Slightly different post this time for me as I will be reviewing a recent 7 night cruise travelling across the Mediterranean! I have always been a fan of cruising (despite the stigma around what they are like!). I have been on about 7 cruises over the past 12 years with family and for me it gives you the opportunity to see several different places in one trip that you can then go back to and spend more time there! I have been on Princess, P&O, Cunard and MSC but this was my first experience of Celebrity and can confidently say it has been my favourite!
Locations 9/10: We boarded the ship at Rome (port of Civitavecchia) which heads up is 90 minute car ride from the centre of Rome. We stayed in Rome the night before (see my review of The Hoxton here if you plan on doing the same). However, Civitavecchia looked lovely when we drove through it so we would consider staying here instead next time! It was a great itinerary overall and exciting to go to a couple of new places! The itinerary was as follows (with one sea day!):
Corsica (hadn't been before and loved it, lovely beach but next time would definitely book a snorkelling trip!)
Portofino (LOVED IT, hadn't been here before either and already planning to visit again next Summer! Definitely recommend doing the climb to Castello Brown for breathtaking views)
Pisa/Florence (we didn't get off here as it was a 2 hour coach journey to the destinations and I have been to both before but do recommend Florence over Pisa!)
Cannes (beautiful to have an explore of the city and stop for lunch and shopping!)
Palma (one of my favourite cities in Europe, I went here in May so it was lovely to go back so soon!)
Barcelona (we then ended here and had a night in Barcelona before we headed home the next day!)
Room 9/10: We booked an infinity veranda as we like to have a bit more space and a balcony to enjoy the views properly! All the cabins have lovely room stewards who are there to help with any requests and clean twice a day with turndown service. It was the biggest bathroom and shower I've had on any ship before! Really comfortable kingsize bed and lots of space in the wardrobe and smart solutions for storage and getting ready! The only thing I found frustrating was that I couldn't get an iron and begrudgingly had to pay for laundry service!
Facilities/activities 8/10: The entertainment was really varied and we particularly loved the bands and singers in the bars (they were amazing!), the comedian and magician were also fantastic! The gym was great and big enough for the amount of people (have been on some where it has been tiny!). In terms of boarding the ship as well we have never had an experience so smooth - from arrival of the port to getting to our cabins (with our suitcases already there!) it was 10 minutes and our last cruise was over an hour! The only thing that let the facilities down was the spa simply because it was far too overpriced at £180 for a 60 minute massage (more than other cruises). I think they could have done with another outdoor pool as well as the main pool outdoors was always crowded and with my 20 month nephew there were signs to say no nappies in the pool which we didn't know beforehand so I think they could do more to make it slightly more baby friendly!
Service 8/10: Service overall I couldn't fault; from the restaurant staff, room stewards, cleaners, bar staff everyone was so friendly and accommodating! The only thing I would say is that sometimes we waited far too long for drinks at some of the bars as there weren't enough staff on. The cruise director was brilliant and very personable and always made himself seen and same for the captain (who was extremely funny) and even got involved in the pool games and theatre production of truth or lie!
Dining 8/10: So many great options for dining we absolutely loved the variety! Most are complimentary including the 4 main dining rooms, spa cafe, Eden cafe, coffee bar, ice cream bar and buffet. You could then pay for some of their extra restaurants like the sushi bar and grill restaurant but we didn't do any as we loved the food in the main dining so much however we would have if it was a cruise longer than 7 nights. There were also lots of bars to go to like the sunset bar, martini bar and my personal favourite was Eden in the evening for pre dinner drinks as the views were amazing! They also have their famous 'Magic Carpet' bar that we loved for evening drinks as well!
Value for money 9/10: So we paid £1,800 per person including drinks package (my nephew was free as he is under 2 for any families interested!). This should have been £2,400 per person but we got really good deal so do look out for any deals! That was literally everything included - tips, all dining and unlimited alcoholic drinks so we came away not paying any more than that. We then booked our flights separately though this was not included. For the overall experience and luxury Celebrity offered I think this is really good value for money!
THE GETAWAY GUIDE FEELING 9/10: For a cruise this was by far my favourite ship and cruise company! One of the things that really made Celebrity Edge stand apart was the decor and layout of the ship where they really bring the outdoors in to create a peaceful, relaxed atmosphere throughout the ship. The service and staff onboard were outstanding and I cannot wait to go back on another family trip next year hopefully on another Celebrity ship!
