Live Review, Celebrity Beyond, December 11-18

[alexkrn46]

16 hours ago, chucknmarilyn said:

Yikes. We will be on Deck 10 starboard just a bit behind the forward elevators. Hope this gets resolved.

we were in 10114 banging for 5 days when the sea was rough.

[mac_tlc]

21 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

 

Wifi is so horribly bad on my Amtrak Train.  Tomorrow, I'll give you the detailed process of what I went through and some recommendations for you in preparation for your cruise next year.  Even with a late departure off the first sailing, we still had 1 hour+ of waiting until the terminals even opened for the second sailing.

We have taken the auto train a number of times, both northbound and southbound, and can agree the wifi is abysmal. 
 

mac_tlc

[LPut714]

On 12/9/2022 at 7:06 PM, Stealthdog said:

We are continuing the second leg of a B2B (or side to side) and board the Celebrity Beyond this Sunday in Fort Lauderdale.  We are currently finishing our first leg on the Royal Odyssey of the Seas.

 

This will be our 4th Celebrity sailing, and have also sailed Royal, Norwegian, and Disney.  I plan this review to be mostly live, but I might have some portions that will be done post cruise.

 

Some information in case people have specific questions about cabin, dining, status perks, etc:

- We booked a Concierge Class balcony but upgraded to Aqua Class in the bid-up process.  We are excited for that because we have only sailed Aqua Class on Celebrity.

- We will spend most of our time in the Blu restaurant but will try a few of the new MDRs and may go to one Specialty Restaurant.  If we do, it will probably be Eden.

- We bought the non-alcohol package and are bringing 3 bottles of wine on board with us (our TA has a fourth bottle waiting for us on board).

- We have Select status. 

- We purchased an internet package.

 

Itinerary for the sailing:

Dec 11 - Fort Lauderdale

Dec 12 - At Sea

Dec 13 - At Sea

Dec 14 - St Maarten

Dec 15 - St Thomas

Dec 16 - Who knows....keeps changing....looks like we are back to Puerto Plata

Dec 17 - At Sea

Dec 18 - Fort Lauderdale

 

We have been to St Maarten and St Thomas a couple times each, and Puerto Plata for both resort stays, and cruise stops.  We booked all of our excursions for this sailing thru a private vendor (Shore Excursions Group).  We don't know yet what we will do in Puerto Plata yet because the itinerary just changed again 2 days ago.

 

I'll plan to post menus, the daily, and the entertainment schedule.  Ask any question and I'll try to get the answer, post the picture, or provide whatever you want.

 

When this review is done, I'd like to do a follow-up comparison of the Royal Odyssey and Celebrity Beyond since they are both new ships in those fleets, similar sizes, and alot of people seem to have questions about differences between Royal and Celebrity.

 

Below is a link to the current live review of the Odyssey if anyone has interest reading about it.

 

Live Review, Odyssey of the Seas, Dec 3-11 - Page 5 - Royal Caribbean International - Cruise Critic Community

 

We are doing the same RC Odyssey and the Celebrity Beyond cruise side to side next March/April-were you able to get any type of transportation from Odyssey to the Beyond? Wonder if it is walkable. Was told to check at guest services as they sometimes have crew vans. Can't wait for the trip. Enjoying your reviews

[Stealthdog]

St Maarten.  We love stopping in St Maarten and have done private tours and cab rides on both the French and Dutch sides of the island.  A total of 4 ships were in port our day.  

 

We booked our excursion through Cruise Excursions Group - Half Day Cat Sail and Snorkel.  Local vendor running the tour was called The Happy Sailing Tours.

 

Finding the meet up location was easy from the ship, and about a 15 minute walk.  There were only 5 passengers on the catamaran, so it was almost a completely private boat.  Two others were on the Beyond, and the last was a passenger from Princess.  

 

Happy Sailing Tours took us to two sites - a shipwreck site and Maho Beach.  The shipwreck site was decent snorkeling, but nothing spectacular.  There is an old helicopter in the ocean and a large variety of fish you can see.    For Maho Beach, the Catamaran stays in the water off and you can swim to the beach to get views of the runways.  The current was really strong so be careful if you want to swim to shore.  Because you are only there for a short time, it may not be the best place to watch for planes.  We saw one plane take off while we were at the beach.  

 

After snorkeling, you will get your typical rum punch and snacks while the catamaran takes you back to the pier.  The shoreline has some great views to enjoy.  

 

Because of the ease of getting to the company from the ship, if you are looking for something easy and relaxing to do, this tour is a good option.  You will find better snorkeling on other islands, but if you are looking for something different to do in St Maarten, this one is easy to do.

[Stealthdog]

St Thomas.  This was our first time to the island, so completely new experience for us.  There are two piers in St Thomas (Crown Bay and Havensight).  We checked with Shore Excursions a couple days before the port stop and they said they won't know which pier we will be at until the night before.  Havensight is adjacent to Yacht Haven, and easy walking distance to the downtown area.  Crown Bay does not have much around it and most will need a taxi to get to anywhere.

 

Our excursion of St Thomas was private tour, Half Day Sail and Snorkel with the Turtles, through Shore Excursions Group with a company called Fury Sailing Charters.  

 

As luck would have it, we docked at Crown Bay, next to the Oasis of the Seas.  The only ship docked at Havensight (which supports three ships) was a Norwegian ship.  Fury Sailing Charters is located at Yacht Haven and the meetup time was shortly after the ship docked.  The taxis outside the ship are not sedans - they are van style taxis that don't leave until the seats are full.  We rushed off the ship, paid the $16 for the taxi ($8/person to Yacht Haven), and waited for the Taxi to fill before it left the pier.  There was a family of 4 on the bus van that had to pay $32 to get to Yacht Haven for their tour ($64 roundtrip).  The tour operator called me while we were in the taxi to find out where we were because we were late.  

 

After getting to Yacht Haven, we found the Fury Sailing location.  They were still waiting for more passengers.  There are about a dozen private yachts at Yacht Haven, including the yacht of one of the Walmart daughters.  Eventually we were loaded on a Sail Boat, minus 7 passengers from the Royal ship that didn't make it in time. 

 

The actual tour was nice - the boat shifted from motor to full sail and took us to Buck Island.  At Buck Island there were a couple of reefs, but the highlight was definitely the dozen or so sea turtles you can easily see both below water and above water when they come up for breath.  If you swim above them, they will come up within a few feet of you for air.  

 

We had plenty of time after the tour and walked from Yacht Haven to the Havensight Pier.  It was a roughly 45 minute walk, all along the water so there were interesting things to look at, including the Island's Capitol building.  Back at the Havensight Pier there are several iguanas to see and the typical port shopping center.  

 

The piers and taxi things seemed like a racket to me, especially when private tours will often pick you up at your pier, and this one does not.  Because of the uncertainty of piers and the additional transportation costs, I wouldn't do a private tour in St Thomas again.  Any cruise line tour that goes to Buck Island or another site that has sea turtles is a good option for St Thomas.  

 

Oh....and we had Pier Runners in St Thomas!

[Stealthdog]

1 hour ago, LPut714 said:

We are doing the same RC Odyssey and the Celebrity Beyond cruise side to side next March/April-were you able to get any type of transportation from Odyssey to the Beyond? Wonder if it is walkable. Was told to check at guest services as they sometimes have crew vans. Can't wait for the trip. Enjoying your reviews

 

The Odyssey was Pier 18 and the Beyond was Pier 25.  It is walkable, but if you have alot of luggage that will be a pain.  

 

We checked at Guest Services on the Odyssey and were told we could take a shuttle between the piers when we got off the ship.  When we got our luggage and left Pier 18 building, we asked a couple of pier workers where we could get the shuttle.  They conferred with a few other workers and put us on a shuttle bus that goes to the airport.  The driver loaded our luggage and dropped us off at the Celebrity pier en route to the airport.  Once we got the Pier 25, the porters immediately took our luggage.  

 

We met another couple at the Celebrity pier that was put in a minivan to transfer between piers.

 

Three recommendations:

 

Know which Pier the Beyond will be docked at.  It will be easier if you know when you start talking to the pier employees.  

 

Don't go on the airport shuttle.  It worked for us, but I have heard that others that were put on the shuttle had to go to their airport first, then were brought back to the pier after.  Ask for a van, even if you have to wait a little for it.

 

Relax on the first sailing.  We tried to do everything on the Odyssey, which was wonderful....but then we tried to do everything on the Beyond as well.  I hit the wall the 4th day on the Beyond.  We have been on a 15 day cruise before....doing an 8 day on one ship and a 7 day on another ship was a much different experience.  

 

Both ships are awesome!

[LPut714]

15 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

 

The Odyssey was Pier 18 and the Beyond was Pier 25.  It is walkable, but if you have alot of luggage that will be a pain.  

 

We checked at Guest Services on the Odyssey and were told we could take a shuttle between the piers when we got off the ship.  When we got our luggage and left Pier 18 building, we asked a couple of pier workers where we could get the shuttle.  They conferred with a few other workers and put us on a shuttle bus that goes to the airport.  The driver loaded our luggage and dropped us off at the Celebrity pier en route to the airport.  Once we got the Pier 25, the porters immediately took our luggage.  

 

We met another couple at the Celebrity pier that was put in a minivan to transfer between piers.

 

Three recommendations:

 

Know which Pier the Beyond will be docked at.  It will be easier if you know when you start talking to the pier employees.  

 

Don't go on the airport shuttle.  It worked for us, but I have heard that others that were put on the shuttle had to go to their airport first, then were brought back to the pier after.  Ask for a van, even if you have to wait a little for it.

 

Relax on the first sailing.  We tried to do everything on the Odyssey, which was wonderful....but then we tried to do everything on the Beyond as well.  I hit the wall the 4th day on the Beyond.  We have been on a 15 day cruise before....doing an 8 day on one ship and a 7 day on another ship was a much different experience.  

 

Both ships are awesome!

Thanks so much for your prompt response. It was very helpful. Are the ships always at Pier 18 and 25? I can verify the week before we leave. This will be our first time on Quantam class eventho just reached Diamond on RC. It will also be our first Celebrity cruise. So looking forward to both cruises. We are doing back to back on the Mardi Gras in Feb-so making up for some lost cruise. Have a great holiday. 

[abbydancer2003]

Great review.  By the way, Celebrity always uses Crown Bay.  I think it's contractual thing.

[Stealthdog]

1 hour ago, LPut714 said:

Thanks so much for your prompt response. It was very helpful. Are the ships always at Pier 18 and 25? I can verify the week before we leave. This will be our first time on Quantam class eventho just reached Diamond on RC. It will also be our first Celebrity cruise. So looking forward to both cruises. We are doing back to back on the Mardi Gras in Feb-so making up for some lost cruise. Have a great holiday. 

 

I can't answer the Pier 18/25 question.  When we boarded the Odyssey on Pier 18, the Celebrity Edge was Pier 25.  It looked like Celebrity, Princess, and Royal ships were using specific Piers when boarding the first sailing, boarding the second sailing, and debarking the second sailing.  I'd reach out the week prior.

[mac_tlc]

1 hour ago, LPut714 said:

Thanks so much for your prompt response. It was very helpful. Are the ships always at Pier 18 and 25? I can verify the week before we leave. This will be our first time on Quantam class eventho just reached Diamond on RC. It will also be our first Celebrity cruise. So looking forward to both cruises. We are doing back to back on the Mardi Gras in Feb-so making up for some lost cruise. Have a great holiday. 

Baring any unforeseen circumstances, Odyssey  always uses Pier 18. Beyond/Apex/Edge always use pier 25—- one time I remember the Equinox was “stuck” at pier 18 and Edge used the pier right across from it, pier 22. 
 

Here is a link to the “official” port schedule, it only goes out 7 days.

https://pevvesseltraffic.broward.org/webx/

I have an app that shows the 30 day harbor master schedule—- go to the AppStore and search “ cruiseschedule port Everglades”. 
 

mac_tlc

 

 

[Stealthdog]

Puerto Plata

 

We originally booked a private tour in Puerto Plata that was cancelled when Celebrity changed the port to Turks & Cacaos.  Because the stop was changed back to Puerto Plata a few days prior to the sailing date, we felt it was safer and easier to book through Royal Caribbean.  While in line going through pier screening, we were able to access the ship wifi and book before boarding.

 

Puerto Plata has two cruise ship piers.  I think last time in Puerto Plata, we used Amber Cove on a NCL sailing.  This time we docked at the other pier.  Between the two cruise ship piers there were four cruise ships in port. 

 

We booked the Damajagua Waterfalls and ATV excursion.  Our meetup location was the theater and time was before the ship was cleared by the port.  Once cleared, we were ushered off the ship, down the pier, and onto the busses.  It was about a ~ 30 minute drive to the Damajagua location.  

 

Upon arriving, there was an opportunity to rent a locker and water shoes.  The locker was important because we couldn't leave items on the bus or realistically carry them because they would get wet.  The cost for a locker is $8, and they accept US Dollars.  If you don't bring your own water shoes (we did), you may want to rent them as well.  Some people wore sandals instead of water shoes.  At the welcome entrance, you will also be issued a water vest, helmet, and a zip cord to tie your locker key to your vest.

 

The park was really busy with all the ships in port.  In addition to the Waterfalls and ATV, they also have zip lines at the park.  To get to the waterfalls, there is about a 45 minute hike to the area where we started the waterfall portion.  The hike wasn't too difficult (with steps and uneven ground paths) and is probably the easiest part of the tour.  We had several stops along the way as we waited for the groups ahead of us to reach the waterfall start point.

 

Once we reached the top, we had about a 20-25 minute wait for the groups in front of us to process through the first waterfall drop and clear out of the way to allow us to enter.  In total we had five waterfalls that we jumped or slid into.  The tour was supposed to have seven, but I think it was cut down because of the congestion at the park and the time it takes to do them all.  The jumps were all from platforms ranging 15-25 feet above the next level of waterfall.  The slides were smooth, natural slides from about the same distance.  Only 1 or 2 of the waterfall stops had stairs going down, so for most you either have to jump or slide down.  The water was deep and I never touched the bottom and the water temperature was really cold.  Several times we waited in the water for the groups ahead of us to move onto their next stop.

 

The areas between the waterfalls could be challenging for people with physical disabilities.  There was alot of climbing up and down rocks and walking over very uneven and rocky areas in the water.  After finishing the last stop, there was more walking over rocky and uneven areas both in calf-high water and land.  The actual waterfall adventure was alot of fun, but the long waits were really annoying.  I don't think it would matter if we were doing it with a private tour or cruise line tour - we still would have been waiting for groups ahead of us to progress through the waterfalls.

 

After getting back to the park entrance, we had some time for the ATV portion, with allows you to drive around the park (both land and water) which was fun.  Because we were out of time, there was no time to look at the photo the park cameramen took at the waterfalls, which was disappointing because we didn't take our phones with us to take our own pictures.  There was also no food provided, so bring some food with you and leave it in the lockers.

 

We left the Damajagua park a few minutes before the time all were supposed to be aboard, and ended up getting back to the ship 30 minutes past all aboard.  This is one of the benefits of doing an excursion with the cruise line because I didn't have to stress about being late or the ship leaving.  I think other tours were also late because the Shore Excursion Manager greeted us near the ship and said they were still waiting for another bus to return.  

 

I would not do this tour again if there are 4 ships in port because it was too much waiting and we didn't get to experience everything we should have because of time constraints.  If there are fewer ships in port, I'd do it again.  

 

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos to show because we left our phones in the locker.

[LPut714]

12 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

Baring any unforeseen circumstances, Odyssey  always uses Pier 18. Beyond/Apex/Edge always use pier 25—- one time I remember the Equinox was “stuck” at pier 18 and Edge used the pier right across from it, pier 22. 
 

Here is a link to the “official” port schedule, it only goes out 7 days.

https://pevvesseltraffic.broward.org/webx/

I have an app that shows the 30 day harbor master schedule—- go to the AppStore and search “ cruiseschedule port Everglades”. 
 

mac_tlc

 

 

Thanks so much for the info

[Stealthdog]

Day 6 we went to the Wonder at Eden:  Paradise show at 10:45. The show was similar to the Decadence show earlier during the cruise with a singer, dancers, acrobats, and musicians.  

 

A better estimate on seating that can see the show is ~ 100.  There is more seating in Eden, but the views are obstructed, and you be able to see the show.  We got to Eden around 10:40 and sat in the same seats we used the last show - right behind and above the bar is a little seating area that you can see the whole floor through windows.  If you want to see the Eden shows and you can't find any seats, check out the area up the stairs right behind the bar.  I think the performers normally use that space between their acts.  The first picture below is the view from the seats and the last picture is bar (the seats are in the top right area if you are facing the bar).

 

If seating is available, I still think the Eden shows are better than the Production shows.   The individual performers are really talented, and you get a much closer look at them than at the theater.  

 

If I was to do it again, I would eat an early dinner, go to the 7:30 Production show in the theater and then the 10:45 Eden show, but get to Eden 45 minutes early to get good seats.  Going to the 9:30 Production then the 10:45 Eden show is alot of rushing.  

[Stealthdog]

On Day 7 we ate dinner at Eden.  This was our only specialty restaurant experience on Celebrity.  We were looking for a 3-night dining package, but the cruise was only offering 5-night+ packages.  We wanted to an opportunity to check out the new dining room concepts and relax in Blu and didn't want to go to the specialty restaurants every night.  Buying them individually was too expensive, so we decided on one night in Eden.

 

The menu and dinner were fantastic.  I liked some of the plates more than the Chef's Table on our prior Odyssey sailing.  Eden offers two versions for dinner - one with the standard appetizers and entrees, and another with wine pairings for specific plates.  We had a bottle of Caymus gifted to us from our TA for my birthday, so we just went with the standard menu. 

 

We got the Tandoori Style Beef, Crab Cake, and Carabinero Shimp for appetizers, each got the Filet and Rib Wellington and shared the Lobster Casserole.  The Lobster was the star of the evening, though everything was really good.  My least favorite was the Rib Wellington, so if I went back again, I would probably try the Lamb Loin.

 

There were a few additional plates brought out that were not on the menu.  The chef prepares a small plate every evening and our night it was an octopus dish.  We also received the sweets plate at the end with macrons and a few assorted deserts.  

 

For us Eden was worth the price, especially for a special occasion.  Our only critique of the restaurant is we couldn't hear the great singers performing in the bar area of Eden.  I don't know if it was because the table next to us was really loud or its by design not to have the music above to be heard in the restaurant.  

[Stealthdog]

I thought I posted it, but I don't see it....but there was a 2nd Puzzle event in the Club on Day 7 called "Artist Reveal Interactive Mystery Game."  It was similar in execution to the Escape Room earlier on the sailing.  Everyone was teamed into groups of no more than 10 people and teams had 45 minutes to solve all the clues to determine who the Mystery Artist was.  The entertainment team set up the Club with pieces of art spaced out through the club and each team was given a packet that included all the artists and clues to solve.  

 

It was a lot of fun, but sadly we did not win this time.  If you like puzzles and games, do this and the Escape Room earlier in the cruise.

[Stealthdog]

Our awesome Room Attendant surprised us with a bottle of Prosecco the morning on Day 7 for my birthday.  🙂

[Stealthdog]

Picture of the Silent Disco in the Grand Plaza on Day 7.  Lots of people singing and dancing!

[Stealthdog]

Last few topics I'll finish with - general dining, gym, and infinity balcony, plus some pictures of our arrival back into Fort Lauderdale.  Below is sunset on Day 7.  

[Stealthdog]

Alot of people seem to have really strong opinions on the infinity balcony, one way or the other.  After experiencing it during the cruise and having time to think about it, I am completely ambivalent about it.  It really didn't change my enjoyment of the room or balcony and it won't prevent me (or lead me to book) from being in that type of balcony again.  

 

I can see why some people do have negative or positive feelings about it and it is much different for people who are used to traditional balconies.  We usually only sail in cabins with a balcony (one exception was a family suite on NCL and another an interior room for me when I was solo).  

 

From my perspective, pros and cons:

Pros:

- It makes the room feel larger because the space normally outside the balcony door is not inside the cabin.

- It feels like it gives more privacy because people can't really look inside your balcony now.

- It feels cleaner - I have been on several cruises where the balcony had food wrappers, toenail clippings, and other weird things on it when we got into our cabin, which is kind of disgusting.

 

Cons:

- Air conditioning turns off when you open the infinity window.

- You have to maintain pressing the button to open or lower the window (you only have to press the blinds button once to do the same), which is a little annoying.

- You can hear rooms around you when they open and lower blinds/windows.

- You can't always open the window to have access to outside.  

 

The technological advances with remote control access to the blinds is nice.  Inside your room near the door is a console that allows you to control the blinds and other room controls (pictured below).  Also, you can control it from the Royal app on your smartphone - you can turn lights on or off, raise/lower the blinds, and other fun things from on your app.  Near the balcony, there are two switches to control the blinds and balcony windows, along with instructions (pictured below).

 

When paired with the technological advances, I think the infinity concept is a step in the right direction, but not a showstopper either way to me.

 

 

[Stealthdog]

The gym on the Beyond was a little smaller than I was expecting.  But, it was never crowded so there was never a lot of competition for the machines.  It has all the standard cardio machines, machine weights, and free weights.  I posted the fitness schedule already but will post again here.  We ended up not trying any of the classes, because I just prefer doing my own thing.  Aqua does give three complimentary classes with the spin and yoga.  I love the location of the fitness center being all the way forward - its gives some great views while you are working out.  

 

The walking/jogging track is a new, unique concept for a ship.  It spans two deck levels in almost a figure eight, so there are inclines and declines.  It was nice seeing it because it a new design change and not your standard one level track.

 

I am not a fan of Celebrity doing away with the sports courts.  We usually use the courts a little during cruises and not having that option is disappointing.  

Edited December 21, 2022 by Stealthdog

[Stealthdog]

I love the concept of multiple dining rooms.  We walked into each of them during embarkation day to check them out.  They are look classy and clean, and nicely furnished.  We only ate in one of them for one lunch - Cosmopolitan (lunch menu below for an example of what they provide).  Breakfast and Dinners we ate in Blu (restaurant for Aqua Class) and we were able to order individual dishes from any of the main dining rooms.  You can see all the dining menus daily on the Celebrity App.  We just showed up to Blu for dinner whenever we wanted and never had more than a 2–3-minute wait for a table.  I'm not sure if there were any waits for the MDRs.  

 

The Blu restaurant was beautiful and well spaced, but some of the seating is awkward - the booth style seats seemed to be too low for the table and the person across from you sits much higher in the standard chairs.  🤣  Also, the tables can be a little uncomfortable because the central leg is so large that you can't have your feet placed in front of you - you kind of have to straddle the sides of the table leg.  Celebrity should probably review its seating in Blu and adjust to make it more comfortable. 

 

Below is a sample of menus and food from Blu.  One of the things we like about Blu is the menu can be more eclectic with some interesting variety of foods being offered that you don't often find on a cruise ship MDR.  

 

Surf and Turf was Day 6.

 

We were pleasantry surprised with the Oceanview Cafe.  We normally avoid the buffets on cruise ships because people can be disgusting in them (grabbing food with their hands and eating in line, wiping their noses then handling the buffet serving utensils).  The Cafe is very well spaced out so it didn't feel like there was any congestion at the various stations.  The variety and quality of food was also really good, especially the Indian food section.  We ate there for lunch Day 1 and another day after getting back from port.  The pizza station was also surprisingly better than we normally get on Celebrity ships.  Typically, we feel the RCL pizzas are the best on the sea, but the pizzas on the Beyond were very good.

 

We went to the Spa Cafe a few times for lunches, and they serve some nice, small dishes for quick bites.  We also tried the Mast Grill once and it was pretty good - they serve standard hamburger, hotdogs, and various sausages that you can custom make.

 

We also went to Cafe al Baccio several times a day for coffees and teas.  In addition to coffees/teas, they have pastries and deserts that change periodically throughout the day.  

 

One aspect that separates Celebrity from the mainstream lines are the service in the dining rooms.  The food service on the Beyond was fantastic and in line with other experiences on Celebrity.  

Edited December 21, 2022 by Stealthdog

[Stealthdog]

Because we changed to Local Time, we had an extra hour sleep between Day 7 and before getting back to Fort Lauderdale.....or get up early to watch the sail into the port and the Fort Lauderdale sunrise.  I chose the latter 🙂 

 

The port is really nice and its good to see the cruise industry operating again under normal conditions, with so many ships in port to see.

 

On debarkation day, the dining rooms are open early so one last opportunity for great food and service.  

 

Forgot to post about the Casino....Like the gym, the Casino was a little smaller than we expected, but it never felt overly crowded.  The was a good variety of slot machines and the standard table games (poker, blackjack, roulette, and craps).  It is smoke free so there isn't a haze or any discomfort with anyone wearing contacts.  But best of all, the Host (not sure what her real title is) is Renee who we met on other Celebrity ships - she is fantastic and if you ever need anything or have any issues while in the Casino, she will handle it personally.  

 

 

Edited December 21, 2022 by Stealthdog

[kwokpot]

16 minutes ago, Stealthdog said:

The Blu restaurant was beautiful and well spaced, but some of the seating is awkward - the booth style seats seemed to be too low for the table and the person across from you sits much higher in the standard chairs.  🤣  Also, the tables can be a little uncomfortable because the central leg is so large that you can't have your feet placed in front of you - you kind of have to straddle the sides of the table leg.  Celebrity should probably review its seating in Blu and adjust to make it more comfortable. 

Agree 100%. I don't remember if this is your first time in Aquclass on E-Class but one enhancement on the Beyond for the Blu dining room is the relocation of two lifeboats from the main windows in Blu, which allows for direct sea views from most of the windows. That isn't the case on either the Edge or Apex and is a source of much displeasure for many Blu devotees on E-Class ships. 

Edited December 21, 2022 by kwokpot

[Stealthdog]

Just now, kwokpot said:

Agree 100% I don't remember if this is your first time in Aquclass on E-Class but one enhancement on the Beyond for the Blu dining room is the relocation of two lifeboats from the main windows in Blu, which allows for direct sea views from most of the windows. That isn't the case on either the Edge or Apex and is a source of much displeasure for many Blu devotees on E-Class ships. 

 

First E-Class sailing for us.  The views on Beyond in Blu were outstanding.  We would have been really disappointed if the views were blocked by lifeboats, so I'm glad they made that correction. 🙂  

[Stealthdog]

Sadly, our cruises came to an end and that realization hit us quickly as we watched the sunrise over the Frozen Tundra of Northern Virginia the morning after debarkation as the Autotrain brought us to Lorton, Virginia.  

 

But, we have hope as our next planned cruise is in 173 days, 2 hours, and 34 minutes (now 170 days).  I don't think I will last that long and will probably end up on a last-minute cruise out of Baltimore or Florida this winter.  

 

Celebrity is our favorite line, and this sailing on the Beyond was wonderful.  The staff on board was the best we have experienced.  We really enjoyed the E-Class style and would not hesitate to go another.  I'm not sure how we would feel going on an older class now.  

 

I hope this review was helpful for people already booked on the Beyond, or considering it, and hope you all have a wonderful time on the ship!  Happy Sailings!