Big news tomorrow (apparently!)

[Eltorodiablo]

8 minutes ago, ericopia said:

That sounds like the exact opposite of our Perfect Day visit. Maybe we were just there on a bad day, or the two mega ships in port overwhelmed the staff (which would be a poor omen, IMO). The thumping bass audible everywhere we went definitely precluded any “quiet” beach time. I’m not a big beach person, but when I do go, I just want to hear the ocean waves — nothing more, nothing less — and I couldn’t enjoy that with a background dance-club beat. But, to each their own.

We found the Chill Island area to be much more quiet. 

[Dreamcruise27]

As a family with young kids who prefer Celebrity ships, this is fantastic news because we were sailing with RC exclusively because of Cococay! We LOVE that there are so many choices of beaches and a pool (without having to pay) and the food options are great. Once the adults-only section is open, I’m sure it will be a favourite among Celebrity cruisers too 🥰

 

As a RCI investor, I think this is fantastic news because it will encourage other families like mine to sail on Celebrity. We don’t like “amusement park” ships and prefer to stick with one brand due to loyalty status. 

[kleibo]

1 minute ago, Eltorodiablo said:

As others have mentioned, they're adding Hideaway Beach, an adults-only area.

I have to say that Coco Beach club is almost kid free and no thumping music.   With prices from 100-300 a person, hard pressed to find a family to spend that on a child when other parts of the island are free.

[prmssk]

5 minutes ago, ericopia said:

This part of the FAQ on the Celebrity site made me laugh and roll my eyes at the same time.

 

Is there an adults-only space at CocoCay?

There are no adults-only spaces at CocoCay as we want everybody to enjoy the island.

 

But what if to enjoy the island, I need an adults-only space? 😎

 

(Reference: https://www.celebritycruises.com/faqs/perfect-day-at-cococay)

I'm surprised they aren't advertising the soon to be opened adults only Hideaway Beach in these FAQs.  It should be open before any Celebrity ship arrives at Coco Cay.

[mahdnc]

28 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Here's the link to the official press release:  https://www.celebritycruisespresscenter.com/press-release/1289/a-perfect-and-endless-summer-celebrity-cruisesreg-will-be-island-hopping-like-never-before-with-the-introduction-of-a-new-caribbean-program-including-the-first-ever-stops-to-perfect-day-at-cococay/

 

I found this interesting quote from our new fearless leader Laura Hodges Bethge:

 

“Our customers are consistently asking for more opportunities to visit this stunning region year-round, have more weekend options so they can getaway easier, and have expressed a desire for a private island destination. By introducing this new program, we can meet this demand and offer something new and historic to all our guests,” says Laura Hodges Bethge, President of Celebrity Cruises. “Perfect Day is a destination like no other, and we are honored to add it to our portfolio.”   

 

(emphasis mine)

 

Many changes are justified by popular demand even if contrived.

[volk904]

I like coco so this is good but it will be limited sailings.  Looks like a lot of shorter 3-4 day cruises.  I do think they are adding more adult space on the island.  

[binro01]

Well good news for me! My ABC island Celebrity Reflection trip for September 7th has been officially moved to the Beyond! I say that is an upgrade for me. I know people are kinda negative about the IVs, but I really don't mind them and I do love the layout and options an Edge class ship has over the Reflection.

Here is an excerpt from my email I just received

 

We are excited to inform you that your upcoming Caribbean cruise aboard Celebrity Reflection, scheduled to embark out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, will now take place on the stunning Celebrity Beyond. You will now be experiencing one of our newest and most remarkable ships at no additional cost.

No action will be required on your part to sail on this modified itinerary. You will be automatically rebooked in the same stateroom type and any All Included perks or Retreat amenities you received with the purchase of your cruise will be honored, accordingly. Once the process of moving your booking is complete, you will receive a refreshed invoice via email with your new stateroom number.  We anticipate it will take us a few weeks to complete all transactions.

Edited June 27, 2023 by binro01

[gojengo]

2 minutes ago, binro01 said:

Well good news for me! My ABC island Celebrity Reflection trip for September 7th has been officially moved to the Beyond! I say that is an upgrade for me. I know people are kinda negative about the IVs, but I really don't mind them and I do love the layout and options an Edge class ship has over the Reflection.

Here is an excerpt from my email I just received

 

We are excited to inform you that your upcoming Caribbean cruise aboard Celebrity Reflection, scheduled to embark out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, will now take place on the stunning Celebrity Beyond. You will now be experiencing one of our newest and most remarkable ships at no additional cost.

No action will be required on your part to sail on this modified itinerary. You will be automatically rebooked in the same stateroom type and any All Included perks or Retreat amenities you received with the purchase of your cruise will be honored, accordingly. Once the process of moving your booking is complete, you will receive a refreshed invoice via email with your new stateroom number.  We anticipate it will take us a few weeks to complete all transactions.

I received the same email. I'm worried that while they are working through cabin assignments a sale will pop up and take away some of the better cabin choices. I'm on  B2B and really want to choose my cabin location and have the same cabin on both legs. 

[binro01]

4 minutes ago, gojengo said:

I'm on  B2B and really want to choose my cabin location and have the same cabin on both legs.

If booked with a travel advisor, get in contact with them. They should have marked your sailing as a back to back on the reflection (And you should have received a small discount on both legs for the back to back booking) If you are marked as back to back and you had the same stateroom prior for both sailings, they should do the same for you on the Beyond.

 

If you booked with Celebrity directly, call them and let them know about your situation, especially if you did not get the small discount for booking a back to back. They can tie the two reservations together and hopefully belay your concerns.

Edited June 27, 2023 by binro01

[gojengo]

3 minutes ago, binro01 said:

If booked with a travel advisor, get in contact with them. They should have marked your sailing as a back to back on the reflection (And you should have received a small discount on both legs for the back to back booking) If you are marked as back to back and you had the same stateroom prior for both sailings, they should do the same for you on the Beyond.

 

If you booked with Celebrity directly, call them and let them know about your situation, especially if you did not get the small discount for booking a back to back. They can tie the two reservations together and hopefully belay your concerns.

Thank you. I booked both cruises online....not through a TA. I'd better call Celebrity.😬

[poeticlicensed]

Ok hear me out.  Aside from all the unhappiness about screwing up the Beyond med sailings next summer, I think its a brilliant move by Celebrity and RCCL.  First, they get rid of Nassau, which is oft complained about by passengers. I hear they got rid of Key West on some itineraries. Now that would bum me out. Next the passengers get a beach day without having to buy an excursion and it saves on port fees. We were at Coco cay on an RC cruise and i got to snorkel for free. If we were in Nassau it would have cost me some  cruise dollars. Finally,   many cruise lines put their oldest saddest ships on the 3, 4 and 5 day routes. Good lord I've been on rust tubs with NCL and RCL for weekend cruises.  If I was a new cruiser or wanted to do a short cruise to see if I liked it and had the opportunity to cruise on a relatively new state of the art ship, it might just hook me in to take more cruises.

Edited June 27, 2023 by poeticlicensed

[cw2go]

1 hour ago, prmssk said:

Just looking at the Beyond and Reflection schedules for June 2024, no.  The Beyond sailings stop at Coco Cay on a Monday.  Monday is the turnaround day for the Reflection (3 night is Friday to Monday, 4 night is Monday to Friday).  And that isn't even considering how difficult it would be for RCCL ships to be be swapped.  If they were planning to do that, I think they would have done it when developing these Celebrity itineraries.

Back to pick your brain? What is your best guess for Reflection 2025 since we now see 2024 are the shorter CocoCay runs? I am booked for the ABC's on Reflection Feb 2025.

Do you feel I'll be shifted to Beyond like others or they'll keep reflection on the 6/8 rotation? 

 

Thanks and I won't hold you accountable for any missed guesses 😁

Patty 

[TequilaJane]

All the cruise lines will be building more and more private islands. Many of the normal stops are becoming quite unsafe. This was they make more money by controling everying. Plus as a bonus you are less likely to be robbed.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

4 minutes ago, cw2go said:

Back to pick your brain? What is your best guess for Reflection 2025 since we now see 2024 are the shorter CocoCay runs? I am booked for the ABC's on Reflection Feb 2025.

Do you feel I'll be shifted to Beyond like others or they'll keep reflection on the 6/8 rotation? 

 

Thanks and I won't hold you accountable for any missed guesses 😁

Patty 

 

Feb 15, 2025 is still showing as Reflection. I think they've made the changes they're going to make.

[Baron Barracuda]

Why in the world would X have all the Beyond sailings call at Grand Cayman, the one major port in the Caribbean where everyone has to be tendered ashore?  Lots of other ports they could have substituted.

 

Thanks to AI can see those Reflection 3 & 4 sailings turning into rowdy booze cruises.

 

Surprised that they are moving away from Nassau given the large beach club they're building on Paradise Island.

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, ericopia said:

We visited Coco Cay (pre-“Perfect Day”) sailing on Reflection in Dec. 2015, so it’s funny to me to see “this is the first time ever!” news coverage We visited again in Dec. 2021 on Harmony of the Seas (now “Perfect Day”d); we were there along with Independence of the Seas. The beaches were overrun and overcrowded, bars couldn’t make anything beyond basic beach cocktails (not even a Dark ‘n’ Stormy — no ginger beer to be had — and bartenders seemed to only know how to make the five or so on-menu drinks, anyway), and there wasn’t a spot on the island where I couldn’t hear the constant “thump thump” of the dance-party DJ at the pool. At least the buffet lunch could handle the crowd. Not to mention how expensive and extensive all the add-ons are; I miss a more inclusive feel to a private-island day. It wasn’t relaxing at all. To me, it seemed like what I imagine a Carnival Cruises atmosphere to be, and we went back to the ship pretty early. I wouldn’t bother getting off the ship there again, and would probably pick an X itinerary if it doesn’t go there — I know we don’t look at RCL itineraries out of Florida any more, in part because they basically all go there.

You didn’t venture far enough on the island…there are quiet areas, 

[prmssk]

3 minutes ago, poeticlicensed said:

Next the passengers get a beach day without having to buy an excursion and it saves on port fees.

I believe they still pay port fees.  And the amount of port fees is going to be higher for any itinerary that doesn't also stop at another Bahamas port on the itinerary (like some of the new Reflection ones that only go to key West and Coco Cay).

[poeticlicensed]

2 minutes ago, prmssk said:

I believe they still pay port fees.  And the amount of port fees is going to be higher for any itinerary that doesn't also stop at another Bahamas port on the itinerary (like some of the new Reflection ones that only go to key West and Coco Cay).

I have no idea how port fees are calculated. I guess because the island is still in the Bahamas. 

[prmssk]

11 minutes ago, cw2go said:

Back to pick your brain? What is your best guess for Reflection 2025 since we now see 2024 are the shorter CocoCay runs? I am booked for the ABC's on Reflection Feb 2025.

Do you feel I'll be shifted to Beyond like others or they'll keep reflection on the 6/8 rotation? 

 

Thanks and I won't hold you accountable for any missed guesses 😁

Patty 

I agree with another commenter that I think they have made the changes they plan to make.  Also, that time of year the Silhouette is doing those short itineraries.  

[poeticlicensed]

13 minutes ago, Baron Barracuda said:

Why in the world would X have all the Beyond sailings call at Grand Cayman, the one major port in the Caribbean where everyone has to be tendered ashore?  Lots of other ports they could have substituted.

 

Thanks to AI can see those Reflection 3 & 4 sailings turning into rowdy booze cruises.

 

Surprised that they are moving away from Nassau given the large beach club they're building on Paradise Island.

I have been on several 3 4 and 5 day sailings on X and I have yet to categorize one of them as a rowdy booze cruise. When were were younger and our kids were little, a 3 or 4 day cruise was what we could afford.  I'm sniffing a bit of elitism

Edited June 27, 2023 by poeticlicensed

[Cap_D]

For those with rebookings - some cabins were already booked around 2 am before news went wide.  That may have been a hold on rooms needed for the rebooking taking place behind the scenes. 

[Susanb10567]

I’m confused as to why people think this move is to remove the stop in Nassau…it looks like almost a majority of these sailings go to both???

[cw2go]

28 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

Feb 15, 2025 is still showing as Reflection. I think they've made the changes they're going to make.

 

19 minutes ago, prmssk said:

I agree with another commenter that I think they have made the changes they plan to make.  Also, that time of year the Silhouette is doing those short itineraries.  

 

Thanks to you both. 

My friends sailing with us don't want to lose their aft bal on Reflection.

 

Patty 

[TheHawk1]

The announcement mentions that Beyond will be doing 6 and 8 day sailings year round.  Apart from the Beyond's 2024 Mediterranean season, which appears to be cancelled, Beyond also had 10 and 11 day sailings scheduled for Winter, 2025.  I know because I'm booked on one of them. Do we know if these itineraries will be staying as is?

[sls23]

We just received the notice that we will be moved to the Beyond.  The problem I see is that we are booked in the Reflection Suite which does not exist on the Beyond.  I have been on hold and spoken with two people at Celebrity so far and they just keep telling me that I will be rebooked in the same stateroom type.

 

Anyone with similar experience at this point?  I am thinking of asking for one of the Iconic Suites since everything else is actually lower priced and smaller than what I have booked on the Reflection.