Stem to Stern

I was on the premium plan earlier this month and used FaceTime without issue.

 

Traveling companion on the basic package experienced a connectivity issue at one point and visited the iLounge to get reconnected.  He said the iLounge crew member used the premium WiFi to help get him reconnected.  
 

This was the only issue I heard about from anyone on the cruise.

I’m three pages in and don’t want to put this down, but I will have to finish catching up later.  Great trip report!!😁

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Though I am still catching up on your latest cruise, it's so nice to see you pop in on the MSC board!  And speaking of Miss Helene, she's currently dumping a deluge in my back yard making my abysmal satellite internet even more abysmal.  I have lots of catching up to do between outages!

I see all of GA is getting dumped on.  We have another rain band moving in from the south very shortly.  But no outages - so far.  
Now back to your regularly scheduled food porn.

 

 

 

Great start including the pics!

I am guessing the ducks aren’t Murano glass.😂😂😂

Love love love Venice!  Spent 5 nights pre-cruise in the San Polo neighborhood, but could have spent 5 more easily.  We had a pretty doable walk to Tronchetto.  The ramps over the bridges helped.

What a wonderful itinerary, too!  Enjoy your cruise.

Will follow you over to Rotterdam as I am HAL curious.

Day 8 ~ At Sea

 

 

Our day actually started before the sun came up.  DH took this opportunity to take his big camera for a drive around the ship.  This one captured the elephant sculpture in a different pre-dawn light.

 

 

This one of the Grand Plaza I found unique because there was not a soul to be seen or heard from.😂

 

I sought some respite from Oceanview Cafe breakfast madness at Eden Cafe.

 

 

I enjoyed my egg and sausage sandwich, fruit, and orange juice.

 

 

I took the bear claw pastries back to the stateroom just in case the ship runs out of food later today.  They did get eaten.😂

 

 

I was all geared up for a morning full of opportunities to meet Captain Kate, so we arrived early to The Theatre to get our pick of prime seating for her 10:00am Oceans Ahead with Captain Kate presentation.😁

 

 

The Theatre still continues to dazzle us.

 

 

Mask chair inside upper level entrance to The Theatre just to keep it weird enough.

 

 

Mask chair close up.

 

 

Captain Kate spoke with exceptional eloquence and wit.

 

 

The hour-long presentation was packed with a range of information including Captain Kate’s path to Master of the Vessel which started with her first Caribbean cruise vacation with her family when she was just a child.

 

 

Beyonds’s technological advances were also covered extensively.

 

 

 

She also placed a nice emphasis on the crew and the bridge team.

 

 

If you can sea it, you can be it.
 

 

We had both met Captain Kate on a previous 2018 Equinox cruise.  DH even had the chance photo op with her earlier this cruise.  But we were both thoroughly pleased that we attended Oceans Ahead.

 

 

 

 

20 minutes ago, 81Zoomie said:

Oh my gosh!  How did I miss this? I’m behind as well as we are in Venice and about to hop on the Connie.  Love following along on your travels 🚢🚢🚢!

Thank you!  

O. M. G. Right back at you!

So jealous of your visit to one of our favorite cities, Venezia, and your upcoming voyage through the Adriatic on Connie.

Bon voyage!!😎

Hi John!  I am so sorry for my extreme tardiness to this party.  I have plowed through page one.  Looking forward to reading through the rest of your trip report and reliving my week in YC on board Seascape vicariously through you.

 

And I also see that after yours I will have the trip report from @Best Cat Mom to catch up on.  Yay!

 

This will all be a welcome diversion from the approaching Hurricane Helene and my long 289 day wait until I embark a cruise ship again.  Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

3 hours ago, dazey said:

Stem to Stern:  Were you able to enjoy Eden when it first opened when it had the performers interacting with dinner guests?  At first we had no idea what was going on but quickly did partake in the "program".  It was so different and quite unusual. Obviously many did not understand it(as we first did not) nor enjoy it so it changed to what it is today.  Honestly we do enjoy the present Eden as one gets to enjoy the food more without interruption.  Glad we did experience it though.

 

 

No, we did not have the opportunity to experience the previous iteration of Eden of days gone by.  This sailing was our first on an Edge-class vessel.  

22 hours ago, Norwaylady said:

So she ordered the ultimate platter🤣 

I didn’t warn her😅😆

More meat!!😂😂😂

Charlotte’s Ultimate Platter was plated much more beautifully than the one I just had at Elite Breakfast in Le Grand Bistro on Beyond.

Thank you for another fun trip report.

Day 8 ~ At Sea ~ paperwork

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

43 minutes ago, challahmom said:

Thanks for great reviews and pictures!  We board Sunday for the next to sailings b2b.  Does anyone have a suggestion to fix the “bad report” that comes up when trying to sign onto the celebrity website?

Wishing you a premature Bon Voyage!

 

I am not experiencing the issue you are describing.  I just logged into my Celebrity cruise planner on my phone using the Safari browser without any issue.  
 

Coincidentally, a 30% off flash sale is being advertised on each of my upcoming cruises.  Sadly, nearly everything is still only at the 5% pre-cruise savings and nothing is 30% off.

2 hours ago, mnpurple said:

Great report! I've been planning on booking Eden for our cruise and wondered is any of the sales had better pricing there. I've only seen 5% off so far. I think it will be our one splurge for our cruise because everything looks really good.

Thank you!  
 

Everything about the Eden dinner was really good.  I kept reading advice not to eat all day to have room for all of the food.  But the way we chose to tackle it, we could have easily enjoyed another two or three items.  I missed the Branzino.  The description of it on the menu sounds so good.  
 

Eden was our only specialty dining splurge on this cruise.  May I suggest you book it at the 5% off pre-cruise savings, cancel, and rebook if and when a better sale comes along.

The meal, ambience, and the whole experience was so worth it to me.  I would probably rank it up there with Murano and I really love Murano.😋

 

 

I almost forgot to mention the Parker House rolls and leaf-shaped butter.🤩

Day 7 ~ At Sea ~ conclusion

 

EDEN

Chillful.  Playful.  Wonderful.

 

 

We started off our evening in Eden meeting our friends for drinks.  When it was just about time for our 7pm reservation DH and I headed downstairs to the Deck 4 dining room of Eden.

 

 

We were seated just one table off the aft-facing bank of windows, but the wheels in my head were already turning when I saw that our neighbors were finishing their final course.😉

 

 

While DH made a quick dash to the loo, I admired the tablescape and the nearby waterside view.

 

 

Oh, look!  The view was getting better and better.😂

 

 

Now seated at my prefered table, DH was mesmerized by the wake and our waiter Jess AKA Jesse James of Tuscan Grill fame arrived and introduced himself.  Yes!  The Jesse James!  Has he waited on you before in Tuscan Grill on a Solstice-class ship?  You would have remembered him if you had.  His r’s still roll off his tongue with much flourish and his service still exudes a relaxed drama.  
 

 

Oh, Jess is pretty handy with an iPhone too.😉

 

 

I originally booked Eden in August 2023 when the on board price was still $60 per person versus the revised $85.  Of course, neither price would suit me.  I settled on a pre-cruise price of $115.16 for the two of us.  A few weeks later I cancelled and rebooked on a 25% off flash sale price of $44.99 per person plus gratuity reducing the bill to $107.96.  Speaking of prehistoric pricing, I forgot to mention one other thing in the financial post at the start of this review.  This booking was under the old all-included promotion that did in fact include gratuities.  Now and going forward my standard protocol will be to prepay the gratuities on the front end along with the rest of the invoice when final payment is due.

 

 

 

Anyway, back at Eden I suggested to DH that we share one serving of each menu item that we decided to order because there were a lot of items that I wanted to be sure to try.  I saw no reason to spring for the tasting menu.  We placed our order with Jess and the courses started arriving at a leisurely but not too leisurely pace.

 

Amuse-bouche 

Appetizers

 

Pan Roasted Caribonero Shrimp

 

Mulligatawny Soup

 

Truffled Huitlacoche Risotto

 

Jumbo Lump Crabcake

 

Entrees

 

Nova Scotia Lobster Casserole

 

Filet Mignon and Mini Shortrib Wellington

 

Desserts

 

Azteca chocolate pie ~ I believe?

 

Meyer Lemon Tart

 

Celebrity promotes Eden as an elevated dining experience.  “Our menus offer sensory delights and experiential dishes inspired by nature, leaving you craving more.  Let your senses run wild and indulge in our mouth-watering specialties.”

 
Celebrity nailed it.  Everything was fantastic.

 

We finished the evening with another visit to The Theater for the 9:30 seating of the energetic Travis Cloer’s show.  He was in Jersey Boys on Broadway and in Las Vegas.
 

3 hours ago, hcat said:

This review has elevated from Excellent to SPECTACULAR!.  Thank You!

Thank you for the kind words.

This was a very memorable vacation.

If you are a nauti-nerd like me, you can check out more pics of the ship while it was still in Brazil before the journey to the Caribbean over on their FB page.  They are also on Instagram.  Just search Lady Bellaïs Bonaire Cruisers on either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8 minutes ago, zanydoc said:

I really appreciate your thoughtful and entertaining review-thank you so much! We are sailing Beyond on October 5th and have decided to book the Bonaire excursion on Lady Bellais thanks to your great suggestion. Happy sailings! 

Thank you!

You will not regret it.

Please tell them Paul and Tim say hello!

Have a great cruise!

1 hour ago, mac_tlc said:

The issue on many excursions is the ability to store the wheelchair or use it at a particular location. 

 

We are doing the BC golf cart at Bonaire in May 2025, but would love to try this one in April 2026. She would stay on board and I would head into the water!!! Maybe we will give it a go. Are you planning on doing this one on our April 2026 Silo cruise??

There is plenty of space on board the vessel to store the wheelchair.  If you and the Mrs. decide to join Tim and I on Lady Bellaïs in 2026, I promise that neither one of you will be disappointed.  Tim said the snorkeling in Bonaire was far better than the shipwreck site we visited in Aruba two days earlier.  I plan on staying on board again in hopes of getting Captain Nino to share a few tales of his sailing adventures.

On 9/22/2024 at 1:45 PM, lola2013 said:

I see you “driving” the boat.  Does Captain Sandy have to worry that you will take over her job? 😉

Nah.  I’ve got a lot of patience, but not enough patience to captain all that yachtie drama.😁

Day 7 ~ At Sea ~ Ahhhhh….

 

We pulled open the curtains, stepped out onto the verandah, and saw the sun rising behind this cloud formation.  This vision was inspiration enough for me to make this another fun day at sea.  Oops.  Wrong cruise line.😂

 

 

I saw an X pattern.  A telling sign of what I was not exactly sure of, but I was intrigued just the same.  So, let’s go Beyond the busy and the bustle and have a relaxing day at sea.😴💤

 

 

Before most of the ship was awake, we made our way downstairs, bypassed the free sweets counter, and grabbed our prefered morning beverages at Cafe Al Bacio before heading up to The Solarium.

 

 

Cafe Al Bacio, Eden, and The Solarium are probably my favorite areas of this ship.  As you will witness as this day unfolds.  The Cafe is spacious and stocked with various seating options including a long dining-height conference table with charging stations and a long high-top table with barstools.  At one’s ankles along the banquette seating against the wall are electrical outlets in which one can use to plug in their devices.  The carpet dances whimsically around the room without screaming obnoxiously.

 

 

We had our choice of padded loungers at this early eight o’clock hour.  But sure enough others were starting to mill about.  We were determined to choose a pair of loungers near the doors into the forward elevators vestibule.  Earlier in the cruise we enjoyed a similar location because every time the automatic doors opened a gust of wonderful iced-cold air conditioning flowed into the steamy solarium.  The coordinating headrest pillows are attached to the lounge pads.  Subtle accents of wood complement the serene color scheme.  And the white noise puts us both to sleep.😴💤

 

 

We were fortunate enough to have one of the two hot tubs in the solarium all to ourselves for the time being.  I love the colors of the tile installation on the wall of The Solarium.
 

 

Later while relaxing on my lounger, I noshed on a bagel layered with peanut butter and sliced banana from The Spa Cafe & Juice Bar.  I had a lovely, made-to-order ginger smoothie to go along with it.  Meanwhile, DH had a snooze next to me.

 

 

The Spa Cafe on board Beyond is a vast improvement over the Solstice- and Millennium-class ships.  The cafe area has been segregated and privatized from the lounging/pool area with a half-wall and live plant material.  One odd aspect is the flatware.  I am used to grabbing a napkin-wrapped set of flatware to take back to my lounger to enjoy my nosh.  When I asked a crew member where the flatware was located I was told that it was on the tables.  Sure enough I had to rob mine from the pre-set tables.  There was also no place to dump one’s dirty dishes.  I hate leaving used dishes sitting around me.  So, I carried them back to the cafe and they were taken from me by a diligent crew member.  First-world dilemma, I know.

 

 

The Solarium is still one of our favorite spaces on board any class of Celebrity ships.  The roof design of Beyond’s is such an aesthetical improvement over the older vessels.  The fact that the design mimics Eden’s window elements adds to the overall design cohesiveness of the ship.

 

 

Shortly before noon I made a beeline for Eden thinking I might run into our friends.  My secondary motive was to continue avoiding crowds and stay a good distance from the buffet for the day.  Sure enough the friends were present and accounted for.  They had already grabbed a table in anticipation of Eden Cafe’s noon opening.  Since the tables are all two-tops, I grabbed the one next to theirs.  After plopping my backpack in one of the two chairs I strolled over to the bar for a Whispering Angel to bring back to the cafe table.

 

 

I enjoyed the chicken and pesto on focaccia with a side of potato salad.  Oh, and I added a spinach salad to my graze just to ensure that I did not find myself starving on a cruise ship.😂

 

Did I mention the desserts at Eden Cafe?  They disappeared before I could grab a snap.😋

 

 

Meanwhile DH grabbed a burger and a hot dog (He is not shy.) from The Mast Grill.  He enjoyed them both back at his lounger.  In the process he made a little, feathered friend who was trapped indoors.

 

 

Day 7 ~ At Sea ~ Evening Chic ~ paperwork

 

Look at all the ships we have to choose from for our next cruise.  “Three brands for a lifetime of vacations.”  Says the Future Cruise Vacations flyer.  So I ask, at what stage of my lifetime am I to begin booking Silversea instead of Celebrity?!?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

@hcat

I do not recall the volume at Elements being any too uncomfortable.  
However, there were a couple of moments that included very bright flashes of light.

3 minutes ago, hcat said:

Agree

Great photos and commentary about the Bonaire adventure. Something new to consider!

 

Stem to Stern;    Did I miss the price?

How many were from Celebrity,  Can beginners enjoy?

Thanks!  Lady Bellaïs was really awesome in every way!  The price was $166.32 was the two of us and I prepaid for this via their website on a credit card.

 

When we embarked the vessel, I believe there was one couple that was already on board, but I am not positive.  

 

As far as beginning snorkelers, I am not sure how much special attention could be given to someone.  Senna’s goal while he was in the water was to be “lifeguard” so I would imagine he would want to remain available to all if needed.  You could email them or send them a message on Facebook or Instagram.

I made a point to ask about handicap accessibility because I will be cruising with someone in a wheelchair in the future.  Senna did not bat an eyelash saying they would work as a team to lift the chair on board.  Once most snorkelers were in the water, there was ample space for a wheelchair to maneuver from aft to forward if the person desired.  I stayed aft in the shade most of the time while I remained on board.

Day 6 ~ Bonaire ~ conclusion

 

Dinner and Elements show

 

 

We said goodbye to Bonaire and headed into the air conditioning.

 

 

For dinner we went to one of the four main dining rooms.  I believe it was Tuscan.  I started with the beef carpaccio and repeated the pumpkin salad because I enjoyed it so much the night before.

 

 

I was not inspired by anything in particular on the menu, so I decided on the salmon on the classics side of the menu.

 

 

DH and I shared this pasta.

 

 

A couple of other entree items at the table.

 

 

Next it was time to head to The Theater for the 9:30 seating for the Production Show:  Elements with the Theater Production Cast.

 

 

I was really impressed with this show especially all of the fancy lighting and the special stage effects.  And again I was very impressed with The Theater itself.  Earlier in the cruise I was watching the Celebrity Entertainment channel on the television in the stateroom.  The channel featured interviews with the creators of the show.  
 

 

 

 

 

 

It was really interesting to see how the elements of fabric and air are used to create the impromptu visual effects on the stage that can vary from one night to the next.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In combination with the dancing, the LED screen effects, and the lighting all the moving parts really came together to create a great feast for the eyes.

 

Next I found myself solo for the rest of the evening.  From The Theater at the bow of the ship, I plowed my way through the crowd in the Grand Plaza enjoying the 10:15 Celebrity Activity:  Silent Disco.

 

 

 

 

Once I reached a packed Eden at the aft, I found an unoccupied barstool off to the side and watched from an odd angle the 10:45 Wonder at Eden:  Dreams with the Eden Production Cast.

 

 

I was seated in the area near the Eden bar that has small round hightop tables and barstools.  This turned out to be adjacent to stage right, as I can best describe, and a place where a few of the performers would make their entrances from.

 

 

Or for one flexible soul, a place to do a bit of showing off?  I guess when there is no backstage, one is always on stage.  I really liked the carpet in Eden along with all of the seventies inspired design elements.

 

 

I watched an expose about this show on the Celebrity Entertainment channel in the stateroom and thought it would be something to do before turning in for the night.

 

 

As has been widely reported Eden is not an ideal venue for shows as the stage is snack-dab in the middle of the room with onlookers on all sides of the stage leaving performers’ backsides facing much of the audience much of the time.  People have been known to camp out in the best seats hours before the start times of the shows that take place here.  Lighting was dim and not great for pics.  People walking up to the bar and congregating did not help matters either.  But the show was fun and playful.  The costuming and stage decor were colorful.  And the performers seemed to have their act together.

  
 

 

 

 

38 minutes ago, minniemouse427 said:

This is the excursion that my husband and daughter have agreed on for our day in Bonaire. SO happy to see your positive review. 

We will be sailing on the Silhouette's repositioning next April/May (218 days!!) and we can't wait to experience the ABC's for the first time! 🙂

Thank you for sharing about how you stayed on board while others snorkeled. That is what my husband is planning on doing and he has been slightly worried about how common that was. Can you share how long your excursion was and about what time you all arrived back at the Beyond?

My pleasure.  I am glad you enjoyed my comments.😀 

 

There were at least three of us that stayed on board, but probably one or two more that I may have missed.  I was focused on where my husband and our friends were at all spread out in the water.  Senna was the only crew member that got in the water.  He was the lifeguard.  

 

Staying on board allowed me to get some great shots of everyone else snorkeling.  And I had most of the vessel to myself.  And the beer flowed freely.😉

 

 

We boarded the vessel at 8:45 which is a few minutes later than normal.  We experienced a slight delay waiting for the bus to show up at the canopies.  We were all tied up back at the marina and back on the bus by 12:15 or 12:20.  This pic was taken at 12:22 when we were almost back at the pier entrance.  So, they gave us our full 3.5 hours that they advertised.  It was such a bargain!

 
Inside the pier area there is a souvenir shop in case you want to grab something without walking back into town.  
 

But if you are up for it, I would suggest a quick freshening up on board and a walk back into town.  The waterfront is lovely and there are a few cute shops.

 

Enjoy all of those glorious sea days on your repo cruise.  It will be here before you can say Dushi.

 

With a few sea days to look forward to, we do not mind trying to pack plenty of activities into our three port days on these itineraries.

 

Day 6 ~ Bonaire ~

Lady Bellaïs excursion continued.

 

 

After the snorkeling phase of our adventure wound down, a variety of other activities took place.

 

 

 

 

Rope swinging 

 

 

 

Eating

 

 

 

Dancing

 

 

The Dancing Captain Nino

 

Still dancing on his stool

 

 

 

Driving the thing

 

 

 

 

Enjoying the breezy views from top deck

 

 

Silly selfies and ussies

 

 

 

Drive-by Klein Bonaire

 

 

Lady Bellaïs and her fantastic crew made this an unforgettable morning.

 

 

 

They all worked continuously and tirelessly to provide a beyond enjoyable experience.

 

 

When we arrived back at the dock and it was time to tie up and say goodbye, we let Flor know that they would be seeing us again in 2026.  She acknowledged our tour satisfaction with another one of her ear-to-ear smiles just like this one that Tim captured earlier in the morning.

 

We all disembarked Lady Bellaïs and boarded the open-air bus for the short ride back to the ship.  Back to Beyond.