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

[GenerationX]

8 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Curious if they have some new luncheon dishes? -   I don't recall ever seeing the coffee panna cotta (looks yum) and the mushroom and potato ravioli.  

I think so.  I did see the ravioli on a menu on Solstice last month but that was the first time. I’d never seen the herb crusted chicken or panna cotta before either.

[Jim_Iain]

13 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

So glad you’re enjoying Jim!  If you find those self-packing suitcases for sale somewhere PLEASE let me know ASAP.  

Although I wouldn’t be surprised if after a few months of me owning them mine decided to go on strike for inhumane working conditions!

I think I've been designated the packer -  Thinks keep showing up in the packing bedroom and I've been loaded them into the Suite Case.   

 

I pulled out some shirts today and Iain said -  I'm glad you are enjoying my shirts.... I of course retorted you mean Our Shirts -  you live in a community property state.

 

 

[lola2013]

20 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

Thank you! It’s one of my Amazon bargain buys. Less than $40, comfortable and forgiving and packs and travels very well.

 

Floerns Women's Summer Floral Print Sleeveless Halter Neck Beach Party Dress https://a.co/d/3bbtpvz

 

 

“Add to cart”

Thanks

[dock]

I’m curious if you or anyone you’ve met has issues with  cabin noises. 
 

It’s kept us away from booking Beyond. 

 

[volk904]

We were in a sunset balcony about 4 weeks ago including one rough night and hear no major unusual noises.  

[GenerationX]

9 hours ago, dock said:

I’m curious if you or anyone you’ve met has issues with  cabin noises. 
 

It’s kept us away from booking Beyond. 

 

We had very smooth seas last night but I didn’t notice any noise.  I didn’t experience any in my aqua class IV when I was on the ship in November either. I’m not sure if it matters but both cabins are on mid level decks mid ship.

 

I’ll report back if I hear of others experiencing issues or I notice noise when the ship is really rocking.

 

I did actually notice quite a bit of creaking in our Celebrity Suite on Solstice last month.  When the seas got rough it sounded like the cabin was going to fall apart.  I’m a heavy sleeper though so it didn’t bother me too much.

[GenerationX]

Good morning from The Bahamas!

 

I had a contract to revise this morning before I got to indulge in cruise fun time, so I worked through Luminae breakfast and decided to grab something light from the morning bites buffet in the Retreat lounge. 

 

I didn’t need to know about these little raspberry danish things.  It’s a good thing I have a spa appointment in 10 minutes so I don’t have time to go get another one.

 

Before I could even finish making my breakfast plate I had a smiling server offering me beverage service.  These are the kinds of problems I need more of in my life.

 

About halfway through my flight to Fort Lauderdale I remembered that I hadn’t gotten a pre-cruise pedicure and my toes need some serious attention, so in a few minutes after I finish my mimosa (made with fresh squeezed oj!) I’ll head down a deck for some Elemis Sole Delight action.

 

I’m continuing my usual practice of taking Nassau as a “bonus sea day” and staying onboard to enjoy a quieter ship.  It’s seeming like a good call as the weather report for this afternoon is looking a little dicey.

 

After my pedi, I’ll head up to the retreat pool deck to let my toes finish drying in the Caribbean sun (I swear that makes the polish last longer) then I asked Elaine to make me a lunch reservation at Raw on 5, where I’ll continue my quest to find something on that menu (other than the awesome but pricey seafood tower, and the kakiage, which is only available on Beyond) that gets me really excited.

 

While my feet are getting some TLC I’ll start writing up last night’s Eden dinner.

 

Thus far not a shabby start to my first full day on Beyond.

 

 

 

[DaKahuna]

 I finished breakfast about and hour ago and am finishing my second cup of coffee with Bailey's.  I have to tell you that your picture's of the Retreat breakfast bites are making my mouth water.   11 more days until we embark on Millennium and I can hardly wait. 

 

[GenerationX]

About First Night Dinner in Eden:

 

I had a wonderful server named Michelle from the Philippines who was so good I made a point of asking the maitre d if I can be placed in her section when I come back to the restaurant on night 7.

 

For food I started with one of my Eden favorites, the Bazaar Bowl (served with warm, fresh baked naan brushed with olive oil and sea salt. Heaven.) but otherwise decided to try some new things and happily stumbled upon real hits.  

 

First of all, let’s talk about the goat cheese Gnocchi appetizer. For my fellow cheese and bacon enthusiasts, this dish will not disappoint.  The gnocchi are so light and fluffy and cheesy and the bacon and pancetta cream sauce adds so much depth of flavor and texture.

 

It took a lot of will power for me to pass on my favorite Canadian lobster casserole, but there was a Thai-style fresh grouper dish on the menu that I hadn’t seen in the app (more on Celebrity app menus for Eden in a sec) and sounded interesting. Trying it was also an excellent call. The fish was perfectly cooked, juicy, flaky and and well seasoned on its own with a slightly spicy chili powder blend.  But then when I swirled it in the edamame purée and curry lime peanut sauce underneath it was a whole other level of delicious. 

 

After dinner I got to speak with the head chef for the restaurant and he told me that the Celebrity app menus for Eden are sometimes different from what’s on the physical menu on any given night because of the commitment to only use the highest quality, freshest ingredients for each dish.  

 

It’s not uncommon for dishes to be added or removed from the menu on only a few hours notice if the provisioner is able to source something special (as was the case with the fresh caught grouper) or the chef inspects a container of fish/meat/produce for the evening and doesn’t think it’s up to standard. And we all know how good Celebrity’s IT systems are with keeping up with such last minute changes.

 

To spend a little OBC, the sommelier Adrian brought me a bottle of one of my favorite Napa red blends.  He also gave me a sneak peak of the plan for the wines and cheese pairings for the premium wine tasting on the last sea day and got me signed up.

 

It’s about 11:30 and the Retreat pool deck seems pretty busy but there are still a few shaded chairs available here and there. It looks like the crew is also actively monitoring for chair hogs.  If you’re having trouble finding a spot on the retreat deck look for Faith and/or Fortune, two beautiful ladies from Zimbabwe on the retreat deck crew and they’ll not only find you a great seat but set your towels up just right and send a drink server over ASAP.

 

I’m currently sipping some bubbly watching MSC Meraviglia come in to port next door and what looks like a nasty rain cloud rolling this way. It’s a busy day in Nassau with 5 fairly large ships in  port (including carnival Mardi Gras and our sister Reflection!)

 

After I finish this cocktail I’ll head down for some A/C time and my lunch at Raw on 5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[westcoastsue]

We love Paraduxx! Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t it part of the Decoy family?
Loving your review so far - you may have convinced me to try another E class ship. Wasn’t too crazy about the Edge when we sailed just pre-Covid.

I also love your wardrobe - do the dresses you buy fit true to size?

Continue the fun!

 

 

[DaKahuna]

3 minutes ago, westcoastsue said:

We love Paraduxx! Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t it part of the Decoy family?

 

 

Not Decoy but Duckhorn.  Decoy is from Sonoma Valley and Duckhorn is from Napa Valley. 

I enjoy both of them every opportunity I get. 

 

https://www.theworkingmom.us/blogs/post/Duckhorn-versus-Decoy

 

[GenerationX]

Dear readers please forgive me as I flip the script momentarily and ask a question of the audience.

 

In true best life style as I’m eating and drinking my lunch, I’m perusing the Luminae menu in the app to decide what I want to eat and drink for dinner.

 

Has anyone tried the Daniel Boulud signature duck leg confit entree?

 

It sounds intriguing but I’m a bit nervous on it.  A few cruises back I tried the Boulud signature chicken tangine and it was, how can I put this nicely?  Nah, forget it, there’s no way to put it nicely, it was one of the biggest Luminae let downs I’ve ever experienced.

 

I may have just caught the kitchen on a tough night, but I’m so scared to have Chef Boulud break my heart again.

 

If anyone has first hand experience they can share it would be much appreciated!

 

 

 

[GenerationX]

1 hour ago, westcoastsue said:

We love Paraduxx! Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t it part of the Decoy family?
Loving your review so far - you may have convinced me to try another E class ship. Wasn’t too crazy about the Edge when we sailed just pre-Covid.

I also love your wardrobe - do the dresses you buy fit true to size?

Continue the fun!

 

 

I’m so glad you’re enjoying the review!  So yes, in my opinion Beyond is Edge version 4.0 with many of the things I didn’t particularly care for on Edge vastly improved.

 

 I think now that I’ve sailed on all the current E class ships, if I’m sailing E class, I’m going with Beyond. Especially if I’m planning to sail in a suite.

 

I do think it’s a brilliant move by Celebrity to send Edge to Alaska next year.  The issues with shade, wind and crowds in the outdoor spaces won’t be such a big deal in a grey, cool environment where passengers aren’t spending as much time outside anyway and the IV staterooms seem like they’d actually be a benefit for great whale and glacier views without going out in the cold or rain.

I can totally picture Gen Z and I taking shelter from drizzle with hot chocolates on the covered magic carpet while looking out at a breaching Orca pod…but there I go with spoilers for my end of cruise future cruise plans post!

 

Oh also, the fit on my dresses can vary when ordering from Amazon.  I’ve been everything from a Medium/8-10 to a XXL/16 depending on the vendor. I make a point of reading a lot of the user reviews and pics for each dress and seeing what other women of my weight/height/shape reported ordering and how it fit to make my call.

 

Since I have Amazon prime, if I’m torn between sizes I’ll usually order both and try them on and then return the one that doesn’t fit as well.  With prime free returns all I have to do is drop the package back off at the UPS store and I get a credit back within the week.

Edited April 10, 2023 by GenerationX

[Visitors4]

33 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

Dear readers please forgive me as I flip the script momentarily and ask a question of the audience.

 

In true best life style as I’m eating and drinking my lunch, I’m perusing the Luminae menu in the app to decide what I want to eat and drink for dinner.

 

Has anyone tried the Daniel Boulud signature duck leg confit entree?

 

It sounds intriguing but I’m a bit nervous on it.  A few cruises back I tried the Boulud signature chicken tangine and it was, how can I put this nicely?  Nah, forget it, there’s no way to put it nicely, it was one of the biggest Luminae let downs I’ve ever experienced.

 

I may have just caught the kitchen on a tough night, but I’m so scared to have Chef Boulud break my heart again.

 

If anyone has first hand experience they can share it would be much appreciated!

 

 

 

I have had the Boulud duck leg confit. It was good but for me, not worthy to order again. The duck leg is not very large. If you are familiar with the taste of Asian sliced roast pork, then the "char sui" is the sauce used to marinate the roast pork; a sweet sauce. If you order it, request extra bok choy vegetable and rice to your dish. The duck is heavy on sauce and needs a carb like rice to offset the heaviness. 

 

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, GenerationX said:

 

Has anyone tried the Daniel Boulud signature duck leg confit entree?

 

 

 We have not. It was not on the menu on our cruise last year. 

 

 The good news is that you can order it, taste it, and if you do not like it, order something else.  No reason not to try it for yourself.  

 

[abbydancer2003]

I'm just back from our first post retirement mega trip, and catching up.  I always enjoy your reports, and my sister and I are on the Beyond early next year.

 

I'm a little sad about the new D Boulund menu.  The old dessert was my go to dessert when nothing else appealed, as I don't like chocolate.

[Beachlover1989]

It's so much fun reading your Live reviews @GenerationX!  Thank you for always doing these and satisfying our cruising urges when we can't be there ourselves!

[sbt518]

2 hours ago, GenerationX said:

Dear readers please forgive me as I flip the script momentarily and ask a question of the audience.

 

In true best life style as I’m eating and drinking my lunch, I’m perusing the Luminae menu in the app to decide what I want to eat and drink for dinner.

 

Has anyone tried the Daniel Boulud signature duck leg confit entree?

 

It sounds intriguing but I’m a bit nervous on it.  A few cruises back I tried the Boulud signature chicken tangine and it was, how can I put this nicely?  Nah, forget it, there’s no way to put it nicely, it was one of the biggest Luminae let downs I’ve ever experienced.

 

I may have just caught the kitchen on a tough night, but I’m so scared to have Chef Boulud break my heart again.

 

If anyone has first hand experience they can share it would be much appreciated!

 

 

I have never tried any of the Daniel Bouloud meals on Celebrity because when we asked about them in Luminae on the Edge, we were told they came onto the ship, pre-cooked in bags and then were just warmed up on the ship.  We decided no matter whose recipe it is, we'd rather have freshly made food.

 

 

[cheeseheads4ever]

Hi Charla,

Enjoy reading your review of your cruise on Beyond. We get on it on Sunday April 16th when you get off. We are in Aqua Class and dining in Blu. 
Have you been to the Martini Bar yet? I thought I read you’ve been on Edge. How do the Martini Bars differ from Beyond to Edge? It looks like Beyond Martini Bar is bigger?

If you do get to the Martini Bar could you find out the lead or regular Bartenders name? Thought someone said Herman.
You do a fabulous job with the pictures and your writing of the review! 
Enjoy your Cruise!

 

[Salt Lifer]

Your metabolism must be crazy good.  I swear I have gained 10 lbs just looking at your pictures!  Keep them coming!  🙂 Can't wait until next week when it is my turn on Beyond.

[CruiseNYC]

4 hours ago, GenerationX said:

About First Night Dinner in Eden:

 

I had a wonderful server named Michelle from the Philippines who was so good I made a point of asking the maitre d if I can be placed in her section when I come back to the restaurant on night 7.

 

For food I started with one of my Eden favorites, the Bazaar Bowl (served with warm, fresh baked naan brushed with olive oil and sea salt. Heaven.) but otherwise decided to try some new things and happily stumbled upon real hits.  

 

First of all, let’s talk about the goat cheese Gnocchi appetizer. For my fellow cheese and bacon enthusiasts, this dish will not disappoint.  The gnocchi are so light and fluffy and cheesy and the bacon and pancetta cream sauce adds so much depth of flavor and texture.

 

It took a lot of will power for me to pass on my favorite Canadian lobster casserole, but there was a Thai-style fresh grouper dish on the menu that I hadn’t seen in the app (more on Celebrity app menus for Eden in a sec) and sounded interesting. Trying it was also an excellent call. The fish was perfectly cooked, juicy, flaky and and well seasoned on its own with a slightly spicy chili powder blend.  But then when I swirled it in the edamame purée and curry lime peanut sauce underneath it was a whole other level of delicious. 

 

After dinner I got to speak with the head chef for the restaurant and he told me that the Celebrity app menus for Eden are sometimes different from what’s on the physical menu on any given night because of the commitment to only use the highest quality, freshest ingredients for each dish.  

 

It’s not uncommon for dishes to be added or removed from the menu on only a few hours notice if the provisioner is able to source something special (as was the case with the fresh caught grouper) or the chef inspects a container of fish/meat/produce for the evening and doesn’t think it’s up to standard. And we all know how good Celebrity’s IT systems are with keeping up with such last minute changes.

 

To spend a little OBC, the sommelier Adrian brought me a bottle of one of my favorite Napa red blends.  He also gave me a sneak peak of the plan for the wines and cheese pairings for the premium wine tasting on the last sea day and got me signed up.

 

It’s about 11:30 and the Retreat pool deck seems pretty busy but there are still a few shaded chairs available here and there. It looks like the crew is also actively monitoring for chair hogs.  If you’re having trouble finding a spot on the retreat deck look for Faith and/or Fortune, two beautiful ladies from Zimbabwe on the retreat deck crew and they’ll not only find you a great seat but set your towels up just right and send a drink server over ASAP.

 

I’m currently sipping some bubbly watching MSC Meraviglia come in to port next door and what looks like a nasty rain cloud rolling this way. It’s a busy day in Nassau with 5 fairly large ships in  port (including carnival Mardi Gras and our sister Reflection!)

 

After I finish this cocktail I’ll head down for some A/C time and my lunch at Raw on 5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Always love following along with you, Charla.  Toes look marvelous!  We're on Beyond in December.  Do you have any other spa appointments booked for this cruise?  I've found that some of the spa services on other ships range from outstanding to meh.  Please be sure to post reviews of the spa whenever you've been.

Thank you!  Much appreciated.

[ILgirl]

On 4/8/2023 at 8:52 AM, GenerationX said:

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? 😁

Your memory is actually amazing!  You are exactly right,  Covid caused my cancellation of the 1/30/22 Edge sailing, as it happened the cruise that started with chilly weather.  I am a solo cruiser and hope that our paths do cross on day.  I know it would be a blast!  I have four future cruises booked,,,, Thanksgiving on the Beyond, January on the Ascent, April on Apex and September on the Edge which is a 13 night from Vancouver to Honolulu.  In spite of my moniker, I now live in the sunshine state so I am spoiled with an easy drive to Lauderdale to catch the ship.  Anyhow, thanks again for taking the time to post.  So much fun to read!!

[GenerationX]

1 hour ago, sbt518 said:

 

 

Thank you very much for that info.  Pre-cooked duck from a bag does not sound appetizing at all!

[peanut head]

Just caught up and so excited that you are taking us along.  Have a wonderful cruise!

[GenerationX]

Quick Real Time Update from Beyond:

 

I just returned to the room after some reading in the solarium to find that my butler Elaine had delivered my pressed evening chic dress and afternoon charcuterie…I think I’m going to need to make a more concerted effort to exercise daily on this cruise…