My Experience on Celebrity Beyond – July 6, 2024

[mcatmcat]

Hey everyone,

 

I hope you’re all doing great!

 

I don’t usually write reviews, but after receiving so much support and helpful advice from this amazing forum community, I felt that this is the least I can do for you all. My wife and I recently sailed on the Celebrity Beyond from July 6, 2024, and I wanted to share some thoughts on our experience.

 

A bit about us: I’m a millennial cruiser and have been sailing with Celebrity for almost two years now. I’m a Diamond member with Royal, just one cruise away from Diamond Plus, and we’ve loved every trip so far. We’ve been on the Silhouette and Summit twice each, and both were fantastic, so we were excited to try the Beyond.

 

Unfortunately, this time wasn’t as smooth as we hoped. Either my expectations for the Beyond were too high or there were a few issues during our cruise that I didn’t anticipate. I’m a big fan of the Oasis-class ships and was really looking forward to the E-class experience, but there were a few surprises:

 

1. Staff Experience: For the first time, I noticed that the staff seemed tired and less enthusiastic about their jobs. I heard that the entertainment team was at the end of their contract and the usual captain wasn’t on board, which might have played a role.

2. Teenagers and Pool Issues: There were a lot more teenagers on this cruise than we’ve seen before, which led to crowded pools and some noise issues after 2am. While I don’t mind kids, the pool was overtaken by them at times, and there was no visible enforcement of pool rules and chairs. 

3. Oceanview Cafe Issues: The Oceanview Cafe was quite chaotic. There were often long lines and sometimes no pizza available. Additionally, the staff didn’t make eye contact or greet passengers, which was a first for us. One morning, when a guest asked for more salmon, the response was just a flat “No salmon,” without any effort to accommodate or offer alternatives. First day at sea there was not waitter cleaning tables in an antire section.

4. Terminal Issues: the Fort Lauderdale terminal's employee were unusually rude. I saw some confusing situations where staff were overly strict with boarding procedures, which just added to the chaos. Employees at port of Miami look younger than those at Fort Lauderdale, i dontknow if thats a factor.

 

On the positive side, there were definitely some highlights:

 

• The Shows: The E-class has some of the best shows at sea. We loved the theater performances and enjoyed the cruise director’s efforts to keep things fun.
• Food and Facilities: The food at Oceanview was good, and the sauna in our Aqua room was a great addition.
• Ports of Call: We had amazing stops at CocoCay, Bimini, and Grand Cayman. CocoCay’s food was disappointing, but the ports themselves were fantastic.

I’m booked on the Ascent for December, and while I might consider a Royal Caribbean cruise to reach Diamond Plus, I’m hoping to see improvements from Celebrity.

 

Last but not least there were more millennial in this ship compared to the ships that I have taken in the class with celebrity. 

 

Thanks again for all the help and advice you’ve given me over time. I hope this review helps those of you considering the Beyond or just looking for insights into Celebrity’s newer ships.

 

[chrismch]

Was your cruise a 6 or 8 day? We're on a 6 day in 2 weeks. Wonder if this length brings in more families with older kids. Did you see any of the shows at Eden or The Club? How early did you have to get there for seating?

[swigso]

Did you have your status matched, if not you may want to wait until you reach diamond +

[TheHawk1]

8 hours ago, mcatmcat said:

Last but not least there were more millennial in this ship compared to the ships that I have taken in the class with celebrity. 

I would put that under the negative column.

[zitsky]

Age of pax and employees seems to be a big issue for you. You didn’t like the teenagers at the pool or the “older” employees at Fort Lauderdale.  Was having many millennials on the cruise a plus or a minus?

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

8 hours ago, mcatmcat said:

I saw some confusing situations where staff were overly strict with boarding procedures, which just added to the chaos.

 

Can you elaborate on this?

[mcatmcat]

12 hours ago, chrismch said:

Was your cruise a 6 or 8 day? We're on a 6 day in 2 weeks. Wonder if this length brings in more families with older kids. Did you see any of the shows at Eden or The Club? How early did you have to get there for seating?

6 days, the cruise went to coco cay and bimini, it is hard to find an itinerary that do them at the same time and it is more beach focused. 

[mcatmcat]

10 hours ago, swigso said:

Did you have your status matched, if not you may want to wait until you reach diamond +

im elite but I was told that once I reach diamonf plus at rcl they can update it again at X

[mcatmcat]

5 hours ago, TheHawk1 said:

I would put that under the negative column.

I was happy to see them onboard.😀

[mcatmcat]

5 hours ago, zitsky said:

Age of pax and employees seems to be a big issue for you. You didn’t like the teenagers at the pool or the “older” employees at Fort Lauderdale.  Was having many millennials on the cruise a plus or a minus?

I said "I don’t mind kids" including teenagers. I rather have a ship full of them than seniors. having millenials onboard was a big plus, the vibe was completly different. Comapring E class vs other class of ship , e class is focusing on millenails. 

[Lastdance]

13 hours ago, mcatmcat said:

1. Terminal Issues: the Fort Lauderdale terminal's employee were unusually rude. I saw some confusing situations where staff were overly strict with boarding procedures, which just added to the chaos. Employees at port of Miami look younger than those at Fort Lauderdale, i dontknow if thats a factor.

 

My last cruise on Beyond found those people working when disembarking were very rude too, not to mention blocking the stairs.  Definitely some need more training, along with being very seasoned in FLL.  My expectations changed dramatically from two former European cruises to one in Caribbean all on Beyond.  No more Caribbean for me, as my cruising experiences were totally different, but mostly due to clientele onboard, not the crew at all!  They were fantastic as always.  I do think your expectations were a little too high, but that’s just a guess.  Thanks for sharing!

Edited July 20 by Lastdance

[mcatmcat]

5 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

Can you elaborate on this?

During the boarding process, I observed an incident where an individual attempted to join his friends and was met with unnecessary rigidity from the staff. It seemed disproportionate to treat him as if he had committed a serious offense simply for wanting to reunite with his group. The friends wre not able to join the friend that came in late neither , so they all have to go bacl to the area of screening and come back again to be seated together. 

To ge to the terminal I got in a lane and half way I was told it was close , to go to the next one, I did and the guy saw my passport and boarging pass, he was standing between both lanes lol. 

 

Additionally, the requirement to remain with one's luggage at all times was unclear and somewhat unusual, we were borading and two ladies went to the bathroom and they were told to take their carry one with them. 

 

Overall, while I appreciate the security measures in place, the experience felt overly strict and lacking in flexibility, especially for travelers who are on vacation and simply want to enjoy a smooth boarding process. 

 

Miami boarding is so much fun,,, they dont hire so many seniros either. 

[mcatmcat]

8 minutes ago, Lastdance said:

My last cruise on Beyond found those people working when disembarking were very rude too, not to mention blocking the stairs.  Definitely some need more training, along with being very seasoned in FLL.  My expectations changed dramatically from two former European cruises to one in Caribbean all on Beyond.  No more Caribbean for me, as my cruising experiences were totally different, but mostly due to clientele onboard, not the crew at all!  They were fantastic as always.  I do think your expectations were a little too high, but that’s just a guess.  Thanks for sharing!

why I forgot about that, the lady that is in charge so we dont take the stairs. For real this port is something else. And thats the final memory of our vacation. 

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, mcatmcat said:

During the boarding process, I observed an incident where an individual attempted to join his friends and was met with unnecessary rigidity from the staff. It seemed disproportionate to treat him as if he had committed a serious offense simply for wanting to reunite with his group. The friends wre not able to join the friend that came in late neither , so they all have to go bacl to the area of screening and come back again to be seated together. 

To ge to the terminal I got in a lane and half way I was told it was close , to go to the next one, I did and the guy saw my passport and boarging pass, he was standing between both lanes lol. 

 

Additionally, the requirement to remain with one's luggage at all times was unclear and somewhat unusual, we were borading and two ladies went to the bathroom and they were told to take their carry one with them. 

 

Overall, while I appreciate the security measures in place, the experience felt overly strict and lacking in flexibility, especially for travelers who are on vacation and simply want to enjoy a smooth boarding process. 

 

Miami boarding is so much fun,,, they dont hire so many seniros either. 

Some of these same complaints apply to airports.  Keeping your luggage with you.  Not cutting in line.  (Maybe I misunderstood you on that.)

What is it about old people that makes you dissatisfied?  Are they playing Green Day on their Bluetooth speakers at the pool when you want to listen to Taylor Swift?  (When you should be listening to Adele.) Are they going to bed early and letting you drink and dance at the pool all night?

Edited July 20 by zitsky

[mcatmcat]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

Some of these same complaints apply to airports.  Keeping your luggage with you.  Not cutting in line.  (Maybe I misunderstood you on that.)

What is it about old people that makes you dissatisfied?  Are they playing Green Day on their Bluetooth speakers at the pool when you want to listen to Taylor Swift?  (When you should be listening to Adele.) Are they going to bed early and letting you drink and dance at the pool all night?

I’m not dissatisfied with the attitude of old people. 

I don’t mind if the ocean view lines for desserts are long and take forever because they read every sign and take a while to decide what to pick. Or maybe the same for the waffle line at breakfast in which you have to move slowly since the people in front of you still thinking about what they want. Or if there is a line at the buffets and I only want one item I know I can get it and it will take me like 3 seconds and it won’t affect anything. But if I do it they will look at me angrily. I don’t mind if their Bluetooth is playing Gree Day I can hear Taylor on my AirPods. I don’t mind if I have to wait at the MDR for extra minutes because seniors at the table next to us are still reading the menu and holding the waiter for a while I already know what I want because I read the menu in the app. 
 

What bothers me is Port Everglades with their commitment to only hire seniors, I guess they don’t believe in diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.

[swigso]

Maybe DEI is what is wrong with society today 

I was taught and still believe treat everyone how you want to be treated yourself. Glad to be a senior and will always be polite 

The younger entitled generation will so very soon wake up and wish they had not wished for what they wished for

good luck for your future and I hope you find a cruiseline that suits you and continue to enjoy your vacations. It seems Celebrity and Fort Lauderdale did not meet you expectations.

[Liao]

12 hours ago, TheHawk1 said:

I would put that under the negative column.

Why?

[Liao]

4 hours ago, mcatmcat said:

 

I’m not dissatisfied with the attitude of old people. 

I don’t mind if the ocean view lines for desserts are long and take forever because they read every sign and take a while to decide what to pick. Or maybe the same for the waffle line at breakfast in which you have to move slowly since the people in front of you still thinking about what they want. Or if there is a line at the buffets and I only want one item I know I can get it and it will take me like 3 seconds and it won’t affect anything. But if I do it they will look at me angrily. I don’t mind if their Bluetooth is playing Gree Day I can hear Taylor on my AirPods. I don’t mind if I have to wait at the MDR for extra minutes because seniors at the table next to us are still reading the menu and holding the waiter for a while I already know what I want because I read the menu in the app. 
 

What bothers me is Port Everglades with their commitment to only hire seniors, I guess they don’t believe in diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.

Good for you for sharing your experiences on this cruise.  I may not agree with everything but you are, IMO, spot on about some observations.  As you are finding out, some of the Celebrity lifers can be a tad sensitive.  I’m 64 and moving over to VV, sounds like you might want to consider them.

[zitsky]

4 minutes ago, Liao said:

Good for you for sharing your experiences on this cruise.  I may not agree with everything but you are, IMO, spot on about some observations.  As you are finding out, some of the Celebrity lifers can be a tad sensitive.  I’m 64 and moving over to VV, sounds like you might want to consider them.

It’s not being “sensitive” to ask “why do old people bother you”.  I’d rather have cruises with a mix of people.

 

If someone says “I’m not bothered if you take forever to do things that I could do in 5 seconds”, I can figure out what that means.  I wasn’t born yesterday.

 

Have a great time on Virgin!  

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

7 hours ago, mcatmcat said:

Additionally, the requirement to remain with one's luggage at all times was unclear and somewhat unusual, we were borading and two ladies went to the bathroom and they were told to take their carry one with them. 

 

I'm guessing you don't fly much? A cruise terminal is like an airport in that you are not to leave your luggage unattended.

[zitsky]

15 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

I'm guessing you don't fly much? A cruise terminal is like an airport in that you are not to leave your luggage unattended.

You can’t expect young people to know that when their parents always carry their luggage.

[mcatmcat]

17 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

I'm guessing you don't fly much? A cruise terminal is like an airport in that you are not to leave your luggage unattended.

Airport makes announcements about your carry on but that’s not the case at cruise terminal. I wonder if the same rules apply for the thousands of luggage that are abandoned in the drop out section when you handle the luggage to the porter. No one is really watching those luggages  But I guess we need to watch out for our carry on. 😂

[zitsky]

5 minutes ago, mcatmcat said:

Airport makes announcements about your carry on but that’s not the case at cruise terminal. I wonder if the same rules apply for the thousands of luggage that are abandoned in the drop out section when you handle the luggage to the porter. No one is really watching those luggages  But I guess we need to watch out for our carry on. 😂

Does the luggage at the porter show up by magic or are there names on those suitcases that can be traced to specific people in the event something bad happens?

 

Have you not cruised before?

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

12 minutes ago, mcatmcat said:

Airport makes announcements about your carry on but that’s not the case at cruise terminal. I wonder if the same rules apply for the thousands of luggage that are abandoned in the drop out section when you handle the luggage to the porter. No one is really watching those luggages  But I guess we need to watch out for our carry on. 😂

Luggage given to the porters is not unattended. There are people who take it and load it onto pallets to be loaded onto the ship. Just like when you check a bag at the airport - it is taken from you and loaded into the pallets for loading onto the plane.If you just dropped it and didn't ensure that it was given to a porter then yes, I'd expect it to be removed and/or destroyed.

 

I don't always agree with @zitsky but in this case absolutely. You do not leave luggage unattended. ANYWHERE. I'm guessing you don't live in a large city either - random bags just left around cause all kinds of law enforcement activity.

[hcat]

22 hours ago, mcatmcat said:

 

I’m not dissatisfied with the attitude of old people. 

I don’t mind if the ocean view lines for desserts are long and take forever because they read every sign and take a while to decide what to pick. Or maybe the same for the waffle line at breakfast in which you have to move slowly since the people in front of you still thinking about what they want. Or if there is a line at the buffets and I only want one item I know I can get it and it will take me like 3 seconds and it won’t affect anything. But if I do it they will look at me angrily. I don’t mind if their Bluetooth is playing Gree Day I can hear Taylor on my AirPods. I don’t mind if I have to wait at the MDR for extra minutes because seniors at the table next to us are still reading the menu and holding the waiter for a while I already know what I want because I read the menu in the app. 
 

What bothers me is Port Everglades with their commitment to only hire seniors, I guess they don’t believe in diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.

Ports are lucky to have folks willing to work there..It's,not such an easy commute or dealing with a few  self important impatient people..