Here's my review for Celebrity Beyond -8/4/24

[chrismch]

We cruised August 4th through the 10^th. This was my first cruise on the Beyond. I’ve sailed several other ships under the Celebrity banner but not this class. This is larger and we've been on in the past and I was concerned it might feel a bit more crowded. However that was not the case. When we boarded the ship at 1:00 PM we were surprised to see there were still several others boarding as well. However, we still got on the ship within 15 minutes of going up the escalator.

Our room was ready, so we dropped our bags and went up to the Oceanview Cafe for lunch.

[chrismch]

The Oceanview Cafe was very crowded, but we still found a table without needing to share one with others. Most ships we've been on have the horseshoe design for the buffet layout. This one was different. There were multiple circular food stations where you could pick up your choices of different ethnic foods, cheeses, salads, hot meats carved to order, and desserts. This design really works so you don't have to stand in line through the whole horseshoe if you only wanted something at  the beginning and end. My first choice was the Mediterranean Station which featured an assortment of hummus, artichoke hearts, dolmas, and crackers. There were also gluten free breads and desserts and many vegetarian choices. Each lunch featured many new items as well as standard ones like French fries, roasted veggies,  and an assortment of cheeses. There were so many choices that it was hard to make a decision  as to what to try. My favorites for the week were chicken curry empanadas, muhammara (walnut and roasted red pepper dip) and the Mexican chocolate mole cake. Would love to get recipes to make all three! The lunch buffets for the best I've ever seen on a ship for mass markets.

[chrismch]

Pool areas - saved from the chair hogs

 

The most crowded areas on the ship were the two pools. We just need a place to leave our stuff while we use the hot tubs and pool in the solarium. Always were able to find open lounge chairs as the pool staff would remove towels if nothing else was left on the chairs. Deck 15 rooftop garden had lots of places to sit and relax with little crowds.

Disappointed to see that the sauna or steam room options were now part of the paid thermal suite. Not a fan of the aroma therapy rooms with amethyst crystals and salt. Just prefer the standard steam, sauna, and rain shower rooms. Other cruise lines that feature T-pools and heated ceramic loungers will always get my money. Used those daily on our European cruise last year.

 

 

[chrismch]

Loved the entertainment in the main theater. The tech capabilities for lighting, backgrounds, and moving parts of the stage are wonderful. Enjoyed both the Stage Door and Elements production shows. The featured singer for the week was Charity Lockhart who did two shows – one was a tribute to Whitney Houston and the other to Aretha Franklin. That woman could sing several octaves! Matt Johnson did the magic shows with one ending with a straight jacket escape and a buzzing saw. His second show was in The Club, but we only came 10 minutes early so there were no seats available. The featured lounge singer in the theater was Hayden Smith and his wife Alexa. He both sang and played a few instruments. It was good but not spectacular.

 

The one show we walked out on within minutes was “The Jazz Joint” in The Club. We were expecting to hear jazz music from the 30’s to the 50s with some good jitterbug dancers. Instead it was the bawdy cabaret show in the style of the Tony award-winning play cabaret where the male lead wore more makeup and clothes than the tawdry dressed females. Others stayed and hopefully enjoyed it.

[chrismch]

Enjoyed Captain Kate’s daily announcements, the trivia game about her cat, Bug Naked, and the energy and fun attitude of the cruise activity staff.

Our ports of call where Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Bimini. Since we've been to Cozumel many times, we just stayed on the ship. At Grand Cayman we toured the island’s History Museum which was a two-story house that has been used through the years as a hospital, school, church, city hall and now a museum. At Bimini, the free trolley was being used to transport people who had paid for excursions to the Resorts World beach while others without excursions waited. We chose not to wait and just walk to the first beach which was about a half mile away. From there we did another short walk to the fisherman's village and checked out the few shops before catching the empty trolley heading back to port to pick up more people. Way too hot and humid to stay long. Enjoyed the a/c and cold drinks on the ship much better.

[chrismch]

Did not do any specialty dining. Our evening meal in the MDR was at Cypress. Excellent service. Enjoyed trying the entrees and appetizers from the other 3 themed MDR's. No special menus featuring lobster or filet mignon were offered on the only “chic” night on the cruise. Our favorite food items in the MDR were the Cypress Short ribs and Lamb Shank entrees. Ordered the seared trout and salmon entrees but both were overcooked. The grilled octopus, coquille St. Jacques, and mezza plate appetizers were all excellent.

[chrismch]

Overall, we enjoyed our time on the ship. Our captain's club concierge, Judith, was friendly and helpful.  Our favorite “Elite” perks on the ship included the two free bags of laundry, the two hours of free drinks (though wish they included use in the restaurants), the chat with the production crew entertainers, the extended continental breakfast in Le Grand Bistro, and the quick availability for priority tendering. Celebrity does an excellent job with their loyalty program and I think it's the best in the industry compared to what’s available with other cruise lines.

[Texed]

Thanks for posting. 😊

[zitsky]

Good review thanks!  What was the pasta dish?  I don’t see it on the menu.  Ravioli or noodles?  We found the MDR quite nice on the Eclipse.

[lv2cruisgrl]

Thanks for the review we sail her in November.  Will be out 3rd time on her!

[hcat]

nice review.. thanks for sharing.

we hope to dine in Cyprus or Tuscsn when we sail.on APEX.  I usually order a plain salad and salmon.. never Talapia.

 

Glad you enjoyed!

[helen haywood]

2 hours ago, zitsky said:

Good review thanks!  What was the pasta dish?  I don’t see it on the menu.  Ravioli or noodles?  We found the MDR quite nice on the Eclipse.

I think it was probably the Tuscan specialty pappardelle.

 

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c61d907c46f6d235ce5760f/t/62f147157e3bac272c0d94b0/1659979543236/Tuscan_Menu+1-14_03.29.22ad.pdf

[Liao]

Nice informative review and great pictures.  Thanks!

[DennysDad]

On 8/18/2024 at 8:09 PM, chrismch said:

We cruised August 4th through the 10^th. This was my first cruise on the Beyond. I’ve sailed several other ships under the Celebrity banner but not this class. This is larger and we've been on in the past and I was concerned it might feel a bit more crowded. However that was not the case. When we boarded the ship at 1:00 PM we were surprised to see there were still several others boarding as well. However, we still got on the ship within 15 minutes of going up the escalator.

Our room was ready, so we dropped our bags and went up to the Oceanview Cafe for lunch.

If you don't mind me asking. What is the age and general make up (single, couple, etc?) of your group?

 

This always helps me to understand the reviews better and I have interest in this ship, as I will be traveling on it next year.

 

Thanks for the photos.

[chrismch]

1 hour ago, DennysDad said:

If you don't mind me asking. What is the age and general make up (single, couple, etc?) of your group? (Denny's Dad) ...We're a recently retired couple, been on 40+ cruises, been on Carnival, RCL, Princess, Norwegian, HAL, Oceania, Crystal.   

 

[mafig]

Did you have cabin noise ?

 

or

 

Did  you hear of others who did ?

[zitsky]

10 minutes ago, mafig said:

Did you have cabin noise ?

 

or

 

Did  you hear of others who did ?

 

If you don't get your answer, there are some cabin review spreadsheets at the top of the forum.

[SchoolNurseMom]

Please continue your review! We're on Beyond in three weeks for our first Celebrity cruise. 

[shipshape sam]

On 8/18/2024 at 9:40 PM, chrismch said:

Overall, we enjoyed our time on the ship. Our captain's club concierge, Judith, was friendly and helpful.  Our favorite “Elite” perks on the ship included the two free bags of laundry, the two hours of free drinks (though wish they included use in the restaurants), the chat with the production crew entertainers, the extended continental breakfast in Le Grand Bistro, and the quick availability for priority tendering. Celebrity does an excellent job with their loyalty program and I think it's the best in the industry compared to what’s available with other cruise lines.

Beer choices are lacking.  

 

Love your pics of the food.  Never seen shrimp like you had.

Edited August 22 by shipshape sam

[Judyrem]

26 minutes ago, shipshape sam said:

Beer choices are lacking.  

 

Love your pics of the food.  Never seen shrimp like you had.

If they have them when I sail on Beyond in October, I will be so happy!

[boxkite]

Chrismch, thanks for reviewing your recent cruise on Beyond.

 

We were on Beyond earlier this year and loved the ship and crew!

[goofysmom99]

I'm pretty sure the pasta dish is the talapia.

[chrismch]

On 8/20/2024 at 1:16 PM, mafig said:

Did you have cabin noise ? No cabin noise and we were by the Magic Carpet. Didn't hear any complaints from others. I was concerned before we cruised because of the comments here. But no issues from my husband who is a light sleeper.

 

[chrismch]

Judyrem and Shipshape Sam... The peel and eat shrimp were on the lunch one day and at night on another. The other unique fish dish was the smoked salmon done with different flavorings - beet and blueberry, but I couldn't taste much of a difference from a normal smoked salmon.

[chrismch]

4 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

'm pretty sure the pasta dish is the talapia.

I know it wasn't tilapia as I didn't order it. I'm thinking it was the PAPPARDELLE ALLA VENEZIANA from the Normandie menu. All the pasta dishes were great. We usually order a pasta dish as a side dish to share. I love trying new sauces and add-ins and Celebrity did a great job of them.