Back from Beyond

[mitchtech]

My family and I just got back from the Beyond  and we had 2 connecting infinite verandah staterooms on the 8th floor. We are frequent cruisers, elite on Celebrity and Platinum  on NCL. Before sailing I always go on cruise critic and other cruise review sites for "Insider information ", reviews. Etc.  We always book a sunset verandah but could not get 2 rooms next to each other for this cruise so we went for the infinite  verandah.  I have to tell you that we LOVED  it! I honestly was so worried that we wouldn't  pre cruise because I could not find any review that was positive. I tried to change our stateroom  up until the last day because I was so apprehensive  about the infinite verandah.  I have to say, I would 100 percent  book it again. Even over the sunset verandah. It is not like a cabin with a big picture window. It is like a balcony only more private when you have the whole window portion down. And if it's  too breezy you can just open a portion of it to get the nice fresh ocean air. We had it open either partially or fully every time we were in the cabin. Lying in bed, having coffee, having a cocktail at sunset or just getting ready to go out. Never had a single bug fly in the room which I've  read and not once did the captain close it when I wanted it open. Why would you  want it open if the weather was inclement  or they were cleaning the balconies  anyway? And don't get me started about having to hold the button  down to open it. It takes all of about 30 seconds. And by the way  to open or close the blind portion you don't  have to hold it. 

So in conclusion,  the purpose of my "rant" is that I wanted anyone who is apprehensive  about the infinite  verandah  to rest assured that it's  not at all as negative  as others make it out to be. I know  everyone  has their own likes and dislikes, but in my personal opinion it gets an A+!

If anyone has any questions about this or anything else on the Beyond please feel free to ask

 

 

 

[TravelingCircusof5]

Thanks! Feel free to let us know what else you enjoyed.

[Tyler414]

If you were on the Western Caribbean cruise (Nassau, Costa Maya, Gr Cayman, Cozumel) do you have any other insight to your cruise? Mostly on the ports and stuff.  I'm on this same cruise in January and the 12/4-12/11 is the last cruise with the same itinerary before mine... Thanks for any insight.

BTW I'm in a SV 🙂

[mahdnc]

52 minutes ago, mitchtech said:

My family and I just got back from the Beyond  and we had 2 connecting infinite verandah staterooms on the 8th floor. We are frequent cruisers, elite on Celebrity and Platinum  on NCL. Before sailing I always go on cruise critic and other cruise review sites for "Insider information ", reviews. Etc.  We always book a sunset verandah but could not get 2 rooms next to each other for this cruise so we went for the infinite  verandah.  I have to tell you that we LOVED  it! I honestly was so worried that we wouldn't  pre cruise because I could not find any review that was positive. I tried to change our stateroom  up until the last day because I was so apprehensive  about the infinite verandah.  I have to say, I would 100 percent  book it again. Even over the sunset verandah. It is not like a cabin with a big picture window. It is like a balcony only more private when you have the whole window portion down. And if it's  too breezy you can just open a portion of it to get the nice fresh ocean air. We had it open either partially or fully every time we were in the cabin. Lying in bed, having coffee, having a cocktail at sunset or just getting ready to go out. Never had a single bug fly in the room which I've  read and not once did the captain close it when I wanted it open. Why would you  want it open if the weather was inclement  or they were cleaning the balconies  anyway? And don't get me started about having to hold the button  down to open it. It takes all of about 30 seconds. And by the way  to open or close the blind portion you don't  have to hold it. 

So in conclusion,  the purpose of my "rant" is that I wanted anyone who is apprehensive  about the infinite  verandah  to rest assured that it's  not at all as negative  as others make it out to be. I know  everyone  has their own likes and dislikes, but in my personal opinion it gets an A+!

If anyone has any questions about this or anything else on the Beyond please feel free to ask

 

 

 

 

It's gratifying to read that you liked your IV.  I guess the moral of the story is that everyone should try it once.  What did you think of the rest of the ship?

[mitchtech]

28 minutes ago, Tyler414 said:

If you were on the Western Caribbean cruise (Nassau, Costa Maya, Gr Cayman, Cozumel) do you have any other insight to your cruise? Mostly on the ports and stuff.  I'm on this same cruise in January and the 12/4-12/11 is the last cruise with the same itinerary before mine... Thanks for any insight.

BTW I'm in a SV 🙂

We went to those ports. Nassau was crazy busy with about 18,000 cruise ship passengers. Been there so many times so got off and right back on. We did the dolphins in Costa Maya which was great and was right off the end of the pier so no transportation  needed. We've  done the ruins in Cozumel so just walked around. In Grand Cayman we did snorkeling which was only a 5 minute boat ride from the ship. It was some of the best snorkeling. The water is so beautiful there. By the way, I am not knocking the SV at all. Saw them on the last day and you will love the balcony. Very big with lounge chairs. I was just so pleasantly surprised with the IV

[mitchtech]

26 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

It's gratifying to read that you liked your IV.  I guess the moral of the story is that everyone should try it once.  What did you think of the rest of the ship?

The ship is absolutely  beautiful!  There are so many little nooks and crannys to explore and relax in.. Our sailing had about 2300 guests and it never felt crowded. The weather was beautiful everyday and there was never a problem getting  a chair by the pool or in the solarium. We never had to wait for a table in any of the restaurants  either and the buffet never felt crowded. There is just so many different  spaces that people were all spread out. Not everything  is in one area.. The hot tubs are on a different  level as are the infinity pools.. At first I didnt  think I would like that but it works out really well.The stateroom  is gorgeous and the shower is the largest I've  ever been in. My husband is 6 foot 6 inches and this was the only shower he really fit in. And of course the crew was awesome 

[mitchtech]

57 minutes ago, TravelingCircusof5 said:

Thanks! Feel free to let us know what else you enjoyed.

There was nothing we didn't  enjoy except the fact that if you have a mobility issue there are a lot of areas that you need to use stairs to access. The atrium where the martini bar is has a half floor. Eden was a disaster to get from 5 to 4. And if you want to go from the pool to the hot tub you have to go up 2 flights of stairs or go inside to the elevator which doesn't  really work out to good, wet and no shoes. Otherwise no bad things to say. We thoroughly  enjoyed ourselves.. Food,, entertainment,, pool,, Let me know if you would like to know about anything more specific

[Texed]

Mitchtech,

Thanks for posting.  Hopefully, we will be on Beyond again in April.  😊

[jojo1966]

We too are just back from this cruise and can only echo everything the OP said about the ship. We were lucky enough to be in a SV and the balcony was huge. Fortunately we got this when the cruise was first released and paid a very good price...still not convinced about going in an IV having seen them from the outside but maybe they'd be ok going by this topic. Service on board was by far the best we've received in our 6 celebrity cruises so far...never had to wait longer than a minute or 2 for waiter service and didn't queue once in any of the 4 MDRs at around 8.30. Gobsmacked by the amount of seating areas dotted around and couldn't believe how unused the sunset bar seemed to be as this was a  brillaint area. Favourite place was rooftop garden where we spent a lot of time watching the world cup...again...constant waiter service up there..only used ocean view at breakfast and lunch but food was brilliant. Im definately in love with this ship and not sure now how I'll feel when boarding Constellation for the 1st time on our next cruise. Eden is also something else...but did feel like a lot of wasted seats on the upper levels as we very rarely saw anyone sat up there apart from watching the shows late at night...sad to be home .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FourNines]

1 hour ago, mitchtech said:

Eden was a disaster to get from 5 to 4.

Isn't there a small elevator inside of Eden just for this purpose?

I could have sworn I saw it when we were onboard.

[zitsky]

I'll be on Beyond in May.  I'm still not convinced about "infinite verandah".  I still think it's a window.  I don't see how you compare it to a balcony.  I appreciate the other comments.

[mitchtech]

21 minutes ago, FourNines said:

Isn't there a small elevator inside of Eden just for this purpose?

I could have sworn I saw it when we were onboard.

So the elevator is only designed for one wheelchair and kind of scary. It only goes between those 2 floors

[mitchtech]

8 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I'll be on Beyond in May.  I'm still not convinced about "infinite verandah".  I still think it's a window.  I don't see how you compare it to a balcony.  I appreciate the other comments.

I was skeptical too. It's  the same opening of a balcony.  You are just more enclosed on the sides which gives you privacy.  We never ever heard anyone on any other balcony. And we didn't  have to worry about going out there in our underwear,haha. Also with the window closed your stateroom feels huge. It was a win,win for us

[zitsky]

14 minutes ago, mitchtech said:

I was skeptical too. It's  the same opening of a balcony.  You are just more enclosed on the sides which gives you privacy.  We never ever heard anyone on any other balcony. And we didn't  have to worry about going out there in our underwear,haha. Also with the window closed your stateroom feels huge. It was a win,win for us

Let me do a thought experiment to prove it’s not a balcony.

 

If I crawl through the opening, where do I go?  What happens to me?

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, jojo1966 said:

Eden is also something else...but did feel like a lot of wasted seats on the upper levels as we very rarely saw anyone sat up there apart from watching the shows late at night.

Those spaces are perfect for everyone who complains that there aren't quiet, private places to sit and read and relax on E-Class ships. As you can see those spaces exist but go unused. Of course people would rather complain that there aren't places like that than seek them out and use them. There's both darker and more secluded spots and bright, amazing aft view spaces all in the same area . 

[zitsky]

Just now, kwokpot said:

Those spaces are perfect for everyone who complains that there aren't quiet, private places to sit and read and relax on E-Class ships. As you can see those spaces exist but go unused. Of course people would rather complain that there aren't places like that than seek them out and use them. There's both darker and more secluded spots and bright, amazing aft view spaces all in the same area . 

I wonder where is the best place to read a book?  (Other than the pool.). Maybe the sunset bar or any place I can get a drink during the day?

[basenji56]

It's a balconet.  Designed to reduce drag and save fuel.  Sold as an enhancement.  If you like it, that's great.

 

Balconet - Wikipedia

 

[momofmab]

Glad to hear your positive review of the IV.  I've also read all of the negative reviews but like you, my take on it was that it would make the room seem bigger and I could always lower the window to make it feel more like a balcony.  Barring any cabin noise issues, I can't imagine that an IV would ruin a cruise for anyone. I'm always excited to try new cabin types and if I don't like them, I make a different decision next time (like the neighborhood balcony on Oasis - I'd rather have the sea view. It felt strange and disorienting no knowing where we were until I left the cabin and found a window).

 

My cruise is Jan 8th (our first on Celebrity) and I'm happy to hear that you loved yours.

[Lighthousepointdream15]

I have to agree about in IV. I booked a last minute trip on the Edge. I went in with an open mind. At first I was lukewarm but by the end of the cruise I loved it. 

[mitchtech]

3 hours ago, Lighthousepointdream15 said:

I have to agree about in IV. I booked a last minute trip on the Edge. I went in with an open mind. At first I was lukewarm but by the end of the cruise I loved it. 

I'm  glad to hear I'm  not the only one!

[ljk76]

Also went in as a sceptic and ended up being a convert! We are on a 15 day transatlantic on Apex this spring and the infinite veranda really grows our space for this crossing. 

[scaught]

Going to be on beyond in an infinite veranda in February! First celebrity cruise ever. Interested to see if I can make a moveup offer in January, but otherwise will be happy to try the IV. 

[danceswithphones]

20 hours ago, mitchtech said:

So the elevator is only designed for one wheelchair and kind of scary. It only goes between those 2 floors

It didn't seem too scary after navigating the dimly lit mirrored hallway! We had a rollator. Probably would be cramped with a full-sized wheelchair or a motorized scooter. 

 

[zitsky]

20 hours ago, basenji56 said:

It's a balconet.  Designed to reduce drag and save fuel.  Sold as an enhancement.  If you like it, that's great.

 

Balconet - Wikipedia

 

 

"They are often referred to as Juliet balconies^[2] after the scene from Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet."

 

If I'm standing on the balconet, where does Romeo stand to serenade me???

[kwokpot]

Yes, I've enjoyed the IV cabins ever since sailing on the Edge's inaugural cruise back in 2018 and have sailed in one on ail three E-Class ships. The issue is for those who don't know that it's not a real balcony cabin and were expecting something entirely different.