First cruise with Celebrity--any review for Beyond?

[ShelleyQT]

Longtime cruisers here...platinum on Carnival and NCL.  We are looking at trying out Celebrity for the first time.  I can't seem to find any reviews on Cruise Critic for the Celebrity Beyond.  Anyone know of any?

 

Thanks!

[LGW59]

Just now, ShelleyQT said:

Longtime cruisers here...platinum on Carnival and NCL.  We are looking at trying out Celebrity for the first time.  I can't seem to find any reviews on Cruise Critic for the Celebrity Beyond.  Anyone know of any?

 

Thanks!

Beyond has not sailed yet, it's a brand new ship, first voyage is in April, 2022

[MamaFej]

The Beyond is not yet in operation. I believe it is in or preparing for Sea Trials.

 

You might look at reviews for Edge or Apex, as they are the same class of ship.

 

Welcome to Celebrity! You'll find many wonderful, helpful folks on these boards.

 

[kwokpot]

My I suggest looking for reviews written by poster Jamie logical. She is a longtime NCL cruiser who sailed her first Celebrity cruise when cruises restarted last year and is now hooked on Celebrity. Her reviews are complete and comprehensive and especially her first Celebrity review compares and contrasts with her NCL experiences.  

[LGW59]

1 minute ago, kwokpot said:

My I suggest looking for reviews written by poster Jamie logical. She is a longtime NCL cruiser who sailed her first Celebrity cruise when cruises restarted last year and is now hooked on Celebrity. Her reviews are complete and comprehensive and especially her first Celebrity review compares and contrasts with her NCL experiences.  

Great suggestion @kwokpotJamies reviews are fun, but Beyond has not sailed yet, will be very much looking forward to the first reviews in April.

[MamaFej]

4 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

My I suggest looking for reviews written by poster Jamie logical. She is a longtime NCL cruiser who sailed her first Celebrity cruise when cruises restarted last year and is now hooked on Celebrity. Her reviews are complete and comprehensive and especially her first Celebrity review compares and contrasts with her NCL experiences.  

That's a good idea, @kwokpot! @JamieLogical, would you like to direct the poster to your reviews, please?

[koolforkatz]

If you would like to get sneak peeks of the Beyond, as she hasn’t even yet launched, I would suggest following Captain Kate on TikTok. She’s posted a few clips. Look for pax reviews in April. 

[JamieLogical]

9 hours ago, MamaFej said:

That's a good idea, @kwokpot! @JamieLogical, would you like to direct the poster to your reviews, please?

 

Here you go! Here is my comparison thread:

 

 

Here is the review of my first Celebrity sailing:

 

 

Edited February 15, 2022 by JamieLogical

[NutsAboutGolf]

Edge/Apex reviews will be your best bet.  While it will staffed by the "A-Team", there aren't that many huge differences to the passengers over the Edge/Apex.  For the suite guests, the Retreat is bigger and the suite restaurant, Luminae, moves to the front of the ship.  There's a new restaurant that is charging at least $75/person.  For non-suite guests the biggest change may be a larger sunset bar.  Otherwise while the ship is overall bigger that was mostly done to increase the stateroom count. 

[terrydtx]

For Retreat or Suites guest the new Beyond will be fabulous experience. The Luminae is moving from the 12th deck to the 16th deck with forward facing windows. This means all 3 of the Retreat facilities will be located on the front top 3 decks, Retreat Lounge 15th, Luminae, 16th and the Retreat pool and sun deck 17th. The Pool and sun deck will have more shade too. It really enhances the small ship in a bigger ship experience.  We have future cruises booked in the Retreat on the Apex and Edge, and hope to find a Beyond cruise to book in our schedule.

[kwokpot]

Having been on the flagships of both Carnival and Celebrity last year I will say that they are two totally different cruise experiences. The biggest difference is on Celebrity the passengers make their own fun. In other words it's a much more laid back experience where there aren't water slides,roller coasters,rope courses,and things like that. I'm amazed how many people on Carnival attend deck parties. On Celebrity you'll get less than a quarter amount of participation that Carnival gets for their respective deck parties. Same thing with the comedy shows on Carnival. Every Carnival cruise there's long lines to get into the comedy shows.

 

On Celebrity it's just another show,and actually there's more people attending the production shows than comedy shows.

 

No piano bars on Celebrity ships. Carnival passengers love to do group stuff whereas on Celebrity it's more quietly doing you own thing. 

 

Food quality is far superior on Celebrity over Carnival, especially the buffet and MDR.  No dancing and singing waiters. 

 

The main pool deck on the Beyond even at it's most crowded will be a far more sedate experience than the pool deck experience on Carnival. Think about how Relaxing the Serenity Area is on Carnival and that's the atmosphere on the main pool deck on Celebrity.

 

The Beyond will be more modern and sophisticated than the Mardi Gras or Celebration. 

 

As much as The MardiGras is a game changer for Carnival the Celebrity Edge, Apex and Beyond is the same for Celebrity. 

 

Edited February 15, 2022 by kwokpot

[sptrout]

Not a place for reviews, but Celebrity's YouTube site has a lot of information about the Beyond and several other cruise related videos. https://www.youtube.com/c/celebritycruises

 

 

[kwokpot]

One detail on Celebrity that demonstrates it aims to be a more upscale cruiseline than either Carnival or NCL is the pool towel policy. On Celebrity there isn't a policy, no need to sign towels in or out. They're available poolside and other areas of the ship. 

[LGW59]

1 minute ago, kwokpot said:

One detail on Celebrity that demonstrates it aims to be a more upscale cruiseline than either Carnival or NCL is the pool towel policy. On Celebrity there isn't a policy, no need to sign towels in or out. They're available poolside and other areas of the ship. 

When you cruise on Carnival, do you do it because they have a particular itinerary that interests you or because you want a change from the relative calm of Celebrity?  I have cruised on Carnival, would NEVER do so again even if it were free, but I have friends who absolutely love the vibe on Carnival.

[terrydtx]

4 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

I have cruised on Carnival, would NEVER do so again even if it were free, but I have friends who absolutely love the vibe on Carnival.

I have to agree with you, we also have friends who love Carnival, but not us.

[terrydtx]

10 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

One detail on Celebrity that demonstrates it aims to be a more upscale cruiseline than either Carnival or NCL is the pool towel policy. On Celebrity there isn't a policy, no need to sign towels in or out. They're available poolside and other areas of the ship. 

Also if your port stop has a beach, Celebrity will leave a beach towel in your cabin the night before. That is being upscale.

[kwokpot]

30 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

When you cruise on Carnival, do you do it because they have a particular itinerary that interests you or because you want a change from the relative calm of Celebrity?  I have cruised on Carnival, would NEVER do so again even if it were free, but I have friends who absolutely love the vibe on Carnival.

That's a great question. Prior to Six years ago we mainly sailed on Royal, NCL, Celebrity. What changed was my husband started participating in the cruiseline's gambling program. In a nutshell we have not paid outright for a cruise in the last six years,they have all been comped either directly from the cruiseline,in partnership with a land based casino company,or a third party cruise casino hosting company. My husband finds Carnival's casinos have the newest and most enjoyable slot machines of all the cruise lines. Carnival also offers enormous benefits for their casino players. Their best offers included a free balcony,at least $500 gambling money,free private port transfers or free at port parking, free drinks for two anywhere on the ship,Free wifi for two, a free excursion or $300 spa credit, and free loyalty gifts and other in-room benefits. So far this year we have eight cruises booked, two with Celebrity and six with Carnival, all comped. Celebrity's casino program wasn't as robust and their casinos are on the smaller side and don't have as many of the newest games, especially the ones that have big payouts. Celebrity has started enhancing their casino program,but what made the biggest difference is Celebrity working with an outside casino hosting company to bring in casino players onboard. Our very first suite cabin on any cruiseline was booked complementary through this third party company. Our second Retreat cabin next week on the Reflection was also booked with this company and is fully comped. 

As for me, sometimes I like the energy that Carnival brings. I may not participate in 98% of the activities that Carnival cruises provide, but the passengers are always in a great mood and never complain about anything.

Edited February 15, 2022 by kwokpot

[kwokpot]

23 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Also if your port stop has a beach, Celebrity will leave a beach towel in your cabin the night before. That is being upscale.

What about the dockside setup at port stops which includes shaded seating,cold water, and cold towels for those that are hot from walking back to the ship?

[MamaFej]

And, in cooler climates, the dockside setup has hot cocoa and coffee. This was most welcome in Belfast, Iceland, and cold days in Alaska. 

It is lovely being welcomed back with a beverage to warm you up or cool you down, as appropriate, and a cold or hot wet towel for your hands. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

6 hours ago, kwokpot said:

...

 

As much as The MardiGras is a game changer for Carnival the Celebrity Edge, Apex and Beyond is the same for Celebrity. 

 

 

We enjoyed the Mardi Gras (twice). Rudy's was a nice step up in their food offerings, I think that their steakhouse has been loosing ground somewhat -- but I can trace that back to when they used to be called "Supper Clubs" and had live music.

 

I'll have to try an E-class ship at some point. Though, I'll see you on the Reflection soon! (well, we'll probably see each other - but it might not even register) 🙂

 

Tom

 

[KKB]

22 hours ago, ShelleyQT said:

Longtime cruisers here...platinum on Carnival and NCL.  We are looking at trying out Celebrity for the first time.  I can't seem to find any reviews on Cruise Critic for the Celebrity Beyond.  Anyone know of any?

 

Thanks!

Hasn't sailed yet!

I WILL say I was on her sister ship, the Edge, for 2 weeks last summer & was blown away!

I am vying for a Beyond cruise after that!!

Why?

I loved the unique modern design.

I loved the 4 MDRs.

I loved Eden

We were spoiled sailing with only 1/2 passenger load & crew was AMAZING. We made some very special relationships with crew after 2 weeks. AND since it had been 18 months since cruising, goodness knows we were ready.

 

We have never sailed Carnival. We have done 1 NCL--Getaway in Dec. 2018. We LOVED the Waterfront & the entertainment. The Magic Carpet certainly rivals the Waterfront & the Edge entertainment is an improvement over other Celebrity ships--think IMAX production shows. I did prefer the music selections overall on NCL (we just connected with one venue). But Celebrity food & service are a step up from NCL, imo. (Oh, I'll still be sailing NCL again in Dec! And Carnival in Jan...so yah never know!)

 

Edited February 15, 2022 by KKB

[ShelleyQT]

Thanks, all.  I've read @JamieLogical's reviews and she's part of the reason we want to try Celebrity!

[NutsAboutGolf]

  

7 hours ago, kwokpot said:

Having been on the flagships of both Carnival and Celebrity last year I will say that they are two totally different cruise experiences. The biggest difference is on Celebrity the passengers make their own fun. In other words it's a much more laid back experience where there aren't water slides,roller coasters,rope courses,and things like that. I'm amazed how many people on Carnival attend deck parties. On Celebrity you'll get less than a quarter amount of participation that Carnival gets for their respective deck parties. Same thing with the comedy shows on Carnival. Every Carnival cruise there's long lines to get into the comedy shows.

 

On Celebrity it's just another show,and actually there's more people attending the production shows than comedy shows.

 

No piano bars on Celebrity ships. Carnival passengers love to do group stuff whereas on Celebrity it's more quietly doing you own thing. 

 

Food quality is far superior on Celebrity over Carnival, especially the buffet and MDR.  No dancing and singing waiters. 

 

The main pool deck on the Beyond even at it's most crowded will be a far more sedate experience than the pool deck experience on Carnival. Think about how Relaxing the Serenity Area is on Carnival and that's the atmosphere on the main pool deck on Celebrity.

 

The Beyond will be more modern and sophisticated than the Mardi Gras or Celebration. 

 

As much as The MardiGras is a game changer for Carnival the Celebrity Edge, Apex and Beyond is the same for Celebrity. 

 

 

I was on a July Edge Caribbean sailing (with KKB), the Celebrity Equinox in the ABC Islands in Oct-Nov and on the Carnival Glory in the Panama Canal in December.  My next four cruises are Celebrity this month, Carnival next month, Celebrity in April and Carnival in June.

 

I agree with everything kwokpot says above, I just wanted to bring more attention to what I highlighted.

 

A lot has to do with age, it will depending on the cruise duration, itinerary, luck, etc, excluding children so the 18+ age median, Celebrity could be one to two decades older than Carnival and that affects the activities.

 

Activities with Celebrity, they might not offer much of anything beyond a duet or solo guitarist.  While there could be a few lectures per sailing, Celebrity will put this on a TV channel that plays them on a continuous loop.  You'll see many people playing cards, board games or reading a book/tablet everywhere on the ship on a seaday.  Besides music, there may only have one show performed twice per night, an hour of trivia and there will probably be a super late DJ party no early than 11pm.

 

Activities with Carnival, in the grand scheme of things, waterslides, rollercoaster, rope courses, etc could all be done in a single hour so that doesn't pass as much time as people think.  Yet, there can be many overlapping activities day and night, on one random evening I recall the Magic show in main theater, a 18+ comedian in the punchliner club, the six member house band in the atrium, solo guitarist by the casino bar, Marvel movie playing on the lido, piano player at the piano bar, karaoke in the karaoke bar, etc.

 

Food, this is where things get a bit subjective.  Without a doubt, the buffet and MDR is superior on Celebrity vs Carnival.  Specialty restaurants are about the same and the cover charges are cheaper on Carnival.  On Carnival, people rave about Guys burgers, Guys BBQ (complimentary for lunch but $$$ for dinner) and Shaq's Big (fried) chicken yet many Celebrity passengers may not want burgers, bbq or fried chicken.  Most newer carnival ships also have Mexican and Asian restaurants.

 

In summary, the two offer vastly different experiences, I enjoy both for different reasons.