Butterfly0822

Been on both. Would chose Beyond every time -- the staterooms are so much nicer even without the balcony.

One more thought -- you will have to sign off on whether your 12 year old has the privilege to come and go from the kids club. It's not automatic. Some parents only sign off on specific "field trip" events outside the club area but their kids can't check in and out at will. On Apex my kid made a really nice friend and they enjoyed going to Oceanview to find soft serve or come to Eden to see the nighttime shows. We always had a plan so I knew where she was, but that privilege to come and go is not a given for my kid. I have to know who she is with and where she is going. Have a great cruise! Enjoy!

Took my 12 year old on Reflection twice last year -- she was in the kids club with the 10-12 year olds and had a blast. I don't believe she had an option for the teen space since she wasn't 13. (She will be 13 on our cruise in a couple weeks and she is nervous to "move up" by I assured her she will be just fine!) The complimentary club hours are in three hours intervals -- 9am to noon, 2pm to 5pm, and 7pm to 10pm. They have late night hours available from 10pm to 1am for $6/hour. No food during those times. I think you can pay for the lunch or dinner hours and they will take the kids -- it wasn't something we ever looked at? They do a couple of scavenger hunts around the ship in groups. I was nervous about having her roaming around on the ship but she had a really good time. I saw her group go by me in the atrium and I just watched -- they were all well behaved and having fun trying to get that they needed for the hunt! I read her the riot act about safety and behavior. They played video games, did some robotics (big STEM focus), danced, and had activities on the ship like a movie night where they took over the alcoves on the lawn.... And a hilarious silent disco..... She made nice friends and still keeps in touch with a couple of them.

Than you all for the info -- I ended up reserving a table for the two of us but I am starting to question my financial decisions at this point! 😂 I do hope it will be a delicious and special dinner for us to remember..... It's a special occasion so we might as well feel extra special.

Have an upcoming reservation on Beyond and we'd like to try Le Voyage. I noticed that some of the time slots charge $140/pp and some are $118/pp. (The above rates do not indicate a tasting menu or anything special.) However, the description in the app where you book states the cost is $75/pp. Anyone know what's up with this variable pricing? Feeling confused.

There is one poker table on Apex -- the cash game starts around 9pm. First come, first served. Just grab a seat and wait for a dealer to come unlock the box. (You can get chips at the table - $500 max buyin last spring.) One of the two dealers was pretty weak, the other guy was okay and kept the game going pretty well. You'll have a mix of players -- fish and whales, too. Even with the high rake, the games are very beatable if you know how to play. The tournaments throughout the day are structured to be short so they are shove fests. The real money is in the nightly cash game.

Took my kid on Apex last spring - she was 11. She loved reading, drinking fancy decaf coffees and teas, eating great food, chilling in Eden, and enjoying live music and trivia. She visited the kids club for two hours each night and made nice friend we still keep in touch with. I think it all depends on what is fun for your kids and what they enjoy in the trip's "down time" from port adventures? Some kiddos crave the water park, climbing wall, amusement park type experience..... Others don't. My daughter was treated with great kindness by all the crew members everywhere on the ship. It sounds like an amazing trip -- the ship isn't really the destination, rather the ports are! Have fun!

Sorry for the delay -- was cruising! Yes, this was recently -- we went to the passport office 10/30 and the new passports arrived in the mail 11/20.

Got our new passports in 3 weeks -- no expedited fees, just the regular process.

Thank you for this review and all the details! I was too nervous to go here last spring -- I wish I had seen your post first! Just booked another cruise that is going to Tortola in a few months and I can't wait to do this.

We had Rich on a Reflection cruise last year and he was a piece of work. And not in a good way. He comes across as very fake; we were instantly turned off by him and his whole schtick. I've never really paid attention to the cruise director before on any of our sailings on lots of different lines. But we just tried to avoid Rich and turn the other way if he was coming. Fingers crossed he isn't on our next sailing!

You are so welcome.Enjoy your trip -- here's to your wonderful voyage ahead!

I was traveling with my 11 year old in a concierge stateroom. We only had the non-alcoholic beverage packages (she had the kids version and I had the old package before the new Zero Proof package came along), so getting the fresh juices and a bottle of booze for my stateroom was a nice perk! Pre-cruise I heard talk of random people taking the seats in front of the cabanas to look at the ocean, but that wasn't our experience at all -- in fact, there was a little sign with my name on the table between the chairs to reserve them for us. I felt like it was a great value for what we got as non-Retreat guests. No fussing over seats..... No worries.... Plenty of shade...... Nice service. And a huge amount of space to relax, read, and play cards. I can't recall the cabana number we had -- it was towards the end, and we didn't have anyone in the other side of us.

We did a half cabana for the two of us on Apex -- and loved it. They reserved the two comfortable lounge seats looking out to the ocean that were across from our coach area, too. That was nice. We had a bottle of gin (you pick Veuve or a bottle), six beers were included but we didn't get them, and we had lunch brought to us. We also got the yummy orange juice from the spa cafe and whatever my daughter wanted. Cold hand/face towels came twice, too. And some fruit skewers. It was perfect for us. We read, napped, visited and had a lovely home base for a sea day that ended with us in San Juan around 3pm. Edited to add: This was in April 2023. It was $150.

Thank you! I love her dragonfly -- she did a really cool octopus another day. Her sketches came out so much better than mine! 🤣 And she was eleven on this trip. Seriously, Michael's art classes were so fun. I recommend going early to get a seat -- each time people were turned away because there weren't any seats available. Also, Michael will do a limited number of pencil portraits of passengers each sailing. He took our picture the first day when we met him and we received our custom drawing the last sea day. It is a really special piece that we framed and have hanging up! Happy cruising and sketching, everyone!