hcat

Did x offer transport to airport? Best bet if they do. Bayonne is a lousy port for taxis and limos..we have driven there to/ from LI..not a great trip but best of the choices for us! Rather fly to Fl to cruise....taking Beyond from there Nov 3rd.

BON VOYAGE! Now we have 2 live from blogs to keep us busy..we are sailing BEYOND NOV 8th. We have sailed on EDGE in an Inf Balc in AQ Class and BLU, and a Sunset Veranda with the 4 mdrs...will be fun to compare all the options.

BON VOYAGE BEYOND cruisers!

Yup...feel your pain. That,s why many limo companies will not waste time with trips to. Bayonne. We drive our own car from LI to Bayonne..not a great road trip but at least we are in charge. We try to avoid Bayonne! Actually, easier for us to fly from Islip to Florida to cruise.. Glad everyone is mali g it there and many on board already!

Getting excited about your upcoming review. We are finishing our packing plans...Fl seasonal items not the necesarily the same as ones for the cruise but we will make it all fit. We have a few days in Fl to sort it all out before the pre cruise ho tel & vcruise..... Hope all goes well with your Sailaway fun!

First world cruise at first world pricing.

Stay put..the Sunset Verandas are great..and the 4 mdrs are excellent.

We aways buy it... we used to buy cruiseline and a pvt policy but this tine we just bought pvt. Essential for medical..medicare does not cover outside US and med evac. Neighbor in Fl fell on a trip to Greece..broke her hip and had hip replacement in Athens. On her way home now on Med transport..luckily she had the top policy! Peace of mind and there if ever needed!

Welcome wines of any type not great... Attendant will swap out but not much better choices . You can pre order ($) something you prefer on the Bon Votage part of Cruise planner. Could Special Needs Dept help with cribs or just calling Cekeb phone number to request,? Note: AQ occupancy is limited to 2 guests per cabin .i think that includes kiddos/ babies. AQ class is not Concierge service oriented.....your main perks are Access to BLU and thermal suite/ persian garden and some other priorities.

We were okay with the IV on EDGE...keepIng the bI-folds always open added more space and light to the small cabin... keeping the doors open made it easier for dh to get out of the bed next to the doors. We turned the veranda furniture inward to make a seating area.. we did open the 1/2 window for fresh air and sea views.p and photos,,but in short spurts. Trade off was being in AQ and having access to BLU and Thermal suites. On a later cruise we gave up AQ..did not miss BLU due to its location on EDGE (No view) but did miss the thermal suite access. Loved the large Sunset Veranda and outdoor balc and the 4 mdrs..( great views) Variety and choices always good! Having fun in a cruise..how bad can it be!

Could not track back to the "Karen" comment by bsticks(sic) And the post may be gone??? Having sailed more than once on E Class, we know some of the issues first hand.. Not sure what that poster knows ...or their history on Cruise Critic..,or on X Fair criticism and is always welcome on Cruise Critic...hoping BEYOND will improve as things go forward....they did their best on EDGE to quiet down music during Fine Cut dinner hours..., and did some acoustic softening in BLU after we were there

Not able to answer specifically. We went into our Cruise Planner/mgr online or from an e-mail link from X about using OBC for purchases. Went there to use up some OBC for spa, photo and flowers..no luck with flowers..they wanted a Credit Card number..so we passed for now. We ordered a Photo Book for $ 78.99..( says reg price $99.99 onboard)...."34 of your favorite images" and also included are photos of the ship and popular venues.. no idea if these are an added bonus or must be included in the 34 selected??? Seems ok for our short cruise. I have some BEYOND photos downloaded already, so hope we can focus on pics with us in it..dh b- day cruise!. We had great success with photos on both of our EDGE cruises. As to the SPA....Due to the elevated pricing, even with a pre cruise discount, I downsized a bit. Mine is only a 5 day cruise, so my combo selection will work well. I pre-booked a 50 minute "couture combo face and body" treatment for $150.99 plus mandatory grat of $27.17.. All in total $178.16. I was able to pick my date and time. There were other options for spa packages offered, but the website is so tedius to use, I did not look at them.. .Sorry I cannot answer specifically about times reserved for non package purchasers...sorry.

EEK! We are packing for our seasonal stay in Florida and the cruise at the sane time...gets a bit out of hand but we will " make it fit" .Our roll call is planning a sailaway at the Sunset Bar AND a Gatsby cocktail party at EDEN on chic nite...more to pack! We will be meeting the well known blogger, Gen X ( Charla) for the first time. we head south😎 shortly after Halloween! Looking forward to your posts ..but hope you take time to enjoy..I suspect you will!

I have always booked two services ( massage and facial) on line ahead ....and reserve a time at port pricing.( ship must be in port) Discount is the same as E +, and I prefer having a set reservation time..not sure what the adv spa packages include I am not able to compare..,,

On E Class like EDGE, All AQ cabins have the Infinite Veranda..no balc and inclyde dining at BLU...bad location, no view..loud acoustics! I would yell NO WAY!

Pink Thanks for being our trail guide. Also nervous a bit with Luminae. We like simple food. We have been happy with AQ BLU menu for many yrs and loved all the mdrs on EDGE. Our favs on EDGE were the Tuscan and Cyprus mdrs.., Eden Cafe ( no upcharge) for lunch and the other Cafe (upcharge..great soups, nice view) We,d like to try the Raw on 5 for lunch if we can get a res..not possible on EDGE. For us, its only a 5 day cruise..we won't go hungry. Let us know if Luminae serves Prime Rib and or Lobster. Getting excited for you!

We are booked on BEYOND for the Nov 8th 5 day cruise. Will be following your review..sounds like it will be a fun thread! So many creative touches already, We have enjoyed 2 cruises on EDGE..Inf Veranda ( AQ with BLU dining) and Sunset Suite ( 4 mdr plan). For BEYOND, we will be in our first ever suite ( with Luminae). Looking forward to your posts!

Years ago ( before the all included resort rage, ) we visited a resort in Antigua. All staff grats were included..no extra tipping permitted. Everyone was friendly but service was abysmal! Same concept perhaps..but on X we are allowed and do tip extra...for good service,

Agree .drink packages def changed things on X...not necessarily for the better .( service, passenger demographics)

Hope you catch a break with weather and seas Are you sailing through to Port Ev or disembarking?

FYI, I have issues standing for long time periods, and am type 2 diabetic..I stick to a strict meal schedule if possible. My spouse does not do well with lines.. which can be stressful. At home, we do not patronize eateries that do not take res, or ones that use buzzers or have long lines..just our preference. We want to be pampered on a cruise...if we arent may as well stay home !

Just to play it safe..we will stockpile some snacks and food when we sail on BEYOND.. waiting in lines of more than short duration would be awful! On our EDGE cruise un AQ..we had very long wait times between food courses..slow kitchen. On a subsequent EDGE cruise we had the 4 mdr plan..much better timing of courses! Hoping the current on board issues for BEYOND smoOth out, just like the seas!

One of the best dishes we have had on X. Had it one night when we were tired of BLU and were able to visit the mdr, What a great surprise it was, hope this was just a one off.

Had leftover roast beef..open face on bread for lunch yesterday.. Hoping for the real deal on BEYOND..If not served in Luminae we would try to go to an mdr on Prime Rib Night. Hope someone in our roll call can check menus We enjoy mostly fish and salads on cruises but look forward to a nice Prine Rib dinner..

Same here...hope to hear all about Connie..condition, shows, etc Home port Tampa is close to our winter place... Have a great trip!