Let’s Go Beyond ~ LIVE Sept 7-15, 2024 with Stem to Stern for 8 Steamy Nights to the ABCs ~ Happy to Answer any Questions ???

[Stem to Stern]

Day 2 ~ at sea

 

 

 

 

Well the day started out pretty nicely….

(Internet test success - I think.)

 

 

Spent the early morning hours…

…chasing rainbows…

 

 

…and chasing the sun.☀️ 😎

 

[Stem to Stern]

Day 2 paperwork ~
 

Just a friendly PSA to glance at everything including any additional schedule changes that might be included in your shore excursion tickets envelope.  I am really glad I looked at this first paper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stem to Stern]

Day 2 ~ Elite Breakfast

 

In Le Grand Bistro.

The usual menu.  No pic.  
 

My friend and I shared this.  

It came with two mini bagels.  

Enjoyable enough, just enough.

They def don’t go overboard on the serving size.

 

 

She noted the end of the onion we were given.  😂

 

Next up: Inside Access.😃

[lola2013]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 

 I believe others have commented that they may be glued in place.  

 Form over function - a trade mark of the Hoppenized ships. 

 

 

It was movable on Apex last December.  Hopefully it can still be moved this December…also Apex.  It was more of a pain when I shared the cabin and needed the space.  As a solo, not more than an eyesore 😵‍💫

[DallasCruiseCouple]

Good morning! I see Silent Disco tonight! You must go!! It will be crowded but the funniest ting is that everyone gets on the same channel and they all sing together. At least they did on the Edge. It was so fun!  By the way...cruise Director Lewis is the BEST! We met him and his wife on the Edge for the ABC + Panama Canal cruise and he really knows how to keep the guests engaged. I look forward to your thoughts on this class versus Solstice. We board the Solstice for 12 nights Singapore to Hong Kong in the Aft cabin and we are excited!

[DallasCruiseCouple]

10 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

The verdict is still out for us as far as Edge-class is concerned.  We are still on the honeymoon.

I agree. We found it hard to fit everything in given how big the ship is! I did love walking on the elevated path and the tea time in Eden on the Aft was very nice. We almost rented a cabana by the magic carpet, but it was always so windy. We did not get to see the Magic Carpet move like some folks have mentioned and we did not use it for tenders. It would be neat to see it move! I don't know if they do the Captain's volleyball on all ships but my husband did it for the last sea day and it was epic. So much fun and the entire ship seemed to be cheering! Cheers!

Edited September 13 by DallasCruiseCouple

[Galaxy2004]

Great rainbow and chasing the sun pictures and a big no way on the end of the onion. 

[Stem to Stern]

3 hours ago, Galaxy2004 said:

Great rainbow and chasing the sun pictures and a big no way on the end of the onion. 

Thanks.  The weather has been great.

[DennysDad]

16 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Day 1 Highlights & Food Porn ~
 

We rolled our bags on board ourselves, dropped them in the stateroom, and went for an explore.  We found a nice spot by a window in the Oceanview Cafe to have a bite to eat.  Nothing to see here.

 

Captain Kate made her flawless welcome on board announcement ending it with “Let’s go Beyond.”

 

We hit the loud and crowded martini bar, but we did find comfortable seating in a cozy nook.  
 

 

The poor fella across from us was relegated to this slipper chair.

 

There was no lychee garnish in my Lycheetini, but the waitress seemed to think they would turn up tomorrow once the provisions are organized.

 

Next we went to The Club for the 6pm LGBTQIA+ Get Together with Activity Host Gui.  This was a great venue because this was the largest LGBT crowd we have ever seen amassed on a cruise.  We have not cruised with partial or full charters and see no reason to.  We met some lovely people at the gathering.

 

Next was dinner in Tuscan.

Great service and a great meal.

 

Baked French Onion

 

 

Sirloin

 

Branzino

 

 

 

Next we were off to The Theater for the show.

 

 

The theater is very impressive, but definitely a different breed compared to what we are used to.  
 

Cruise Director Lewis introduced magician Matt Johnson’s 9:30 show.

 

The $5 million LED screen is quite impressive.  Nice to move on from the tatty theater curtains of yesteryear.  Looks like curtains to me.

 

 

I won’t spoil the ending.😉

With that we called it a night.

Day 1 on Beyond is in the books.

Thanks for the food porn. Keep them coming. Love all the photos. Picture of pool deck/crowd would be great!

[Stem to Stern]

Day 2 ~ at sea (continued)

 

Inside Access:  Behind-the-Scenes Ship Tour

 

So, as I recommended earlier we glanced at our paperwork in the room right away and noticed a change of date for our tour.  
Originally there were two times available on Day 3 at 10:00 and 10:16.  I did not give this any thought and chose the 10:00.  Our friends took the 10:16.   Ours was rescheduled to Day 3 at 10:15 and theirs stayed the same.

 

Ok, no problem.  We visited with another couple on the tour while waiting for it to start and they had a third tour (different one focusing on engineering) also originally scheduled for Day 3 and rescheduled to a different day.

 

So, original overlapping times may have presented some sort of scheduling conflict.  The paperwork said ours was changed for operational reasons.

 

Great tour.  We have done it on all three classes now.  So, probably no need to repeat this again especially with tour prices rising.  I booked this in March for $107.99 per person on a 30% off flash sale.  At the time the on board price listed in the cruise planner was $155.10 per person.

 

A representative from each area visited gives a brief tour and presentation.  Tour included galley, food and beverage storage, garbage and recycling, I-95, laundry, control room and bridge.

 

Unfortunately, Captain Kate was not on the bridge during our visit.  Learned some very interesting things in the control room about the improved scrubber technology on board the Edge-class vessels versus the retrofitted versions on the Millennium-class ships.

 

A few pics….

 

 

 

 

Cannoli shells

 

 

 

Stores

 

 

From the bridge…

 

 

 

 

 

Laundry

 

 

 

 

Edited September 14 by Stem to Stern

[Stem to Stern]

Day 2 ~

Eden for drinks ~ Eden is a lovely multi-use space.  Not the Sky Lounge of Solstice-class, but a new and different substitute.

 

 

 

Chopin widely available throughout the ship at $17.  Took this one in a walking glass.

 

Whispering Angel was widely available throughout the ship at $17, so covered under our premium package that we upgraded to on a flash sale.

 

Normandie for dinner ~ Elegant atmosphere and service.  Probably my favorite of the four main dining rooms.

 

Elegant yet understated entrance

 

Classic package wines which our traveling companions were more than content with on their package.

 

 

Cauliflower flan - a chilled starter some of us were fans of.

Brie😃😉

 

Octopus starter from Cypress menu was a big hit with most of us.

 

 

 

Watermelon feta salad from Cypress menu

 

Normandie signature dessert

 

The Theater for Arte

 

 

Being after midnight in Europe we celebrated the Staff Captain’s birthday.

 

Arte

 

Mini Cooper😎 

 

Edited September 14 by Stem to Stern

[Stem to Stern]

13 hours ago, DennysDad said:

Thanks for the food porn. Keep them coming. Love all the photos. Picture of pool deck/crowd would be great!

Today is Saturday, the last sea day.

Quick walk around the pool deck in the early afternoon showed loungers available in the sun and shade.  One just can’t be too fussy about location.  After lunch we found a pool attendant collecting used towels from abandoned loungers and we snagged a couple of padded loungers in the shade.

 

 

 

 

[DallasCruiseCouple]

Happy last sea day! I noticed Captain Kate’s red bottom heels! They are famous too! 😊 Did they have the volleyball game with the Officers? Wishing you a beautiful last sunset!!

[Stem to Stern]

4 hours ago, DallasCruiseCouple said:

Did they have the volleyball game with the Officers? Wishing you a beautiful last sunset!!

Twice on this cruise.  
Thank you for the well wishes.  

We have had a few phenomenal sunsets on this cruise.

[Stem to Stern]

Day 3 ~ at sea

 

Any day at sea for us begins here….

 

I am loving this soft turquoise color palette throughout many parts of the ship.

No more ugly brown coffee cups.

Beyond’s Bacio service team is stellar.

 

Cafe Mocha

 

 

Yum!!😋
 

 

Pastry smorgasbord 

 

Cafe Al Bacio as it turned out was also one of the venues of choice for rude feet-on-chairs people.  This bad behavior was witnessed all over the ship this week as documented below.

 

 

Edited September 15 by Stem to Stern

[Stem to Stern]

Next up was a bit of early morning ship exploration.  I spotted a crew member on deck admiring this scene and snapping a pic.  So, I thought I would snap one too.

 

 

I wandered around the lovely Rooftop Garden.  
Yep, I finally made it up there on day 3.

 

 

 

Next it was time to find a private and scenic spot to enjoy a bit of nosh from Oceanview Cafe and another cafe mocha.

 

 

The Sunset Bar turned out to be just the perfect place.  And lo and behold here comes the sun.

 

 

Well, Nate Berkus you’ve done good work here.  This is one of my favorite spaces on board.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 15 by Stem to Stern

[Stem to Stern]

Day 3 paperwork

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ch175]

You can’t go wrong with a plate of fruit and bacon.

 

Thanks for sharing all those pictures!

[Stem to Stern]

Day 3 ~ Sunset Bar

 

 

I returned to my newly discovered favorite spot with DH in tow for a noon-time refreshment….

 

 

 

… or three.😜

 

 

Sunset Bar Cocktails Menu

 

 

Dill-icious 

 

 

Name your poison.

 

 

I was transported to another place by the design and decor of this space.

[DaKahuna]

21 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

Day 3 ~ Sunset Bar

 

Name your poison.

 

 

 

 

I am a little fond of the spicy margarita but I prefer Patron or Tito’s for my Tequila.

 

Loving your review as always.  Thanks for taking us along on your journey.  

 

Edited September 15 by DaKahuna

[Stem to Stern]

Day 3 conclusion

 

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on this second sea day.  So much so that I failed to snap much of the food at our visit to our third main dining room.

 

 

The decor of Cypress is understated elegance with touches of gold metals and plush velvets.  We dined with our traveling companions at a four top.  One side had a maroon velvet loveseat which DH and I volunteered to share.

 

 

Lamb shank 

 

 

Charity Lockhart brought the theater-goers to their feet with her Aretha Franklin tribute as well as her sharp wit.  She graciously posed for photos outside the theater after the show.  Charity also held a matinee performance dedicated to Whitney Houston later in the cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stem to Stern]

2 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 

I am a little fond of the spicy margarita but I prefer Patron or Tito’s for my Tequila.

 

Loving your review as always.  Thanks for taking us along on your journey.  

 

Thanks John.  Tim enjoyed the spicy margarita.  It definitely had a kick.

 

This was meant to be a restful and relaxing cruise, but admittedly I am exhausted as I lay here next to my slumbering husband.

 

The ship is absolutely stunning, but the non-stop activity, buzz, and sensory overload has kept my mind racing all week long.  

 

We decided to call it a night early tonight.

More recaps and (spoiler alert) Captain Kate sightings in the next few days.😳

 

Just like after every cruise, tomorrow we will be driving home grateful and content.

[mac_tlc]

Fabulous pictures.
 

The Sunset Bar is truly gorgeous and was my early morning go to spot to sip a coffee and update my LIVE. 
 

I see we will be meeting a lot at Cafe alBacio! My wife and I are there every day, often more than once. 
 

Look forward to sailing with you ! 
 

mac_tlc

[twofit]

I was solo on this voyage, currently sitting at the United Club at FLL thrilled to have found your thread. What camera did you use for the stunning photos? 
My inside cabin looked much the same as yours, minus the veranda - I was really pleased. The shows were top notch, especially Matt Johnson and the team that performed the Jazz show in the club. Although I’m not sure that all passengers were quite as impressed, judging by the tepid clapping from those around me. But I loved it!
I really loved the modern decor and and feel of everything on this ship. 

[MrsMod]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and photos from your cruise. 😍

 

We fly to Fort Lauderdale on Thursday ready to board Beyond on the 21st. It’s our first time sailing on Beyond but have cruised a number of times with Celebrity. Having seen your photos, we are so excited to be joining this cruise. It looks simply stunning! We share your thoughts too on the feet on chair people….Rude indeed! 
 

Thanks once again for sharing your experience on board ….safe travels home.