March 2023: Our Incredible Caribbean Cruise on Celebrity Edge
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Curious about what it’s like taking a Caribbean cruise on Celebrity Edge? We recently visited the islands on the Edge and had a wonderful voyage.
It had been a year since we’d taken a cruise to the Caribbean on Celebrity Edge, and we were glad to be back. The ship is lovely, so modern and new, and the crew is always friendly and helpful. It’s a fabulous ship. Although we’d been to the Caribbean before, it’s still fun to go back.
This time our cruise was eleven days, starting and ending in Fort Lauderdale. Our ports were George Town, Grand Cayman; Cartegena, Colombia; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; and Nassau, Bahamas. We hadn’t been to Grand Cayman or Aruba since our honeymoon, twenty-plus years ago, but we’d visited Cartagena on our Panama Canal cruise before this one and were eager to go again.
The Cabin
We like to cruise in suites; this time we had another gorgeous Sky Suite. Our butler, Rodney, and cabin steward, Agus, pampered us to no end.
The cabin is about 300 square feet with a nice-sized balcony. The bathroom is luxurious and large enough for two people to make use of it comfortably. Overall, the Sky Suite is one of my favorite cabins that we’ve stayed in so far.
The Excursions
On this cruise, we had excursions in every port and had a great time on each one. Here’s what we did.
George Town, Grand Cayman
We toured the Queen Elizabeth II Royal Botanical Park in George Town, Grand Cayman, learning about the many indigenous flowers and plants of the island. The tour was hot and the mosquitos ate me alive (note to self: take bug spray next time), but we had a great time. Everyone on our tour was especially fascinated by the iguanas raised there.
On the grounds of the botanical gardens is a carefully preserved cottage known as the Rankine House. It was fascinating to see how people lived on the island a hundred years ago.
Then we drove to the Great House of Pedro St. James, known as the birthplace of democracy of the Cayman Islands. The original stone walls date back to the 17th century. Although the house had fallen to ruins, it has since been lovingly restored at great cost. After our tour with a docent, we had tea on the grounds overlooking the ocean. It was lovely.
Cartagena, Colombia
We tried a hop-on/hop-off bus tour for the first time in Cartagena, Colombia. With the heavy traffic in the city, we were only able to do a single circuit and then had to head back to the ship. I was disappointed that the bus wasn’t able to go into the old part of the city, but it makes sense considering how narrow those streets are.
Oranjestad, Aruba
While we were in Aruba, we enjoyed our first ATV off-road adventure together in a twelve-passenger Jeep. It was quite a ride! By the end of the excursion, all of us passengers looked like we’d been through a wind tunnel.
Aruba’s topography is so different from what you’d expect. It’s desert, of course, but has huge rock formations, and the coastline is formed from volcanic rock.
We stopped to climb the Casibari Rocks formation, then visited the Alto Vista Chapel and the California Lighthouse. Afterward, we had an hour or so to enjoy the turquoise water and white sand of Arashi Beach, which was beautiful.
Willemstad, Curacao
In Curacao, we took a bus tour, marveling at Willemstad’s Dutch influence in architecture and brightly painted houses and buildings. Our first stop was the Curacao liqueur factory, where we had a tour and a tasting of their various curacao flavors, and then headed to a small botanical garden located inside the city, quite different from the botanical garden we’d toured in Grand Cayman. Here, our guide was a quirky islander who entertained us throughout the tour.
For ideas of other things to do in Curacao, check out our post.
Nassau, Bahamas
In the Bahamas, we took a boat to Blue Lagoon Island outside of Nassau. There, we had a dolphin encounter and beach day. The dolphin we were able to interact with was so much fun! During the encounter, we were allowed to pet it quite a bit, to “dance” with it, and kiss it. It was amazing all the different noises that dolphins can make.
It was a gorgeous day with bright blue skies and a few clouds, and after our dolphin encounter, we relaxed for a while, enjoying the peacefulness until it was time to board the boat and head back to the port.
Sea Days
On sea days, we do what we usually do: wander the ship and take pictures and videos, spend time in the casino, relax in the solarium, soak in the hot tub, and eat. A lot.
The Food
Onboard the Edge, we had purchased a specialty restaurant package (six meals for the two of us for $623 including gratuities for the two of us). We made the rounds of the specialty restaurants on the Edge, enjoying some wonderful food.
Eden was so wonderful, we ate there twice. The Rooftop Garden Grill was a bit disappointing, however. Fine Cut Steakhouse and Le Grand Bistro never disappoint. And Le Petit Chef was an interesting experience with fabulous food.
Where We Are Going Next
Want to keep up with our cruise schedule? Here is a current list of where we have been and where we are going next.
Final Thoughts on Our Caribbean Cruise on Celebrity Edge
It was a wonderful cruise to the Caribbean, and we’re going back soon on Norwegian Joy. Next time, we’ll have three new ports to explore, and we’re very much looking forward to it.
Happy cruising!
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