cw2go

I never closed the bifold doors. To help give a vision for my layout/function, I had a bed by the balcony end of the stateroom. The first space from the entrance door was my dressing area with the makeup mirror, wide open to the bathroom with the closet and drawers. Made it great for laying out clothes and I stored our shoes under the sofa. The bed was next with the TV and then on the other side were the two chairs and small table, perfect for a beverage not a meal. My DH would hang there often watching the sea go by while I would get ready for the night, gave us each a place to relax without using the bed. We closed the room darkening screen at night, I lowered the window many times while in port. I liked the room space and layout a lot. Hope this helps, Patty

I am one who loved the IV and it was never locked by the Capt. Patty

No doubt! So many things to do! I'm coming in July this year and since the road is still closed we have opted to do a flight seeing tour w/landing out of Talkeetna to hopefully see Mt McKinley. Fingers crossed for a clear viewing day! Patty

I agree! I know I was super lucky. I should have mentioned that, was more focused on the Denali portion of the OP's question. Patty

I've sailed in Aug and Sept, had great weather for both so IMO August is fine but as @Coral posted above, you may want to re-think the land portion to Denali. Patty

I honestly believe with your "Glass Half Full" approach to Celebrity and cruising in general that you'll enjoy Eclass more than you think.There are always going to be pros and cons between ship classes. I am sure lists can be made between S & M just the same. If you enjoy pools or open spaces Eclass is well laid out. The sunset bar is so much nicer than others and the rooftop garden has plenty of seating spread out. I'm not in any way trying to convince anyone that one class is superior to another just saying after my first sailing on Beyond post pandemic, there were many things I liked as well as a few that I didn't. I have cruises booked on M and S and E class ships for the next year. I like the variety and mostly focus on itinerary. IMO there's no one size fits all, you'll never find any ship/cruise line that delivers 100% of what we want unless we sail on a private yacht. 😊 Celebrity gives us all many options between ships and entertainment which imo is a good thing. Take the overall good with the minimal bad and sail on! Patty

I am one who has never sailed in a suite and after over 25 cruises, I've never felt like a second class citizen. I'll be in Europe and visiting Santorini in a non suite stateroom this year, enjoy Europe and your wedding, there is nothing to worry about! Congrats, Patty

Just want to pop in to give a tad bit of information and you may already know this but... If you're serious about Alaska you may want to read a tad over on the Alaska Forum, I have sailed with Celebrity and Princess, have also done Northbound/Southbound and round trip cruises. For whales, Juneau is your jackpot! ISP with Celebrity is also fantastic.🐳 If you desire Glacier Bay then Princess is the next best match to Celebrity which can't sail there. Hubbard Glacier is pretty incredible and I'd bet your Lil' Gen Z would love it! You'll see many opinions regarding ship life but for me port times are top priority. Both will have kids on the sailing. Both will have lecturers and some entertainment, typical of any other sailing. Love following your travel adventures, Patty

Respectfully, what issues do you consider to be a downgrade on the Eclass vs M or S? Food in MDR/Buffet has been downgraded fleet wide & service fees have also been applied fleet wide? Many consider the production shows a huge improvement. I found the Martini Bar area on Beyond to be the best of any other ship? The pool deck was amazing, no way M or S can compete. I preferred the 4 dining rooms to the one central hub. I sailed Feb 2023 in a non suite IV stateroom, I did see the cutbacks but I didn't see the ship class as the issue. I totally get cutbacks were to benefit Celebrity but that's the same of any company right now. Airlines, Hotels, Food Industry have all made cuts and none have done so in the best interest of the customer. I am in no way being snarky, sincerely curious? Patty

Can you post the itinerary, ship and cruise length information? I sailed Beyond last month and YES many people were drinking, self included BUT I did not witness any behavior that you're describing. I do agree that Celebrity is attempting to please multiple travelers styles/needs but I also find that to be a good thing. My hubby enjoys things that I don't and vise versa, we like that Celebrity meets us in the middle. Patty

I use Merrell Boots for all ports/all day. Patty

Not the OP but thought I'd share. I am petrified of heights, get wobbly feet and stomach jitters but I absolutely loved it and am doing it again this July. I had less anxiety because they released me, very much like parasailing, if I had to jump off, it'd never happen. We were also told to hold our arms out like an eagle to keep from spinning. Patty

@taylortime05 thanks for letting me jump in and soak up the info with you. Lots of great options shared that have my brain cells swirling 😊 Patty

Thank you for your input, I feel like the Expedition cruises look amazing but they take me too far out of my comfort zone. The vibe and cost are very concerning, Patty

Thank you, I've read several of your posts, looks like you had a wonderful adventure! Patty

Thank you, I mis-read your post, oops! Seeing these lil' guys would make my heart smile! I am also reading a bit on South America since I can see Penguins, escape Ohio Winters and I saw a few posts mention Iguazu Falls, looks amazing! Could be a Win Win! Patty

@AmberCascades and @mahdnc Sorry, I'm kinda hijacking this thread but my question may also help the OP. Since you've sailed Antarctica can you share if you have regrets of "no Landings" I am researching an Antarctica cruise vs Expeditions, I get so overwhelmed by the logistics and costs.(Expeditions are most likely not in our comfort zone, I'd prefer several vacations to one) We've sailed Alaska, Caribbean and Europe many times. Seeing penguins is on my bucket list but I'd hate to just see black and white dots 🐧 I am also concerned of so many sea days? When we sail we often jam pack our port days and sea days can get monotonous. Thanks for any input, Patty

So Much Cuteness OOZES in this post! Enjoy your time together, it goes by way too fast!

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