalist and nothing like what you might imagine your average cruise ship to look like. In fact that could be said across the board for this very modern ship. Kelly brings a classic sense of timeless style to these luxury suites, from maximising the ocean views to bring as much light into the spaces as possible to the finer details within. Think marble bathrooms, full-size bathtubs, open plan living rooms that make this feel more like a New York apartment than a suite! Kelly Hoppen was also responsible for the design and styling of the outdoor space reserved for the top tier guests. Muted tones of grey adorn the space with a constant focus on vistas, space and calm. This oasis offers a small pool complete with hanging chairs for those extra hot days and Caribbean cruises!
I should also mention how brilliant and revamped the staterooms are. Where the balconies used to be accessed through double doors, the balcony is now part of your room and offers far more living space and privacy with an entire floor to ceiling window that lowers halfway down. The entire wall of glass brings plenty of light and a sense of space into the room where guests can also enjoy a sofa area, dressing table, and a more than generous enough bathroom as part of the package. The sense of luxury hasn’t been bypassed and these calm havens with a new approach to the classic ocean view are a brilliant addition.
The absolute wow factor on Edgedoes however belong to the ‘magic carpet’; a floating bar and restaurant that travels up and down all 15 levels of the ship. It’s both bonkers and amazing! The ‘magic carpet’ offers a huge sense of excitement for diners and will provide additional space for the numerous restaurants across all the levels residing at a different restaurant each day of the cruise. Be sure to book your coveted spot in here on day one. In terms of the restaurants available, my personal favourite had to be Sushi On 5 and this really was the most incredible meal we had during our brief stay. Japanese chef Yoshikazu Okada heads up this restaurant and brings with him an incredible breadth of experience, not to mention fresh wasabi root! We were utterly spoilt for choice. The wine pairings were also spot on and had we had more time we could have sampled both the vodka and champagne pairing too.
The sense of variety on board is enormous. There are bundles of areas to explore and it really took us a while to get our bearings! From the theatre through to the enormous all day buffet, via the spa, shops, as well as the indoor and outdoor pool areas, table tennis, running track…it’s all been covered! Ultimately there was just not enough time to get around everything, (our brief stop off at the martini bar was a great choice however) but I’d need a good week or two to really get to explore and make the most of it all. There are so many restaurants to sample, bars to kick back at and pools to swim in and that’s before you add in arriving at brilliant locations each day!
Edgehas been designed for the millennial explorer, both aesthetically and by going above and beyond with its experiential offering. I’m sure Edge will be another huge success and it’s an exciting time for Celebrity!
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