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Back from Beyond (a review from a first-timer on Celebrity)


momofmab
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Hello!

 

Just back from our Beyond cruise (Jan 8-15).  mperrizo has done a great day-to-day review of the same cruise but nonetheless, I thought I would do more of a general review of Beyond, since this was our first time on Celebrity and give a review on a different stateroom category.  So here it goes:

 

About us:  We are 55-year-old empty nesters from NC.  We've cruised probably about a dozen times or so on Royal Carribean and NCL, in everything from balconies to junior suites and up to owners' suites.  Out last cruise was Christmas 2020 on RCCL Brilliance with a large group of extended family.  With the exception of the Christmas cruise, we've been limited to cruising during the dreaded Spring Break weeks in order to accommodate our daughters' school schedules.  Now that our youngest is settled in at college, we've been excited to try different cruise lines and try cruising at times other than super busy holiday weeks.  First order of business was to try Celebrity.

 

Embarkation:  We drove down from NC two days before (stopped in St. Augustine for their holiday lights festival - so fun!) This was our first time boarding a cruise at Port Everglades (usually we leave from Port Canaveral or Miami).  We dropped off our bags with the porters and parked in the Palm garage, which is the closest to terminal 25. Our boarding time was 12:30-1, but we arrived earlier since we weren't sure how long everything would take.  There were no lines and we painlessly checked in (very quick - they check your boarding pass & take your picture, which I think they use for customs on disembarkation day.)  We were onboard by noon.

 

Cabin:  Concierge Infinite Veranda - Deck 11.  Before sailing, I read the many threads on here debating the IV's on the Edge Class ships.  I realize I am in the minority, but I liked the IV concept.  It makes the room seem bigger and you can put the glass down to make it feel more like a traditional balcony.  I liked that the space was clean and climate-controlled when the window was up as opposed to many balconies I've had that were wet, rusty or dirty. The only time I really used traditional balconies was when we were in port - spending a little time to sit and take in the views.  I'm not one to read on a balcony because I like to read AND people watch at the same time, so I tend to do that by the pool. I also liked that you have privacy from neighbors on their IV's. Drawbacks were not having a place in the outside air to dry your bathing suits and you can hear when your neighbors put down their windows but no one around me was doing it at midnight, so that wasn't an issue. The chairs on the IV are not super comfortable but in my experience, none of the balcony furniture ever really is.  I noticed maybe twice that Captain Kate locked the windows when it was windy out or we were sailing at a higher rate of speed (a message pops up on the wall control by the bathroom to let you know that it's locked).  I would definitely not hesitate to book an IV again.

 

More on the cabin - I loved the decor, there is PLENTY of storage for 2 people, the lighting is flattering (Yay!) and a huge "Yay!" because there is a plug IN THE ACTUAL BATHROOM that we women can use our blow dryers with!! The cabin also comes with its own blow dryer.  It looked like a quality one, but I brought my own and didn't use it.  Bed was comfortable but the pillows were terrible - flat feather ones that you have to "origami" into shapes in order to sleep on.  We longed for our own pillows!  A lot has been posted about noise in the cabins - we were located on deck 11, not perfectly centered - more aft than forward.  The cabin was very quiet except for the last night, when the seas were a bit rougher than we had seen and the wind was blowing pretty hard.  On that night we did experience some creaking and banging that sounded like it was coming from the outside wall of the ship.  We were able to sleep through it but noticed it when we were awake.  I hope they are eventually able to solve this issue!

 

We booked a Concierge level IV but wouldn't spend extra to do it again.  Being new to Celebrity, I wanted to experience what their Concierge level had to offer but none of the perks, in our opinion, was enough to justify the extra cost.  We did go to the embarkation day lunch in Tuscan - it was good but nothing over the top.  Apparently, there were a lot of Concierge level guests because the lunch was crowded. We did not go to the disembark lounge for Concierge guests (in Normandie) because we just got off the ship when we were ready.  No need to congregate in a special place.  I hope to be able to experience The Retreat on a future cruise because those areas of the ship looked amazing!

 

Ship:  I absolutely LOVED everything about this ship - from the contemporary design, the neutral, modern colors, to the awesome art that is everywhere you look!  I definitely felt that I was on a higher-end cruise.  At night, every space is lighted beautifully!  The rooftop garden is great - we watched football there (I do wish it had more shade structures).  Even the public restrooms were very spa-like and there were attendants cleaning constantly.  In fact, this was the cleanest ship I have ever sailed on.  Staff was always around picking up and wiping down.  Hats off to the hard-working staff on Beyond!  There are enough elevators and we never had trouble getting one except on departure day when everyone is packed in there with luggage.  According to the head waiter in Tuscan, the ship was about 85% full.  It definitely did not feel overcrowded to me at all.  Even when the Ocean Cafe was bustling, there was good crowd-flow.  We had relatively calm seas until the last day/night when the wind was blowing and it was a bit choppy (hats off to Captain Kate for choosing an inside passage back, so it was less rough than it would have been taking an outside route).  I remarked to my husband that the Beyond was the smoothest cruise ship I had ever been on.  I barely felt movement at all, especially in my cabin.

 

The staff, as I mentioned earlier were great - very friendly, always smiling and asking what they can do for you.  Every staff member that we encountered asked us about our day, what did we do, etc.  I don't think we came across anyone who didn't engage with us in an enthusiastic way.  The Beyond staff are definitely some of the best at sea!  It was a thrill to sail with Captain Kate - she is entertaining and is happy to engage with the passengers.  Celebrity is lucky to have her!

 

Food/Dining Venues/Classic Drink Package:  I loved the four separate main dining room concept, each with its own theme.  My favorite was Tuscan, least favorite was Cosmopolitan. My husband, on the other hand, missed the grand, multi-story main dining room concept that we see on ships like RCCL.  There were some hits in the main dining rooms (Pumpkin salad, a definite hit!  Lobster night was good as well, with the lobsters cooked perfectly), and some things that were just okay - but nothing that I would label as "terrible".  For us, main dining on Celebrity was slightly higher in quality and variety than what we've had on RCCL & NCL. We also dined at Fine Cut, Eden and Raw on 5.  Eden was our favorite - a must-do!  Fine Cut was delicious as well.  Raw on 5 was fine but the bill adds up quickly, as everything is ala carte.  We have good sushi & raw bar options at home so I probably wouldn't pay to do Raw again.  We looked at the menu for the Rooftop Garden Cafe (I think that's what it's called) but $45/pp seems steep for the type of food they offer there - we passed on that. Husband ate breakfast in the Ocean Cafe each day (he's a big breakfast person) and loved the variety, especially the made-to-order egg stations. We both enjoyed the hamburgers at the Mast Grill and thought the pizza was the best "cruise ship pizza" we've had!

 

The Classic drink package was included in our fare and worked out just fine.  We aren't heavy drinkers in general and we don't know anything about wine, don't drink scotch or bourbon.  Tito's is not my favorite vodka, but it was fine for a week in mixed & frozen drinks.  I found a New Zealand wine that I loved and was told on the first night that it was not part of the Classic pkg. I was fine with paying an additional $3.60 (I only have a glass or 2).  I had it on subsequent nights and was never charged again after the first night. If what you order exceeds the Classic package, they will let you know and give you option of choosing something else if you don't want to pay the difference.

 

Entertainment:  We saw the three main shows with the ensemble cast and thought it was the best we had ever seen on any cruise.  The set design, costumes, special effects, acrobatics, dancing, singing were all amazing! Hopefully they are staying on for future cruises so others will get to see them.  We did not get a chance to see the comedian, although we wished we had.  The theatre on Beyond is a bit small as far as cruise ship theatres go, so get there early to get a good seat.

 

Shore Excursions:  We did the Great Bay Beach Escape in St. Martin.  It was OK - not a great beach (we were elbow-to-elbow on lounge chairs) and there were many salespeople walking by trying to get us to buy stuff, get massages, etc.  not very relaxing.  The food and drinks were good though.  I would to a beach on the French side of the island next time.  Did a catamaran snorkel in St. Thomas - very fun!  We ended up staying on board in Puerto Plata and relaxing by the pool.

 

Disembarkation:  smooth and uneventful.  We walked off a bit earlier than our assigned time and waited a couple of minutes to be let into the numbered section where our luggage was.  Had to wait a few turns of the elevator in the parking garage (odd that these elevators are so small when they are servicing cruise passengers and luggage).  There was an attendant, making sure the elevator lines ran smoothly and orderly.  At most we waited 10 minutes.

 

Overall impression:  I loved our week on Celebrity Beyond.  There were a bit less activities than we're typically used to on a cruise ship but first and foremost I was there to relax and enjoy a beautiful ship - so mission accomplished! In our quest as newly minted empty-nesters we hope to try several cruise lines/ships/itineraries that we've never been on before, and we'll definitely be back on Celebrity again!

 

Thanks for reading!

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Thank you for posting this review. Our party of 4 is sailing on her in March and all of our excitement has been turning to worry and hesitation after reading these boards about all of the cutbacks. I have some excitement about our much needed vacation again!! 

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We were on the cruise with you and I agree with everything you wrote, just a beautiful ship. The one issue we ran into with the Classic Package was that the wine prices on the app were different than on ship, making my favorite wine not a part of the Classic Package. Spoke with guest services and got the charges removed and most of the future purchases were automatically removed. Eden was the only bar that continued to charge us, and charged $2 more for a wine that in every other location was only $1 more.

 

The shows really are amazing both in the theatre and Eden.  We loved Elements so much we skipped dinner in a restaurant to go to both shows.

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20 hours ago, momofmab said:

Hello!

 

Just back from our Beyond cruise (Jan 8-15).  mperrizo has done a great day-to-day review of the same cruise but nonetheless, I thought I would do more of a general review of Beyond, since this was our first time on Celebrity and give a review on a different stateroom category.  So here it goes:

 

About us:  We are 55-year-old empty nesters from NC.  We've cruised probably about a dozen times or so on Royal Carribean and NCL, in everything from balconies to junior suites and up to owners' suites.  Out last cruise was Christmas 2020 on RCCL Brilliance with a large group of extended family.  With the exception of the Christmas cruise, we've been limited to cruising during the dreaded Spring Break weeks in order to accommodate our daughters' school schedules.  Now that our youngest is settled in at college, we've been excited to try different cruise lines and try cruising at times other than super busy holiday weeks.  First order of business was to try Celebrity.

 

Embarkation:  We drove down from NC two days before (stopped in St. Augustine for their holiday lights festival - so fun!) This was our first time boarding a cruise at Port Everglades (usually we leave from Port Canaveral or Miami).  We dropped off our bags with the porters and parked in the Palm garage, which is the closest to terminal 25. Our boarding time was 12:30-1, but we arrived earlier since we weren't sure how long everything would take.  There were no lines and we painlessly checked in (very quick - they check your boarding pass & take your picture, which I think they use for customs on disembarkation day.)  We were onboard by noon.

 

Cabin:  Concierge Infinite Veranda - Deck 11.  Before sailing, I read the many threads on here debating the IV's on the Edge Class ships.  I realize I am in the minority, but I liked the IV concept.  It makes the room seem bigger and you can put the glass down to make it feel more like a traditional balcony.  I liked that the space was clean and climate-controlled when the window was up as opposed to many balconies I've had that were wet, rusty or dirty. The only time I really used traditional balconies was when we were in port - spending a little time to sit and take in the views.  I'm not one to read on a balcony because I like to read AND people watch at the same time, so I tend to do that by the pool. I also liked that you have privacy from neighbors on their IV's. Drawbacks were not having a place in the outside air to dry your bathing suits and you can hear when your neighbors put down their windows but no one around me was doing it at midnight, so that wasn't an issue. The chairs on the IV are not super comfortable but in my experience, none of the balcony furniture ever really is.  I noticed maybe twice that Captain Kate locked the windows when it was windy out or we were sailing at a higher rate of speed (a message pops up on the wall control by the bathroom to let you know that it's locked).  I would definitely not hesitate to book an IV again.

 

More on the cabin - I loved the decor, there is PLENTY of storage for 2 people, the lighting is flattering (Yay!) and a huge "Yay!" because there is a plug IN THE ACTUAL BATHROOM that we women can use our blow dryers with!! The cabin also comes with its own blow dryer.  It looked like a quality one, but I brought my own and didn't use it.  Bed was comfortable but the pillows were terrible - flat feather ones that you have to "origami" into shapes in order to sleep on.  We longed for our own pillows!  A lot has been posted about noise in the cabins - we were located on deck 11, not perfectly centered - more aft than forward.  The cabin was very quiet except for the last night, when the seas were a bit rougher than we had seen and the wind was blowing pretty hard.  On that night we did experience some creaking and banging that sounded like it was coming from the outside wall of the ship.  We were able to sleep through it but noticed it when we were awake.  I hope they are eventually able to solve this issue!

 

We booked a Concierge level IV but wouldn't spend extra to do it again.  Being new to Celebrity, I wanted to experience what their Concierge level had to offer but none of the perks, in our opinion, was enough to justify the extra cost.  We did go to the embarkation day lunch in Tuscan - it was good but nothing over the top.  Apparently, there were a lot of Concierge level guests because the lunch was crowded. We did not go to the disembark lounge for Concierge guests (in Normandie) because we just got off the ship when we were ready.  No need to congregate in a special place.  I hope to be able to experience The Retreat on a future cruise because those areas of the ship looked amazing!

 

Ship:  I absolutely LOVED everything about this ship - from the contemporary design, the neutral, modern colors, to the awesome art that is everywhere you look!  I definitely felt that I was on a higher-end cruise.  At night, every space is lighted beautifully!  The rooftop garden is great - we watched football there (I do wish it had more shade structures).  Even the public restrooms were very spa-like and there were attendants cleaning constantly.  In fact, this was the cleanest ship I have ever sailed on.  Staff was always around picking up and wiping down.  Hats off to the hard-working staff on Beyond!  There are enough elevators and we never had trouble getting one except on departure day when everyone is packed in there with luggage.  According to the head waiter in Tuscan, the ship was about 85% full.  It definitely did not feel overcrowded to me at all.  Even when the Ocean Cafe was bustling, there was good crowd-flow.  We had relatively calm seas until the last day/night when the wind was blowing and it was a bit choppy (hats off to Captain Kate for choosing an inside passage back, so it was less rough than it would have been taking an outside route).  I remarked to my husband that the Beyond was the smoothest cruise ship I had ever been on.  I barely felt movement at all, especially in my cabin.

 

The staff, as I mentioned earlier were great - very friendly, always smiling and asking what they can do for you.  Every staff member that we encountered asked us about our day, what did we do, etc.  I don't think we came across anyone who didn't engage with us in an enthusiastic way.  The Beyond staff are definitely some of the best at sea!  It was a thrill to sail with Captain Kate - she is entertaining and is happy to engage with the passengers.  Celebrity is lucky to have her!

 

Food/Dining Venues/Classic Drink Package:  I loved the four separate main dining room concept, each with its own theme.  My favorite was Tuscan, least favorite was Cosmopolitan. My husband, on the other hand, missed the grand, multi-story main dining room concept that we see on ships like RCCL.  There were some hits in the main dining rooms (Pumpkin salad, a definite hit!  Lobster night was good as well, with the lobsters cooked perfectly), and some things that were just okay - but nothing that I would label as "terrible".  For us, main dining on Celebrity was slightly higher in quality and variety than what we've had on RCCL & NCL. We also dined at Fine Cut, Eden and Raw on 5.  Eden was our favorite - a must-do!  Fine Cut was delicious as well.  Raw on 5 was fine but the bill adds up quickly, as everything is ala carte.  We have good sushi & raw bar options at home so I probably wouldn't pay to do Raw again.  We looked at the menu for the Rooftop Garden Cafe (I think that's what it's called) but $45/pp seems steep for the type of food they offer there - we passed on that. Husband ate breakfast in the Ocean Cafe each day (he's a big breakfast person) and loved the variety, especially the made-to-order egg stations. We both enjoyed the hamburgers at the Mast Grill and thought the pizza was the best "cruise ship pizza" we've had!

 

The Classic drink package was included in our fare and worked out just fine.  We aren't heavy drinkers in general and we don't know anything about wine, don't drink scotch or bourbon.  Tito's is not my favorite vodka, but it was fine for a week in mixed & frozen drinks.  I found a New Zealand wine that I loved and was told on the first night that it was not part of the Classic pkg. I was fine with paying an additional $3.60 (I only have a glass or 2).  I had it on subsequent nights and was never charged again after the first night. If what you order exceeds the Classic package, they will let you know and give you option of choosing something else if you don't want to pay the difference.

 

Entertainment:  We saw the three main shows with the ensemble cast and thought it was the best we had ever seen on any cruise.  The set design, costumes, special effects, acrobatics, dancing, singing were all amazing! Hopefully they are staying on for future cruises so others will get to see them.  We did not get a chance to see the comedian, although we wished we had.  The theatre on Beyond is a bit small as far as cruise ship theatres go, so get there early to get a good seat.

 

Shore Excursions:  We did the Great Bay Beach Escape in St. Martin.  It was OK - not a great beach (we were elbow-to-elbow on lounge chairs) and there were many salespeople walking by trying to get us to buy stuff, get massages, etc.  not very relaxing.  The food and drinks were good though.  I would to a beach on the French side of the island next time.  Did a catamaran snorkel in St. Thomas - very fun!  We ended up staying on board in Puerto Plata and relaxing by the pool.

 

Disembarkation:  smooth and uneventful.  We walked off a bit earlier than our assigned time and waited a couple of minutes to be let into the numbered section where our luggage was.  Had to wait a few turns of the elevator in the parking garage (odd that these elevators are so small when they are servicing cruise passengers and luggage).  There was an attendant, making sure the elevator lines ran smoothly and orderly.  At most we waited 10 minutes.

 

Overall impression:  I loved our week on Celebrity Beyond.  There were a bit less activities than we're typically used to on a cruise ship but first and foremost I was there to relax and enjoy a beautiful ship - so mission accomplished! In our quest as newly minted empty-nesters we hope to try several cruise lines/ships/itineraries that we've never been on before, and we'll definitely be back on Celebrity again!

 

Thanks for reading!

Hi there thank you so much for all the info!  we cruise Beyond on 3/5.  Question about the picture during embarking.  Did you find out what they used it for? was it for the facial recognition when you went through customs? or was it in some way attached to your card for getting on and off the ship? I know that is how they know that the right person is using the right card getting on and off the ship  thank you!

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I think they used it for customs.  The pictures that they used when we swiped our sea pass cards are the ones that we uploaded when We did the online check in.


When we disembarked, got our luggage and headed to the exit, we had to stop and stand at these iPad-like screens, which took our pic again, and I think they matched it to the picture they took at embarkation.  I think all of that is linked to our passport/ID info that we provided in the online check in.  That’s my theory anyway….

Edited by momofmab
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Great review.  We were on the same Cruise on Deck 11 Concierge more near the AFT

 

We also loved the Veranda.  I looked at it as a sun room where I spent a lot of time reading.

 

We also thought the shows were the best we have seen.  That new screen adds a lot. Normally there are a couple of singers we didn't think were very good.  First time I remember thinking they were all good in the production shows.  We also liked the non production entertainment.

 

The negative about shows had to do with the Eden productions and those in the Club.  There are not enough seats so you need to get there way early.  We saw one Eden show and were not able to find a spot in the 2nd Eden or the Magician show in the club even arriving 30 minutes early.

 

This is our 2nd time in Concierge and it normally isn't worth it.  I found a Cruise only price on Celebrities web site for $1299 for Concierge 

 

Getting on the ship was easy with no lines.  Getting off there were lines, but not a long wait.

 

Beautiful ship and had a great time

 

We did have one issue. We were treated very rudely by the supervisor to our cabin steward. She had him come to our cabin the night before we disembarked because we found our refrigerator was locked. We had asked that it be emptied at the start of the cruise because we weren't going to use it as a mini bar and we wanted to put our own things in it. We were surprised to find it locked and our things spoiling on the counter. My wife had some things to make an early breakfast easier for disembarkation since the charge for room service now.  We had no warning or explanation for that and it's never happened on any other cruise. Claudio could see how upset we were but really didn't care and basically told us to get used to that because it would be happening on all the ships in the future.  Hopefully it was just that manager,.

 

We read about the Oceanview dinner being miniscule on other ships.  It was smaller than normal, but there was still Pasta bar, Stir Fry, Salad Bard and several entrees like Beef Stroganoff the night we went.  We saw a video review from the Apex were there was much less than that at the same time.

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The screens at customs at disembarkation that you look into are linked to your passport info.  There is a separate line at this point for those traveling with birth certificates only. 
 

The photo Celebrity takes at embarkation is linked to your cruise card.  When scanned at bars, etc..your picture comes up, therefore they know it’s who you say you are. 
 

Nice review.  

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Loved your very informative review! We’ve been on Celebrity about three times before, but this will be our first time on this line in about eight years. Plus we’ve never been on an E class ship.
 

You mentioned you like the new style dining with the four main dining rooms. Did you have reservations each night or did you do any time dining and end up standing in line? From what I’ve seen on other lines, there is often a wait and sometimes it’s a bit of a long one.
Did you have reservations each night or do anytimme dining? If you had snytime dinong, did you run into long waits? 
 

I’m not very familiar with Eden although I know many people like it. I see pictures on the net of a theater in the round type situation. Is that how the main theater is on the edge? Or maybe that is how shows take place in Eden?
I didn’t realize there were shows in Eden until reading your review. 

 

Do you happen to recall which nights and/or even the times of the main shows on Celebrity? Like production shows, etc.?  (It’s disappointing to choose  a specialty restaurant and time, then find out that you’re going to miss a really great show due to your dinner timing.) 

 

Thanks again for your review, and if there are any questions I’ve asked that you can shed some light on, I would really appreciate your reply. 

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excellent review.. good info and 

.well written!

 

We were on BEYOND in Nov in a suite

(using up cancelled cruises fcc). It was nice to have the perks and a new experience. We are headed back to AQ class on Ascent for our next cruise.

 

We did not like Luminae very much compared to the 4 mdr plan on EDGE. We enjoyed BLU once on BEYOND..it was excellent. We had a nice dinner at Raw on Five..menu had good non sushi choices for my husb .  Large portions and great service..It filled up and there was a line.. by the time we left.

 

next cruise we plan to book EDEN and FINE CUT..but agree  with OP on the Rooftop Grill pricing.

 

Happy Sails!

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On 1/16/2023 at 6:04 PM, momofmab said:

It looked like a quality one, but I brought my own and didn't use it.  Bed was comfortable but the pillows were terrible - flat feather ones that you have to "origami" into shapes in order to sleep on.  We longed for our own pillows!

 

 

Thanks for the great review! it's good to hear some positives. We sailed on the Apex back in Feb 22 and are going to the reflection in a few weeks. I'm interested to compare both the ships and service changes. 

 

Just one thing for everyone (including the OP for future cruises). You can ask your room attendant for a different pillow. the concierge and above get a "pillow menu" to select different options. But during my last cruise, I just asked for a stiffer pillow, and he had one for me that night. I understand the "origami" explanation all to much with those pillows. The stiffer one was much better and I used that for the remainder of the trip.  

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48 minutes ago, cmaleblanc said:

Just one thing for everyone (including the OP for future cruises). You can ask your room attendant for a different pillow. the concierge and above get a "pillow menu" to select different options. But during my last cruise, I just asked for a stiffer pillow, and he had one for me that night. I understand the "origami" explanation all to much with those pillows. The stiffer one was much better and I used that for the remainder of the trip.  

I thought I had read that somewhere, but we never got around to asking.  Thanks for confirming that concierge + can indeed ask for better pillows.

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