Beyond Cruise Nov 13, 2023 - An Awesome Time

[truckswain]

We just returned from the Celebrity Beyond, 9 night sailing to Grand Cayman and the ABC Islands.  It was a great cruise with amazing service, food and entertainment.  The ship is stunning in appearance inside.

 

We took our first cruise on our honeymoon thirty years ago and this was our anniversary cruise.  We are diamond with Royal Caribbean but our last two cruises were on the Apex.  While we will always be fond of Royal (we were on the Symphony of the Seas in September 2022) but we really enjoy Celebrity and the Edge class of ships.  As for all the talk of cutbacks and extra costs we saw no difference in this regard from our Apex cruise in 2022.  I searched high and low for the $2 cookie with no luck 🙂

 

We booked a Magic Carpet Suite so we had access to the Retreat Lounge and Sun Deck and Luminae.  We did enjoy the size of the cabin and the amenities.  The size of the bathroom and the tub/shower combination is amazing.  We did have some high winds and swells and the cabin did make popping and creaking sounds on some nights.  I sleep so well on a cruise that it did not keep me awake.

 

The Retreat Sun Deck and pool where nice.  There were still chair hogs reserving the prime loungers with the difference being these were entitled chair hogs who actually had tipped the retreat attendants to save their loungers so they did not need to make an appearance until they were good and ready. 

The Retreat Lounge was okay.  Walked in their twice to grab a soda and the atmosphere was like a funeral visitation.  Not somewhere we went to spend any time

I cannot comment on butlers, butler team or retreat concierges as we did not use or need them for anything.  Our cabin steward was fantastic as they usually are.

Luminae was outstanding in both food and service, one of the most enjoyable parts of the cruise.

 

Eden also was amazing and we ate there twice.  We have always enjoyed Eden and the unique menu and top-notch service.  Oceanview Café was good and with a variety of selections.  The pizza was good but I think it was better on the Apex.

 

Entertainment was some of the best we have seen on a cruise.  The production shows in the theatre are not to be missed.  The shows in Eden and the Club are also very enjoyable.  The comedian, illusionist and violinist were very good.  Live music is everywhere on the ship and pretty much all evening.   There is nothing to compare watching a Cellist playing contemporary music at the Sunset Bar as the sun is setting on the ocean.

 

I doubt very much we would book a suite again.  There were some great benefits, priority boarding, luggage brought into your room not left in the hallway.  Cabin size and amenities, future cruise booking agent comes to you and Luminae.  But we had so much fun at the Sunset Bar, the infinity type plunge pools and the pool deck.  We also enjoyed the Solarium and all the various out of the way areas to sit and watch the ocean. The Martini Bar and Craft Social were great spots in the afternoons and evenings to people watch and grab drink.   We felt, and this is just us, that if we were not using the Retreat we were not getting our money’s worth.  We will stick with Aqua Class and look forward to our cruise on the Ascent next year.

[themutis]

Great review.  Thanks for your perspective! 

[1Virgo]

Sounds as though you had a great Anniversary and all went well   fabulous memories 

[ETHTrader]

2 hours ago, truckswain said:

The Retreat Sun Deck and pool where nice.  There were still chair hogs reserving the prime loungers with the difference being these were entitled chair hogs who actually had tipped the retreat attendants to save their loungers so they did not need to make an appearance until they were good and ready. 

 

They are not supposed to help chair hogs reserve loungers. If you talk to someone at the Retreat Lounge below the deck, they will address that immediately. At least they did last December on Beyond

[Tyler414]

Glad to hear you enjoyed your anniversary and vacation. I’m hooping on Beyond in March, so good to hear.  Lots of negativity on CC always good to hear the good and great!!

[truckswain]

16 minutes ago, ETHTrader said:

They are not supposed to help chair hogs reserve loungers. If you talk to someone at the Retreat Lounge below the deck, they will address that immediately. At least they did last December on Beyond

Good point.  I guess for me, the chair hogs know not to do it, the attendants certainly know they are not supposed to do it, why would I spend a moment of my vacation time telling someone to enforce the rules that should be followed in the first place?

 

Besides so many other fun places to be on the ship.  Don't miss the Officers against the Guests in Pool Volleyball - it was a riot!

[Susanb10567]

Thanks for your review…we are heading on the Beyond on 1/2 for my husband’s big birthday..we are staying in a sky suite…and it’s nice to hear positive things…we have sailed on the Edge and Apex in sky suites and have enjoyed it…

[truckswain]

1 minute ago, Susanb10567 said:

Thanks for your review…we are heading on the Beyond on 1/2 for my husband’s big birthday..we are staying in a sky suite…and it’s nice to hear positive things…we have sailed on the Edge and Apex in sky suites and have enjoyed it…

You will have a great time!

 

The redesigned Sunset Bar and Martini Bar are nicer/different than Apex and were two our favourite places on the ship.  Luminae will not disappoint for meals.

[Texed]

Thank you very much for posting. 😊

[hcat]

Very nice Review..many good points.

 

. We liked BEYOND,  and our suite

(with Butler,) but were not that impressed with Retreat, both in and outside, or with Luminae.. More folks seem to share our view that a suite is not needed..on E ships.  Headed back to AQ Class on ASCENT...better value for us.

 

I think X could do much more with the Retreat inside...to make it more like a social club rather than  like a waiting rm or lobby

[Cap_D]

23 hours ago, truckswain said:

The pizza was good but I think it was better on the Apex.

Unfortunate.  The Apex pizza was better compared to Edge too.  Someone mentioned, I think who was a member of the crew on Apex that posted around February 2023, that they had been trained on adjustments to dough handling and oven temp or length of baking.  The made to order results was praiseworthy. 

[baggal]

We sail on a few different lines and it has never been an issue having the cabin steward bring our luggage into the cabin for us.  I didn't realize that it was an "upsell" on Celerity in order to get that service.

[dabear]

Am I correct that E class ships have real outside balconies that face the water only in suites? We don't like or want infinity or inside facing balconies.

Edited November 25, 2023 by dabear

[Tyler414]

3 minutes ago, dabear said:

Am I correct that E class ships have real outside balconies that face the water only in suites? We don't like or want infinity or inside facing balconies.

That's mostly correct, however Sunset Veranda's (the ones on the aft of the ship, facing aft) have traditional (real) balconies.

[KKB]

@truckswain Thanks for your review--we are on Beyond again next Friday.

 

We agree that Eclass ships are a step above--the love affair began w/ the Edge summer 2021 (just a few weeks after start up--1/3 full, it was AMAZING), then the Apex March 2022.

 

We did the Beyond & a SS for the 1st time in April.

We did enjoy it, and got a fantastic price (close to what a balcony costs when factoring in the OBC--which apparently is now gone?)

While it was nice to do Retreat once, I doubt we will unless we can get it for that price (UNLIKELY).

Like you, we are out & about on the ship so Retreat loses a lot of value for us.

Honestly we found Luminae no better than Eclass MDRs (we find them all very good)

 

Next week we have an OV on Deck 3--easy access for DH to grab us drinks while I ready myself for dinner. (we have found we use balconies very little; we like then in theory...)

[truckswain]

1 hour ago, baggal said:

We sail on a few different lines and it has never been an issue having the cabin steward bring our luggage into the cabin for us.  I didn't realize that it was an "upsell" on Celerity in order to get that service.

That could just be my experience.  I am not a very patient person, so when I see the luggage in the hallway I grab it.  Maybe if I  waited the cabin steward would bring it in.

Edited November 25, 2023 by truckswain

[KKB]

1 hour ago, baggal said:

We sail on a few different lines and it has never been an issue having the cabin steward bring our luggage into the cabin for us.  I didn't realize that it was an "upsell" on Celerity in order to get that service.

Huh; we have sailed Celebrity, Princess, RCCL, CCL, & NCL--it is rare our luggage is actually in our room. 

Particularly with ships sailed full most of the time anymore, and many lines cost cutting by having stewards take care of more cabins (often only 1x/ day), taking the time to put them in the rooms would add a lot of time to the process. 

I am SURE if you simply ask (perhaps you have mobility issues) there would be no problem for them doing it. I find any reasonable request it honored--I just try to keep them to a minimum as I know how hard they work. 

[Stem to Stern]

1 hour ago, dabear said:

Am I correct that E class ships have real outside balconies that face the water only in suites? We don't like or want infinity or inside facing balconies.

There are two non-suite categories of "real" balconies on E-class ships.  Sunset verandah and Porthole verandah.  I'm with you.  No infinite whatever-they-want-to-call-them staterooms for me either.  Georgia_Peaches is reporting from a Porthole verandah stateroom in her live thread currently.  A pic she posted of the verandah....

Edited November 25, 2023 by Stem to Stern

[dabear]

Thanks for responses. We had an infinity veranda on a river cruise and that was enough! Doesn't feel the same.

[Lastdance]

On 11/25/2023 at 11:24 AM, baggal said:

We sail on a few different lines and it has never been an issue having the cabin steward bring our luggage into the cabin for us.  I didn't realize that it was an "upsell" on Celerity in order to get that service.

I have never known it to be an upsell; it has never been in our suite or cabin.

 

On 11/25/2023 at 12:41 PM, truckswain said:

That could just be my experience.  I am not a very patient person, so when I see the luggage in the hallway I grab it.  Maybe if I  waited the cabin steward would bring it in.

My DH always brings it in immediately too, as he enjoys doing things for himself, but he certainly wouldn’t object if it was already I the room!