With so many sea days aboard Celebrity Edge, we needed to line up activities to keep us off the buffet counters and fancy restaurants. Not so easy. The food beckons and we’re not exactly keen on pool activities with the wind blowing out at sea. The theatre offerings provided entertainment and there’s the games and shopping to distract us. The cabin’s verandah provided scenic distractions too but again, the wind and chill factors often kept us off it.

A Shrimp Tower

Panoramic Views off the verandah

What to do? The dining scene is overwhelming. There were 4 complimentary fancy restos — the Normandie, Cyprus, Tuscan and Cosmopolitan and the more casual Eden, Mast Grill, Spa Cafe and Oceanview Buffet Resto. We likewise tried the Le Grand Bistro for the special Le Petit Chef dinner but I skipped the Raw on 5 sushi place. There were more, but I was quite happy with the ones I’ve tried. As for entertainment, there were concerts every night and some educational /informative talks but I like best the talks by Captain Matt and that of the Cruise Director especially that part where they talked about their lockdown experience for 8 months! Oh yes, the pandemic truly wreaked havoc to the cruise industry. Imagine these good men and women as “prisoners” in their own boat. They used the Celebrity app to communicate with each other, locked in their cabins and seeing each other only on screens. Awful. But they endured, through games and costume/themed “parties” just to amuse each other. There were more talks — ranging from trivia on jellyfish or “jellies”, to global finance, artificial intelligence and destination experiences. It is easy to fill up one’s personal calendar by signing up for all these events. And if one is coming aboard alone, there are solo travellers meet-ups!

Early this year, the Celebrity was made a subsidiary of the Royal Caribbean Group. I’ve cruised with Royal Caribbean before and find the same brand of service in my first experience with the Celebrity Cruises. So if you’re curious if I’m cruising with this group again, the answer is yes. Perhaps with my family next time. Cruising is a fine bonding adventure for families and good friends. An opportunity to spend 24/7 for at least a week, without mundane duties like fixing meals and housekeeping. Not unlike doing staycations with your loved ones and attending concerts every night. Not unlikely to find it a chore to be “on dates” at short intervals and dining fancy every single night, so it’s best to craft a plan. There is variety in the entertainment department and if one needs solitude, you can always stay in your room or stay in one of the deck chairs reading a book. So there. ⛴️