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

[39august]

You are KILLING me with the pistachio roll and the peach french toast! Will be on EQ in 12 days and will be having both of those myself, but hopefully not on the same day.

[TeeRick]

Another vote here for the pistachio roll!

[DaKahuna]

50 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

 

I think Luminae’s design and location on this ship is another place where after 2 ships in the class Celebrity finally hit the nail right on the head.  Having this beautiful floor to ceiling view of the ocean out of the front of the ship makes the coffee and warm pistachio danish taste even better.

 

 

 

I am definitely going to have to try that pistachio danish on our next cruise.  I usually go for the almond croissant but something tells me this just might become my "go to" breakfast pastry.  Thank you for highlight it for us. 

 

[jwlane]

12 hours ago, mauimary said:

current Capt.

See Post 154.

[mac_tlc]

I agree that the Luminae design is better. I find it also a bit quieter than Edge/Apex. Not quiet, quieter. 
 

We will also be doing Le Voyage tonight for the first time, I think we are earlier than you.   
 

mac_tlc

[TeeRick]

2 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

I am definitely going to have to try that pistachio danish on our next cruise.  I usually go for the almond croissant but something tells me this just might become my "go to" breakfast pastry.  Thank you for highlight it for us. 

 

My wife thinks I book suites only for the sole purpose of getting the pistachio roll in Luminae.

[DaKahuna]

43 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

My wife thinks I book suites only for the sole purpose of getting the pistachio roll in Luminae.

 

Are you saying you don't?  My wife has me book suites on Celebrity so she can eat in Luminae. 

 

[swigso]

Hi Charla,

if you get a chance can you ask when the Alaska cruises on Edge for 2025 will be released. We are on a Hawaii to Vancouver in 2025 and could not book the following cruise for Alaska as they have not been released yet. Did not want the future cruise voucher as have heard they are not such a good deal.

Many thanks and I think it may not be too long before Gen Z wants to travel with you on all your cruises 😎👍

Edited April 12, 2023 by swigso

[GenerationX]

Good afternoon from the Magic Carpet!

 

I was on my way back to the Retreat lounge to relax in the afternoon sea air when I realized I’m falling into the trap of spending my whole retreat cruise hiding out in suite areas.

 

Today is the warmest weather we’ve had yet  on the cruise and the sun has been pretty intense at times. On my walk around decks 14 and 15 I’ve seen a couple of people stumbling back to their cabins showing signs of being overheated.  If you’re sailing the Caribbean soon and are, like me, coming from an area where summer weather hasn’t hit yet, remember that your body isn’t used to this yet and be sure to hydrate and seek shade and a/c regularly.

 

I was actually feeling a little bit overheated around lunch time too so I decided to hold on the cocktails and wine today and slam ice waters instead, then spend early afternoon in my cabin with the A/C blasting.  I’m feeling much better now and ready for a big night!

 

This morning on the Retreat deck I had a nice shady lounger for the morning until Captain Dimitrios flipped the ship around to dock and threw me right into the sun.  The nerve of this guy.

 

The deck did clear out quickly with people heading into port though, so I was able to relocate back to shade without much trouble.

 

For some reason I thought that my lunch reservation today was at 12:30, but when I climbed out of the retreat pool soaking wet at 11:55 and looked at my phone, there was a push notification from the Celebrity app reminding me I had lunch plans at noon!

 

It was a super fast rush down to my room to change out of my wet swimsuit and head to lunch.  I’ll report on said lunch (and my prior day lunch at Raw on 5) shortly. But first, about last night:

 

Cindy wasn’t able to get me an earlier reservation at Fine Cut but suggested I just go to the restaurant around 8:40 and they would probably be able to take me early.  She was right!

 

I was still a bit drowsy from my veuve afternoon, so before dinner I made my first martini bar trip of the cruise for a pick me up espresso martini.

 

The martini bar on Beyond is another improvement upon her older sister E class ships. It’s positioned in the center of the grand foyer rather than against the back wall, so there’s much more seating at the bar.  On the flip side, as an avid espresso martini drinker, I don’t really like that on E class, the espresso martinis are poured “on tap” from a kettle one martini machine rather than made and shaken for you from scratch like on S and M class.  The machine martinis come out just a little sweeter than I like.  

 

But back to positives!  When I sat down at the bar I saw something that made my heart very happy.  I’ll preface this by saying that I do believe Celebrity when they say that they are committed to crew diversity and advancement opportunities for women.

 

That said, I’ve noticed over my many cruises that there are some positions onboard where, despite being a significant percentage of the crew work force, I have rarely, if ever, seen a woman and/or person from an African country in the role.

 

Last night I was so excited to see a woman behind the martini bar for the first time!

 

If you’ll be on Beyond soon, be sure to go see Maelyn for a cocktail! I think she may be one of the friendliest people I’ve ever met and her service was quick and attentive.  Her smile is also downright infectious.  You can tell she’s new to her position and still training but she’s clearly working very hard at it and I get the sense she’s a natural.  Every time she had a couple of minutes between serving customers she was practicing her flare skills.

 

I have to think that martini bartending is one of the most lucrative non-officer/management positions on the ship considering the additional tipping levels at that bar.  I really hope that she sticks with the role and is still here when I sail again.  I can’t wait to see what tricks she’s pulling off by fall.

 

As for dinner at Fine Cut, I didn’t do this restaurant last time I was on Beyond but Red did and her assessment was that she wasn’t impressed with it.  I wasn’t going to this cruise, but then after we had such a great dinner at Fine Cut on Apex I decided to give it a try.

 

Unfortunately, while the service was every bit as great as it was on Apex, the food was not as impressive.

 

I had the gnocchi starter which was really good, I daresay it could’ve been amazing if it had been served hot, but it came to the table barely warm.  For my main I had the ribeye with truffle butter, Parmesan fries and sautéed spinach.

 

My steak had good flavor especially with that awesome truffle butter, but it was nowhere near as tender as on Apex.  The fries are big thick wedge style, and some of them hadn’t fully cooked through all the way.  The spinach on the flip side was vastly improved from the inedible spinach on Apex though.

 

For dessert I tried the apple walnut crumble with vanilla ice cream instead of cinnamon.  The dish had real potential if it’d actually been served warm, but my crumble was room temperature and a little dry and as a result kind of tasted like a buffet breakfast apple muffin with ice cream on top.

 

I’ve certainly eaten worse meals and Im glad I gave it a try, but I’m thinking going forward when it comes to upcharge dining on Beyond, I’ll focus my investments elsewhere.  

 

I think my plan for the rest of the afternoon will be to head back to the cabin for Elaine’s afternoon canapé delivery and perhaps enjoy it in a pre-dinner bubble bath.  Then I’ll dress and head to the 7:30 production show followed by dinner at Le Voyage.

 

For late night diversion I’m so torn!!!!

 

There are soooo many options on the schedule:

 

-A disco party in the grand foyer

-Pool deck dance party

-Rock Violinist in the Club

-Accoustic Duo in Eden

-And I still need to get to the awesome World Class bar

 

I have an 8:15 excursion meeting time in Cozumel tomorrow so I’ll really only have time to hit one thing before I need to head to bed.

 

We’ll see which vibe hits me right after all the French food.

 

Soon to come: a report on my specialty lunches thus far.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

7 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Another vote here for the pistachio roll!

I don't think I have ever had it.   But again we have only once made it to breakfast in Luminae. 

[sbt518]

18 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

The martini bar on Beyond is another improvement upon her older sister E class ships. It’s positioned in the center of the grand foyer rather than against the back wall, so there’s much more seating at the bar.  On the flip side, as an avid espresso martini drinker, I don’t really like that on E class, the espresso martinis are poured “on tap” from a kettle one martini machine rather than made and shaken for you from scratch like on S and M class.  The machine martinis come out just a little sweeter than I like.  

 

 

 

 

 

Was just on Equinox and they had the on tap espresso martini's also.  Did not care for them but discovered that Cafe Al Bacio makes an outstanding espresso martini!

[hcat]

highly rec World Class Bar.. .

you can still overlook Martini Bar show and enjoy very Classy cocktails! also a  nice clientele!

[REOVA]

On 4/11/2023 at 6:32 PM, GenerationX said:

Please pardon the interruption for a critical update from Beyond.

 

It has just come to my attention during happy hour snack time in the Retreat lounge that some brilliant soul has managed to improve upon the potato chip by making a snacking chip out of perfectly cured prosciutto.

 

I hereby officially christen this the Spanx and A-line dresses cruise.

 

 

 

Curious. Are these crispy like well cooked bacon (which I love) or slightly chewy like a light beef jerky? 😋 

[GenerationX]

Good morning from Cozumel!

 

 

Looks like another beautiful weather day!

 

I have an early meeting time for my excursion so Elaine brought breakfast that I ordered on the hang tag the night before.  She also dropped off extra bottled water and beach towels for my day in port.
 

I swear I put on the tag that 1 person was dining for breakfast, but the kitchen gave me enough bagels (warm and toasted per my write in request), fruit and breakfast meat to feed at least 3 people.

 

Posting will be slow today as I’ll be in port till early afternoon for my Mexican cooking and salsa dance class excursion followed by some beach time.

 

When I get back to writing I’ll share all about my best life night last night.

 

I hope you all have as good a day as I think I’m going to!

 

[GenerationX]

Quick Update from Beyond:

 

Full report to come, but my excursion today was excellent. Perhaps too excellent.

 

I believe the final score is Mexico: 1 Charla: 0

 

There’s a private silent disco party for the Retreat guests tonight but it doesn’t start until 9:30…and I just almost dozed off at 8:15 while sipping a glass of Pinot and laying across a couch star gazing outside the Sunset Bar.  
 

It’s a good thing my dinner tonight was at Rooftop Grill, where having on sunglasses at the table didn’t look out of place and everyone looks slightly wind blown anyway.  The service and food were both very good (especially those lamb chops and that cookie dessert!) and really hit the post-beach day spot. I think I may start planning to book this restaurant regularly on E class for dinner after a planned rigorous/hot excursion day.
 

I promise I won’t forget to catch up on reports, but for now, I’m putting myself to bed early so that I can reenergize for my day in Grand Cayman tomorrow.

 

I have a Celebrity excursion booked so our tender process will be different, but sharing the info that was on my bed tonight about Retreat priority tendering.

 

Sweet dreams from a delightfully exhausted woman on the Beyond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mkcurran]

15 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

Quick Update from Beyond:

 

Full report to come, but my excursion today was excellent. Perhaps too excellent.

 

I believe the final score is Mexico: 1 Charla: 0

 

There’s a private silent disco party for the Retreat guests tonight but it doesn’t start until 9:30…and I just almost dozed off at 8:15 while sipping a glass of Pinot and laying across a couch star gazing outside the Sunset Bar.  
 

It’s a good thing my dinner tonight was at Rooftop Grill, where having on sunglasses at the table didn’t look out of place and everyone looks slightly wind blown anyway.  The service and food were both very good (especially those lamb chops and that cookie dessert!) and really hit the post-beach day spot. I think I may start planning to book this restaurant regularly on E class for dinner after a planned rigorous/hot excursion day.
 

I promise I won’t forget to catch up on reports, but for now, I’m putting myself to bed early so that I can reenergize for my day in Grand Cayman tomorrow.

 

I have a Celebrity excursion booked so our tender process will be different, but sharing the info that was on my bed tonight about Retreat priority tendering.

 

Sweet dreams from a delightfully exhausted woman on the Beyond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday the 15th???

[goofysmom99]

1 hour ago, GenerationX said:

 

 

 

Interesting choice of words.  "As you are one of our valued guests, you will not need to use tender tickets."  So it would follow, if you are one of our unvalued guests, get in line. 😉

[momofmab]

6 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

 

 

Interesting choice of words.  "As you are one of our valued guests, you will not need to use tender tickets."  So it would follow, if you are one of our unvalued guests, get in line. 😉

😆 I thought they could have worded that better, myself.  Maybe switch out "valued" with "Retreat".

[Stem to Stern]

Postcard from Florida:

 

Dear @GenerationX,

Hello from the Sunshine (???) State!!
Not necessarily enjoying the neighborhood sites while dodging a few raindrops.

Lots of new art installations around town since I last visited including randomly placed automobiles and airplanes completely surrounded by water.  Been touring them via kayak.  I don’t wish you were here.

xxxooo

PS Not sure what your post cruise plans are, but you best confirm everything is still a go.

 

[CruiserRob]

2 hours ago, momofmab said:

😆 I thought they could have worded that better, myself.  Maybe switch out "valued" with "Retreat".

It's not just Retreat, it's Elite and above.

 

Robert

[mac_tlc]

When we went to the casino last night to make our donation, I noticed a different message on the slot screen where you do a room charge to transfer $$ to the machine:

 

 

 

Hmmmmm… 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

 

 

mac_tlc

Edited April 14, 2023 by mac_tlc

[GenerationX]

Sigh, another day, another Luminae breakfast on the sail into a tropical island…

 

This morning I sent Jeremy a text that said:

 

“I understand FLL airport is closed due to flooding. I may not be able to make it home on Sunday. Please send funds for an additional week on Beyond.”

 

The response I received was:

 

“You don’t fly home for 2 more days and you told me you fly out of Miami not FLL. We have Rome flights and a new washer to pay for. I’ll see you at baggage claim in St. Louis THIS. SUNDAY. Love you!”

 

Hey, it was worth a try. 🤷🏽‍♀️

 

Captain D hadn’t even dropped his anchor yet and there were already 3 local tender boats making their way towards Beyond to get our tourism spending going today as soon as possible.

 

It’s about 9:20 and I just heard an announcement that for non-retreat guests, tender tickets are now being passed out in the World Class bar.

 

My excursion doesn’t rendezvous to tender in until 11am so I’m relaxing on the retreat pool deck.

 

While I’m hanging out, a back in time report on Costa Maya evening.

 

Before dinner I went to the Elements production show.  I thought it was every bit as entertaining as Arte. It’s themed on the powers and elements of earth (fire, wind, water, lightening, volcanoes, etc.)  Once again the pics don’t really do justice to the beauty of it and I highly recommend checking it out if you’ll be on Beyond.

 

After a standing ovation for the cast I made my way to dinner at Le Voyage.  This is the priciest specialty restaurant on Beyond but to me it’s well worth the cost. When Jeremy and I looked at going to Chef Boulud’s Le Pavillion restaurant in New York pre-Bermuda cruise, it was going to be over $400 for a set tasting menu, not including wine or tips.  Le Voyage is a steal compared to that and based on the photos I’ve seen online, the food is every bit as beautifully presented and every detail meticulously thought out. Right down to the French sea salted butter served slightly softened with the bread.

 

As you can see from my pics, every dish I ordered was like art on a plate and almost too pretty to eat.  Emphasis on ALMOST.  I definitely ate 100% of everything.

 

When I arrived at the restaurant I was poured a complimentary welcome glass of veuve, which the sommelier gladly refilled for me while I was waiting for my wine bottle order to come from the cellar.

 

The wine list at Le Voyage is more like a wine Bible with almost 20 pages of options for every budget, and I mean every budget…peep the price on that Petrus.  Do people who can afford to pay that for one bottle of wine seriously sail on Celebrity?  

 

As much as I love Celebrity, if I’m ever blessed enough to have “drink a Retreat Alaska cruise for 2 over dinner tonight” wine money, I plan to be sailing on a private yacht.  But maybe that’d just be my new money (unabashedly) showing. 😂 

 

I went for a bottle a bit more “we have car payments and a mortgage” friendly, but still very nice.  I really enjoy Au Bon Climat and have rarely seen it on Celebrity wine lists. The 20% discount from the premium beverage package made it about the same as what it goes for in restaurants in STL.

 

For dinner I started with the prawns then was torn between the lamb chops and loupe de mer.  My server offered to bring a smaller portion of the fish as a second course and then follow it with the lamb course which I took him up on.  Both dishes were perfectly cooked and fabulous.

 

When eating them, be sure to take the time to make that “perfect bite” on your fork that picks up bits of all the garnishes, sauce and accompaniment along with the protein.  Especially with the lamb. The combination of the earthy meat, crunch of pistachios, tzatziki, red pepper pesto and carmelized eggplant strips in my mouth all at the same time made me mad I didn’t think to book 2 nights in Le voyage.

 

For dessert, I had the lime & berry pavlova which I noticed was smaller than it was in November and was garnished with silver flakes this time instead of gold flakes (will these Celebrity cutbacks never cease????)

 

The smaller size was a perk though because it left me with a little stomach room to enjoy a few of the warm orange Madeleines that are delivered complimentary as the final course. This time served with a couple of little courvosier and salted caramel chocolates.

 

Did I mention yet how mad I am that this restaurant was sold out for the rest of the cruise?

 

After dinner I stopped by the world class bar for a very well made rye old fashioned before my early bed time to prep for my 8am Cozumel excursion.

 

Later today: a report on said excursion before I have one more mimosa and head out do some shopping and see some sea turtles!

 

Good morning from Grand Cayman!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GenerationX]

On 4/12/2023 at 11:23 PM, REOVA said:

Curious. Are these crispy like well cooked bacon (which I love) or slightly chewy like a light beef jerky? 😋 

 

They are crispy like bacon! was expecting the jerky texture but actually ended up loving the crunch!

[binro01]

2 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

I noticed a different message on the slot screen where you do a room charge to transfer $$ to the machine:

That's an interesting new message. Well, I guess it just means pull out all your funds that you want to pull out one time only.

[mac_tlc]

16 minutes ago, binro01 said:

That's an interesting new message. Well, I guess it just means pull out all your funds that you want to pull out one time only.

It appears that the restriction is applied individually to each guest on your account. 
 

mac_tlc