LIVE! -- Dragon of the Seas goes to the Beyond and Back, October 26-Novemeber 4

[DragonOfTheSeas]

30 minutes ago, countess5 said:

Following along, two different perspectives of the ship. We board in February for a B2B so your views and thoughts will be appreciated. 

 

By the way we love the Magic Carpet to play cards and just relax. Only observation ( as everywhere on the ship) getting up out of the seats is a challenge! 😂. Not sure what they were thinking with the seating… 🤔

 

Cheers! 

I am going to try it out later.  I will check out the seats. 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

I had some trouble loading pictures last night.  I think everyone was on the internet at the same time.  I will try some text entries today on various topics. 

 

This is not intended as a rant.  It is merely FYI. 

 

The biggest topics among several people I talked to yesterday was dinner reservations or lack of reservations.  Those who have sailed on Edge before please chime in to add any bits of wisdom. [or correct any mistakes] I have only been on the ship one day.  

 

The Beyond does not have a typical main dining room.  There are four smaller dining rooms [on decks 3 & 4] that each have a different theme/cuisine.  Tuscan, Normandie, Cyprus, Cosmopolitan. The menu has the theme inspired dishes on the left side [they rotate nightly] and dishes that are common to all four dining rooms on the right side.  Some of those rotate and some are available each night. 

 

Guests can choose early or late seating or select dining, which is like anytime dining on Royal Caribbean.  For select dining you can make a reservation for a time or just show up. I usually make reservations because I do not like to wait in a line, On Royal Caribbean if you don't have a reservation, it usually takes from 5-15 minutes. If you have a reservation for the same time each night, they will assign you the same table and wait staff each night.  I like that.  For DH and me early dining is too early [usually 5:30] and late dining is too late [ usually 8:30]. 

 

We booked this cruise about 10 months ago and about 3 months ago I went into the Celebrity app and tried to make dinner reservations. My mistake!  The only times open were 9 and 9:30. That is waaaay too late for me to eat. I kept trying almost every day--thinking they would open more seating.  . . . but that never happened.  I was not alone in that problem.  It became a big topic on the roll call.  Several members said that the ship reserves some availability until passengers are actually on the ship.  They suggested going to one of the restaurants when you board to make reservations.  

 

There was enough discussion [read angst] about this that one of the roll call members said he/she booked this cruise well more than a year ago and made reservations as soon as they could.  They didn't feel guilty about reserving all the slots and if people booked late that was not their problem. Ha ha ha.  Of course, they did not post it exactly in those words. 🙄 That toned the discussion down a little.

 

OK, fast forward to us boarding the ship and going to the Cosmopolitan restaurant.  It was the only one of the four that had someone available.  We had 12 or so people in front of us and twice that many behind us.  We waited about 30 minutes in line and only 2 people finished making reservations in that time.  As I stood in line, I tried the app again.  I was able to make a reservation for 5:45 on night 5 in Normandie and 8pm on night 6 in Cyprus.  All other time were taken on every day in all four restaurants. Neither was my first choice. 

 

So, we decided to just try to show up on the other days. If we had to, we could eat in the buffet on any night.

 

So last night around 6pm we went to the Craft Social bar to have a drink.  I told DH let me go to the restaurants and see if I could put our name on a list.  The Cyprus had a much shorter line than the others, so I joined it.  The six parties in front of me all had reservations and we seated within 5 minutes.  When I asked about availability for last night, they told me if we were willing to share a table with another couple, they could seat us now.  Woohoo!  So,, we had a delicious meal with a couple from NJ.  [They had not made any reservations either] When we left the restaurant the line was at least 20 couples long and the restaurant looked almost full to me.  

 

So, the moral of this story is book a few reservations as soon as you can on the app [you can always cancel] and if you decide to just show up, go early.  

 

 

[hcat]

We enjoyed Cyprus and Normandie ( beautiful decor) on EDGE..Cyprus( Greek) is one of the two smaller venues...   our fav was Tuscan..( smaller with  Fellini decor and ital music..)  we had res at 6 each nite...one night our other plans were changed and only place with space for us was Tuscan.

 

Cosmopolitan was where they served breakfast and lunch.( both good).and those with fixed dining,  it  was more busy and we disliked seating at a long table..many 2s  in an attached row...

 

Hope u get to visit them all!   On EDGE  early arirval  was less crowded and great window tables..sunset views.  

 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

It's time for a comparison of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.  So far, the food on this ship is better than what we have had recently on royal.  We have taken 2 cruises since cruising resumed.  [Enchantment in March and Voyager in August] I only have one night in a restaurant to go by--but, everything the four of us ordered was delicious. DH commented on how much better his Prime Rib was.

 

There are way more choices in the buffet and there are many more seats.  I do not like hunting for a table.  I feel like a vulture trying to see who is ready to get up so I can swoop in and take their place.🤣

 

 One particular stand out for me is dessert.  On Royal I feel their desserts are very attractive and presented well.  However, they taste bland.  It is like they used too little of the flavoring.  The desserts on Celebrity on this cruise and others we have taken in the past are beautiful and delicious.  

 

I will try to post some food porn later. 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

4 minutes ago, hcat said:

We enjoyed Cyprus and Normandie ( beautiful decor) on EDGE..Cyprus( Greek) is one of the two smaller venues...   our fav was Tuscan..( smaller with  Fellini decor and ital music..)  we had res at 6 each nite...one night our other plans were changed and only place with space for us was Tuscan.

 

Cosmopolitan was where they served breakfast and lunch.( both good).and those with fixed dining,  it  was more busy and we disliked seating at a long table..many 2s  in an attached row...

 

Hope u get to visit them all!   On EDGE  early arirval  was less crowded and great window tables..sunset views.  

 

Thanks, I would not like sitting at a long table of 2s either.  We are hoping to try each one.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

sorry double post

Edited October 27, 2022 by DragonOfTheSeas

[DragonOfTheSeas]

The Captain just gave a briefing. He is so funny. 

 

The temp is 69 now and will be 75 later. It should be a beautiful day. We arrive in Bermuda by 8 am. We are halfway there at this point. 

 

Luigi gave an update on all of the activities.  [I grabbed this image from the TV--so, not the best]

 

 

 

 

 

[Barwick Cruiser]

3 hours ago, countess5 said:

Following along, two different perspectives of the ship. We board in February for a B2B so your views and thoughts will be appreciated. 

 

By the way we love the Magic Carpet to play cards and just relax. Only observation ( as everywhere on the ship) getting up out of the seats is a challenge! 😂. Not sure what they were thinking with the seating… 🤔

 

Cheers! 

We haven’t sailed on an E class yet however I find the Magic Carpet interesting and will def check it out when we sail on the Edge in ‘24, one comment I’ve read frequently is that the area is so windy and not comfortable for sitting and enjoying a drink or meal due to the winds…you mention playing cards which sounds like would be impossible with windy conditions…depends on the itinerary? Whether docked or at sail? Thanks for any insight you can provide. 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We are enjoying a sunny and relaxing morning in the solarium.

 

 

 

The solarium is quite large and has lots of loungers and even some art work. 

 

[kwokpot]

Just now, DragonOfTheSeas said:

I had some trouble loading pictures last night.  I think everyone was on the internet at the same time.  I will try some text entries today on various topics. 

 

This is not intended as a rant.  It is merely FYI. 

 

The biggest topics among several people I talked to yesterday was dinner reservations or lack of reservations.  Those who have sailed on Edge before please chime in to add any bits of wisdom. [or correct any mistakes] I have only been on the ship one day.  

 

The Beyond does not have a typical main dining room.  There are four smaller dining rooms [on decks 3 & 4] that each have a different theme/cuisine.  Tuscan, Normandie, Cyprus, Cosmopolitan. The menu has the theme inspired dishes on the left side [they rotate nightly] and dishes that are common to all four dining rooms on the right side.  Some of those rotate and some are available each night. 

 

Guests can choose early or late seating or select dining, which is like anytime dining on Royal Caribbean.  For select dining you can make a reservation for a time or just show up. I usually make reservations because I do not like to wait in a line, On Royal Caribbean if you don't have a reservation, it usually takes from 5-15 minutes. If you have a reservation for the same time each night, they will assign you the same table and wait staff each night.  I like that.  For DH and me early dining is too early [usually 5:30] and late dining is too late [ usually 8:30]. 

 

We booked this cruise about 10 months ago and about 3 months ago I went into the Celebrity app and tried to make dinner reservations. My mistake!  The only times open were 9 and 9:30. That is waaaay too late for me to eat. I kept trying almost every day--thinking they would open more seating.  . . . but that never happened.  I was not alone in that problem.  It became a big topic on the roll call.  Several members said that the ship reserves some availability until passengers are actually on the ship.  They suggested going to one of the restaurants when you board to make reservations.  

 

There was enough discussion [read angst] about this that one of the roll call members said he/she booked this cruise well more than a year ago and made reservations as soon as they could.  They didn't feel guilty about reserving all the slots and if people booked late that was not their problem. Ha ha ha.  Of course, they did not post it exactly in those words. 🙄 That toned the discussion down a little.

 

OK, fast forward to us boarding the ship and going to the Cosmopolitan restaurant.  It was the only one of the four that had someone available.  We had 12 or so people in front of us and twice that many behind us.  We waited about 30 minutes in line and only 2 people finished making reservations in that time.  As I stood in line, I tried the app again.  I was able to make a reservation for 5:45 on night 5 in Normandie and 8pm on night 6 in Cyprus.  All other time were taken on every day in all four restaurants. Neither was my first choice. 

 

So, we decided to just try to show up on the other days. If we had to, we could eat in the buffet on any night.

 

So last night around 6pm we went to the Craft Social bar to have a drink.  I told DH let me go to the restaurants and see if I could put our name on a list.  The Cyprus had a much shorter line than the others, so I joined it.  The six parties in front of me all had reservations and we seated within 5 minutes.  When I asked about availability for last night, they told me if we were willing to share a table with another couple, they could seat us now.  Woohoo!  So,, we had a delicious meal with a couple from NJ.  [They had not made any reservations either] When we left the restaurant the line was at least 20 couples long and the restaurant looked almost full to me.  

 

So, the moral of this story is book a few reservations as soon as you can on the app [you can always cancel] and if you decide to just show up, go early.  

 

 

Bottom line: the Beyond no longer offers fixed early or late dining with an assigned table for the whole cruise. It doesn't matter what you booked as a dining preference, the 4 MDRs are 100% open seating. 

[amcco]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

Bottom line: the Beyond no longer offers fixed early or late dining with an assigned table for the whole cruise. It doesn't matter what you booked as a dining preference, the 4 MDRs are 100% open seating. 

Interesting. You can still choose early, late or select when booking. When on the Edge last, you were assigned a restaurant and could change it to try the other restaurants through the maître d but it was still at the seating time you chose when booking. I could see totally open being a fiasco. Hence, also why I always make reservations. 😊

[Ex-Airbalancer]

We were on the Voyager in August 28 and than September 4 TA , what a disaster of a cruise , ports were great , the ship was terrible, needs a major up renovation! And lack of staff and supplies 
we were on the Apex TA in April , which was short staff , the 4 dining is one of the best things on E-class, rest of ship isn’t as nice as S or M class ships 
it must be nice to eat off really China plates in the buffet instead of plastic plates and glasses they use on the Voyager 

Edited October 27, 2022 by Ex-Airbalancer

[DragonOfTheSeas]

23 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

We were on the Voyager in August 28 and than September 4 TA , what a disaster of a cruise , ports were great , the ship was terrible, needs a major up renovation! And lack of staff and supplies 
 

We sailed the Baltic on the Voyager July 31 to August 1.  We only had 1300 guests.  The ship holds 3600.  So, there was no staff shortage for us.  There were almost too few passengers.  There were usually only 2-3 couples in any bar at one time.  It was quiet.  

 

Service was excellent.  Since a Baltic cruise is so ort intensive, we did not do lots of activities.  I agree the ship needs a refurb.

 

 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

13 minutes ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

We sailed the Baltic on the Voyager July 31 to August 1.  We only had 1300 guests.  The ship holds 3600.  So, there was no staff shortage for us.  There were almost too few passengers.  There were usually only 2-3 couples in any bar at one time.  It was quiet.  

 

Service was excellent.  Since a Baltic cruise is so ort intensive, we did not do lots of activities.  I agree the ship needs a refurb.

 

 

Hitman playing in the schooner power, and the guy playing in the pub were terrible singers ! 
There was 2200 passengers and 250 Pinnacles on the ship , they gave the Pinnacles the Crown lounge for HH , and with it being cold weather cruise , there wasn’t a lot location to see and watch the sea go by since we could use the lounge during those hours 

They were very short staff on the TA because a lot staff from the Aug 28 did not have Visa for the USA

The best thing about RCL was getting 4 drinks a day thought out the day for the Diamond perk 

[hcat]

3 hours ago, kwokpot said:

Bottom line: the Beyond no longer offers fixed early or late dining with an assigned table for the whole cruise. It doesn't matter what you booked as a dining preference, the 4 MDRs are 100% open seating. 

Based upon this change, I suggest folks grab mdr res  if they can get them..

 

Lines for ad hoc dining will be winding out the door ...not exactly what many thought they signed up for!

[jelayne]

Not sure why the lines would be any longer.  The tables that were currently taken by fixed dining will be available.  Each seat in fixed dining is only available 2x a night.  Select dining is from 5:30/5:45 to 9.  So each seat could be available up to 3x per night.  Changing to all open seating should increase the seating capacity 

 
We stopped doing fixed dining as it seemed dinner took longer in fixed dining than select.  We generally are done with dinner in just under an hour.  

[hcat]

On our Edge cruise those with res lined up at their set time,  were checked in  and quickly seated.

 

Those without res came when they wanted,  also lined up..and were  checked in...but the line  to be seated was  much longer... some restaurants were more efficient than others...

 

Hopefully X has this all worked out. Feedback will be helpful!

 

 

 

 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

I spoke with the person manning the desk at one of the restaurants. 

 

I went there just before 5:30 [opens at 5:30] to see if I could sign up for an open time later. There was no one in line.  She told me no--I would need to come back when I wanted to eat. If there is no availability, they give out pagers. 

 

I asked why people could sign up for fixed dining if that was not available on the ship.  She said they have just one computer dining reservation system for Celebrity, and it doesn't differentiate between the various classes of the ships.  

 

She was dismissive of the reservation system shoreside. 

 

On a positive note, we got seated quickly at 6pm and the food was excellent. We decided to try for earlier seating than our usual preference since there seemed to be a number of things going on in the early evening and we hoped passengers would be busy.

 

 

Edited October 27, 2022 by DragonOfTheSeas

[DragonOfTheSeas]

One unique thing about this ship is the amount of creaking it does.  We are not in rough seas and the wind is not unusually strong.  However, the creaking is very pronounced.  I found it a little creepy yesterday, but I am used to it now. 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We are Diamond Plus on Royal Caribbean.  Celebrity "matches" our status as Elite. This 2-side list of benefits was in our room when we boarded. 

 

 

I have to learn to be faster in making reservations.  I called this morning to rsvp for some of these.  However, the Eden Sneek Peek and the Theatre Event were already full.  I was lucky enough to get a slot in the wine tasting.  The Senior Officer Event and the Celebration event do not require reservations. . . .so my advice is to leave a voice mail message on embarkation day. 

[Stem to Stern]

We always forget to get our free scoop of gelato.  Too busy muttering to each other about the fact that there is a charge for gelato.🙄🤣

[kwokpot]

Just now, DragonOfTheSeas said:

One unique thing about this ship is the amount of creaking it does.  We are not in rough seas and the wind is not unusually strong.  However, the creaking is very pronounced.  I found it a little creepy yesterday, but I am used to it now. 

Same experience. We're in an IV cabin and it creaks. In smooth waters.

[Stem to Stern]

3 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Same experience. We're in an IV cabin and it creaks. In smooth waters.

So that’s at least three eye witness accounts of Beyond creaking on this board.

Oop!  I just realized this is a Halloween cruise.  Maybe it is all being piped in for ambiance?

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

Same experience. We're in an IV cabin and it creaks. In smooth waters.

We were in a Suite on the TA and it creaked  much of the time except in smooth water, which we had very little of 

[Lena11033]

My cabin in August for my Italy/Greece cruise creaked, not all the time but there was one night a few people including myself were up during the night due to creaking