mfs2k

But isn’t it refreshing to have problems on board other than Covid? Even if it’s stampeding elephants on the pool deck, broken champagne glass Poconos hot tubs and 90 foot seas.

I totally get your frustration and disappointment. My point really is there's no such thing as oversold, but it sounds like they are understaffed. Hope it gets better. Find a bar no one's discovered yet and drink up.

A cruise ship can't be overbooked. It's not like they're going to make some passengers wait for the next boat to leave Bayonne or transfer some guests to the Marriott ship down the street. Anything less than 100% double occupancy plus some cabins with 3 or 4 to a cabin, is undersold. Cruiselines are fighting for survival and they need to fill cabins. In fact, postive tests before sailing and vid policies have prevented most sailings from being fully booked.

same

I, too, was a regular Carnival cruiser (12 cruises) before switching to Celebrity in 2019. I was always amused by people's impressions of Carnival being a ship full of animals. I never experienced that and I sailed on many Spring Break caribbean cruises. Carnival was fun and enjoyable for my wife and me. We never travelled with children and never experienced anything crazy. With that said, we decided, as we got older, it was time to step it up a notch and move to Celebrity. Celebrity is a bit of an older crowd than Carnival, but there are many cruisers in their 30's to 60's. Celebrity is more refined and has better service and mostly better food. There are fewer "fun" cruise organized activities poolside but you definitely can have a good, fun time. The room experience is nicer on Celebrity too. It's like transitioning from a Marriott 3 1/2 star hotel to a 4 star hotel. If you want a 5 star hotel experience like Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton, you need to get out of mass market cruising and you'll pay a lot more. The music on board is good, but I found the bands to be better and more lively on Carnival. Celebrity has many acoustical performances and no piano bars. The shows on Celebrity are good, just as they were on Carnival. Celebrity will bring in more entertainers for specific legs of cruises, which Carnival does less of. Late night was more active on Carnival. Celebrity cruisers go to sleep at 10 pm. (kidding! lol) (sort of)

Thank you for providing an update. You've earned my trust re: your ship reports, through your earlier posts. I did have images in my head of the elephant rolling off it's perch, into the sea..

I'm not an IT expert, but perhaps StarLink relys on satellites over specific areas of the planet, and perhaps there aren't many satellites over the mid atlantic, since there isn't a lot of demand there. Celebrity might not have known this since this is the first time Beyond is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Perhaps this will be taken into consideration before a roll-out to all ships.

"I don't want to put a damper on our cruise, but I have been reading up on information about the TA of the Beyond. Evidently they hit some rough seas and from what I read there was a lot of damage on the ship . One of the Martini Hot tubs glass shattered, the Elephant are work poolslid toppled over, and a ceiling in the retreat area came down along with other damage that was not revealed. Now i don't know this first hand but I read it on the FB Beyond on Oct 26th cruise page. Im hoping that it's not as bad as some were talking about. Also they had many quarrentined in their rooms. No one said it was Covid or due to the rough seas. They said many were scared on the ship through the rough seas."

See most recent posts on Roll call for 10/26 Beyond sailing

This sailing seems to be a tale of two cities. It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Passengers are quarantined in their cabins with locked infinite verandas. Passengers are dancing the night away in the silent disco. The seas are rough and there’s damage everywhere. The moon is beautiful from the sunset bar. The MDR service is slow or nonexistent. Luminae is the place to be. You can’t get a drink anywhere. Everyone is drunk. Covid is rampant and everyone is quarantined. The bars and restaurants are packed. As for my wife and me, we’re sailing on Beyond in a week. I choose to follow @jelayne’s example and keep my glass half full. It is the best of times.

I knew exactly what he meant because I first thought the same thing.

My first reaction too, was he misunderstod the AND. Then I saw the AND in both options and I changed my vote too.

That's a very generous offer.

What's stopping someone from getting off the ship at the port of debarkation after quarantine, and getting on a plane home as originally planned, after testing positive on the ship? Does Celebrity notify the airline you have Covid and shouldn't fly home?

I understand Blu was originally intended to be healthier “Spa Cuisine” but that didn’t go so well and now it’s intended to be a more “sophisticated” menu than MDR and better and more personalized service. What I loved the most about Blu were the breakfasts in a nice relaxing setting with good food and great service.

With people from all over the world flying and cruising who knows what variant you got.. Glad to hear you and your wife didn’t get severely sick. Do you have any future cruises booked? Would you do anything differently the next time?

What are some reasons a couple might want to pay for an Edge Villa vs another large suite, if it’s just the two of them ? Do you like the upstairs bedroom, downstairs living room or does it make the suite seem smaller ?

This is good news since I need to do some work on board next week. Some have posted on Insta speed tests below 1Mbps which would be bad.

oops. my mistake. I was thinking Rooftop Garden Grill on Beyond. Sorry. The Rooftop Garden Grill is booked. I suspect it will be difficult to get a reservation with all the reports of overcrowded and understaffed main dining rooms. Perhaps the RGG is more popular than the Porch.

Yes, they do.

I wonder if this is true on all ships and all sailings. I'm on Beyond next week for repositioning from NY to FLL via the Caribbean. The Porch is booked. I suspect it will be difficult to get a reservation with all the reports of overcrowded and understaffed main dining rooms.

This is true, and I'm sure it's a difficult decision for many, who have waited a long time for a well needed vacation. It's a hard choice when you feel a little sick but well enough to go sit by the pool, and eat some meals in the dining room. Do you do the responsible thing and report and cut your vacation short or do your best to enjoy your time and not tell anyone? Refund or no refund... Most of you would be responsible and report, but many people choose the other option. By next year, this is card #74 in the game "Scruples."

No interest in changing your dining time when you get onboard ?

It’s nice to read so many stories of people with mild cases of Covid. I remember so well the death stories and the fear just 2 1/2 years ago. The morgues in NY full of bodies. So much dying. Thankfully that’s no longer the predominant story. No politics here. Just a story of then and now.

I suspect they’ll become well stocked with liquor in New Jersey but it may take them 24 hours to stock the bars.