mscg2000

We just disembarked from the Beyond yesterday. There were only about 2400 people on board.I thought I’d offer some observations about our cruise

The room:

• Our room was 12127.  When you enter the suite there is a half bath immediately to the right. While it’s a nice idea to have an additional bathroom, we rarely used it. If you’re traveling with others who are using the living room to sleep at night, then having the extra bathroom would be quite useful.

The decor is all shades of grey, very pleasant. There are two small refrigerators, one of which actually keeps drinks cold (as opposed to the usual fridge onboard that is just a cooler). On the counter above the fridges is a Lavaaza (sp??) coffee maker and a pot to make tea. The accoutrements for the coffee are in a small sliding drawer under the coffee maker.

• Across from the fridge is the dining table with two chairs on one side and a banquette on the other. Walking further into the living room, the couch is very comfortable, facing the large tv. There is a large coffee table. Further into the room is an area roughly the size and location of a balcony. It is tiled, visually separating it from the living room. It is furnished with two padded rocking chairs that were not overly comfortable. By designing this area as in indoor space, the size of the actual balcony is greatly reduced. 
• The bedroom is nice, not overly large but very adequate. There is a nice vanity with stool that’s great for putting on make-up.
• The balcony is off the bedroom and it’s small. However, I loved it. Others have reported that the large overhang above deck 12 obliterates the sun from shinning on the balcony. That’s completely true, but for me it was a delight. I’m a Florida girl and never sit out in the sun. In addition, the overhang provided a sense of privacy that I really liked. Also, the walls of the balcony are more substantial than on other ships, adding to that intimate feeling. There was very little wind on the balcony. The balcony was furnished with two comfortable padded chairs, no loungers, and a small table. 
• The bathroom was impressive. There is one very very long sink with faucets on both ends. There is tons of drawer space under the sink. The tub is small but very deep. The separate toilet closet is an excellent idea.  However, there is no door between the bathroom and the bedroom and that might bother some people.  The shower is huge, with no need for shower curtain or door. The closet is located next  to the toilet closet. It’s door is super heavy; our butler provided a doorstop to prop it open. There are two large hanging closets and ample drawer space. 

Other observations about the room:

• The floor tile is one you’ll either lover or hate. It It’s a white, grey and black pattern that looks three dimensional as you continue to look at it. .
• There is a charging station on the vanity that’s easy to miss. 
• There’s small ledge as you enter the room that’s great for leaving your key card so you don’t lose it.
• On deck 12, we were very close to the elevators but could hear no noise from them.
• About the creaking, popping etc: we had very little noise. However, we met the people who were in our same cabin, but on the other side of the ship, and they said that’s the noise was so bad they couldn’t sleep. 
• Our butler was Rhona and we loved her!

The Ports: We’ve visited these ports many times and we are older (DH with Alzheimer’s), so we didn’t do any excursions.

• Costa Maya: There were four cruise ships at this port. The manufactured fake village at the port would be cute if it weren’t so totally packed with people. Hint: if there are four ships in port, either don’t get off the ship or take an excursion. 
• Cozumel: Less crowded than Costa Maya. We cruised around the porta are in our mobility scooters, had some fru fru drinks. 
• Grand Cayman: This is always a tender port so we couldn’t get off with our scooters. The night before we arrived in Grand Cayman some crew told us that we might have to skip it because of high winds, but it turned out that the weather was fine. The tenders were provided by the port and had no difficulty going back and forth. Now the important issue about Grand Cayman: The ship bars! Yes, only the pool bar was open BUT the staff seemed to have ways of getting us drinks anyway. We had lunch at Raw On 5; drinks were available, kind of “on the sly”. Later in the afternoon we were chatting with our butler and she offered to get us cocktails. I .didn’t try the Retreat Lounge though.

Dining:

We only ate dinner in the specialty restaurants. 

• Le Voyage: Loved it, ate there three times. Favorite appetizers: Vidalia onion tart and the Cauliflower appetizer (sounds weird but really good). The salmon was also great. Entrees: Brazilian Moqueca (don’t be afraid to try it. Awesome), Lamb chops. Outstanding sommelier, Leo.
• Fine Cut; Appetizers: Lobster cocktail and Cesar salad. Entrees: Steak, of course Excellent filet . Nothing outstanding but the ice cream sundae was awesome!
• Eden: Appetizer: Risotto. Entree: Loved the lobster casserole. The food was great but there was one plus and two negatives. First it appeared that the ship designers forgot about providing handicapped access to the restaurant. There are many steps. So they Installed a tiny elevator, so small we could barely fit one scooter slanted sideways.  Upon exiting the elevator in the restaurant we had to pass very close to tables full of diners. Because of the accessibility problem we decided not to eat there again. The second negative was the sommelier. She didn’t discuss what wines we might choose from, simply heard our meal choice, said  “cabernet” and walked away. She poured the wine and never refilled, never asked if we wanted a dessert wine at the end of the meal. Maybe she was just having a bad day. The positive; we sat right next to the open air kitchen. It was very loud but a lot of fun. Chef Marco ran the show and we felt like we were watching The Food channel when he would call out the orders and the sous chefs would yell “yes Chef”!
• Raw on 5: We ate lunch here four times and loved it. It was a pleasant surprise because DH doesn’t eat sushi. The seafood tower was incredible: cold lobster, shrimp, snow carb, king crab, oysters (which we substituted out for more crab). Wonderful light tempura shrimp, excellent cooked salmon roll and Beyond roll.

That’s all for now. Ask me anything and I’ll try to answer!

I have the same question re Le Voyage on Beyond

I just wanted to correct the phone number for the Retreat Concierge. It 877-RETREAT

Just finished a long and friendly phone call with a Celebrity phone customer service rep based in Kansas. He said the best time to call is very  (like 6:30) early morning or early afternoon. After about 1:00pm, he said the Philippine agents begin to work and the wait time is less. They also add reps from Jamaica at that time. Evenings are the worst, he said. He also said that he is a full time employee, currently working overtime every week, but many former employees have not been re-hired. I just thought this might be helpful to some.

What has your experience been on a BTB with the Covid test? For the second cruise do we need another test? Should we bring  home test with us? This is our first BTB in the Covid era.

As an addition to my post, it wasn't easy to get the 12 night cruise to replace the 10 night one. I was on the phone with Celebrity for an hour, not counting the time I waited for the rep to answer. It took a check with a supervisor and then with a manager. Mine was a cruise on Equinox 10 day Ultimate Caribbean. The Ultimate Caribbean cruise in 2021 is 12 days but with totally different itinerary. I was patient and pleasant. Not sure if it mattered, lol....

I just moved our 10 day Caribbean from 9/20. There was no equivalent cruise, only a 12 day with a totally different itinerary on 8/14/21( totally improved itinerary to places we have not visited). They gave us the 12 day, including all perks for the same price, and rolled over our deposit. Great deal!

Anyone know how to find out if room 2168 on Reflection has the bed near the door or near the balcony? I'm bringing a mobility scooter and I always book an accessible room, but I booked late and there are none available. How do you tell the configuration?

Thanks in advance!

One question about the mini bar. Does anyone know if they will switch equivalent drinks, like Sprite instead of coke? Rum instead on vodka?

I received an email from RCCL today regarding my embarkation on Sunday. It says that the Miami marathon is occurring that morning and that may create additional traffic in the roadways used to get to the port. I’m from Miami and it’s true. The race will start very early, 6:30 am or so, but the traffic congestion will continue until 1:00 at least. Several roads will be closed very near the access to the port. So, this is a heads up for those embarking on Sunday. Leave early; cab drivers may not be aware of the street closures.

Does Navigator have a DVD player in the Owners Suite? It seems from reading the board that some ships have them and some don’t. It wasn’t listed as a perk on the concierge pre-cruise email I just received. Not that I want to spend my cruise watching movies, just might want a nice romantic film one night 😉

I requested a new passport and I’m wondering if the government shutdown will affect passport processing. Anyone know?

I’ve seen reports on CC that Navigator has slow internet. Knowing that updates in technology can happen at any time, I’m wondering if the internet has recently been improved. And.... is it worth purchasing or will it be an exercise in frustration? I just need basic surfing and email access. Thanks.

So, what are your favorite room service foods? Was the food served hot (or relatively warm)?

I’m needing transportation to the Port of Miami. I use a Travelscoot when I cruise, so it’s small and fairly portable. I don’t want to take it apart, prefer to load it as is. How do I order a vehicle that can accommodate it. I don’t need a van with a lift, just a bigger back storage area. Lyft would be fine, too. Thanks for your help! Hi

I’m needing transportation to the Port of Miami. I use a Travelscoot when I cruise, so it’s small and fairly portable. How do I order a vehicle that can accommodate it. I don’t need a van with a lift, just a bigger back storage area. Lyft would be fine, too. Thanks for your help!

I have a reservation for a balcony on Navigator on January 28, 2018. I'm thinking of upgrading to either a GS or OS. Is it likelier that the price will go up or down after final payment date? There are 5-6 suites in both categories currently available. Final payment is in 11 days.

My reservation, for January 2018, says 6:00-8:00 for my MTD reservation. I had previously reserved 6:00. When I called I was told it was still 6:00 in their system.

Has anyone had this happen? Made my reservation on Friday, Diamond discount plus current deal. Made required deposit. When I went back to look at my reservation today, the price had changed on the Vacation Summary. It was now $700 more expensive! I called the Crown and Anchor folks and they were able to correct it, changed it all back to the correct figures. When I asked if this would have been caught, and corrected, when the final invoice came due, the rep said, "probably not." So... make sure you know your exact price and re-check it before you pay your final payment.

You are awesome! And lightning quick! Thanks so much

Soda alone is $8.50

Voom alone is $14.39

apologies in advance but my math isn't good enough anymore to figure this out! Diamond on a 5 night cruise. $71 for soda plus voom on cruise planner. Get it or wait until onboard? Thanks!!

I did call RCCL and after being on hold forever they told me I was ok as long as I was going to the Bahamas. They didn't offer nearly as complete info as this board provided. You are awesome cruisecritic!

I just read in my cruise docs that my passport "should" be valid for 6 months after the date of my cruise. It doesn't say that it "must" be valid for 6 months. I sail tomorrow on a weekend cruise to the Bahamas and my passport expires in March. Will I have a problem?