GenerationX

No judgment here. I’m already running numbers in my head about how hardcore of a move up bid I’m willing to make to move up from aqua to suite for our October cruise just so I can have this snack.

Please pardon the interruption for a critical update from Beyond. It has just come to my attention during happy hour snack time in the Retreat lounge that some brilliant soul has managed to improve upon the potato chip by making a snacking chip out of perfectly cured prosciutto. I hereby officially christen this the Spanx and A-line dresses cruise.

Wow, this service on the Retreat deck this afternoon has been something else…. I took maybe 10 steps out of the sliding glass doors onto the retreat pool deck holding my bottle of veuve from my cabana in my hand before Ashok appeared from nowhere, took it from me, and escorted me to a shady chair that had just opened up. He wouldn’t even let me put a towel on said chair myself. It took him like all of 5 minutes to disappear and come back with fresh flute and a bucket of ice for my champagne and in that short time, Herbert had already swooped in and handed me a half flute of rose’ from the tray he was passing out on deck because “you’ll need something to sip while your champagne chills”. In that same time Roen, Faith and Fortune all also stopped by to ask if I needed anything and to make sure that someone was on top of bringing me an ice bucket and a flute for my champagne. Hey Celebrity, can you please start pricing the Retreat on Beyond competitive with Yacht Club on MSC on a more regular basis? Pretty pretty please???? I soooo want this for the rest of my life but I also still have a kid to put through college and a retirement to save for and I can’t afford to ignore the numbers! 😭

I’ve just finished a poolside cabana lunch of shrimp cocktail and a Luminae burger (which I think I earned after surviving cruise director Luigi’s poolside dance fitness class) and am washing it down with a bottle of Veuve. I think it’s safe to say that my life doesn’t suck today. While I’m sipping and savoring, taking y’all way back to last night… Before the start of the production show, Captain Dimitrios came on stage and introduced himself and his executive staff. I’m not sure who’s more entertaining, him or his brother Captain Tasos. Actually, since the man currently holds my safety and liberty in his capable hands, I feel like the only smart answer to that is Captain Dimitrios all day. The show last night was called Arte and I think it may be the most entertaining show I’ve ever seen on Celebrity. The premise is that the singers, dancers and acrobats are taking the audience into famous artworks if they came to life. It really shows off the capabilities of the screen technology in the theatre and the cast have incredible voices. If it’s still on the ship when Jeremy and I sail in October, I’m 100% seeing it again. For those with vertigo, epilepsy or vision issues please note that the show includes liberal use of strobe lights and the screen animations, while incredible, often move in ways that could easily trigger a dizziness episode. Fortunately with the weather getting rocky and the memory of my rough sail back to LA on Solstice fresh in my memory, I’d already preemptively taken some motion meds and was fine. Also if you’re attending with kids, I think some of the animations during the Dali portion of the performance could be kinda creepy for them…unless your kid is like mine and somehow gets and relates to Dali’s art a whole lot more than I do. Gen Z would’ve loved this whole show. Pics don’t even do it justice. You’ve gotta experience the whole thing live. After dinner I headed to dinner in Luminae. To report on the saga of the duck, when I mentioned to my server that I was thinking of ordering it, I read his nonverbal and took a hard pass. He didn’t say anything negative about it but my lawyer’s ability to read a body position change and poker face told me that I may as well have said that I was thinking of eating the aloe plant in the corner for dinner. Instead, I started with a very good Caesar salad from the classics menu, then had his recommended poached lobster starter and lamb loin entree. I’m not sure whether the it was the poached lobster or the lamb that was the star of the meal (I think maybe the lobster had a slight edge but the sauce on that lamb!), but I cleaned my plate on both courses. For dessert I had the marcapone cheesecake balls that were served with an even better apricot sorbet. The app foretold of a silent disco party and 11pm show in Eden, but by that time, the rocking ship + full stomach + motion meds lethargy + tawny port with dessert effect was hitting me hard, so I tucked myself into bed with my retreat chic night fancy pillow chocolates. My dinner at Fine Cut tonight isn’t until 9pm but I’m thinking I may take the rest of my bottle of bubbly and move up to the retreat deck and then stop in the lounge and see if the concierge can get me an any earlier. Especually since the main pool has just been since shut down because some delightful fellow passenger got sick in it. 🤦🏾‍♀️ If I can’t get in earlier, oh well, I’m sure tea time in the lounge and Elaine’s canapé plate will ensure that I don’t starve to death by then and I’ll just have to stay up late dancing to let my steak digest so I don’t get heart burn. These are my first world problems today. Cheers from off the coast of Cuba!

Thank you! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the review. This was taken with an iPhone 13 in portrait mode in the studio setting.

It’s a beautiful morning on the open ocean! I am pleased to report that I followed through with my promise to myself to get up for a pre-breakfast workout and did about 3 miles on the jogging track. We sailed through some serious weather late last night and into early morning and it made the decks and running track extremely slippery. As I was stretching out post workout I saw a man slip and go down while playing ping pong on the starboard side of deck 14. There were pool crew members left and right trying to mop but it seemed to be just moving water around more than drying it up. I originally planned to run a couple of the miles but didn’t want to risk a trip to medical 2 days into the cruise, so I just power walked instead. Also about that weather last night, it really got Beyond rocking. I could here the wind blowing from bed and when I got up to investigate I could see the spray from the ocean flying almost as high as my veranda on deck 10. With the ship moving that much, I finally experienced the infamous sounds of the Beyond. From somewhere inside the wall between my bed and the bathroom and the one between my room and the stateroom just forward of mine, there arose loud groans and bangs each time the ship rolled from port to starboard. Fortunately I have my noise cancelling airpods with me, so I put them in and played my sleep sounds in the Calm app and it drowned it out pretty well. Once I convinced myself that Captain Dimitrios is way too good at his job (and has far too much Greek pride) to ever let the ship go full Poseidon Adventure on me, I managed to get back to sleep. I woke a few hours later to sunshine, calm seas, and a once again quiet cabin. I’m so excited for sun and warmth today. I finally get to wear my new pool cover up that I bought when Jeremy and I were in Tortola on Apex! I love wearing outfits/jewelry/bags on a cruise that I got on a previous cruise. It brings back the memories of a happy time DURING a happy time and it’s like hitting a double endorphins jackpot. This morning I had my first breakfast in Luminae and I’m pretty sure between the almond croissants and the savory potato waffle on the new menu, I put back on every calorie I burned on the track this morning and probably a few more. As much as I’ll miss my usual Luminae go to huevos rancheros this week, that potato waffle makes up for it pretty well. Tomorrow if I stick to getting morning exercise, I’ll treat myself to trying the peach cobbler French toast! After breakfast I killed a little time (not lucratively) in the casino till the shops opened then bought myself a little souvenir from what I’m pretty sure has become my new favorite Celebrity ship. And when I say “from the ship” I mean literally. This necklace is beautiful anyway, but the extra cool memory and conversation value about it is that it’s also made from the first cut of steel for Beyond’s hull!❤️ I’ve just settled in for my cabana reservation and my attendant Rona just brought me a good stiff pina colada to cool me off in the hot sun. I’ll do a full post on the cabanas later, but one perk of them that I like is that, in addition to the champagne/vodka/wine bottle and beer included with the cabana booking, if you have the beverage package, the attendants will also give you in seat drink service of anything you like from the pool bar complimentary. Today that dedicated drink service is a big perk given that both the retreat and main pool decks are jammed packed with only so many drink servers to tackle it all (and right now there’s a line 8 people deep to order drinks at the main pool bar). While I’m relaxing poolside I’ll also fill you in on the rest of chic night.

Cheers from evening chic night! Don’t you just love an evening dress with pockets? I just arrived at the theatre for tonight’s production show. Elaine was there to escort me to a great seat in the reserved Retreat area in the balcony and bring me a glass of champagne. More to come later tonight!

Quick Real Time Update from Beyond: I just returned to the room after some reading in the solarium to find that my butler Elaine had delivered my pressed evening chic dress and afternoon charcuterie…I think I’m going to need to make a more concerted effort to exercise daily on this cruise…

Thank you very much for that info. Pre-cooked duck from a bag does not sound appetizing at all!

I’m so glad you’re enjoying the review! So yes, in my opinion Beyond is Edge version 4.0 with many of the things I didn’t particularly care for on Edge vastly improved. I think now that I’ve sailed on all the current E class ships, if I’m sailing E class, I’m going with Beyond. Especially if I’m planning to sail in a suite. I do think it’s a brilliant move by Celebrity to send Edge to Alaska next year. The issues with shade, wind and crowds in the outdoor spaces won’t be such a big deal in a grey, cool environment where passengers aren’t spending as much time outside anyway and the IV staterooms seem like they’d actually be a benefit for great whale and glacier views without going out in the cold or rain. I can totally picture Gen Z and I taking shelter from drizzle with hot chocolates on the covered magic carpet while looking out at a breaching Orca pod…but there I go with spoilers for my end of cruise future cruise plans post! Oh also, the fit on my dresses can vary when ordering from Amazon. I’ve been everything from a Medium/8-10 to a XXL/16 depending on the vendor. I make a point of reading a lot of the user reviews and pics for each dress and seeing what other women of my weight/height/shape reported ordering and how it fit to make my call. Since I have Amazon prime, if I’m torn between sizes I’ll usually order both and try them on and then return the one that doesn’t fit as well. With prime free returns all I have to do is drop the package back off at the UPS store and I get a credit back within the week.

Dear readers please forgive me as I flip the script momentarily and ask a question of the audience. In true best life style as I’m eating and drinking my lunch, I’m perusing the Luminae menu in the app to decide what I want to eat and drink for dinner. Has anyone tried the Daniel Boulud signature duck leg confit entree? It sounds intriguing but I’m a bit nervous on it. A few cruises back I tried the Boulud signature chicken tangine and it was, how can I put this nicely? Nah, forget it, there’s no way to put it nicely, it was one of the biggest Luminae let downs I’ve ever experienced. I may have just caught the kitchen on a tough night, but I’m so scared to have Chef Boulud break my heart again. If anyone has first hand experience they can share it would be much appreciated!

About First Night Dinner in Eden: I had a wonderful server named Michelle from the Philippines who was so good I made a point of asking the maitre d if I can be placed in her section when I come back to the restaurant on night 7. For food I started with one of my Eden favorites, the Bazaar Bowl (served with warm, fresh baked naan brushed with olive oil and sea salt. Heaven.) but otherwise decided to try some new things and happily stumbled upon real hits. First of all, let’s talk about the goat cheese Gnocchi appetizer. For my fellow cheese and bacon enthusiasts, this dish will not disappoint. The gnocchi are so light and fluffy and cheesy and the bacon and pancetta cream sauce adds so much depth of flavor and texture. It took a lot of will power for me to pass on my favorite Canadian lobster casserole, but there was a Thai-style fresh grouper dish on the menu that I hadn’t seen in the app (more on Celebrity app menus for Eden in a sec) and sounded interesting. Trying it was also an excellent call. The fish was perfectly cooked, juicy, flaky and and well seasoned on its own with a slightly spicy chili powder blend. But then when I swirled it in the edamame purée and curry lime peanut sauce underneath it was a whole other level of delicious. After dinner I got to speak with the head chef for the restaurant and he told me that the Celebrity app menus for Eden are sometimes different from what’s on the physical menu on any given night because of the commitment to only use the highest quality, freshest ingredients for each dish. It’s not uncommon for dishes to be added or removed from the menu on only a few hours notice if the provisioner is able to source something special (as was the case with the fresh caught grouper) or the chef inspects a container of fish/meat/produce for the evening and doesn’t think it’s up to standard. And we all know how good Celebrity’s IT systems are with keeping up with such last minute changes. To spend a little OBC, the sommelier Adrian brought me a bottle of one of my favorite Napa red blends. He also gave me a sneak peak of the plan for the wines and cheese pairings for the premium wine tasting on the last sea day and got me signed up. It’s about 11:30 and the Retreat pool deck seems pretty busy but there are still a few shaded chairs available here and there. It looks like the crew is also actively monitoring for chair hogs. If you’re having trouble finding a spot on the retreat deck look for Faith and/or Fortune, two beautiful ladies from Zimbabwe on the retreat deck crew and they’ll not only find you a great seat but set your towels up just right and send a drink server over ASAP. I’m currently sipping some bubbly watching MSC Meraviglia come in to port next door and what looks like a nasty rain cloud rolling this way. It’s a busy day in Nassau with 5 fairly large ships in port (including carnival Mardi Gras and our sister Reflection!) After I finish this cocktail I’ll head down for some A/C time and my lunch at Raw on 5.

Good morning from The Bahamas! I had a contract to revise this morning before I got to indulge in cruise fun time, so I worked through Luminae breakfast and decided to grab something light from the morning bites buffet in the Retreat lounge. I didn’t need to know about these little raspberry danish things. It’s a good thing I have a spa appointment in 10 minutes so I don’t have time to go get another one. Before I could even finish making my breakfast plate I had a smiling server offering me beverage service. These are the kinds of problems I need more of in my life. About halfway through my flight to Fort Lauderdale I remembered that I hadn’t gotten a pre-cruise pedicure and my toes need some serious attention, so in a few minutes after I finish my mimosa (made with fresh squeezed oj!) I’ll head down a deck for some Elemis Sole Delight action. I’m continuing my usual practice of taking Nassau as a “bonus sea day” and staying onboard to enjoy a quieter ship. It’s seeming like a good call as the weather report for this afternoon is looking a little dicey. After my pedi, I’ll head up to the retreat pool deck to let my toes finish drying in the Caribbean sun (I swear that makes the polish last longer) then I asked Elaine to make me a lunch reservation at Raw on 5, where I’ll continue my quest to find something on that menu (other than the awesome but pricey seafood tower, and the kakiage, which is only available on Beyond) that gets me really excited. While my feet are getting some TLC I’ll start writing up last night’s Eden dinner. Thus far not a shabby start to my first full day on Beyond.

We had very smooth seas last night but I didn’t notice any noise. I didn’t experience any in my aqua class IV when I was on the ship in November either. I’m not sure if it matters but both cabins are on mid level decks mid ship. I’ll report back if I hear of others experiencing issues or I notice noise when the ship is really rocking. I did actually notice quite a bit of creaking in our Celebrity Suite on Solstice last month. When the seas got rough it sounded like the cabin was going to fall apart. I’m a heavy sleeper though so it didn’t bother me too much.

I think so. I did see the ravioli on a menu on Solstice last month but that was the first time. I’d never seen the herb crusted chicken or panna cotta before either.

Thank you! It’s one of my Amazon bargain buys. Less than $40, comfortable and forgiving and packs and travels very well. Floerns Women's Summer Floral Print Sleeveless Halter Neck Beach Party Dress https://a.co/d/3bbtpvz

So glad you’re enjoying Jim! If you find those self-packing suitcases for sale somewhere PLEASE let me know ASAP. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if after a few months of me owning them mine decided to go on strike for inhumane working conditions!

Good Evening from Eden! I’m all dressed for dinner and enjoying a music set from our acoustic duo. While I sip my pre-dinner beverage, a report on my day onboard so far. When I got to lunch at Luminae a little after 1pm the restaurant was still pretty busy, but I was seated quickly and got great service. I was happy to see the manager Petre who was our awesome Eden manager when we were on the ship in November. He remembered me and asked about Red and told me that this fall he’ll be transitioning to Ascent. As I was waiting for my food I connected my phone to ship wifi and saw that in addition to my 2 devices of free premium wifi for suites, there was also an option of 4 hours of free internet for elite plus loyalty. For lunch I had the chicken consumme to start followed by the herb crusted chicken and mushroom and potato ravioli then the coffee panna cotta for dessert. Nothing I ate was bad, but none of it really impressed me either. Not a big deal though as I was saving my real calories for Eden tonight anyway. First night dinner in Eden is an E class sailing tradition for me. I always book it online in advance right after I book the cruise. Which reminds me, if you’re interested in specialty dining on this ship, don’t delay on booking. I’ve heard people in the retreat lounge who waited till they got onboard today and were only offered 5:30 or 9pm dinner times (and that’s with a 1/3 empty ship). For Jeremy and I’s October Beyond cruise, I went online last week to book our Eden and Le Voyage dinners and for Le Voyage on both sea days only 8:45 and 9pm were left as pre-booking options. And that cruise is still 6 months out! After dinner I met up in the Retreat with some of the CC crew who had also jumped on the sweet suite pricing for this cruise. Our “quick meet up” ended up lasting over 2 hours including sail away and a front row seat for the local pilot stunt show and it was all time well spent. Seriously these folks are all awesome and so much fun. Beyond is not ready for us this week. (tagging some of the cool kids here: @mac_tlc @Silkroad @KKB @Mrs_Tiki ). When I finally pulled myself away from all the laughter and peaches and bourbon cocktails, I went back to my room and found all my luggage delivered. I’d been inside for about 5 minutes when my butler Elaine arrived to introduce herself and made an excellent first impression. She looked at my 3 massive suitcases (no judgment please) and asked if I needed any assistance unpacking. That offer was a first for me in any suite of any class, but I declined. I got myself into this overpacking mess, I’ll get myself out. She then asked if there were any different beverages I’d like for my complimentary mini bar. I told her I was fine with Heineken and corona for beer but asked to have the Diet Coke switched to Sprite. I also asked her about pressing for my evening chic night dress and she said if I left it on the bed she’d grab it at turndown and have it back to me tomorrow. She also asked if I’d like any snacks delivered to the room in the afternoon (in addition to the tea service canapés offered in the Retreat lounge). I shared my love of cured meat and cheese with her and she said she’d make sure I had something to munch on every evening around 5 while I dress for dinner. As I finished unpacking I felt the bourbon and champagne day drinking start to catch up to me so I put out my deep sleep sign and took a late afternoon nap. More to come after my first night dinner tradition!

My solution to the whole convincing the better half to let me sail thing has kind of been “it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission”. But that’s probably why I’m a lawyer not a marriage counselor. 😂

Hello from Beyond! I’ve only been onboard for two and a half hours and this cruise is already such a vastly different vibe from last November. A big part of that is likely due to ship capacity. The guest count I’ve heard is approximately 2500 which I believe would make the ship about 2/3 full. Much different from my previous sold out sailing. The crew seems relaxed and well into their groove and I’m seeing sooo much less of the deer in the headlights looks on their faces. Of course thanks to move up bids aqua and suites are sold out. This is my first time in the upgraded Beyond retreat and my first impression is that after 2 ships Celebrity finally got the pool deck space right. There’s so much more seating and shady spots. I love these cute social lounge spaces with their own umbrella facing towards the sea. I’m already picturing myself a few days in sitting there chatting and laughing with new cruise friends. I got to the port at 10:45 and looked at my phone when I stepped onboard and it was 10:57. Less than 15 minutes from curb to deck! For those boarding from T25, there are signs to help as well but just remember stay to the left for retreat boarding. There’s a separate retreat entrance to the left as you enter the terminal where an attendant will check your name and stateroom number, then retreat guests take an elevator on the left to get to the Retreat security check and check in area. If you find yourself about to get on an escalator, you’ve missed your entrance. Back track and head towards the left. I just met a couple on who missed the retreat check in and, get this, when they got to the general boarding area and got through security there, the port employees told them they had to go all the way back downstairs to go through the retreat area (so they basically went through security and check in twice). 🤦🏾‍♀️ As I was exploring the retreat pool deck I was greeted at least 5 times by friendly, smiling faces in grey polos introducing themselves, welcoming me onboard, offering me a beverage and letting me know that if I’m ever having trouble finding a place to sit on the deck to seek them out and they’ll help me right away. It may be the embarkation kir royale setting in, but I’m already ruminating on upgrading Jeremy and I’s October cruise to the Retreat. When I texted him to float the idea, he threatened to ban me from sailing E class by myself going forward because “every time you get on THOSE ships you end up texting me about wanting to do something that’s going to cost thousands of dollars”. I was preparing to vehemently object when I scrolled back through our text history and realized that the man is not wrong [d’oh]. I’ve just sat down for a late lunch at Luminae. It looks like on this cruise the Luminae lunch hours were expanded to run from 11:30-1:30 instead of starting at noon. Perhaps to accommodate the sold out suites? The restaurant looks like it’s almost twice the size of Luminae on Edge and Apex and there seem to be many more areas conducive to seating larger groups. Sharing some first pics of Beyond and the Captains Club event schedule below. Not sure if it’s because I leveled up to Elite Plus or Celebrity is just upping their loyalty event game, but this is the most activities I’ve seen on a Captain’s Club schedule. Welcome aboard my virtual cruise companions!

Oh I wish I’d had the foresight to go to law school in south Florida. That would’ve made the whole experience slightly less unpleasant!

Today’s the day!!!! One of the (many) things I love about cruising is that you can sail on a ship you’ve been on before, sailing to ports you’ve visited many times, but each cruise can still be a very different vibe/experience based upon who your fellow cruisers are. Last night, I think I got a glimpse of just how much energetic fun the next week is going to be, as @KKB and I shut down the lobby bar at the Hyatt Centric after dinner. Kris please give my sincerest apologies to your poor tolerant husband who gave up on trying to keep up with us and headed to bed when we ordered the second round of cosmos. Speaking of dinner, in addition to the delicious stone crab, I also had the conch chowder which had a nice sweet spicy kick and a massive Caribbean lobster tail that was served with so so mashed potatoes and really delicious maple bacon Brussel sprouts. I was too full of shellfish after that to even attempt dessert which was a shame because the bread pudding sounded like heaven on a plate. I’m currently having a little breakfast and coffee at the hotel restaurant to tame the remnants of last night’s vodka then will head back to the room to handle one last work project. I’m already pretty much packed so after that all I have to do is put on my luggage tags and head to port for my 11am check in time. I can’t wait to meet some of you at our 2pm Retreat Lounge meet up! Next post will be from the Beyond. Strap yourselves in, guys. I think this week is going to be really something!

Marian is one of my all time favorite women of the big screen. I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve modeled my life attitude after hers in many ways: -Love and travel hard -Never turn down a potentially lucrative adventure -Take no [bleep] from nobody, especially ex-boyfriends and bigots -When you find yourself in a sticky spot and have to hustle to survive, a rock solid alcohol tolerance is worth its weight in gold

So not to be a bad influence BUT they also make a mean espresso at that bar if you guys feel like rallying for another hour or 2. Ubers willing I can be back at the hotel in about a half hour. I will cheerfully ditch lurking on other people’s yachts to hang out with you!

I know, it’s bad. When I jumped on the crazy good price for this cruise it wasn’t till after the charge hit my credit card that I realized I’d be cruising 3 months in a row. 🤦🏾‍♀️ Oh well, YOLO and regrets are best saved for my death bed. After this though I’ll be keeping my cute little aft on land till July, I promise!