Just Booked Beyond/ Some questions

[FloridaGram]

I just booked my first Celebrity cruise after doing NCL and Carnival and Royal, other passengers told me I should try this. I hope I have not ruined myself by going on the newest ship first.  That said, which other ships would you suggest that I would not be disappointed in?  We don't have anything against any size ship I just don't want old and in disrepair and prefer reasonable service.  (Nothing has been the same since the close down in that area)

Also does anyone know if they have Coke Zero on the ship? 

Are jeans without rips acceptable in the main dining room? It seems they are but I wonder what others wear. I have heard from others that one can dress that casual and not feel out of place, that people wear everything like on the other lines, but I want to respect the vibe of the ship too. 

Any tips you can give me would be great. We have been on over 40 cruises so we are not new to cruising, just to Celebrity and I anticipate a long relationship!

[heatheranderson13]

Reflection is awesome or Equinox

Jeans are fine no issues, people wear just about anything

 

Enjoy

[Lastdance]

21 minutes ago, FloridaGram said:

Also does anyone know if they have Coke Zero on the ship? 

This was available on my fall TA/b2b on Apex.

 

21 minutes ago, FloridaGram said:

Any tips you can give me would be great. We have been on over 40 cruises so we are not new to cruising, just to Celebrity and I anticipate a long relationship!

Plan on walking the entire ship, as that is the best way to see all the art, venues and where everything is that spikes your interest.  Also, try the almond croissants!

Edited February 28, 2023 by Lastdance

[keesar]

13 minutes ago, FloridaGram said:

I just booked my first Celebrity cruise after doing NCL and Carnival and Royal, other passengers told me I should try this. I hope I have not ruined myself by going on the newest ship first.  That said, which other ships would you suggest that I would not be disappointed in?  We don't have anything against any size ship I just don't want old and in disrepair and prefer reasonable service.  (Nothing has been the same since the close down in that area)

Also does anyone know if they have Coke Zero on the ship? 

Are jeans without rips acceptable in the main dining room? It seems they are but I wonder what others wear. I have heard from others that one can dress that casual and not feel out of place, that people wear everything like on the other lines, but I want to respect the vibe of the ship too. 

Any tips you can give me would be great. We have been on over 40 cruises so we are not new to cruising, just to Celebrity and I anticipate a long relationship!

 

You have chosen probably the newest and  best ship in the Edge Class.  Check out the S-Class ships including Reflection, Silhouette, and Equinox.  You won't be disappointed.

 

We were just on the Beyond and towards the end of the cruise, there was no Coke Zero.  People were being offered a Sprite product. The cruise was getting low on several items mid-cruise.  You can always bring your own on board and store them in your refrigerator. 

 

Dress codes were being enforced on the Beyond.  We saw people being turned away at breakfast with muscle shirts and shorts at dinner.  Decent looking jeans will be fine as long as no holes.

 

Tip:  On Beyond, you should try Eden, a Specialty Restaurant.  But make reservations early on your planner.  We made our 6 months in advance of the cruise.  Well worth it!

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[KKB]

You WILL be spoiled--Celebrity E-class is my fav! (tho I very much enjoyed my 1st Carnival cruise on a 20 year old trip in January too)

 

I believe you will find Coke Zero.

 

Generally jeans with holes will be turned away at dinner (tho unlikely at breakfast or lunch) except at buffet. Our friends sons were not allowed to dinner in shorts; but I did see a lady in short dark jean shorts allowed in another dining room (Perhaps they thought it was a short skirt?)

Been cruising 20 years & while overall things are more casual, Celebrity is still not quite as casual as others. Dark jeans with no holes are OK tho. (thats what our friends wore nightly)

Edited February 28, 2023 by KKB

[davekathy]

1 hour ago, FloridaGram said:

Are jeans without rips acceptable in the main dining room? It seems they are but I wonder what others wear. I have heard from others that one can dress that casual and not feel out of place, that people wear everything like on the other lines, but I want to respect the vibe of the ship too. 

Here's Celebrity's suggested dress guidelines:

https://www.celebritycruises.com/faqs/onboard-dress-code

[pyurxdc]

Checkout the FAQs and you may find many more answers…

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/search?q=FAQs

 

 

[2Long2NxtCrz]

The Edge (first e-class) ship was the reason I started looking at Celebrity. It turns out that it was far too expensive at the time (first sailing) so I booked the Equinox. Then the Summit. Then the Eclipse. And I booked the Beyond for a Panama Canal for my 60th in 2024. Then we lucked into a Caribbean cruise on the Beyond this past December and I've never been quite so struck by a ship before.

 

It's a beautiful ship. I love the way the venues flow and the variety of MDRs. The Sunset bar is a glorious space for quiet contemplation. And Eden became our favorite space on any cruise ship so don't miss it.

 

Jeans are fine in the MDR, just no holes and definitely no shorts. If the weather is right for it, the pools by the SunSet bar (or Rooftop, however you want to think of them) are great. They were far too cold for me on our sailing. Luckily the Solarium is always available.

 

I'm a planner and get a bit (okay a lot) stressed if I don't have everything planned out, so I booked all of our dinners up front. You don't have to do that, but if you want to see specific shows at specific times, it's best to do so. We had the Premium Drink package because aperol, apparently, is a "premium" spirit and an Aperol Spritz is my go-to day drink. But the prices have gone up and if a drink package wasn't included in your fare, I'd consider not buying one. We're trying that out on our April Solstice cruise to see how much we really spend. I might end up with sticker shock.

 

If the drink package is included in your fare, don't hesitate to use it. Coffee and non-alcoholic drinks including bottled water and sparkling water are included, which is a plus for me and my coffee-addicted husband.

 

If you have any specific questions, just ask. There are so many knowledgeable people on here. I've learned so much from CC and am still learning!

[C-Dragons]

3 hours ago, FloridaGram said:

I just booked my first Celebrity cruise after doing NCL and Carnival and Royal, other passengers told me I should try this. I hope I have not ruined myself by going on the newest ship first.  That said, which other ships would you suggest that I would not be disappointed in?  We don't have anything against any size ship I just don't want old and in disrepair and prefer reasonable service.  (Nothing has been the same since the close down in that area)

Any tips you can give me would be great. We have been on over 40 cruises so we are not new to cruising, just to Celebrity and I anticipate a long relationship!

Prepare to be “ruined”… in a good way! 😊

That's what happened to us many years ago when we booked our first X cruise on one of their brand new ships.
We've never been disappointed and we've never looked back. 😉

[CruisinBanka]

Yes there is Coke Zero on the Beyond. We have had it this week. 

[KKB]

8 hours ago, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

 

I'm a planner and get a bit (okay a lot) stressed if I don't have everything planned out, so I booked all of our dinners up front. You don't have to do that, but if you want to see specific shows at specific times, it's best to do so. We had the Premium Drink package because aperol, apparently, is a "premium" spirit and an Aperol Spritz is my go-to day drink. But the prices have gone up and if a drink package wasn't included in your fare, I'd consider not buying one. We're trying that out on our April Solstice cruise to see how much we really spend. I might end up with sticker shock.

 

 

The beauty of Celebrity is that you can pay the price difference on a higher priced drink.

[Mauidiver]

Keep in mind that there is not one MDR, but instead 3 smaller restaurants.  I’ve never liked the big MDRs on ships, and we loved the 4 smaller dining rooms so much on Edge that we won’t cruise on anything but an Edge class ship.  We will also booked our next cruise on Beyond and can’t wait.

 

My husband wears “nice” jeans sometimes in the evenings and it’s never been a problem in any of the dining areas.

[2Long2NxtCrz]

On 2/28/2023 at 10:20 PM, KKB said:

The beauty of Celebrity is that you can pay the price difference on a higher priced drink.

True. But it's so much easier to just not bother. I like being able to choose practically any wine on the menu and hubby gets to have all of his top-shelf Scotch.

 

Still. We'll see how much we really drink come April. I suspect that even if I'm trying to be "fair" I'll drink less because I'm pretty cheap and having to see the cost for each macchiato, or sparkling water, etc that I drink is likely going to discourage me. LOL.

[RTR 21-0]

Is it recommended to make reservations for the 4 complimentary MDR pre-cruise  or are chances pretty good of getting a table walking up understanding of course there could be a wait?  
 

Also, for the recent cruisers on Beyond, how have the shows been?  

[industrious95]

On 3/2/2023 at 7:05 PM, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

True. But it's so much easier to just not bother. I like being able to choose practically any wine on the menu and hubby gets to have all of his top-shelf Scotch.

 

Still. We'll see how much we really drink come April. I suspect that even if I'm trying to be "fair" I'll drink less because I'm pretty cheap and having to see the cost for each macchiato, or sparkling water, etc that I drink is likely going to discourage me. LOL.

Note that the Premium package does not give you "any wine on the menu."  It gives you 20% off.  The classic package gives you $15% off.  There is a wine package, but I never looked into it.  i would guess that the wine prices are about 2 times what you'd pay in a stateside liquor store.  Example, we buy Louis Jadot Pouilly Fuise locally, and it's around $28-$29 a bottle.  It was $54 on Beyond this past week.  Less 15% on our classic drink package.  Plus the 20% gratuity they add in.  Plus a spot on the charge slip for "Additional gratuity."

[2Long2NxtCrz]

21 hours ago, industrious95 said:

Note that the Premium package does not give you "any wine on the menu."  It gives you 20% off.  The classic package gives you $15% off.  There is a wine package, but I never looked into it.  i would guess that the wine prices are about 2 times what you'd pay in a stateside liquor store.  Example, we buy Louis Jadot Pouilly Fuise locally, and it's around $28-$29 a bottle.  It was $54 on Beyond this past week.  Less 15% on our classic drink package.  Plus the 20% gratuity they add in.  Plus a spot on the charge slip for "Additional gratuity."

Those discounts are for buying a bottle. I was speaking about the ones served per glass. And, yes, I can try any of the per glass wines even if it's over the limit of the package, I just have to pay the overage + grat.

[keesar]

On 3/3/2023 at 1:54 AM, RTR 21-0 said:

Is it recommended to make reservations for the 4 complimentary MDR pre-cruise  or are chances pretty good of getting a table walking up understanding of course there could be a wait?  
 

Also, for the recent cruisers on Beyond, how have the shows been?  

The Theater is really spectacular.  It is really high tech.  The production shows were outstanding.  We had to get to the Theater early (20 minutes before showtime) in order to get a decent seat.  Both shows were packed.

 

If you are eating in one of the 4 MDR, get there early if you don't have reservations.  We were turned away when we arrived about 6:30 and were told to come back in an hour.  

[Alakegirl]

If you are looking for a balcony, be sure to book the sunset verandah category or a suite, or a porthole verandah;  otherwise you will be in a room that has a window that opens, So don’t be fooled by the words “infinite Verandah”

[crusin okie]

On 3/3/2023 at 12:54 AM, RTR 21-0 said:

Is it recommended to make reservations for the 4 complimentary MDR pre-cruise  or are chances pretty good of getting a table walking up understanding of course there could be a wait?  
 

Also, for the recent cruisers on Beyond, how have the shows been?  

We did a B2B on Beyond last month.  We had a 17 minute wait once for a MDR as a "walk up" which is what we did every night.  

 

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate the shows as a 6.  Just my opinion.  A couple of the comedians were pretty funny.

[KKB]

1 hour ago, Alakegirl said:

If you are looking for a balcony, be sure to book the sunset verandah category or a suite, or a porthole verandah;  otherwise you will be in a room that has a window that opens, So don’t be fooled by the words “infinite Verandah”

Ah, pooh. Not much different than a covered verandah, imo.

I say try it--you may like it (does seem to be a love/hate relationship...)

[KKB]

4 minutes ago, crusin okie said:

We did a B2B on Beyond last month.  We had a 17 minute wait once for a MDR as a "walk up" which is what we did every night.  

 

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate the shows as a 6.  Just my opinion.  A couple of the comedians were pretty funny.

Have done Apex & Edge (2x).

We tend to eat early (by 6-615) & never seem to wait on any line.

I LOVED the production shows on Eclass--big shows, great talent, contemporary music (90s-today), but I can see how some would not.

[cruisestitch]

30 minutes ago, KKB said:

Have done Apex & Edge (2x).

We tend to eat early (by 6-615) & never seem to wait on any line.

I LOVED the production shows on Eclass--big shows, great talent, contemporary music (90s-today), but I can see how some would not.

1990 was over 30 years ago😵‍💫

[KKB]

6 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

1990 was over 30 years ago😵‍💫

LOL don't I know it--but it is still considered "contemporary" to much of the music I hear on cruises...

[sparks1093]

Timely topic. We've just booked Summit for February 2025 on a southern Caribbean itinerary. Similar cruise history to OP. We booked Concierge class with the all inclusive pricing, which saves us about $1000 versus cruising on Carnival on a similar itinerary and paying for everything as we go. Looking forward to trying a new line, for sure.

 

One question about the drink package- if you get the classic with your booking do you get the opportunity to upgrade to premium for the difference between the two plans? I'm sure I have a ton more questions but they'll be answered between now and 2025.

[bikerunner]

2 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Timely topic. We've just booked Summit for February 2025 on a southern Caribbean itinerary. Similar cruise history to OP. We booked Concierge class with the all inclusive pricing, which saves us about $1000 versus cruising on Carnival on a similar itinerary and paying for everything as we go. Looking forward to trying a new line, for sure.

 

One question about the drink package- if you get the classic with your booking do you get the opportunity to upgrade to premium for the difference between the two plans? I'm sure I have a ton more questions but they'll be answered between now and 2025.

Yes the upgrade is around 20 per day plus gratuity, 24 total.  You can do that on board if want to otherwise you need to call, I have rarely seen it in the cruise planner before cruise