Cruise lines are constantly innovating, testing new products from menu items to experiences on the ship. Sometimes new tweaks earn rave reviews… other times they aren’t as well liked. Sometimes they are both loved and hated.
That seems to be the case with a type of cabin aboard new Celebrity ships, and the president of the cruise line just made some interesting comments regarding the future of the staterooms.
Celebrity introduced ‘infinite verandas’ as a new type of cabin starting with its Edge-class ships, which debuted in 2018.
If you’ve cruised before, then you’re likely familiar with a traditional balcony cabin. These rooms have the stateroom and then a doorway outside to a balcony space. Traditionally, the indoors and outdoors are completely separated.
With infinite verandas, however, the experience is very different. Here, the stateroom and balcony are essentially one space. The far wall of the cabin isn’t a door out to the balcony. Instead, the wall is essentially one large window.
At the push of a button, the top half of the window moves down, which makes the entire cabin open to the outdoors. There are a couple of folding doors with frosted glass that can be closed to create a separate space if wanted.
The issue with the room is that it definitely has a different feel than a regular balcony. Many people say it feels more like you just have a large window instead of a real balcony. The walls and ceiling extend out to the edge of the room, creating a “closed-off” feeling instead of an expansive view.
If it is hot outside or humid (both a high likelihood on a cruise), you can’t just step out for a few minutes and then return to a cool cabin. Instead, the entire room is opened up to the weather outside.
On the plus side, having the extra space attached to the room makes it more spacious. It also offers lots of light into the cabin compared to a regular balcony.
If you’ve heard conflicting reports about these infinite verandas, however, you aren’t alone. Its obvious that not everyone is a fan. A recent comment from Laura Hodges Bethge, President of Celebrity Cruises, addressed the issue head on.
Celebrity Cruises President: “We Are Re-evaluating the Ratio”
As part of a question-and-answer session on CruiseCritic.com, Hodges Bethge hopped on the site’s message board to answer passenger questions about the line.
One of those questions covered the infinite verandas, and specifically if they could be adjusted. The question said that as designed they don’t allow one person to sleep in while another enjoyed the balcony.
Hodges Bethge offered up the following statement about the cabins:
“We have learned through the Edge series that the infinite veranda is very polarizing. Our guests either love it or they hate it. We are re-evaluating the ratio of balconies to infinite verandas in future ship classes to make sure we have the optimal mix.”
The honesty of this comment struck us as surprising. It’s rare for an executive to admit directly that something on the cruise is “polarizing” and even more to say that some guests “hate” a feature. However, we find it refreshing.
And while she doesn’t say bluntly that there will be fewer of these cabins on new ships, it certainly seems to be the case if Celebrity is “re-evaluating the ratio” of infinite to regular balconies on future ships.
If you’re a fan of Celebrity but not of this type of cabin, it certainly appears that you’ll have more traditional options in the future.
