FourNines

I'd call.

I don't know about you, but $400 an hour sounds like a good return on my time.

You can also book a Celebrity Passage which gives you the reduced deposit, extra OBC and 12 months to select your future cruise-not cruise, but select.

We booked two Celebrity Passages on our last Beyond cruise. It's a no brainer.

On 12/10/2022 at 10:31 AM, Obobru said:

Sounds like Starlink is making no difference at all. The number of users connected onboard most likely has something to do with that plus like most Musk things it's overhyped. 

As a Starlink user at home, I can assure the service is not overhyped. We average well over promised speeds and has been a godsend to us. 

We were on the Beyond a few weeks back, and speeds for those with Premium Wifi were north of 20Mbs. 

IMHO, cruise lines will throttle back the speeds on basic wifi so that they can upsell you on the Premium Wifi. Just another profit center for the cruise industry.

23 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

I use the Expert Flyer web site to see seat maps on almost any flight and I can see the seats for our flights, I was going to use this when I called FBC, but they were also unable to book seats on the AA flights. I also called AA and got told they couldn't do seats until the tickets are issued when paid. The officially show our flights as being "On Hold" status.

Expert Flyer is the way to go for award availability and seat selection.

AA is a strange beast. We fly them (or One World partners) exclusively and sometimes we have to jump through hoops to arrange our desired flights. I am currently working on setting up out flights for our Suez canal cruise, and I'm having to hack through gateways and partners to find availability for upgrades/award tickets. There's no way I'm paying $15K (or 250k miles plus $1500 each) for BC seats for our FCO outbound and DBX return flights.

43 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

I just tried your suggestion, and I was able to pull up the flight but it would not let me choose seats, it said I had to contact the original carrier for seat selection.

Can you see what seats are available? If so, have you tried calling FBC with your preferred seats?

I'm trying to think back to the last time we used FBC and how I went about selecting seats.

If you cannot see the current seat map and availability, post the flight number, date and class and I'll dig up what's available for you to use for your call

@terrydtx Do you have a PNR number for those AA flights? If so, here's a quick hack for viewing and choosing seats on American:

Unless something has recently changed, you have to use a One World partner other than American to select seats using the PNR number. In the past I have used the Royal Jordanian Airlines website (rj.com) to accomplish this.

Once on the rj website, go to manage booking and supply you last name and PNR number. It should pull up the AA reservation even if your not flying RJ. You'll be able to choose your seats and save the information. 

Hope this helps.

1 hour ago, mitchtech said:

Eden was a disaster to get from 5 to 4.

Isn't there a small elevator inside of Eden just for this purpose?

I could have sworn I saw it when we were onboard.

If I am not mistaken, reservations must be cancelled 24 hours in advance for a full refund. That goes for specialty restaurants, cabanas, excursions, etc.

1 hour ago, Heather1972 said:

HI all, 

 

I have early dining on Beyond at 6:00 pm. How does this work with the 4 different main dining rooms? I must have had any time dining when I was on Edge and was able to make reservations at the different restaurants online. This time I can’t because I’m locked into a dining time. 

Beyond has gone to Anytime Dining for it's 4 main dining rooms.

We just came off her last Sunday and with the ship at ~80% capacity, the longest wait we had was 15 mins for Normandy on the second night. All other nights, we were seated right away.

You'll wait longer for a sommelier than for a table.

Schedule for Beyond until mid-March

Based on this, one can assume that the Beyond will use Terminal 25 until it's repositioning.

2 hours ago, momofmab said:

The P.E. website appears to only give the schedule a week out.

If you go to the PE site and use the query feature (just insert the cruise ship name), you can see the schedule further out (about 120 days).

You can view the Port Everglades schedule Here

26 minutes ago, Fuzzy55 said:

The Beyond leaves from terminal 25. That terminal was built for the Edge class ships. There is a parking garage a block from the terminal. You can drop your bags off at the pier and then park.

Upon disembarkation, unless you can lug your luggage up the flight of stairs, be prepared to wait in a long line to use the elevator for the parking garage. 

We never use the parking garage because of this.

You're other option is a Park N Ride.

Celebrity's confirmations can be confusing. You should have received pdf invoice/confirmation from Celebrity via email that will show what's included in your purchase.  Additionally, if you purchased your cruise through Celebrity, here's a way to see what packages are included with your cruise:

• Log into Celebrity's website
• Click on Plan My Cruise for the cruise you wish to check
• Click on your initials at the top right corner of the page which will reveal a drop down menu.
• Click on Order History. A page will open up with all of your included purchases, including one for each of your "All Included" benefits. The free wifi and drink package will only list the main passenger name, so don't freak out if you do not see the additional passengers in your group listed there.

It takes a while for everything to show up, so you may have to wait 24 hours or so for it to populate.

1 hour ago, marde725 said:

Also, any tips for first time cruisers and on booking independent excursions very welcome. Thank you!

That's a wonderful itinerary. You are going to have a blast!

You can never go wrong booking tours from Rome In Limo. They are fantastic! They offer tours in multiple ports so it's easy to combine tours for a discount.

Join the Roll Call for your cruise and see what independent tours your fellow cruisers are putting together.

Enjoy your cruise. 

1 hour ago, 14 months and counting said:

In 2020 we were on the second part of a btb and a large group came onboard the SILHOUETTE.  The bars were packed at noon and continued all day and night.  The ship was filled with loud,  drunken passengers who took over the venues.  This continued for the next nine days.  Spoiled our cruise.  I wish they had chartered the ship and had told us in advance so we could have changed our plans.

That would piss me off to no end.

Can you imagine some poor family's yearly vacation ruined by such nonsense?

I hope the cruise line stepped up somehow, but I'm sure they didn't.

On the Beyond, your Seapass Cards will be in a slot behind the room number adjacent to the door.

Enjoy your cruise.

Date of Cruise: November 27, 2022                                                                                                                                                

Ship:    Beyond                                                                                                                                                 

Cabin #:  9111                                                                                                                                                           

 Deck #:      9                                                                                                                                          

Cabin Category:       Prime OV                                                                                                                                                       

Cabin Location:      Forward                                                                                                                                          

Bed Position:   By Bathroom                                                                                                                                                

Balcony Type:    NA                                                                                                                                              

Balcony/Window  Size:                   Large                                                                                                                               

Balcony/Window View/Obstruction:      Straight out view no obstruction, but there is an outer bulkhead to the right.                                                                                                                  

Balcony Overhang?:          NA                                                                                                                                            

Magic Carpet Issues?:              NA                                                                                                                                     

Noise Issues?:              Only when while docking (can hear the line winches)                                                                                                                                   

Wind Issues?:            None                                                                                                                                      

Connecting Cabin? Where Does it Connect?:       NA

Suite Details:      NA                                                                                                                                              

Advantages/Problems/Comments:      Overall a great stateroom. The only issue is that there is only approximately 24" from the foot of the bed and the wall. Also, the distance from the bed to the closet is narrow as well.                                                                                                                     

Would You Book It Again?: Absolutely

Photos or Photo Links:

5 minutes ago, cw2go said:

Thank you for your response. My DH will most definitely have the steak! 

 

If by chance you've ever watched Everybody Loves Raymond... All I can think of is the episode with the "Butter Density" conversation between Debra and Ray while enjoying an anniversary dinner out.

Yep that will be us 😂

You'll be talking about that butter for years after your cruise. IT"S THAT GOOD.

By the way, your DW can't be too boring when he tells you "Let's just roll with it" 😎

Just now, cw2go said:

Now I am SOLD ~The butter sealed the deal! 😁

That butter is only served in Le Voyage and procured just for them.

3 hours ago, cw2go said:

Tell me more... 😊

 

I have Le Voyage booked but when I look at this menu I'm a bit leery. What made it special and worth the price for you? 

Patty,

For us, the level of detail in presentation along with the combination of flavors really made this meal standout. The service was also amazing.

I was a bit apprehensive when ordering the duck. Chinese 5 spice can overpower any meat, but in this particular case, it was a truly nice balance that let the duck breast shine through. The puff pastry was light and airy. Spectacular dish!

If your husband is a meat and potatoes type of person, that Prime Filet with the black truffle sauce would fit the bill nicely.

The risotto was the best we have had in a long time.

I believe you cannot go wrong here.

Some Pics:

Amuse-bouche

Tartare

Brazilian Moqueca

Risotto au Homard

5 Spice Duck Pithivier

Oh! and the best butter on the ship!

1 minute ago, Valpacino said:

Our server was called Joe & could not have been more attentive & professional. 

Hahaha! Joe was our waiter as well. Great service from all the staff in Le Voyage.

3 hours ago, MamaChach said:

So the cover charge covers the items on the menu above?  I know you pay extra for alcohol.  On my cruise planner I can only book the cover charge - not the chef's table or the tasting menu.

It does.

Chef's Table must be arranged with the Maitre'D once onboard. From what I saw, it was limited to six diners per evening. $139.00 pp on our cruise

For the Tasting Menu, you can decide once seated. $125.00 PP on our cruise.

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

Thanks for posting that.  Do they allow you extras apps or entrees with that cover charge?

They sure do.

We created our own "Tasting Menu": three appetizers before our mains. It was perfect.