TravelingCircusof5

I don’t know, but I faced the same choice last week. Having booked AQ on Beyond, I found that I just could not get excited about paying that premium for the IV. Having only sailed (DCL) on verandahs, I couldn’t even bring myself to tell Dh that what we thought we had paid for, is actually a window. Looking at Blu menus was the biggest help in my decision. It just didn’t look like what we wanted to eat. Plus, I had thought Blu was in addition to the 4 MDRs- not instead of. So, i realized I could dine around in different venues for less money than staying in the same venue all week. The exclusivity of Blu might appeal to some, but for us, getting dressed up and going somewhere different each night sounds fun. ( i also made 2 specialty ressies.) I actually went on to downgrade to to a regular verandah, and found a SV, which had been sold out. Snapped it up and now feel much more excited about the whole thing 😊 Oh, yes, I paid a little bit more than i was paying for AQ, so I feel your pain… but i feel like the private verandah for us will be more worth its value than the AQ perks. You may come to the opposite conclusion for yourself, but maybe my line of reasoning it out will help you decide.

Yeah. The Beyond pricing may be pricing customers right away from the ship. The suite prices are pretty crazy.

350 passengers?! Was it like a ghost town? when they know they have a low % of pax, do they also reduce staff numbers? Or is it just a lighter week for the staff?

That makes sense. Thanks for your help

When do the ships usually sell out? I was exploring how many suites were left for a Beyond March ‘23 sailing- almost under 90 days out now, and it looks like there are like 60+ suites left. I was very surprised! I got an SV and there are none of those left. Does this mean we will probably have an uncrowded ship? Or is there a rush of last minute bookings?

Is that “premium”? I wonder if they slow it down for Basic? I don’t want to do a lot on my tech while we cruise, but i do want texting and receive calls if needed.

Same wait staff? Does that mean you dined in the same dining room every night? i think i will like the change of scenery of the 4 MDRs (unless I am misunderstanding how that works.) Great to hear that the waits are not bad even without reservations.

This is what I an wondering too. I don’t drink that much- it will probably be 2-3 glasses of wine per day, bottled water, 1 coke… what I have read though is that when one actually gets to a bar, they have been told there are basically no wines in the basic options, so everything is an upgrade. Is this true? i don’t want to drink really terrible wine, but don’t have super pricey tastes either (in chardonnay.) So, it almost seems like I should remove the AI package for me all together and just buy what I want? Or still better to get the basic and pay the difference? Dh drinks more than me, but mostly beer, and he will want the more interesting beers on the premium list.

Ok great. Thanks

I am so confused by the reports on Beyond not having dining times, (despite being asked in the booking), but also needing to make nightly reservation times for dinners in the MDRs. Is this correct? That is my understanding from these boards. So, i finally found the section to do so on the website, and when i try and select Dh and I to reserve a time, they are grayed out and say ‘dining time already selected’ or something like that, so I can’t reserve it. I was able to reserve Specialty. Help?

I do like the modern look of the Beyond. I was not necessarily looking to move to a suite, but actually looking for a departure 1-2 days earlier than mine. (Any Florida departures on Fridays?) But what I found was this option to change ships for same date. The price is about $900 more for the suite BUT we would get the value of the upgraded drinks and wifi (which I expect we would end up buying) and an extra $600 OBC, so it is close to evening out. I’m currently booked in an aft Sunset Verandah, not an IV. Not a suite, but not an IV.

I am trying to understand the suite benefits on Reflection. It mentions “Retreat”, but when I explore further, the small print says Edge class and revolutionized. Most people discussing Retreat here seem to be referencing a revolutionized ship. Is there a Reflection lounge or bar that is easier to grab a drink than the non-suite bars? If so, where is it? I don’t see any Retreat or Michael on the deck plan. I am still deciding whether jump from Beyond (non suite Sunset Verandah) to Reflection Sky Suite, same date, basically same itinerary.

Did they give you any explanation for being ejected rather than isolating in cabin for two more days?

How does one even make reservations for the MDRs?

If this is for me, that’s not what happened. I am happy with the SV and was not planning its location for emergencies. I was just very surprised looking at the deck plans that there were no stairs back there and wondering how that flow of traffic would work in an emergency. Knowing that there are stairs that are not on the deck plan explains it. Although, it does seem that those should be on the plan- even if marked Emergency or Crew Only. I have been a mother, a teacher and now a church Youth group leader for decades. It has always been part of my responsibility to know how to get all those people to a place of safety should an emergency occur. It is ingrained now in the way my mind works.

Because, being in the aft on a high deck with no quick egress to lifeboats or lower decks in case of emergency or fire surprises me. I would have thought there would be requirements for aft stairs for a faster evacuation of the hallways

OP, I’m not excited about these excursion options either. I do not find the islands boring- quite interesting, and I love the gorgeous water, but my issue is that it seems that all the excursions are mostly transportation- either a smaller boat for an hour, then an hour snorkeling and an hour boat ride back. Or worse, a taxi to a boat to a ferry to a beach then reverse or something like that…

I had the same question, (even after looking at the deck plans.) I am very surprised (and somewhat uneasy staying aft verandah that there is no stairway back there…

How does tipping work in the specialties? Is it included in the upcharge or 20% automatically added or…?

What the stairs option? On DCL, i opted to take the stairs a lot of the time. Are stairs also scarce?

Same for me, except I emailed best price and got a response a few days later. I was pleased.

Sounds like that explains it. I was looking at Reflection, which seems has not been ‘revolutionized’ (?) yet. Is that right? Certainly that would explain the difference.

Well, that’s good to know that it isn’t accurate- that’s actually why i wrote that this was the impression I got from my research- so that people could correct it if not true. It was more than one photo. I also watched a video walk through. Maybe it was the lighting or too much was filmed at night. Before I sail for myself, I don’t know how else to make a decision.

Some may think the horse has been beaten dead, but there is still value in the opinions especially for people who are not already repeat cruiser “experts”. We are new to Celebrity and are on the younger side for the demographics, being 49/50. We have not sailed yet, but from photos, what appeals to us about E class is the light, the brightness, the open spaces; I love seeing the plants all around and am looking forward to the rooftop garden seating and the sunset bar area. With all the better love on here for the S, I checked those out, but by comparison, they look to me to be dark, stodgy, closed spaces made to resemble tv versions of London gentleman’s clubs, where the men smoke cigars and read the newspaper with their whiskey… Maybe that is not accurate, but it is what the photos I saw portray. That does not appeal to me at all. However, coming from DCL and big verandahs, I am not excited about the IV, and the suite prices on E are ridiculous, so I am going round and round in decision making, and appreciate the many opinions here on why one is better than the other.

On Edge class, is it windy up there, for my sun hat, do I need one that has a cord under the chin or do hats stay on? Thanks