Celebrity Cruises newest ship, Edge, sets a new standard among cruise ships. The Edge doesn't feel like all the cruise ships that have come before it. It has a different layout without amazing venues spread throughout the ship not concentrated in one area around a multi-deck atrium.

There is a Grand Plaza that serves as a hub of activity and central gathering place much like a city's central plaza where people hangout to see and be seen, with nooks and coves like a nightclub ashore. The Grand Plaza features a musical trio during afternoons and evenings. I also enjoyed the martini bar where the bartenders entertain performing dance moves on top of the bar tossing cocktail shakers like acrobats. There is a giant wall behind the bar that becomes a light show set to music.

Everything about the Edge was a sensory experience for me. I was captivated by the extensive very contemporary and sometimes provocative art collection throughout the ship. Even the use of lighting is part art and part entertainment. 

I loved the ability to go outside on deck at night. Weather conditions at night don't typically make it pleasant to be outside on many ships but on the design and construction of several outdoor venues made it beautiful and enjoyable to be outside. It felt so great to feel the nighttime tropical air. 

Dining on the Edge is also part of the entertainment. The raw bar featured a spectacular display of crab, oysters, shrimp and more, sitting on mounds of ice. I thought I was in a fresh seafood market. This venue known as Raw on 5 offered seafood towers, sushi rolls, lobster and steamed mussels and oysters.

Le Petit Chef features animated chefs from France, Italy, Spain, and Japan prepare your dishes as you watch on your specially designed tables just before the real food is brought.

I paused in conversation watching the servers perform table side preparations at the Rooftop Garden Grill. I explored the cafes and bistros in various locales throughout the ship. The four main dining rooms don't feel like main dining rooms I find on most ships. And these dining rooms offer a fine dining experience.

Another first for a cruise ship is the Magic Carpet. It is the world’s first cantilevered, floating platform that slides up and down outside the ship. At its highest level is 13 stories above the sea.

How incredible to be sitting outside the ship. And the views are amazing.

Relaxing in the spacious adults-only Solarium is soothing and exhilarating at the same time. The large lengthy pool on the top deck grabs ones attention as most ships don't feature a pool quite like this and there is no need to save lounge chairs, there are plenty of them and they are not on top of one another.

But the most incredible venue, unlike anything I have ever seen on a cruise ship is Eden, a three-story, multi-level club, garden, sometimes quiet area, other times not with the most unusual entertainment of costumed performers that reminded me of The Hunger Games.

The Edge offers innovative design and amenities-rich staterooms and suites. The Retreat for suite-guests is an exclusive sanctuary with pool butlers, sundeck, and a lounge area for cocktails and small bites. For VIP treatment, this is the place.

The Edge, with its very unique uncrowded spaces and a hip vibe really speaks to Celebrity's concept of Modern Luxury. I love this ship.

John Werner

As a 45 year veteran of the travel industry and the President of MAST Travel Network since 2002, John’s career has included 14 years as a travel agency owner. He has served in various capacities on the Board of the Midwest Chapter of ASTA including Treasurer and Vice President. John has also held several positions on the Board of Directors for MAST including Vice Chairman and Board Chairman during the years he owned Travel Group International, a MAST member during the 1990s.