mizLORInj

Captain Kate just last week talked about the one after the Ascent, and that its name had been chosen. I won't care if they scrap the 5th one though and bring back the real balcony cabins.

Looked similar to this last week on Beyond.

Pretty sure Captain Kate mentioned last week that Pinnacle doesn't fit on the stack, so it won't likely be that. Needs to be fewer letters.

If just a few of you, should be doable. . . the 2 of us were done in less than an hour two of the nights. But we didn't get dessert. Maybe show up earlier than 6?

YES! I noticed this as I'd walk on the pool deck and the solarium area. Lots of towels and possessions on chairs but fewer than half with humans occupying! Cabana space could be better utilized. Maybe Celeb will figure this out.

The only place we had an issue for getting a seat was the theater if we didn't get there maybe 20 minutes before showtime. But then we waited a bit and some seats in the balcony opened up, so it was fine. MDR one night for 2 or 4 there was a 40 minute wait. When the other 2 we dined with coincidentally showed up, they were able to seat six immediately. Oh, one other thing. For CC Elite events, it seems that many show up 15-20 minutes ahead of start time. We learned to do this too so we could get a seat!

True, about waiting till the "rush" is over. For the taxis, I just figured there were five other ships in port and we came in last, so everyone was busy. We were through TSA pre-check easily with no line, so I might have been off on the timing. 😆 Or we were in a different terminal. All worked out fine. Got to read while waiting for the plane.

Hmm, Royal lets you wear shorts in the MDR? I just don't remember who allows what these days. They weren't rude though. Forgot this time about pants in MDR. Wasn't a big deal to us. Will make sure we have more than 1 next time though! We cruise Royal, Norwegian, Princess, Virgin, etc. (see below). We like all of them. 😃

Oh, our tablemates talked about the creaking in the cabin! They also had IV and asked to be moved but it was not to a location they liked. We only had weird pops and creaks one or two nights, but it was enough to wake me up. I guess we can hope Celebrity reads these boards because there are issues repeatedly discussed. Hopefully they see a theme and make a change if bookings drop off.

The captain controls the opening of the window on the IV "balcony". If there is any obstruction at all, finger, arm, etc. anywhere near the window, it stops.

Hi all. I tried to cover as much as possible to share our experience. 😀 So here goes: We are not new to cruising. I had a wonderful cruise last year on Reflection so I was eager to try out Celeb's newest ship. Booked in late December and had to take what we could get, so we ended up with IV balcony on deck 8 port aft. Arrived Saturday in FLL to rain and wind and stayed at Holiday Inn 17th. We went to total Wine and got a bottle of bubbly and also red to bring onboard. Took Uber to pier from hotel Sunday morning. Went through to security, showed boarding pass and passport, and onto the ship we went. Have documents ready! Some did not and were asked to move to the side. Must have been around noon. Beautiful ship. Dropped our carryon at the cabin and got our key card thingies. Cabin was nice; very bright since it had that very large window. Huge bathroom with plenty of shelves. I noticed it was a connecting door cabin, but we did not hear anything from next door all cruise long. Nice decor. The verandah, I mean window--well, we purposely booked this type of cabin to try it our for ourselves after reading of the lovers and haters. It was ok. Very private. We watched youtube videos so we knew what to expect. We prefer to be able to access an outdoor balcony at all times during a cruise, and because the window would occasionally be locked due to impending or current weather situations, we would not book this cabin type again. It got very warm in the cabin too on hot sunny days if the room-darkening shade was not closed. Even with the shaded folding doors closed the heat came in. These motorized windows and shades must have cost a lot, plus there are sensors that make the window stop moving if an obstruction is near. During our cabin crawl, one fellow CC traveler said this type of cabin with its huge window would be great for an Alaska or other cold-weather cruise, and we agreed. (Their Royal Suite was awesome, although I don't understand putting expensive suites near the front of the ship where you feel the most motion. We also viewed a Sunset Verandah with a fabulous balcony.) More outlets are needed in the cabin; most ppl do not care for that box on the table to put all your plugs into. Plenty of closet and drawer storage space for 2. Liked the lower lighting in the bathroom for nighttime. Toiletries were pump bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash. There was also lotion which was great. We were on deck 8 port side aft, and we were above a public space that got noisy with conversation--even very late at night and with our window closed. Looked for pen and paper in the cabin but there was none. Tried to reach the concierge to RSVP to the very nice variety of Captain's Club events, but could not get through. Gave up after the second day. We did make it to some of the events which we enjoyed. Elite laundry had to be hunted down after 48 hours since we had to eat in the buffet 2 nights due to a pants shortage--yes, we were turned away at the dining room. I'm sure self-appointed attire police were happy to witness this! 🙂 We, along with others, felt the Elite breakfast should allow you to get cappuccino, etc. TO GO. We had to sit at a table and drink it. Why? Let us take it to go. Remember we did not have the drink pkg or we could've gone to Cafe Al Baccio. Others also popped in to try to get various coffees to go and were all told no. Would be nice to have them to go if you don't want to sit down and eat there. We did appreciate the Captain's Club Happy Hour (for elite and above levels) 5-7pm at most (not all) bars. Not sure why the dining rooms are excluded, so you go get your HH drink at a participating bar and bring it to the dining room. Wines, water, soda, a few mixed cocktails, and some spirits are offered. This cruise had 3,100 passengers. We wandered the ship to check out all the beautiful public spaces. it is really gorgeous and modern. So many nice places and gorgeous decor. Eden is awesome; reminds me a bit of 270 on Anthem of the Seas. Pool deck nice and large, Solarium too. Sunset bar area is great. Theater was so cool with its screens behind the stage. Magic Carpet was cool; I don't think it ever moved from deck 16 though. I noticed at the martini bar that drinks went from $12/$15 last year on Reflection to $15/$18 now on Beyond. The martini bar menu has fewer options than last year's Reflection cruise. I like that they use Fever Tree tonic. Each bar and dining room has some of its own unique drinks. Sunset bar area did not disappoint. We did sign up for GO GREEN about a week in advance, (1x/day cabin service), but somehow our cabin steward was not aware of this. I did it again on the app. after he told me this. So in the evenings he would refresh towels only which worked out fine. Sailaway. It had rained so our window in cabin was locked. Did not like that! For dinner, we did have open seating even though our online account showed early dining. Fortunately I was aware of this fact from people on this board. I did not make any restaurant ressies in advance. There was a card in our room that said for the first night we should show up at 8:30 for dinner, but other nights at any time. Too late for dinner for me. We had eaten a large lunch at the buffet so we did not bother with dinner. Dinners in the restaurants 4x were just ok. The first time we ate in Normandie, we agreed to sit with others and the table of six of us had a great time and ended up dining together a few more times. I am not raving about the food, although some of our tablemates enjoyed it a lot. The last night we had a few things that were just not good. And since Celebrity likes to say it is a luxury line -- I don't feel cheese ravioli with spinach on it is a good dinner entree. The one-lobster tail limit is just plain annoying. Once de-shelled the lobster is 2 fingers-size. I like lobster and usually eat two of them. Would a true luxury line charge for a second tail? No. Maybe after the second, I can maybe, possibly, understand. I can order 4 entrees but only one lobster tail. What are they thinking. We did get to eat in all 4 of the main dining rooms and I can't say I liked one more than the other. I can say I sat in something red (tomato?) in Tuscan and my white pants may now be ruined. 😡 Did not to go upcharge restaurants this cruise. Buffet. I like it at breakfast and lunch. At dinner I don't know what happens. Fortunately we had read about the cutbacks. More people eat there than you think. And some crew too--so, many are affected by their cutting the dinner buffet to maybe 1/8 of what lunchtime is. I liked the ice cream. There is soft-serve in a machine behind the servers and the flavors vary. Cookies are also at this station. Pizza is hidden way way in the back and was pretty good. Also, remember there's a bar way back by the pizza that is usually not busy. Trivia games are fun. Note that many are just called Music Trivia and you won't know what genre it is until you show up. Didn't really care for that, but participated in a few and won one which got us. . . nothing. How cheap can you be to give NO prizes anymore. Opportunity for free X advertising being passed up. How much can these trinkets possibly cost them. Thought this was super cheap of Celebrity. There is also general trivia and Deal or No Deal a few times. Entertainment was ok. The one show was singing and dancing to show tunes, but many I was not familiar with. The Jazz show in The Club was very good. The acrobats/aerialists are amazing. Who knew you could bend that way. Too many cutbacks at the same time were absolutely noticeable. I heard many comments about the lower-quality and quantity food offerings, and would have to agree. We did not go hungry though. Met Captain Kate one of the first nights in the elevator and she is personable and very pretty. Her Q&A session is very informative and we enjoyed it. Be sure to put your question in beforehand though. This is different than other ship's Q&As. You don't raise your hand during the session. Debarkation was simple although there was a very long line for express walk-off. There is facial recognition in the terminal and off we went. Beyond that (haha! get it!?) is where things are different than last year at ship's half-capacity. Uber/Lyft is to the left upon exiting (many people already summoning their rides) and taxi to the right. Walked to the taxi area and there was a long line of maybe 50 people and NO taxi to be seen. Took a little bus for $10pp with about 6 others, so it all worked out. We were at the airport by 8:15. The ship is beautiful since it's so new, so what's not to love. Would go on it again, but we won't get the IV balcony again unless on a cold-climate cruise. There were annoyances for sure, and the feeling that Celebrity, a so-called luxury line, has definitely cheapened the experience. So I will cruise them again sometime, but I also consider other cruise lines. I realize all have had cutbacks. Happy cruising to all!

We did Elite HH at Martini bar on Beyond last week. From the paper in our cabin: Captain's Club Cocktail Hour daily 5-7pm bars and lounges EXCLUDES embarkation day, Magic Carpet, Craft Social, World Class Bar, Restaurants, Room Service, Minibar. So stupid you can't get the drink in the dining room. We went to a bar and brought it with us.

She did mention another ship last week, but as you said, wasn't saying its name other than it was the final one in this class and the name reflected that--also had to be short enough to fit on the stack.

Soda is also included in the Elite happy hour 5-7pm. The apple martini was good too and was on the HH menu.

Just back and yes, our cabin made weird creaking and banging noises. Not enough to be really disturbing, just odd.

Just back from Beyond yesterday and we tried out the IV cabin. I know there are lovers and haters of this cabin. We wanted to try it out. At first entry, it seems large and spacious. Very bright. Huge bathroom, especially since I had been on Scarlet Lady in October with the tiniest bathroom I'd ever had on a ship. It's all new, so what's not to like! We had bed by the window, and we don't mind bed by bathroom either. The huge window is awesome! Wandered over there and. . .it was locked. Yes, it had rained that morning but it was not raining now. I was not happy to not be able to be on the balcony (or rather, in the open window) for sailaway. The captain unlocked the window shortly after departing Port Everglades, and it stayed unlocked until the final morning (rain). When the window is open and you're in the Caribbean, of course the a/c shuts off, and it got very warm in the cabin. When you are standing at the rail, you don't see the people on either side of you, so it is very private. One fellow CC member who toured some cabins thought this would be a great cabin for a cold-weather cruise, e.g. Alaska. Our conclusion is: We won't book this cabin type again when on Edge class. We prefer to have access to the outside whenever we want. Full detailed review to follow in the coming days. 😃

Since you have such a large group, try Nightwind. Large sailboat that used to be out of Sapphire Beach--not sure where it is now. Took our group of 10 and a few others, but not many more. Doesn't hurt to ask. ENJOY

Anyone have the latest pricing for this route?

Oy, I can feel the panic when you realized no passports! GC we went to a part of 7 mile beach last time and it was beautiful. But I also get staying onboard with fewer pax! Love Nachi Cocum! Have fun!!!

I thought last year's Muster on Celebrity was nicely done. Watch the videos then check in with your Muster Station. I don't cruise on Disney but an occasional Norwegian, and this was disappointing news. Why are we going backwards.

It was ok. This is based on Celeb Reflection in Feb 2022 so things may have changed. I will say though that service was excellent.

I had great expectations when I booked Beyond recently because I had a wonderful cruise on Reflection in Feb 2022 (though not my first Celebrity cruise). I'm trying to keep an open and positive mindset after reading about others' negative experiences and the cutbacks. Since Celebrity markets themselves as "luxury," there are things that should not be cut back if they want to keep calling themselves luxury, and more upscale than the main cruiselines. I realize all have had cutbacks; NCL just increased its DSC to $20pp/day while at the same time cutting service to once/day. I'm sure others have had cutbacks too. However, they don't market themselves as LUXURY lines. At any rate, soon I'll be on a Beyond balcony watching the sea go by, and I'm sure I won't go hungry or thirsty! Fortunately, there are other ships and cruise lines if I am disappointed in the Beyond. I will add my two cents upon my return!

Thanks for all the info. My turn soon. I love when the planes are taking off eastward -- right over the port!

There are some evenings where I feel like choosing a spoonful of this and that, or a bunch of this and that, vs. fewer choices on a menu in a restaurant. 😀

I realize that not everyone is a lobster lover, but I am. I can see maybe charging for more than two, but more than one? Come on. Especially since they are usually so small. So much for LUXURY cruise line they claim to be.