LIVE: Celebrity Beyond January 19, 2024 10 Night Ultimate Southern Caribbean

[bnurick]

Here are pictures from Luminae last night. The did tell me the ribeye steak was medallions before I ordered it. Cheers.🥂

  

[Beachlover1989]

If you follow Captain Kate on Instagram, she’s doing a great “Captain’s Log” for each day of your cruise! She always posts interesting things, but this is awesome!

[hcat]

did they serve any crackers with the cheese cubes..lokks like the former AQ Class canapes..soup looks good

[bnurick]

3 hours ago, hcat said:

did they serve any crackers with the cheese cubes..lokks like the former AQ Class canapes..soup looks good

Included crackers. To be overly transparent, getting your own cheese at OCV would be equal or better.

[bnurick]

Night #3 Le Voyage (The Beyond)

 

Tonight was an incredible meal. The restaurant is very small and intimate. The service, impeccable. The portion sizes are perfect, just enough to make you feel full, but not too much to make you feel bloated.

 

🔸The Service. Server to Sommelier, it is the highest level X offers on this ship, so far. This was obvious and very transparent.

🔸Wine. I decanted my own bottle for 3 hours and recorked for dinner. Our Head Butler delivered in advance. It was stellar. Peter Michael Les Pavots 2019.

🔸Veuve Clicquot Champagne, Complimentary A+

🔸Alaskan King Crab Salad A

🔸Peanut Crusted Prawns A

🔸Lobster Risotto A

🔸Filet Mignon with Black Truffle A+ (extra sauce a must)

🔸Coupe Cafe-Cardamom A+

🔸Lime & Berry Pavlova A+

🔹Overall A+

 

An exceptional meal. We figured we would cancel our second reservation, now we think we might keep it. Absolutely, incredible. A must do… Cheers! 🥂 
  

[theopup]

Thanks for the report on Le Voyage. It looks like an incredible meal, and I am enjoying your wine selections.

 

I have it booked on Ascent in September for my husband’s birthday.

 

Great photos

[hcat]

13 hours ago, bnurick said:

Included crackers. To be overly transparent, getting your own cheese at OCV would be equal or better.

Thanks

we bring our own crackers  and will forage for cheese and deli meat at the buffet.  AQ class no longer includes canapes but we enjoy an afternoon snack with wine!

 

Le Voyage looks  great but too fancy for us..dh has food allergies.

[miched]

On 1/20/2024 at 12:49 PM, hcat said:

thanks for all the info.  Looks like some nice things to do   

Do you know what WONDER AT EDEN IS?  A new show or event?  

From past experience it was like a preview of one of the Productions shows.   The singers and dancers appear doing  a little show.   It is ok if you don’t have  anything else to do.   It is supposed to be for Elite and above but there is no one checking and they didn’t clear out the lounge prior to.  
 

it also coincides with the HH so many may be there for that.  Can be very crowded with overloaded bar service.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[bnurick]

Hello from Yellow Beach, Pinal Island! 

 

A taxi ride over to the ferry for the freshest Caribbean lobster 🦞 possible. We found this gem a few years ago booking a boat for a day and requesting grilled lobster. Advanced reservations for chairs, an umbrella and lobster is highly recommended. Such a lovely day! 

 

Cheers from Saint Maarteen. 🥂 
  

[Lastdance]

Luminae was a disappointment for us on the exact same cruise we took in November, but our waiter did everything he could to make it better.  sounds like you had a different bread person than we did, as ours always wanted to give us two or more!  The entire crew did an excellent job.  We also had the same crazy butler!  Hope you continue to enjoy your cruise...thanks for sharing your port days, along with the great photos.  Hope your hiccups are few and far between!

[bnurick]

Night #4 Raw on 5

 

Hydrating and hitting the bed early as we are going to try and hike the Pitons tomorrow in Saint Lucia. 😳

 

🔸Miso Soup B+

🔸Green Roof Tuna Roll, added Crab A

🔸Chicken Teriyaki A+ (the chicken is marinated for 4 hours, and you can definitely taste that it is)

🔸Service A+ (Ms. Yanin was great)

🔹Overall A

 

A solid dining experience. Definitely would try to squeeze another meal in, even lunch.

 

Also a couple photos of the pool this evening.

 

Cheers! 🥂 

   

[Jim_Iain]

On 1/20/2024 at 11:42 PM, hcat said:

We had awful bread service as well. No bread basket on tables. One bread lady for all.. She doled out rolls one at a time and would disappear. One evening there was NO bread.  We were told it was arriving late..never did!

 

We ate there a few nights but went off to Raw on 5  and BLU which had full bread baskets, great food and service overall.

 

guess  L...has not improved!

 

I've never had a brad basket on the table in over 10 years.   The do have it in Blu but in Luminae it has always been served.   If I'm in the mood for more than one roll I often ask when served or if the bread person doesn't return I am not shy about asking the Asst Waiter or Waiter to send her over.

On Edge the Bread person was our favorite and was beyond attentive.   I have to say we received great service but except for the Somellier and the food preparation.  

 

Celebrity really need to visit the decline in Luminae over the past 9 months or so.

[DingoMom]

On 1/20/2024 at 12:06 PM, Jim_Iain said:

They do have 4 Ounce Filet's on the Children's Menu available and will give you more than one if you desire.  

Thank you, @bnurickfor taking us along!! Great review!! If you have time, please let us know about the availability of the children’s filet in Luminae for dinner. On our Beyond cruise which ended the day you embarked, they did NOT have it. (They did, however, have it on Ascent in December.)
@Jim_Iain, Apparently different ships are doing different things. We were disappointed that the Beyond did not have it!

[hcat]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I've never had a brad basket on the table in over 10 years.   The do have it in Blu but in Luminae it has always been served.   If I'm in the mood for more than one roll I often ask when served or if the bread person doesn't return I am not shy about asking the Asst Waiter or Waiter to send her over.

On Edge the Bread person was our favorite and was beyond attentive.   I have to say we received great service but except for the Somellier and the food preparation.  

 

Celebrity really need to visit the decline in Luminae over the past 9 months or so.

  We only had the one short experience with Luminae on BEYOND.. one bread server took a long time to wander around..but then disappeared..  BLU always has a nice basket with a good variety and refilled..  In Lum we had a great waiter and sommelier but it just was not our style.. Glad we tried it,.but happy going back to BLU next week on Ascent.

[smeck]

We get one roll and never see the bread person again. 😞

[hcat]

Love the Lobster..quite a contrast to the minis on X

[BACON227]

I am also on the current Beyond sailing in The Retreat. With nearly 100 cruises under my belt, about half a dozen of which has been in the Retreat, I will no longer be giving Celebrity my hard earned money, and I’m saying that only half way through the ten day sailing.

The price has doubled and the quality of the product has plummeted.  I will be composing my own thread of my current Retreat experience, and it’s not good.

[45december]

No filet on kids menu on EQ.

[bnurick]

Hiking the Pitons - “Unfinished Business”

 

This review is at the request of Ada McGlone Lester.

 

We booked a private tour through St. Lu Taxis and Tours. Upon exiting the ship promptly at 9:30am, we made our way to the taxi area where our driver Richard had a sign with our last name. We quickly found his van and off we went. The drive is around 1 hour and 45 minutes. Inasmuch as we watched YouTube videos to be adequately prepared, a time constraint was not one of the pre-excursion factors. Richard, who was born on St. Lucia, but also served in the US Army, was full of information on the island as well as the surrounding islands. Over our three hours in the van round trip, we learned more about St. Lucia than our prior two visits combined. As a side note, we took the ‘eastern’ route there and ‘western’ route back, which you can see on the maps screenshot I took at the beginning of the trail.

 

We arrived at the base of the Pitons and were assigned a guide that works for the Foundation. It’s $50 a person to hike and that money is used for everything down to guide uniforms. Of the 3,200+ passengers onboard, a grand total of 6 (including us as 2) attempted to make the climb. This should have been a sign, but being a dumb American this was our DESTINY.

 

Our Guide Abigail showed us the washroom, made sure we had an adequate amount of water and off we went…

 

The trail is broken down into 4 quarters, each becoming progressively more difficult as you make the trek. Leaving at 11:22am and having to be back to our van no later than 3:00pm we had 3 hours and 38 minutes to climb the mountain. At this point you fully comprehend what 2 hours up and 2 hours down AT A GOOD PACE really means…

 

At the first 1/4 stopping point we knew. You slowly start working through the five stages of grief as your body gets worn down, you are sweating more than you are drinking water and the usage of your hands on the rocks increases. But between 1/4 and 1/2 you still have HOPE. And while hope is a powerful thing, it can only take you so far in the game of the Pitons.

 

After a long hour+ grind we made it to the 1/2 way point were ran into 3 out of 4 of our fellow cruisers. The lone 1 was giving their all to making it to the top. At this point Abigail had to break us the news this was it. Mathematics was not our friend and we could go no further. Nooooo! I tried the stage of bargaining to little reception and slowly worked my brain into the final stage, acceptance. This was it, if we continue, make it to the top, hopefully, and miss the ship all aboard time. Nooooo!

 

After a few pictures with a stunning view, back down we started… Now going down has its own set of challenges, but we made it with one break.

 

Once we said our goodbye's to our trusted guide, we named this adventure “unfinished business” as we will be returning to complete the task. Richard got us back to our ship and after a second set of goodbye’s and a thank you for his service to our Country we hit a couple shops and back on the ship. Upon arriving to our cabin, our incredible Head Butler AG had a much needed cheese plate waiting. Sometimes it really pays to share your upcoming plans.

 

This is being written at the Martini Bar before we give Fine Cut on The Beyond a try. Another food review to come later… Cheers from The Beyond where the score is Pitons: 1 Us: 0.

 

Safe travels…
  

[hcat]

Kudos for signing on to this hike..Only for the young and fit..! 

 

we snorkelled below!

[Ciaranaman]

👏👏👏  Agree - Kudos on the attempt.  I, too, would have given it my all and would have fought the time-constraint.  But no one want to be THAT pier-runner 🤣

~Bernadette

[bnurick]

Night #5 Fine Cut Steakhouse

 

This is always a difficult review because almost every city/town in the States has a wonderful steakhouse with everything down to A-5 Wagyu and/or American Wagyu.

 

🔸2020 Tignanello Vino A- (Good, but young)

🔸King Caesar Salad A

🔸Wedge Salad, extra cherry tomatoes A

🔸9oz Filet Mignon with Black Truffle Butter A

🔸12oz USDA Prime Ribeye with a Lobster Tail A-

(Preparation was perfect, cut was thin in comparison to the States)

🔸Smoked Bacon Mac & Cheese A+ 

(not too rich, very approachable, perfect)

🔸Mushrooms B+

🔸Apple Walnut Cobbler A+

🔸Double Chocolate Brownie B+

🔸Service A+ 

(Mr. Drasko was amazingly attentive with extreme detail and the Maitre’d was very present)

🔹Overall A

 

Again, one of the most difficult to rate with the number of amazing steakhouses in the States. In contrast, on the Edge January 2023 we felt the meal was a C+ and found out later we were not alone.

 

Cheers! 🥂 
   

[fliprcruiser]

So glad to read this review, we board on 29th. Looking forward to it

[hcat]

Fine cut dishes look good.. esp the salads and lobster w ribeye....DH would  order steak without lobster

(allergy) or prime rib if available..

 Thanks for posting.!

[fliprcruiser]

Funny coincidence I have Fine Steakhouse booked for day 5 as well!