Live Review, Celebrity Beyond, December 11-18

[Stealthdog]

3 hours ago, YensidCA said:

@Stealthdog I was wondering if you could find out (don't go out of your way) about the fitness classes that are included with AquaClass. I am most interested in F45 (it is normally at 9:30am), is this included? Aside from signing up are there things needed?

 

Cheers.

I will have it for you.  There is a sheet they give out at the spa for classes.  Ill get that for you and details of classes.  I believe aqua gets 3 classes complimentary.

[Ben100014]

How is the new internet aboard? I hear mixed reviews; some amazing, some very poor.

[jojo1966]

42 minutes ago, Ben100014 said:

How is the new internet aboard? I hear mixed reviews; some amazing, some very poor.

The  basic Internet included for us last week was fine for browsing.. checking emails...WhatsApp messaging. Couldn't send or receive WhatsApp photos...or Snapchat photos to/from my girls...but was able to send and receive photos by facebook messenger and i-message. I certainly wouldnt bother paying for faster internet personally.

Edited December 14, 2022 by jojo1966

[Stealthdog]

5 hours ago, TravelingCircusof5 said:

The Escape room sounds fun. How does one sign up? Is it booked in advance?

 

No reservations required for the Escape Room.  Just head to the The Club 10-15 minutes before the event.  If you don't have a large group, the entertainment team will probably combine you with other players to form a team close to 10.  We were a group of 9 (from three different Cruise Critic families) and an individual person showed up and was assigned to our team.

[Stealthdog]

1 hour ago, Ben100014 said:

How is the new internet aboard? I hear mixed reviews; some amazing, some very poor.

 

The Premium wifi is ridiculously impressive.  I don't know how good the basic wifi is.  This B2B on Odyssey and Beyond is the fastest internet service I have ever seen on a cruise ship.  There are slight differences between the two lines and I will get into those later.

 

On the Beyond, I am experiencing almost zero interruptions in service, can stream and download anything I want.  The speed is really good - about as much speed as I get at home.  I'm able to use my laptop to log into a server on a massive multiplayer online game and experience almost no latency issues.  I tested it last night for about 15-20 minutes.  I had about 30 seconds of latency lag, but no connection issues the rest of the time.  That is really impressive.

 

For the internet packages, I called Celebrity direct so I could get my Captains Club discount (25% off for me, more for elite and elite plus, less for classic).  Its a personal decision for people to make and depends on what you want to use it for.  With the loyalty discount, I find more value on a premium wifi capability on a Celebrity (as long as it is working properly) than an alcohol package.  

[ETHTrader]

On 12/13/2022 at 8:00 AM, Stealthdog said:

I have a few minutes while I wait for someone to finish in the bathroom 🙂  so I'll give a quick update on the creaking and noises that have been reported in previous sailings.

 

 

I am in one of the suites with noise issues. Constant creaking noise all night, but that's nothing compared to the banging noise within the walls all night long. Retreat concierge has list of more than 10+ suite rooms with similar issues and they told us that they will provide some kind of monetary compensation to the guests impacted. They are also offering alternative rooms for guests to sleep in and providing ear plugs. Every time I visit the retreat lounge, there's someone complaining about the noise....

[Stealthdog]

7 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

When we sailed on the edge years ago, a issue with eden was that the lounge didn't have nearly enough seating for the guests.  Does the beyond offer enough seating for guests?  We will be on the apex in a couple of weeks and we hope so.  "assuming" that the Beyond and Apex the same seating.

 

I'll head there tonight or tomorrow to get a good estimate on seating and get some pictures for you.  Its much less seating capacity than the theater.   There is dance floor level seating, seating on the upper level, then seating on the ramp incline that connects the two floors.  A rough estimate is probably 100-150 range, but I'll get a better number for you. 

[Stealthdog]

On 12/12/2022 at 3:54 PM, cltnccruisers said:

Looks very tasteful.  DW just commented that's good that it doesn't look like it's in a Hallmark movie.

 

You spoke too soon.  They put up a monster size Christmas tree in the Grand Plaza today. 🤣

[Tyler414]

4 minutes ago, Stealthdog said:

 

You spoke too soon.  They put up a monster size Christmas tree in the Grand Plaza today. 🤣

Will these decorations be gone by January 15th?

[Stealthdog]

Some pictures of the Rooftop Garden.  Its a very well maintained space with a ton of seating and a giant projection screen.  NFL games were played there on Sunday and World Cup games yesterday and today.  The Rooftop Garden Grill is connected - it looks classy but we are not going to try it this cruise.  The Rooftop Garden is a really pleasant place to spend some time.  

 

Also, around the garden they grow a number of herbs.  I wonder if they use these in their restaurants (I would hope so).  Beyond the Rooftop Garden is the Sunset Bar, which is another large outdoor space with a lot of well-spaced seating.  I'll grab some pics of the Sunset Bar later.

[Stealthdog]

15 minutes ago, Tyler414 said:

Will these decorations be gone by January 15th?

 

I'll ask.

[Stealthdog]

We are 15 minutes past departure and the lines are still connected. Must be waiting for guests. In prime pier runner location at sunset bar!

 

[TravelingCircusof5]

1 hour ago, ETHTrader said:

am in one of the suites with noise issues. Constant creaking noise all night, but that's nothing compared to the banging noise within the walls all night long. Retreat concierge has list of more than 10+ suite rooms with similar issues and they told us that they will provide some kind of monetary compensation to the guests impacted. They are also offering alternative rooms for guests to sleep in and providing ear plugs. Every time I visit the retreat lounge, there's someone complaining about the noise....

Yikes! More and more of these complaints. Are these Beyond staterooms securely attached? 

Edited December 14, 2022 by TravelingCircusof5

[Ben100014]

2 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

 

The Premium wifi is ridiculously impressive.  I don't know how good the basic wifi is.  This B2B on Odyssey and Beyond is the fastest internet service I have ever seen on a cruise ship.  There are slight differences between the two lines and I will get into those later.

 

On the Beyond, I am experiencing almost zero interruptions in service, can stream and download anything I want.  The speed is really good - about as much speed as I get at home.  I'm able to use my laptop to log into a server on a massive multiplayer online game and experience almost no latency issues.  I tested it last night for about 15-20 minutes.  I had about 30 seconds of latency lag, but no connection issues the rest of the time.  That is really impressive.

 

For the internet packages, I called Celebrity direct so I could get my Captains Club discount (25% off for me, more for elite and elite plus, less for classic).  Its a personal decision for people to make and depends on what you want to use it for.  With the loyalty discount, I find more value on a premium wifi capability on a Celebrity (as long as it is working properly) than an alcohol package.  

Wow, that's great! About time cruise ships had modern wifi! Hopefully will be able to try sometime next year.

[alexkrn46]

Great review, we are also on the 10 floor neat forward elevator, no banging tonight, past nights very loud  sounded like someone was trapped in the wall trying to get out

[Stealthdog]

Day 5 Daily.  In St Thomas today.  We are docked next to an Oasis Class Royal ship.  I /think/ we are docked in Crown Bay Pier based on google maps, which is annoying because besides our two ships it doesn't look like there are any other ships showing on cruisemapper in St Thomas and we will have to take a taxi to get to Havensight Pier.  I guess we will find out when we leave the ship.

 

Edit - looks like Norwegian Dawn is in port too - at Havensight Pier.

 

With three straight port days (St Maarten, St Thomas, and Puerto Plata) I will be a little behind on giving port and tour reviews.  I plan to post all port specific photos and reviews on the last sea day.  I have a few other things to catch up with when we get on board later today.

Edited December 15, 2022 by Stealthdog

[momofmab]

14 hours ago, ETHTrader said:

 

I am in one of the suites with noise issues. Constant creaking noise all night, but that's nothing compared to the banging noise within the walls all night long. Retreat concierge has list of more than 10+ suite rooms with similar issues and they told us that they will provide some kind of monetary compensation to the guests impacted. They are also offering alternative rooms for guests to sleep in and providing ear plugs. Every time I visit the retreat lounge, there's someone complaining about the noise....

 

Very nervous about this.  I have 2 Move Up bids in on suites and I'm worried that I'll get a noisy room (currently assigned to an IV on Deck 10). Do you mind sharing your cabin #?  Also, where are the rooms that they are giving you to sleep in?  Do you have keys to both rooms so you can leave stuff in the 2nd room?  Is your suite noisy during the day? I'm actually considering canceling my bid as I'm feeling pretty confident about the lack of complaints on Deck 10.

[SF]

Have you heard any complaints about noisy cabins on Deck 9? Just got off Wonder of the Seas and several cabins on there had the same problem...very noisy cabins. It makes it hard to get any sleep as just as you're dozing off the banging started again.

[Irene225]

15 hours ago, ETHTrader said:

 

I am in one of the suites with noise issues. Constant creaking noise all night, but that's nothing compared to the banging noise within the walls all night long. Retreat concierge has list of more than 10+ suite rooms with similar issues and they told us that they will provide some kind of monetary compensation to the guests impacted. They are also offering alternative rooms for guests to sleep in and providing ear plugs. Every time I visit the retreat lounge, there's someone complaining about the noise....

Do you mind if I ask what deck you’re on? We are on next week. Deck 2 cabin in the 200s

[Irene225]

16 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

 

No reservations required for the Escape Room.  Just head to the The Club 10-15 minutes before the event.  If you don't have a large group, the entertainment team will probably combine you with other players to form a team close to 10.  We were a group of 9 (from three different Cruise Critic families) and an individual person showed up and was assigned to our team.

This looked fun! How long was it?  Thanks and enjoy your day! 

[momofmab]

It was mentioned on the Apex review thread that the Solarium on that ship is airconditioned.  Is it the same on Beyond?  Thx!

[Irene225]

46 minutes ago, Irene225 said:

Do you mind if I ask what deck you’re on? We are on next week. Deck 2 cabin in the 200s

Deck TEN. Sorry, wish I could edit a post!

[mitchtech]

18 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

 

I'll head there tonight or tomorrow to get a good estimate on seating and get some pictures for you.  Its much less seating capacity than the theater.   There is dance floor level seating, seating on the upper level, then seating on the ramp incline that connects the two floors.  A rough estimate is probably 100-150 range, but I'll get a better number for you. 

We just got off Beyond and went to Eden about 20 minutes before start of show and no, there was not enough seating. We actually  left as did other people. It was disappointing 

[kwokpot]

2 hours ago, mitchtech said:

We just got off Beyond and went to Eden about 20 minutes before start of show and no, there was not enough seating. We actually  left as did other people. It was disappointing 

Same issue with shows at The Club. You do need to get there 30 minutes early to get a good seat.  

[graphicguy]

On 12/12/2022 at 9:22 AM, YensidCA said:

Interesting as I saw a Tiktok post yesterday from Captain Kate back on the ship (she needed cat food) showing the Christmas trees on the Ship. 

Link to her video.

Thanks….huge fan of hers!