Beyond Live Jan 8 to Jan 22

[mperrizo]

Today was a wonderful day at sea! The majority of the day was spent pool side besides a short break for lunch and I had to join a conference call.

 

After sitting poolside till about 1:00pm we made our way to Oceanside to peruse the lunch buffet and then to Eden to eat lunch. The salads and sandwiches were great but if you’re going for the soup it is the same as what they are serving on deck 14. One word of caution is the Salads are premade with several toppings so if you are vegan (we are not) the salads may have cheese or meat on them already. I bring this up as the couple in front of us almost had a melt down that they would need to wait for the chef to make them a speciality salad. 

 

In addition to the great salads, pork belly slider and pesto chicken sandwich they had a nice accompaniment of deserts and the chocolate chip cookie with walnuts was the best desert so far on the cruise (we haven’t had many yet).

 

After lunch at Eden we made it back pool side for a relaxing afternoon as we watched water aerobics and water basketball. The CD staff were really engaged and had so much energy I felt tired after watching them.  

 

After sitting by the pool today and reflecting on some of the differences I was surprised at the lack of pool drink service compared to RC. We tip per drink but saw less pool drink severs than we did the day prior, even with the drink package,r This was okay as I needed some steps and the Mast Bar bartenders are great.

 

Following our day at the pool we stopped into the casino around 5:00pm to find it extremely quiet. We may go back tonight after dinner but the casino lacked energy at least at that time. 

 

For tonight we plan on starting at the martini  bar and then trying Normandy for dinner. If we can stay up there is a show in Eden at 11:00pm an update tomorrow on our evening.

 

A few final thoughts about the cabin before I forget Deck 3, port midship, the room is a quiet location and from that perspective has been great. Stumbling distance to the Martini Bar is nice but with the wait times for elevators I wish we could have been on a higher floor but it was not to be to keep the same room for a B2B. The room

Is nicely appointed, the charging station is a nice touch  but not really needed, just put in a few more plugs. The nicest touch is the light under the vanity for late night restroom visits that don’t wake up the entire room or blind you with light.

[GMoney]

I love the Eden cafe cookie and chocolate cake

[dreamer321]

23 hours ago, mperrizo said:

He also recommended the steakhouse, Eden and Le Voyage for specialty sinning.

I plan on sinning in Eden twice and Le Voyage once on my cruise in a couple weeks. Looks like I'll have to go to confession afterwards.😇

[mperrizo]

What a wonderful second evening on the Beyond. We started at the Martini Bar once again where the off the book espresso martini with vanilla vodka may be amazing with the wonderful martini bar servers. 

 

After pre game cocktails at the martini bar we went to Stage Door in the theater. As far as production shows on a cruise ship we would give it a B+. Disney is probably the only cruise company that has made above a A- rating consistently. Royals main productions and Aqua theater are just slightly above in quality. The main theater has a circular stage with rotating se toons of the stage and great technology in the screen behind the stage. The singers and dancers were talented. The theater was fuller than I have seen production shows on other lines. Prior to the show Captain Kate introduced the Ships Officer Group.

 

Dinner tonight was in Normandy. Though the Duck was good and a great server we thought Tuscany had a better menu of dinning room specific dishes.

 

Looking at the dinner menu in more detail it was divided into 3 groupings or sections. The first was that dining rooms individual specialties which seem to remain the same every night, after that Classics which appear to stay the same as  well and then Celebrity Signatures which  rotate each night at all of the dinning rooms. The waiter also told us if we wanted something off the other.

 

One thing I believe we are already missing is the relationships built with wait staff and other diners. With the entire ship being on my time dining and the main dining room being divided into four venues you just don’t have the opportunity to make connections like you would in traditional dinning.

 

From dinner we were off to Eden for the  Decadence show at 1100. I would recommend getting here early as seats filled up. Seats with a view of the show along the bar were in demand. However we were early enough to get seats with Nico who makes a wonderful Old Fashioned. The show was great with lots of energy. We look forward to this casts other productions split between Eden and the Club on future nights.

 

After the show we made our way for a nightcap to the Martini bar and found the silent disco going on. This was our first time participating in the silent disco and it was a blast. If you have never done a silent disco give it a try!

[hucifer]

2 hours ago, mperrizo said:

After the show we made our way for a nightcap to the Martini bar and found the silent disco going on. This was our first time participating in the silent disco and it was a blast. If you have never done a silent disco give it a try!

Highly agree on the silent disco. Tried my first on my Royal cruise back in July and loved it so much, we went back a few nights later. My legs got a workout, wooo boy.

[mizLORInj]

Interesting about all dinner dining timing--my reservation for next month still shows me confirmed for "early dining" at 6pm!  

[kwokpot]

9 minutes ago, mizLORInj said:

Interesting about all dinner dining timing--my reservation for next month still shows me confirmed for "early dining" at 6pm!  

It doesn't matter what your reservations show, there's no longer any set early or late dining on E-Class ships. Celebrity deliberately chose NOT TO notify existing customers that booked early or late set dining on E-Class ships that it no longer exists on those ships. SO PLEASE, don't be fooled by what you have previously reserved; it no longer is available. 

[mperrizo]

2 hours ago, mizLORInj said:

Interesting about all dinner dining timing--my reservation for next month still shows me confirmed for "early dining" at 6pm!  

They confirmed late dinning times  as our first reservation for a complementary dinning restaurant. We have not made reservations any other night and have walked right in.

[mperrizo]

Today begins a second sea day as we make our way to the first port of call St. Maarten. The ship changed times last night to move to Atlantic Time which is 1 hour ahead of Eastern Time.

 

Despite the time change we were still out of the room early and DW went to the gym while I put some miles in on the outdoor track. Though less people are up today compared to yesterday there is already a large contingent saving pool chairs. 

 

During my laps a large exercise class was going on in the rooftop garden and I would estimate the traffic on the trail as half of the day prior. 

 

After workouts and cleaning up it was time for an espresso and a morning read pool side that was interrupted by brief rain showers. Those  rain showers made us decide it was time for breakfast. 

 

Breakfast in the Oceanside Cafe again today and a stop at the poached egg station. I am picky about poached eggs and was thrilled that they actually know how to cook them. In most restaurants on land and at sea I always find the yokes overcooked and should have just ordered a hard boiled egg.  

 

Just as we were finishing breakfast by the rear bar in the cafe the rain began to stop and we made our way pool side and secured prime real estate for the day. Sun  tip is sit on the port side of the ship when headed South if you want full sun and starboard if you want shade from the deck structures.

 

The morning was subdued until the water aerobics class which we chose to participate. Though it was a blast I had more fun sipping a cocktail and watching yesterday. The staff running water aerobics still was as high energy as they day prior and this was the same instructor I saw doing the outdoor exercise class this morning.

 

After water aerobics and a few more cocktails a live acoustic guitar performance with solo act as she played pool side. Camilla is a very good guitarist that I would recommend finding in a bar or pool side to listen to.

 

At 1:00pm it was time to begin discussing lunch options. Not wanting to waste pool time we chose to eat in Oceanside again today. The food was good and enough variety to keep things interesting. 

 

Back out to the pool deck and the cloud cover had came in but a break from the sun was a welcome change as we watched the Olympic pool games and DE made it to the finals of the football toss. The pool deck area truly has a resort vibe. One nice item on Celebrity compared to Royal is not having to check in and out pool towels.

 

This afternoon the pool deck had more servers and they were actively walking around to the seating area offering beverages which was a welcome change from yesterday. After a little more pool time and cocktails we went on a hot tub tour and found the tubs in the Solarium to be hotter and more powerful than the ones on deck.

 

We enjoyed a drink at the sunset bar which was hopping and made our way through the garden for a stroll before a walkthrough the Oceanview Cafe to check out dinner options in the cafe. We thought the selection was much like lunch accept a few great desert options like Creme Brûlée so we will check this out again on another night to see if our impressions change.

[mperrizo]

Prior to dinner we were back out on the Ship and had wonderful cocktails at the World Class Bar. The Rum Old Fashioned in a smoked glass may be my favorite drink so far. 

 

As we set on deck 5 we could enjoy the live music from floor 3 the Cari Soul Dance Band. The group sounds great and we should have stayed as the stage show was Savannah Smith, who though a talented vocalist, it is just a lounge show and the ambiance is much better midship. After a few numbers we decided Savannah was not for us and we made it to the magic carpet on deck 5 for a cocktail.

 

The magic carpet provide great views of the stars and comfortable seating to enjoy the night air. After a cocktail we decided to make our way to dinner and tonight we chose the Cosmopolitan. Out of the three dinners we have now had this menu was our least favorite. I will say the Salmon Gravlax was great but the rest of the menu and food was just okay.

 

After dinner we made our way to the Casino. Table minimus were anywhere from 10 to 15. It seemed several people in the slots were having great luck it just didn’t happen to be us. Following the Casino we made our way to Craft Social and the beer choices where very diverse. As a fan of IPAs, Dogfish 90 Minute was a pleasant surprise to find on the menu. After a beer and a double espresso from Cafe Al Bacio it was time to sit in the Martini Bar to watch the bartenders preform their magic as we waited for the late night comedy show in the theater.

 

We saw the comedian, Steve Couette, earlier in the week and thought he was funny so we took the time to see his late night show.

 

After the comedy show and despite the energy created from all of the laughter we were beat and called it a night to be ready for our arrival in St. Maarten at 8:30 tomorrow. 

 

The one thing that has been a pleasant surprise has been the night life. Before joining the ship friends told us the nightlife on celebrity was non existent, this has not been the case on Beyond this week.

[countess5]

Looks like you made it to St Maarten! 

 

 

Cheers! 

[Guest]

40 minutes ago, countess5 said:

Looks like you made it to St Maarten! 

 

 

Cheers! 

In port with P&O Britannia. If you want a front row sunbed I’d get off there quick!😂

We spoke to the bar staff at the bars on the beach and they love the British ships coming in- they sit on sunbeds and drink the beer all day! (I am British so I can agree with this😂)

Edited January 11, 2023 by Guest

[mperrizo]

5 hours ago, Glitterati said:

In port with P&O Britannia. If you want a front row sunbed I’d get off there quick!😂

We spoke to the bar staff at the bars on the beach and they love the British ships coming in- they sit on sunbeds and drink the beer all day! (I am British so I can agree with this😂)

 We enjoyed hanging out with the P&O crowd but the beach didn’t seem bad especially further from the terminal! Enjoy Barbados and your upcoming Beyond cruise.

[mperrizo]

Today we ported in St Maarten and the gangway opened a little before 0830 local. As we were approaching St Maarten in the early morning hours we slowed significantly and we could hear waves hitting the hull that we had not heard on previous nights. As we pulled into port from our stateroom location midship on deck 3 we could hear activity on deck 2 preparing the gang way area for departure.  

 

We were joined in port by the P&O Britannia. Both ships had backed in and the Beyond was using the Starboard side for pier access and a view of the P&O ship.

 

Before we left the ship we made it to the Cosmopolitan Restaurant for breakfast which was your usual Cruise Line breakfast menu, however the frittata was very good.     

 

The weather in St Maarten looked wonderful so we were off for a stroll to shop and the beach in Philipsburg, Great Bay Beach. We really had no plans for the day as we have  

 recently been  in St. Maarten but had not explored on Great Bay for a while.

 

With only two ships in port many of the beach vendors were eager for a sale and two chairs with an umbrella, Wi-Fi access and a bucket of beer ranged anywhere from $25 to $30 and as the day continued down to $20. We chose a location at the end of the beach which was much more subdued then the main area. If you take the water taxi, $7 round trip, get off as far as possible from the ship and go left when you exit the pier from the taxi and walk into the sand after the concrete board work has ended. Going away from the masses meant less vendors and people. The sand on this side of Great Bay Beach seems better but the further away from establishments mean the less reliable the Wi-Fi. Also from past experience the drop off the further away from  the Cruise terminal is a little steeper so you may want to watch this with small kids.  We spent the day with Ella who is a wonderful transplant from the Southeastern USA with chairs, cold beer, and umbrellas just past the Pier Bar.

 

If you don’t do the water taxi it was a nice 20 minute stroll along the beach to this point and maybe 15 minutes from the Ship terminal area to the beachfront. A total 35 minute walk at an average pace.

 

We made our way back towards the Cruise Ship Pier after a few hours of fun at the beach with a stops to browse on front street  at the shopping and in the pier area. We had planned to stop at Stanley’s to say hello but sadly they have not survived the hurricanes and travel slow down that existed.

 

All aboard to prepare for our departure to St. Thomas is at 5:30 tonight. As we boarded security was quick and efficient and  we were both commented on how nice Celebrity Beyond’s gangway area is. I assume based on the spaces design they will port using the starboard side whenever possible.

 

Even though it is a port day at 3:30pm the pool is fuller than it has been on our past two sea days. The buffet didn’t seem to be nearly as busy as I anticipated based on the pool. Tonight the plan is to go on another bar tour prior to catching the show Elements  with a dinner in Cyprus to follow.

[mperrizo]

By 4:30pm the pool had began to clear out and I just was starting to think a nap when a few pesky rain drops came by. One of the best things about the Beyond open decks is it is easy to find cover on deck or in the solarium quickly. After making our way to the solarium the vibe for a nap was lost so it was to the hot tubs for a few minutes prior to heading to the rooms to get ready.

 

After a few minutes in the hot tub it was time to make our way to the stateroom to get ready for the evening. Tonight we decided to watch sail away from the magic carpet. The only issue was finding the magic carpet which was not on Deck 5 nor Deck 14 for sail away and was located at Deck 15. 

 

Our sail away appeared to be delayed as the P&O Britannia started to sail away and abruptly stopped after moving about 15 feet it appeared. After there lines were resecured the Beyond sailed away making our way to St. Thomas. After passing by the airport we continued our bar tour after a short stop in the Oceanview cafe for a quick snack and found the Oceanview offerings to be similar as the night before. After the stop it was off to a favorite the Martini Bar.

 

The bartenders at the martini bar are all attentive and very good with remembering preferences and names. Today we confused them with DW loving the coconut martini and I enjoyed the Pickle Martini as something new. The pickle martini was a very salty and dill dirty martini. It needed a side of hamburger.

 

With an extra libation in hand it was off to tonight’s production show in the theater Element’s. The productions show was great and the use of technology, along with the performers was choreographed perfectly. I would not miss this show but to get the full effect I would recommend sitting in the center section and in the first 15 rows of Deck 4 if possible.

 

Following the show we made our way to listen to more music in Eden. This venue is just such a wonderful use of space. The only thing is have one less drink before entering through the hallway on Deck 5. After listening to the duo playing we were off to Cyprus for dinner.

 

Cyprus was the last dinning room of the complementary for us to try. The short rib was very good but what made this the best experience in the complementary dinning was our server William from Jamaica. William was sincere and great at what he does.

 

Following dinner it was off to bed early to rest prior to our catamaran trip to St. John’s.

 

[cjmx]

Thanks so much for taking the time for this review!!

Can you tell me if the MDR still have breakfast hours and lunch hours??

TIA

[mperrizo]

10 minutes ago, cjmx said:

Thanks so much for taking the time for this review!!

Can you tell me if the MDR still have breakfast hours and lunch hours??

TIA

Yea they do on sea days we have not checked on a port day.

[boatlady32]

We'll see you on Sunday! We are on the starboard side of Deck 3 probably right across from you. We have done about 10 Celebrity cruises and are very excited to try the Beyond. We have never been on such a new ship.

 

[WhiteSoxFan]

Sounds like it's going great.  Any idea the pax count and if it seems crowded. 

 

We join you on Sunday. See you at the Martini Bar!

[mperrizo]

3 hours ago, boatlady32 said:

We'll see you on Sunday! We are on the starboard side of Deck 3 probably right across from you. We have done about 10 Celebrity cruises and are very excited to try the Beyond. We have never been on such a new ship.

 

Come say hello and let’s toast!

[mperrizo]

25 minutes ago, WhiteSoxFan said:

Sounds like it's going great.  Any idea the pax count and if it seems crowded. 

 

We join you on Sunday. See you at the Martini Bar!

I am sure we will made it ti the martini bar again this evening!

[mperrizo]

Just now, mperrizo said:

I am sure we will made it ti the martini bar again this evening!

 
forgot to answer ship capacity question. It does not feel full and the last number we heard on Day 1 was just over 80%.

[mperrizo]

Arrival into St Thomas  today with the ship arriving at Crown Bay. When arriving we were docked port side forward and used the aft stairs. At the Havensight pier was Carnival Celebration and Legend. My thought yesterday  that we would only use the starboard side was wrong… the area was the same they  just opened up a door through I95.

 

We were cleared at 7:30 to go ashore while DW and I were eating the standard Oceanview Cafe breakfast. Despite this being the fourth morning for breakfast our fellow passengers have still not found the back bar with specialty coffee and seating. After breakfast we headed to the theater for checkin for our excursion.

 

We normally do not book ship excursions but with short time  from booking to departure and our desire to go to St. John’s Celebrity excursions it was and we booked the Champaign Cat Sail.

 

The excursion started at 7:45 and we were pleasantly surprised that we left the ship 5 minutes after the start time to upon exit and a short walk from the ship and they had towards two cabs. The cabs used to transport individuals are the standard St. Thomas pickup trucks with benches and a capacity of 25. We filled up two trucks without a seat to spare packed 5 in 8 of the 10 rows with only two empty seats between two cabs. We stopped about 5 minutes prior to Red Hook according to the driver which to ok us to the catamaran in about 30 minutes.  I did not get the name of the marina. We were promptly met by our boat Captain who was with Castaway tour company.  They had two vessels here that we noticed one for the Celebrity passengers and the other for Carnival.

 

After removing our shoes, water shoes, and flip flops it was all aboard for a 45 minute sail to Honeymoon beach within the National Park of St John’s. During our cruise over we stayed under power and did not set the sails. During the cruise to St John’s water and non alcoholic drinks were provided as music played. We had one grumpy couple concerned about where to sit but they did not bring down the vibe of the group. Our group was 48 on the Dolphin rated for 50 individuals but it did not feel as crowded as we anticipated with it being a ship excursion. 

 

Once we arrived we tied up approximately 200 yards from shore and you could swim in as you snorkeled or use a dingy to transfer to the beach. DW and I chose to snorkel with the current and then backtrack on the beach and snorkel more ending up at the catamaran.

 

As we were getting situated and even before entering the water we saw a sea turtle breach the surface. Once we entered after a short swim we were greeted by several turtles nibbling on the sea grass below. After observing our turtle friends we made our way towards the shoreline and reef. While following the reef with the current we saw the typical Caribbean sea life but with a great intact area of coral.

 

After exiting the water we re-entered the water at the furthest point on that stretch of beach in front of Caneels Beach Resort chairs we spotted 3 rays with one being an eagle ray. The snorkel back to the cat was not that impressive until we spotted another eagle ray with a much more massive span at the bottom hanging out underneath our catamaran. 

 

Our total time in St John’s was only an hour and a half before heading back to the marina in St. Thomas. However we enjoyed it enough that we may come back to explore St. Johns’s as a destination itself and stay on the island or when we are visiting St. Thomas and staying on the island. 

 

During the transit back we went under sail and took our time returning to the marina as we were told the transportation with their next set of passengers was running behind. This same transportation was our return to port. During the sail back an open bar featuring rum punch flowed. Once arriving we were off the catamaran and headed to the taxis. When they announce use the bathroom on the catamaran I would recommend doing so as all the doors were locked at the marina without begging at the bar for the code.

 

Our drive back to the Crown Bay pier was quicker as traffic was flowing. After a pleasant drive and speaking more with our fellow adventures we parted ways about  20 minutes after boarding the cab as traffic was lighter.

 

When arriving at the pier we had a short sprinkle or two but nothing that would hamper exploring a few shops. This pier does not have as many shops in the pier or immediate vicinity as Havensight but still has your typical shops we boarded after making a call or two around 2:00pm for a 3:30pm all aboard.

 

After boarding we made our way to the Oceanview Cafe for a quick lunch and set poolside for sail away from St. Thomas. We have no dinner plans for tonight but definitely plan on seeing the cast at Eden tonight at 11:00pm. Hopefully we can figure out dinner  after a nap and then over a drink at the Martini Bar as well as trying to decide what to do in Puerto Plata tomorrow.

[kidz_rn]

Where is the best location to watch NFL playoff games?

[mperrizo]

15 hours ago, kidz_rn said:

Where is the best location to watch NFL playoff games?

I would recommend the screen in the rooftop garden or Craft Social for a game.