cw2go

I remember watching The Beyond pricing explode. Sailed the week of Valentines last month. . I paid $2508 for an Infinite Veranda with Premium Bev and Premium Wifi for two. I have The Apex booked for the same week, same perks, same stateroom next year for $2127 I haven't seen those deals in a very long time and I didn't get so lucky with my Europe sailings! You win some & You lose some 🤑 Patty

We enjoyed it on Beyond in Feb as well! It was our favorite meal. Patty

Been following along and have enjoyed all of your posts, very informative. Jumping in to ask if by chance you got the opportunity to try this variety of the infamous Lemon Tart? I sailed Beyond prior to you and was so disappointed when these were served. They were grainy, the meringue was foamy and the crust fell apart in my hands. Nothing like any of the others I've had on previous sailings. I did make a short post/review and tried to make light of them and my devastation... but that fell FLAT! The following day after these were in the display case a new version appeared that were cut in a rectangular shape without any topping. Those seemed to have been prepared in a sheet pan. They didn't fall part in my hands but they were not lemon curd, almost seemed like gelatin was added. I must admit that I've over indulged with these little nuggets of yum over the years so am super hopeful that what I had was indeed and one miss? Thank you, Patty

Correct! This is what I had... Liquid gel in shower and bar soap by sink.

There was Liquid and Bar soap in an IV on Beyond 2 weeks ago. Patty

Luigi was our CD ~ Feb 12th sailing.

Thank you @mac_tlc I followed your posts closely the weeks up til my sailing and I 100% agree reading different perspectives give us all better expectations. Hopefully on your next cruise Fine Cut gets your Brownie Sundae right! 😁 Celebrity has made quite a few changes that I honestly believe they should re-evaluate, time will tell. Not deal breakers for me but I can see why they might be for others. I set sail this July and then again in August, looking forward to my upcoming adventures. Patty

I just sailed Beyond, my honest my review of the food/dining is identical to yours. I wish you the best! Patty

Start looking Nov / Dec of this year. Patty

I did a post cruise report the other day of my Beyond sailing w/ a GC stop. We did only have the one pool bar open but there were many servers and wheelie carts working the pool deck. It all seemed to flow efficiently. We had great bar service the entire sailing, Patty

This was the same on Beyond last week. Many people gave up and found a deck chair for the day. Patty

Good Idea, I forgot. Patty

For those who might be interested, I just let go of SV #9329 Aug 28th Beyond to Gk Isles Patty

I am going to do my best to share my first hand observations and experiences from our recent Beyond sailing. Last cruise was pre-covid shut down May 2019 Married 55 and 58 years old 25 plus cruises, mostly with Celebrity & RCCL (1each Princess & Carnival) First time Edge Class / Sailed in an Infinite Veranda mid ship deck #8223 Embark arrival time was 11am dropped our bags off in our stateroom at 11:30am - The smoothest process ever! Self Disembark 7:30am we were at FLL airport and through security at 8:15am - Wish I could always plan on this! I started reading CC much more often than I had previously to gather up to date info for this sailing. (probably too much 🙃) I will say there were days I asked myself why I was even stepping foot on a ship again and then in the same day, I'd swing to the opposite with I can wait to hear the ding. I was all over the map with this one. To be honest, I almost pulled out. So here are my points of view on some of the main hot topics. I will try to be precise and on point. Stateroom: Our attendant did a great job! We loved the room! The IV was exactly as we expected and the room darkening screen was wonderful. It was quiet, no banging noise even on the roughest day. Not much I can add to this subject other than for us, we'd sail with a traditional balcony or IV in the future... not a deal breaker. Entertainment: They had multiple pool activities with a great turn out. It was a fun festive vibe BUT it was so sporadic with timing. The ship would be all a buzz and then just completely tank. Long lulls! Martini Bar, same issue. The band and or DJ would play their typical set, on a few occasions the dance floor would be packed only for them to then go to a very low key beat, you'd literally watch the space empty. The entertainment needs to "Read The Room" FTR this was with all the bands/DJ, not singling out any one in particular. The Bar tenders would do their show nightly, the crowds LOVED it, lasted for a total of 2 minutes max, I understand they can't go on and on but the vibe following their upbeat tempo fell flat behind them. The broadway shows talent was what you'd expect on a cruise ship. I did see Elements, concept was cool but the choreography imo was choppy and they were belting the songs to the point our I-Watches were alerting us of the decibel levels. I did not enjoy it at all but a couple I met while on board said they enjoyed it although she had to plug her ears. 😂 Pool Deck dance party was super fun but only lasted an hour. Silent Disco was a huge hit, many people raved about this event. Had it twice on our sailing. Never made it to see the comedian or game shows. Eden had wonderful Duos often. The cellist was amazing! My Dh enjoyed the acoustic guitar ensembles. Capt Kate had a vowel renewal on Valentines. She was attempting to have the largest ever at sea, don't think she made her goal. Seemed to us that Celebrity is trying to provide variety to meet multiple demographics so for what one will like, another won't and vise versa. Bar Service: NOT A SINGLE COMPLAINT! I never ever ever had any issues getting a drink from any of the bars during the day or during any of the nightly activities. While sitting in the Martini Bar lounge area one night before dinner for approximately 20 minutes, I had 3 different waiters offer to get me beverages. I even looked at my DH and said they want us drunk with a chuckle. 😜 Drinks Of The Day were served, boarding day it was called "Something" Peach. (maybe passion?) Each day was a different color. Grand Cayman Day, I was very aware of the previous sailings hiccups so was super intrigued on how this would be handled. For this sailing, only the pool bar was open. There were wheelie carts and bar servers all over the pool deck. There was never much of a line, seems Celebrity has gotten a better handle of this situation. The servers and bartenders were always super friendly and seemed happy to get my DH any beer he chose even when they had to go to another bar for supply. We had the best bar service on this cruise than we have had on any other ever. Dining: NOT A SINGLE WOW! I had MTD and can confirm without any doubt what has been posted here is absolutely 100% true. On Beyond there is no reservation holding system and no traditional dining times. Regardless of what your TA or the Cel Call Centers or your Cruise Contract states,You Simply Show Up. I never saw a line more than 3 deep and those moved quickly. I did see one couple on one occasion with a pager and that was at 8pm. IMO It was all quite efficient. We dined in Normandie and Cypress, the meal was "Just Okay" The service was weak at best. I was being patient and I knew they were hustling but after sitting for 25 minutes, waiting for a beer and water, I became a tad miffed. Once our waiter finally came to our table, I looked at him and said "Where is your help" I did not yell or speak down to him but I did have a tone. That's how my DH describes it. 😉 He then said she's over there and took off... This is where things quickly turned around. The Assistant Waiter came over and she 100% admitted she forgot about us and was sorry. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to hear her own it! She didn't blame anyone else or seek excuses. She just forgot she had our table. We were then served our dinner and the meal went on. Our waiter did apologize at the end of the meal and said they will try to do better next time. I felt his response was adequate. Now for Specialties, I fear the repercussions of posting this but here goes... Le Grand Bistro... Nice lunch. DH's burger was amazing. Creme Brulee' not sure what happened to the vanilla bean? Tasted like egg custard, quite disappointing. Eden... "Just Okay" it's a one and done. Le Voyage... A waste of calories and money. Wish we didn't go. Live and learn! Rooftop Garden Grille... Really good. Service was great and the vibe was relaxed and happy. Probably didn't hurt that the Super Bowl was on. Sorry Eagles Fans! Fine Cut Steakhouse... Our favorite meal! I raved about the Brownie dessert. I know, who goes on a cruise for a basic brownie sundae and the fact that it was my favorite dessert speaks volumes. What I leraned is that we prefer our food on the more simpler side. I am well aware that in this category I am the minority, many rave about Eden so I was surprised that I was so underwhelmed. In fairness my DH has seafood allergies so he is more limited than myself but I was not nearly as happy with the Infamous Crab Cake as I hoped to be. Lemon Tarts... WHY WHY WHY??? They are NOT the same!!! If this is not a snafu for this sailing only, we may have some serious contemplating to do regarding all of our future cruises. All jokes aside... As soon as I saw them I said they're all wrong. The meringue on top was an egg white foam. The crust crumbled to touch, literally fell apart in your fingers. The curd was grainy. Please tell me this is not a new recipe! Did Celebrity pull back on the butter and eggs or was this a fluke? Hoping for the latter! 🤞 Buffet...UGH... as promised I did take a look and did report my opinions, As posted here many times its perfectly fine for breakfast and lunch... BUT... dinner was just awful! I'd have been embarrassed to be the ships chef serving those options. They had a stir fry station and pasta bar, the meatballs looked to be 3 days old. I am not kidding! My DH said he saw better in a ships mess hall. They advertised a Potato Bar, they were the size of eggs. Okay a slight exaggeration but for real, super small. No grill station. It was so dark and unwelcoming. I saw approximately 150-200 people. Some were crew. Disclaimer, I only explored the OVC during dinner twice. We treated this cruise as a floating resort, only got off in Cozumel. We met many wonderful people! For those who joined me at sail-away, it was nice meeting you. Maybe one day our sailing paths will cross again. 💞 Bottom line... We had a great time! We escape Ohio every winter just to find some sun and fun. We cruise to Alaska to fill our inner adventurer spirit. We sail Europe to soak in some history. Even with the cut backs, Celebrity is still the best fit for us to accomplish what we desire. Food was a big let down but it's not the only reason we choose to go. At this time we plan to continue with all of our booked cruises. Hope this helps those of you who are leaving soon, Patty

I actually enjoyed getting out and exploring at the bridge. We trained up, explored and had lunch then bussed back. It was a Wonderfull day! This excursion was thru Celebrity. These are pics at the bride for those that are torn, Patty

You're correct. Sorry! I should have re read it. I went from memory, just knew it was Summit...BIG FAIL! 🤪 Patty

Yes but many in those threads wouldn't take the OP's at their word initially either. The mocking and belittling on all of the previous threads was completely unwarranted. I am not trying to argue! Like you, I am just trying to gain a grasp of this situation. Like I said before Celebrity is NOT forthcoming and it's their responsibility to the customers. Patty

Or to avoid having the bars inundated the day before from those trying to stock pile for their GC port day? Patty

At last count as far as I can track while porting in Grand Caymen. (Feel free to share otherwise) Beyond has Pool and Retreat Bars Equinox has Pool Bar only Summit has zero. As many said from the beginning this is about the All Mighty Dollar. Seems GC and Cel are at odds. Patty

This is a thread also from the Summit with a CC review that reported no bars were open. Patty

Thank you @RichYak for explaining.. But for these reasons I think I'll pass. I'd hate to book for a meal expecting a menu choice, at this cost point and then get something completely different. Changing on board isn't worth the time or hassle to me, I'd be limited with other nights because of other reservations and plans. Patty

The Edge is new in Alaska so no one will know about heat lamps yet. I would expect only blankets like I've seen used for other northern sailings. Patty

Thank you! So basically the meal and show are a surprise until the day of and any special dietary needs are accommodated then and there? No need to pre plan? Example ~ I'll have the main menu but replace second course with the alternate in same category. It's sound likes quirky fun and I thought in Alaska it may be a great time with friends. Didn't mean to make this so complicated! 🤪 Patty

Yes I saw the above posts, I read it to be the show rotated not the menus, oops. My confusion is that the app shows only 1 menu and my cruise planner shows only 1 menu but they're different. I was hoping the app was correct which is the Short Ribs, working with seafood allergies. The planner has a super seafood focused meal, to have a show be so far off from the meal might be a bummer for my DH. Patty

Sailing the Millie this July, would like to do Le Petite Chef with friends, I see a different menu on the app vs my cruise planner. Can anyone clarify if all of the ships are offering the same menu and if so which one? Thanks in advance, Patty