Beyond LIVE Solo Retreat Review (4/9/23): A One-Woman Suite Show

[Mark.Jules]

Here we go again, and I am ready to follow along and live vicariously through you. Looking forward to the fun.

[bjahil47]

Well I am happy for you sailing so soon after your last cruise, but jealous as we don’t have a cruise booked until September.  I will be living the cruise life through your tales and be sitting in my rocking chair so it feels as though I am with you!

 

Safe travel to the port!

[SkystheLimit]

OH, goody! Love your trip reports!

[GenerationX]

It’s officially my last day in reality for a whole week!  Last night I overheard Jeremy on the phone with his mother in the kitchen and telling her that I’m going away again and saying “yep, my wife has escalated from impulse buying designer shoes and purses to impulse buying whole [expletive] cruises. I should have kept my mouth shut about the shoes and purses.“ 😂

 

As promised, a little about my plans for this cruise:

 

Our cruise is a 7 night with port stops in Nassau, costa maya, Cozumel and Grand Cayman.

 

This was one of those bookings that came with generous onboard credit from my TA and Celebrity, which I’ll be spending on some specialty dinners at Eden, Fine Cut, Le Voyage (my favorite dinner last time on Beyond and I cannot WAIT to go back) and Rooftop Grill.  I may also cave to the temptation of the veuve clicqot dinner if it is offered on this cruise.

 

I also booked excursions for while the ship is in Cozumel and Grand Cayman.  

 

Normally in Cozumel my time in port is limited to a quick tequila run since I’ve been there so many times.  But on my November beyond cruise a fellow solo cruiser, I believe it may actually have been @Buckeye94 told me about how much fun she had on an excursion to playa mia called salsa y salsa where you attend a Mexican cooking class followed by a salsa dance class all fueled by a margarita open bar. Since I had some credits to spend I’ve decided to give it a try this time.  I also still plan to go on a short hunt for a decent price on some Clase Azul.

 

On my last trip to Grand Cayman I did a beach day so this time I decided to mix it up and check out the sea turtle sanctuary instead. Hopefully there is a gift shop (What am I talking about? There is ALWAYS a gift shop!) where I can bring Gen Z back a cute souvenir.

 

I’ll likely also spend some time in the spa and the casino and maybe take in a wine tasting or two.

 

I’ve just checked in for my flight and am off to make an ATM run and shop at the farm & home to make sure all the animals are well stocked on food while I’m away.  These little ladies are flying through the chick feed bags lately. I think by the time I get back they’ll have their full feathers in!

 

20 hours till wheels up for Miami!

 

[Buckeye94]

Yay! Another @GenerationX adventure! 

 

Wasn't me who did the Salsa y Salsa, but that sounds fabulous! I did a tour that included a stop at a resort for a cooking class. Food was yummy, drinks were weak, but great group of people made it fun.

 

I'll be following along. I'm considering jumping ship over to NCL to try out their Prima ship on an itinerary out of Southampton that hits Amsterdam, Brussels/Bruges, and 3 stops in Norway, before heading over to Iceland. Never sailed NCL before, but the itinerary sounds great and ship looks nice.

[mgreenpa]

Hi Charla! We’re on board Beyond right now. Phenomenal dinners for us in Le Voyage, Steakhouse and Eden. A bit hit or miss in Luminae this time. Was amazing in Apex last year so I am not sure why on discrepancies. 
 

Sorry to give heads up - Veuve dinner isn’t on Beyond yet. Asked Somm in Steakhouse first night. We did it last year and it was great! Maybe if they hear the ask every cruise, it’ll return. 
 

Signing off with a champagne in my hand on the Retreat deck lounger (and almost time to see if we will see some dock runners for the MSC next to us in Puerto Plata) 😉

 

cheers! 

Edited April 7, 2023 by mgreenpa

[mgreenpa]

@Buckeye94 We did Prima in December (we’re Elite CC on Celebrity but thought the same of worth the try on NCL Prima).
 

We very much regret it and will never sail NCL again. happy to answer any questions if you would like to reach out… just don’t want to co-opt Charla’s thread. 

[Susanb10567]

Looking forward to another one of your reviews…not booked on the Beyond until January for a big birthday cruise for my husband…

Bon Voyage 🛳️ 

[clochette]

looking forward to following you again, I am going on my cruise in 2 weeks, and the wait is now officially killing me.

[hcat]

5 hours ago, Buckeye94 said:

Yay! Another @GenerationX adventure! 

 

Wasn't me who did the Salsa y Salsa, but that sounds fabulous! I did a tour that included a stop at a resort for a cooking class. Food was yummy, drinks were weak, but great group of people made it fun.

 

I'll be following along. I'm considering jumping ship over to NCL to try out their Prima ship on an itinerary out of Southampton that hits Amsterdam, Brussels/Bruges, and 3 stops in Norway, before heading over to Iceland. Never sailed NCL before, but the itinerary sounds great and ship looks nice.

Charla

We did that excursion..so much fun..learned alot too!

At the time, ours was called..Salsa' Salsa and Magarita! (feel no pain!)   Held now at Playa Mia?... Ours was at Hotel Cozumel..okay but  def not 4 star... Can't wait to hear all about it!

 

Hard to make choices in Cozumel..last time there on BEYOND  we "invested" in some very nice sapphire jewelry..his and hers! And we tried Senor Frogs..not our usual style but it was really tons of fun! 

Edited April 7, 2023 by hcat

[mac_tlc]

Well we are in Florida waiting the arrival of our traveling companions, @GenerationX, @KKB, @Silkroad, @Mrs_Tiki and any others I might have missed ! 
 

Got here on Wednesday after a rather typical sleep-free ride down on the auto train. We will venture down to PE from Orlando on Sunday morning for our 11am check-in time. I am curious how much the Brightline train will be from MCO when it starts up later this year. 
 

mac_tlc
 

 

[Norwaylady]

Juhu 🙌🏻 this will be 🤩 

Safe travels❤️

[Notagoose]

I hopped back on these boards a month or two ago after a 10 year absence and your reviews have been such a highlight! You're an absolute delight to read, and since we'll be doing the Beyond holiday sailing in December, I'm especially looking forward to this review. (Also, as a fellow lawyer, you need to teach me your ways of travelling so much while remaining gainfully employed!!)

[KKB]

57 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

Well we are in Florida waiting the arrival of our traveling companions, @GenerationX, @KKB, @Silkroad, @Mrs_Tiki and any others I might have missed ! 
 

Got here on Wednesday after a rather typical sleep-free ride down on the auto train. We will venture down to PE from Orlando on Sunday morning for our 11am check-in time. I am curious how much the Brightline train will be from MCO when it starts up later this year. 
 

mac_tlc
 

 

We arrive at 6:15 tomorrow

[LisaLeone]

Few things are more fun to read than a Charla review! I'm 7 weeks away from my first cruise in almost 4 years and I've been living vicariously thru you and @Jim_Iain!

[cacbeausang]

So excited to be brought along on this cruise by Charla!!  Sad to learn this is her last X cruise for awhile, that means we won’t see her in June on our cruise.  Someday!

[GenerationX]

14 hours ago, mgreenpa said:

Hi Charla! We’re on board Beyond right now. Phenomenal dinners for us in Le Voyage, Steakhouse and Eden. A bit hit or miss in Luminae this time. Was amazing in Apex last year so I am not sure why on discrepancies. 
 

Sorry to give heads up - Veuve dinner isn’t on Beyond yet. Asked Somm in Steakhouse first night. We did it last year and it was great! Maybe if they hear the ask every cruise, it’ll return. 
 

Signing off with a champagne in my hand on the Retreat deck lounger (and almost time to see if we will see some dock runners for the MSC next to us in Puerto Plata) 😉

 

cheers! 

Enjoy the last couple of days of your cruise!
 

Thank you for the heads up on the Veuve dinner.  That’s disappointing to hear. Seems like a real miss not to have it on the newest E class ship.  I guess I’ll just have to think of another way to spend that OBC. 

[Cruising Is Bliss]

YAY another Charla Live, I always enjoy your posts so much, thank you for taking us along!

[GenerationX]

Riddle me this, American Airlines…

 

How is it that we can put a man on the moon, my car can send me a text message when it senses it’s due for an oil change and I can buy a 4 figure handbag using only my thumb print, but you’re still struggling to find a method to prepare and serve a decent egg dish above the earth’s surface?

 

I mean c’mon now. I follow the luxury travel influencers on Insta.  I KNOW what kind of first class meals Emirates is putting out. I get that that’s a whole different ticket price point, but still, I know you can do better.

 

Oh well, at the end of the day, what I’m really concerned about is that our flight left STL as scheduled (woohoo!), I got to see a gorgeous sunrise over the southeast, and I’m only an hour and a half away from landing by the ocean with temperatures 40 degrees higher than what I left in STL.

 

We also have a very upbeat and attentive flight crew.  Like 10 seconds after I put the second mini bottle of Tito’s into my breakfast screwdriver, there was our flight attendant putting two more chilled mini bottles on my tray table and adding a little ice to my glass with a big smile on his face.  I think this man may be trying to kill me.  Or maybe just get me tipsy enough not to complain about that tragic omelette.  I don’t know.
 

Either way, it’s Saturday and I’m going on a cruise and I’ve decided to just let it all go and sip my cocktail.

 

Once I land in Miami I’ll grab my bags and an Uber over to FLL to my pre-cruise hotel.

 

Final countdown to Beyond is on!!!

 

 

 

[GenerationX]

On 4/6/2023 at 6:09 PM, dock said:

Bon Voyage, will be following along. 
I sure wish I had the courage to do a solo cruise. 

Thank you!  If you’re interested in trying solo cruising but nervous about it, a good first test/step may be to do a semi-solo.  Where you’re in your own cabin but you know someone else sailing who can be your company for meals, activities, etc. when you feel like you need it.

 

Even better if said semi-solo companion is a bit of an expert on Celebrity solo cruising…

 

This suggestion is absolutely NOT an attempt by me to have an excuse to go on another solo cruise [cough]. 

[GenerationX]

On 4/6/2023 at 3:59 PM, ILgirl said:

Hi Charla,  I always devour your posts and am so looking forward to another!  I was on the Beyond for the 3/19 sailing.  While I am not in a Suite, I found the crew and the ship to be the best I have ever experienced and I am Elite status.  Can’t wait to sail on her again in November.  Thanks, as always, for taking the time to bring us all along on your adventure!

Hi!!! Forgive me if my memory is failing me, but I think we came very close to sailing together at one point but then were thwarted by the COVID monster.   I’m so glad to hear you had such a good cruise on Beyond even outside the Retreat. 
 

I hope we do get a chance to sail together in the future! Any chance I could convince you guys to Beyond in back to back months and also sail with us on a 10 night Mediterranean out of Rome in October? 😁

[countess5]

Following along! Loved Beyond last month on our B2B.

 

Since your champagne dinner isn’t available try the Premium Wine tasting! The event was outstanding! The cheeses served with the wines a winner! 

 

Just ask your retreat Host about it, they didn’t advertise it. 

 

Cheers! 

[GenerationX]

39 minutes ago, countess5 said:

Following along! Loved Beyond last month on our B2B.

 

Since your champagne dinner isn’t available try the Premium Wine tasting! The event was outstanding! The cheeses served with the wines a winner! 

 

Just ask your retreat Host about it, they didn’t advertise it. 

 

Cheers! 

Thank you! You had me at cheeses and the premium wine just sweetened the deal. I’ll be sure to ask about it!

[George C]

2 hours ago, GenerationX said:

Riddle me this, American Airlines…

 

How is it that we can put a man on the moon, my car can send me a text message when it senses it’s due for an oil change and I can buy a 4 figure handbag using only my thumb print, but you’re still struggling to find a method to prepare and serve a decent egg dish above the earth’s surface?

 

I mean c’mon now. I follow the luxury travel influencers on Insta.  I KNOW what kind of first class meals Emirates is putting out. I get that that’s a whole different ticket price point, but still, I know you can do better.

 

Oh well, at the end of the day, what I’m really concerned about is that our flight left STL as scheduled (woohoo!), I got to see a gorgeous sunrise over the southeast, and I’m only an hour and a half away from landing by the ocean with temperatures 40 degrees higher than what I left in STL.

 

We also have a very upbeat and attentive flight crew.  Like 10 seconds after I put the second mini bottle of Tito’s into my breakfast screwdriver, there was our flight attendant putting two more chilled mini bottles on my tray table and adding a little ice to my glass with a big smile on his face.  I think this man may be trying to kill me.  Or maybe just get me tipsy enough not to complain about that tragic omelette.  I don’t know.
 

Either way, it’s Saturday and I’m going on a cruise and I’ve decided to just let it all go and sip my cocktail.

 

Once I land in Miami I’ll grab my bags and an Uber over to FLL to my pre-cruise hotel.

 

Final countdown to Beyond is on!!!

 

 

 

Suites and flying first class is the only way to go 😁😁😁, cheers

[dock]

2 hours ago, GenerationX said:

Thank you!  If you’re interested in trying solo cruising but nervous about it, a good first test/step may be to do a semi-solo.  Where you’re in your own cabin but you know someone else sailing who can be your company for meals, activities, etc. when you feel like you need it.

 

Even better if said semi-solo companion is a bit of an expert on Celebrity solo cruising…

 

This suggestion is absolutely NOT an attempt by me to have an excuse to go on another solo cruise [cough]. 

Lol. I’m sure if you put it out there , many of us who are teetering on whether to do one will jump onboard!

 

Re: airline food lol, wait till you try AC! Love the airline but not the food. 

I skip breakfast whenever onboard  during that meal and usually do the dependable and seems like never changing recipe for last few decades,  pasta option.