On Beyond TA……Issues

[hcat]

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!

[cangelmd]

My only TA was in 2018, the Boston and Broadway, otherwise known as the almost Titanic route. There was a huge storm and we had to go south from Southampton into the Bay of Biscay, almost to Spain to avoid it. All balcony furniture was removed from individual balconies and not returned for a week. Many of the outside decks were closed for days, even though it was beautiful and sunny, because the wind was so strong it simply wasn’t safe. The public spaces on the ship are simply not designed for every single passenger to be inside at the same time. Any quiet spaces for sitting and reading were occupied from about 8am on.

I don’t remember there being significant staffing issues, although I know there was a fair number of new staff, since it was season turnaround. You had to pack your patience and your Bonine even back then.

 

[AbbyCruiser45]

18 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

They board in the morning and are put to work immediately. 

As of a month ago, they do a "soft quarantine". A crew member on the Reflection said that they board the ship and get to work. They are required to wear a mask full time and they have to eat in their room, not the shared dining space. They do this for a week maybe? And then it's back to normal for them. Who knows if that is still the case. 

[AnnaNicole]

On 10/19/2022 at 5:12 PM, mfs2k said:

 

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. 

Sure there is a such thing as oversold.   Twice we were offered HUGE incentives to change ships and itinerary.   Once by RCCL and once by HAL.  

[canderson]

8 minutes ago, AnnaNicole said:

Sure there is a such thing as oversold.   Twice we were offered HUGE incentives to change ships and itinerary.   Once by RCCL and once by HAL.  

Horrible inventory management or did something else unusual happen?

[AnnaNicole]

1 minute ago, canderson said:

Horrible inventory management or did something else unusual happen?

Inventory management.   On the HAL cruise we were told it was oversold and asked to switch ships and departure port.  They offered to upgrade us to a suite and offered $1000 cash.   We declined because the ship we were booked on sailed out of Norfolk and the proposed cruise was out of NYC.    This was the day before the cruise and my husband didn't want to take the drive after working all day.   

 

I forget what we were offered on the RCCL cruise.   It was a sweet deal.  We did not accept it because we preferred the itinerary we booked.   The TA told us the cruiselines will go down a list offering huge incentives until the meet capacity.    

 

[bucfan2]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

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!

I can’t fathom the potential pain and/or stress 😃

Edited October 20, 2022 by bucfan2

[Northern Aurora]

5 hours ago, jelayne said:

 

 

I don’t doubt what you say is what you were told but I am also on the  sailing and would like to clear up some erroneous information.  We have been in the Retreat Lounge every day 2-3 different times a day. It has Not been closed at all during this cruise.    In fact we are in the Lounge as I write this.
 

 I just paused answering and went up to the Retreat Sun Deck and walked both floors and there is no sign of damage anywhere.  As you know, all outside deck areas were closed when the storm hit, so the Sun Deck was closed just as the Roof Top area, pool are, etc.  If there was any damage it certainly wasn’t the collapsing of the roof. If that had been the case it would damaged the areas below  and if a wind break was damaged it was repaired this morning. The Retreat Sun Deck is just as beautiful today as it was on boarding day.

We had a wait for dinner on the first night, none more than 5 minutes since then.  If some are experiencing long waits it may be worth considering charging the time they arrive by 15 minutes.  
 

Specialty restaurants were heavily booked before boarding and since they are short crew they aren’t booking all tables. It would be poor management to do so.   They are booking to the staff they have available.  We have done 2 specialty both we excellent both food and service. 

 

 

jelayne:  While we have never met I find your posts accurate with no hidden agenda.  Thanks for the up-to-date information.

 

P.S.: I am trying to envision how the Retreat Lounge ceiling would collapse.....

[hcat]

1 hour ago, bucfan2 said:

I can’t fathom the potential pain and/or stress 😃

 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 ! 

[Arizona Wildcat]

4 hours ago, kwokpot said:

Thank you for your contributions. What I don't understand then is why all this embellishment to the negative? 

I can.  A combination of being quarantined for covid, a shortage of staff, and a really terrible HUGE storm.  

Guess I would ask Jim his comment in 25 words or less about his B2B2B on Summit in Augustcand September.   Mine would be very short staff who improved during the cruise as many were new.  Food a general decline in quality.  Weather thankfully except for missing a port (wind) was calm seas.

[drakes2]

On 10/19/2022 at 2:05 PM, 39august said:

Arizona, I generally agree with your posts. However, I have to point out that the staffing shortages do not appear to be on all ships. I have read several live reviews that have said service was great. Our very recent Equinox cruise could not have had better service any where we were on the ship. We do not go to the Martini bar, so I can't vouch for that area.   Sometimes I had to wait a few minutes to order at the WCB, but with the fine interaction with the bartenders there, it was certainly worth the short wait. So this must be a Beyond specific problem. 

I was on the Equinox September 26 th sailing and did not see any staff shortages. Some mornings my cabin  attendant would come by as early as 8 30 am to clean i always let him know when I was leaving my cabin. No issues at mdr or martini bar either.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

16 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

I was on the Equinox September 26 th sailing and did not see any staff shortages. Some mornings my cabin  attendant would come by as early as 8 30 am to clean i always let him know when I was leaving my cabin. No issues at mdr or martini bar either.

OP was writing about a TA where they could be short staff since they can’t get visa 

much different than a cruise that starts in the the USA 

[drakes2]

9 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

OP was writing about a TA where they could be short staff since they can’t get visa 

much different than a cruise that starts in the the USA 

Not really.  I was on the Eclipse to Hawaii this past April that started in Vancouver and it was short staffed.  One night we waited almost 2 hours for our entree to be served.

[scubarn1]

I am not sure which day you are arriving into New Jersey, they are predicting a bad storm to hit the whole North East from the Carolinas to New England Sunday into Monday morning. Expecting rain and wind, so that might effect the ship as you arrive.

[jelayne]

We arrive at 5 a.m. Monday morning.

 

[hcat]

4 minutes ago, jelayne said:

We arrive at 5 a.m. Monday morning.

 

Hope you catch a break with weather and seas

Are you sailing through to Port Ev or disembarking?

[jelayne]

Quick recap of last evening.  Show in the theater was Stage  Door. We arrived about 6:40 and there were very few seats available.  By 6:50 place was full and some chose to return at 9 others stood for the whole performance, it was amazing, this from a couple who rarely go to the shows and not production shows. 
 

Had a quick drink after the show and headed to Luminae which was as full as I have seen it all cruise, but no wait to be seated.  
 

After dinner (9:30) we headed to Eden to get seats for the 10:15 show.  Every table, chair, bar stool full.  The tables and chairs and the elevated walkway were almost full.  We got there just as they were bring in some extra bar stools and chairs and putting them anywhere they would fit.  Fortunately we go stools that gave us a good view with no obstructions.  By show show time the place was jammed with people standing 2 or 3 deep.  This show  was another great one.  
After the show off for a nightcap; the Grand Plaza and World Class bars were both full plus.  We headed to Craft Social which was full but we found 2 seats and watched the football game.  I left at midnight and CS was full the Grand Plaza was still jammed with folks dancing and having a great time.  So not all is doom and glum on this sailing.
 Side note: there was a medical emergency among the crowd in Eden during the show (turned out nothing serious).  When the first 2 crew members rushed in Captain Kate jumped up from the audience and took charge of assisting the passenger.  She is traveling as a passenger, no uniform, no scheduled appearance, most don’t know she is on the ship.

[Texed]

Jelayne,

Thanks again for your reports. We loved our Beyond cruise.  😊

[crusinthrough]

Why wait 15 min for a server to come take your drink order?  Is it easier to order one from the bar and go  back to your table?  I understand the convenience of someone bringing you a drink but when a convenience becomes an inconvenience it's not worth it.

 

From numerous threads and social media posts on different sites there are complaints about cruise ships (all lines) being understaffed.  At this point, if you book a cruise this should be expected.  There is no reason to believe your sailing will be different.  Prepare for the worst and hope for the best is a good approach.  If this does not work for you and you expect a certain level of service, this may not be a good time to cruise.  Wait it out until there are consistent reports of adequate staffing. This will prevent disappointment.  

 

I get cruise lines need money but some of Celebrity prices are ridiculous.  On my Beyond 7N cruise the cost of AQ has gone up to $8K.   Why would anyone pay this for a very high probability that it would be a less than stellar experience? 

[Arizona Wildcat]

1 hour ago, crusinthrough said:

Why wait 15 min for a server to come take your drink order?  Is it easier to order one from the bar and go  back to your table?  I understand the convenience of someone bringing you a drink but when a convenience becomes an inconvenience it's not worth it.

 

From numerous threads and social media posts on different sites there are complaints about cruise ships (all lines) being understaffed.  At this point, if you book a cruise this should be expected.  There is no reason to believe your sailing will be different.  Prepare for the worst and hope for the best is a good approach.  If this does not work for you and you expect a certain level of service, this may not be a good time to cruise.  Wait it out until there are consistent reports of adequate staffing. This will prevent disappointment.  

 

I get cruise lines need money but some of Celebrity prices are ridiculous.  On my Beyond 7N cruise the cost of AQ has gone up to $8K.   Why would anyone pay this for a very high probability that it would be a less than stellar experience? 

Good comments and questions.  We have 3 upcoming cruises - all 14-15 nights.  Just got off a 12 night cruise.

We booked all of these for the itinerary- not only the on board experience.  In one case as a way to get across the ocean in comfort.  We have adjusted our expectations.  It will be interesting.  The cruises vary greatly as to cabin - everything from veranda to suite - and are on Princess and HAL as well as X.

Will report next June how things work out.

FWIW we paid between $2700 and $4000 per passenger.  Feel very reasonable with AI or equivalent on Princess and HAL . . . if service is at least very good.  The first over Christmas.   Fingers crossed.

[PTC DAWG]

15 hours ago, drakes2 said:

I was on the Equinox September 26 th sailing and did not see any staff shortages. Some mornings my cabin  attendant would come by as early as 8 30 am to clean i always let him know when I was leaving my cabin. No issues at mdr or martini bar either.

I was on the 9 day just before your sailing, agree, cruise was great.

[JeanieC,Aston]

When I read threads like this or indeed reviews.

I take no notice of the everything was superb,likewise everything was awful.

I will believe the middle for diddle,some things were good,some things were bad.
 

I feel they are reporting with no prejudice or agenda.

[3Shelaghs]

whoops wrong ship

Edited October 21, 2022 by 3Shelaghs

[IZZYDAD]

3 hours ago, crusinthrough said:

Why wait 15 min for a server to come take your drink order?  Is it easier to order one from the bar and go  back to your table?  I understand the convenience of someone bringing you a drink but when a convenience becomes an inconvenience it's not worth it.

 

From numerous threads and social media posts on different sites there are complaints about cruise ships (all lines) being understaffed.  At this point, if you book a cruise this should be expected.  There is no reason to believe your sailing will be different.  Prepare for the worst and hope for the best is a good approach.  If this does not work for you and you expect a certain level of service, this may not be a good time to cruise.  Wait it out until there are consistent reports of adequate staffing. This will prevent disappointment.  

 

I get cruise lines need money but some of Celebrity prices are ridiculous.  On my Beyond 7N cruise the cost of AQ has gone up to $8K.   Why would anyone pay this for a very high probability that it would be a less than stellar experience? 

Yes you can go to bar and get your drink. Except that there 15 people at the bar getting there own drinks and one bartender.

[drakes2]

43 minutes ago, IZZYDAD said:

Yes you can go to bar and get your drink. Except that there 15 people at the bar getting there own drinks and one bartender.

Martini bar always busy between 5 pm till around 7 30.  I think there were 2 bartenders most times but still not enough to keep up with crowds.   At times I would go to the casino bar or WCB then walk back to the Martini bar to find a seat.