truckswain

That could just be my experience. I am not a very patient person, so when I see the luggage in the hallway I grab it. Maybe if I waited the cabin steward would bring it in.

You will have a great time! The redesigned Sunset Bar and Martini Bar are nicer/different than Apex and were two our favourite places on the ship. Luminae will not disappoint for meals.

Good point. I guess for me, the chair hogs know not to do it, the attendants certainly know they are not supposed to do it, why would I spend a moment of my vacation time telling someone to enforce the rules that should be followed in the first place? Besides so many other fun places to be on the ship. Don't miss the Officers against the Guests in Pool Volleyball - it was a riot!

We just returned from the Celebrity Beyond, 9 night sailing to Grand Cayman and the ABC Islands. It was a great cruise with amazing service, food and entertainment. The ship is stunning in appearance inside. We took our first cruise on our honeymoon thirty years ago and this was our anniversary cruise. We are diamond with Royal Caribbean but our last two cruises were on the Apex. While we will always be fond of Royal (we were on the Symphony of the Seas in September 2022) but we really enjoy Celebrity and the Edge class of ships. As for all the talk of cutbacks and extra costs we saw no difference in this regard from our Apex cruise in 2022. I searched high and low for the $2 cookie with no luck 🙂 We booked a Magic Carpet Suite so we had access to the Retreat Lounge and Sun Deck and Luminae. We did enjoy the size of the cabin and the amenities. The size of the bathroom and the tub/shower combination is amazing. We did have some high winds and swells and the cabin did make popping and creaking sounds on some nights. I sleep so well on a cruise that it did not keep me awake. The Retreat Sun Deck and pool where nice. There were still chair hogs reserving the prime loungers with the difference being these were entitled chair hogs who actually had tipped the retreat attendants to save their loungers so they did not need to make an appearance until they were good and ready. The Retreat Lounge was okay. Walked in their twice to grab a soda and the atmosphere was like a funeral visitation. Not somewhere we went to spend any time I cannot comment on butlers, butler team or retreat concierges as we did not use or need them for anything. Our cabin steward was fantastic as they usually are. Luminae was outstanding in both food and service, one of the most enjoyable parts of the cruise. Eden also was amazing and we ate there twice. We have always enjoyed Eden and the unique menu and top-notch service. Oceanview Café was good and with a variety of selections. The pizza was good but I think it was better on the Apex. Entertainment was some of the best we have seen on a cruise. The production shows in the theatre are not to be missed. The shows in Eden and the Club are also very enjoyable. The comedian, illusionist and violinist were very good. Live music is everywhere on the ship and pretty much all evening. There is nothing to compare watching a Cellist playing contemporary music at the Sunset Bar as the sun is setting on the ocean. I doubt very much we would book a suite again. There were some great benefits, priority boarding, luggage brought into your room not left in the hallway. Cabin size and amenities, future cruise booking agent comes to you and Luminae. But we had so much fun at the Sunset Bar, the infinity type plunge pools and the pool deck. We also enjoyed the Solarium and all the various out of the way areas to sit and watch the ocean. The Martini Bar and Craft Social were great spots in the afternoons and evenings to people watch and grab drink. We felt, and this is just us, that if we were not using the Retreat we were not getting our money’s worth. We will stick with Aqua Class and look forward to our cruise on the Ascent next year.

We disembarked the Celebrity Beyond yesterday in Port Everglades and had a 11:10am flight to Toronto. Yesterday being the day before the American Thanksgiving and one of the busiest travel days in the US We were docked at Terminal 18, we did self walk off with our bags and got off the ship at 8:15am, facial recognition used at the pier so no need to speak with US Immigration Officer, walked out of the terminal to a line of taxis, $20 US ($13.75 plus tip) to the Airport. We were at the airport by 8:30am, checked in with Air Canada with two pieces of luggage, through Security (we do have TSA PreCheck) and at the gate at 9 am. It can be done and rather easily.

Thank you for taking the time out of your vacation to post this. So many comments in the Celebrity Forum are negative and from people who have not sailed and are making assumptions. Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

This! Well said!

Air Canada pilots picket at YYC airport | CTV News From the above article - First Officer Charlene Hudy, Air Line Pilots Association: According to Hudy, the pilots' association doesn’t expect to have a new deal until after the new year. So good for 2023, hopefully they settle without action.

I have 2 cruises booked on the Ascent in 2024. Have not made final payment on either cruise. In the Cruise Planner for both cruises the upgrade from Classic to Premium was listed with the promotion of 53% discount. I called the Captain's Club number and asked for pricing for the upgrade. The rep gave me the going rate less my 15% Elite discount per person per day plus gratuity. She then gave me the promotion price per person per day plus gratuity. Clearly the promotion price was significantly better. On the phone less than 15 minutes and had upgraded for both cruises. Simple.

This was two years ago, so many not work today but I did change a Royal Cruise to a Celebrity Cruise by calling RC. I had booked a cruise on Symphony of the Seas while onboard a RC cruise (deposit only). Returning home we decided we wanted to try the Apex (a great decision!) We were within 30 days of the booking, called RC, the agent checked and said yes and transferred the call to a Celebrity agent. I am Diamond on RC but have now sailed on Apex twice, going on Beyond in a week and have two cruises booked on the Ascent next year. I am glad Celebrity accepted the transfer. Point - call and see what they will do.

Yes the island has slides, which are not just for kids. In my opinion these itineraries are neither booze or kiddy they are simply other options in a competitive cruise market. I would not do a short cruise as I need to fly to Florida. If I lived in Florida or within driving distance I would most definitely look at these shorter trips. I could take one with Celebrity and not have to be on Carnival with the "boozers" or RC with kiddies.

So your a TA, but you don’t work for Celebrity, so educated guess but not facts. Private Islands have been a request for Celebrity cruisers. Labadee and Coco Cay satisfy this until such time a Celebrity private island is developed (which most likely they won’t). Not sure how this represents a big shift. A private island where a the drink package and wifi can be used and lounge chairs and food is free is a great stop. People can worry about the ‘big shift” when Celebrity start adding water slides, rock wall and flow riders to their ships. Until then people need to chill.

Celebrity had this promotion in 2022. "It’s been a while since I’ve heard numbers" So you have no clue and unless you work for Celebrity and have direct knowledge your simply making assumptions. My point in all of this is being upset over rising prices, and changes in the product offered are legitimate concerns. Complaining about Celebrity offering a promotion is a little much. And it is not Kids Sail Free.

On your last Celebrity Cruise how many cabins that can accommodate four had four occupants? Was the ship crowded? Were the demographics different? I would suspect you have no idea how many 3rd and 4th berths were used on your cruise. Sorry, I don't get the logic that this promotion will lead to over crowded ships and a different dynamic. That is a stretch. As far as sailing on an Oasis class, they are large ships with lots of people. Knowing this going in can manage expectations. We have sailed Oasis, Allure and Symphony and quite enjoy them.

It is unfortunate you believe a promotion some how makes Celebrity more like RC. And those people that "often" mention that Celebrity beoming more like RC, their posts usually start with " I have not sailed with with Celebrity since (insert any year prior to 2022) but all the changes are sure making Celebrity like RC......." Zero credibilty.

No uproar becasue it is not Kids Sail Free. We regularly sail with our adult daughter in a verandah cabin. Just becasue you would never do it or think it could work, many others do it all the time. And this offer will make you look at other cruise lines? Really grasping at straws to ways be pissed with Celebrity.

Please go on your cruise with an open mind. The "nickel-and-diming" has been over exagerated on these boards. You will notice that 90% of the comments come from people who have not cruised since the restart and many not for several years.

I am curious how much more you wanted them to say about the butlers, cookiegate or Infinite verandahs as examples? And yes of the thousands of people fling celebrity ships there are a small group of people on these boards that have "voted with their feet" and booked with other crusie lines. Which they like to mention every chance they get.

I just watched the whole presentation and I thought it was excellent. They answered all the questions that have the boards up in arms, butlers-did not eliminate them. Vaping in the casino-not happening, No changes to amenities for Aqua and Concierge. Cookiegate, bloody ridiculous they even had to address it. The comments have already started that it was all corporate double speak. My take away is a) Celebrity addressed the hot topics and did so quite well, and b) some people just like to complain and be continually pissed off that things change.

The tips have always shown in the Add On section when they have been included in all by bookings long before the Oct 4 changes were announced. When I look at Payment Summary and expand the details it lists prepaid tips above the taxes and fees but the amount is not included in the total but shows as paid. No need to worry.

We started sailing RCCL 30 years ago and in the last two years moved over to X as we wanted something different and we very much enjoyed the two Apex cruises in an infinite veranda. We are on the Beyond in a sky suite in November and have the Ascent booked for March and December next year. We sailed Princess not that long ago. A great cruise but in our opinion we enjoyed Apex better. We have also done NCL Escape twice and were on the NCL Encore in April. Pricing was very attractive on these cruises and we enjoyed them, but again just not at the level of X. After reading several of these threads I looked at Oceania cruises to compare. It was interesting that the pricing included a beverage package that was just at lunch and dinner and gratuities were not included. I also read the Oceania boards and there are not great reviews on their older ships but a great deal of enthusiasm for their two newest ships. I guess for us X still is the line of choice.

I have not sailed in an inside cabin since my Honeymoon 30 years ago. We typically sail in Veranda, IV, or Aqua Class. We are in a suite on the Beyond in November. I quite agree that perspective matters. And there are quite a few who need a little of it.

Thank you, I did read this post which was extremely detailed. None of what was in that post has significantly impacted my cruise experience. I thought maybe I had missed something.

Can someone list what has been removed that has significantly impacted the overall cruise experience? And if you have not sailed since these "cuts" have been introduced your opinion does not count. And please don't post $2 for a chocolate chip cookie, you just sound foolish. I have been sailing for 30 years on all the "mass market" lines and many, many things have changed. What has not changed are gorgeous ships, the ocean, someone cooking and cleaning other than me for a week, multiple entertainment options, food choices to satisfy all different types of preferences and the ability to be somewhere exotic that is not home.

First hand experience or speculation?