Here we go again... LIVE from Beyond, February 19, 2024

[CruiseDoc79]

Not wanting to high jack another great LIVE blog by @mac_tlc but we are on the same sailing as you and thought  we would share some of our thoughts.  Overall have had a great time with a couple of caveats.  For context we are sailing in a Sky Suite and sailed previously in the same stateroom category on Apex and Edge.  This is our 14th cruise and 5th on Celebrity. We are in our mid 40s.

1) Ship:  Beautiful as her siblings and it’s difficult to imagine any other ship coming close to E-class for art and design.  Definitely agree that it’s felt busy and full especially on sea days but it hasn’t really affected our enjoyment.

 
2) Retreat: We have really been enjoying the expanded Retreat Sun Deck and especially the two hot tubs that look over the ocean.  I did witness lots of chair hogging but also did watch an attendant clearing people’s belongings on a couple of occasions.  It really clears out around 5pm so we typically watch sunset up there from the hot tubs - lovely!

 

Service has been pretty good in the public spaces but unfortunately much the opposite in Luminae and from our retreat host (aka room steward).  Service in Luminae has been slow while dining and we had a 40 min wait for a table on night 1. Pro Tip: if they give you a pager don’t leave the immediate area or it won’t reach you. We popped down to the World Class Bar and apparently it doesn’t reach that far.  Also had food items missing from salads etc (no pine nuts for example).  Mostly we really just don’t care for the menu most nights, but that is a very personal preference (too meat heavy and not much choice).  We have vastly preferred dining in Blu. 

The most egregious however has been the lack of service from the retreat host. Perhaps they are still short staffed?  We called for room service to be cleared and 3 hrs later it was still there. Frequent room service trays in the hallway to avoid and on 2 occasions we left our room at 11am, took down the DND sign only to return at 5pm to a still not made up room!

 

3) Room: Still LOVE the Sky Suites. We have been especially happy to report no loud crashing and banging at night as we experienced on Apex and have read is an issue still with some rooms on Beyond.  
 

4) Spa: Beautiful space but treatments not as good as on previous ships for some reason.  We complained to the spa manager Adi who informed us that the therapist we had had 15 years experience and we must not know what we are talking about, and we don’t know good massages but HE does!  We replied that that wasn’t the point, that OUR experience wasn’t good and so he then loudly shouts at us that we have been speaking terribly to ALL the staff at the spa, and this in the main entrance to the spa in front of everyone!  I assure you we are not those people (we are polite Canadians who respect everyone and loved the rest of the spa staff).  We have never been aggressively spoken to like that and even worse in front of guests waiting for appointments. Needless to say we complained to the retreat host who was appalled and we will see what they can do.  Still feeling shaken up by the experience.

 

5) Entertainment and Food: All have been very good to excellent with highlights being Arte for entertainment and Eden and Rooftop Grill for food.

 

6) Captain Kate!  Met her waiting for the elevators and she chatted with us for quite a while.  She is just the best!

 

Overall a great cruise but we are going to wait and see what Celebrity does to address the concerns we have raised.  

[mac_tlc]

No worries @CruiseDoc79. Always good to have other opinions and experiences. As was the case on our Ascent sailing last month, the variability in service is what drives people batty. On that cruise, we had a non-existent head butler and fabulous room steward. One of the couples sailing with us has just the opposite— same ship, same cruise, same cabin category. It really is something X needs to figure out. 
 

Our room steward has been great, done everything we asked, ice, laundry, clearing room service trays, etc. 

 

I would say the most frustrating thing has been the unavailability of loungers in the Solarium. We prefer that to the Retreat sun deck  because there is zero shade in the Retreat pool. My wife has been up there for about 5 minutes. 
 

Your spa experience is unacceptable.  
 

mac_tlc

Edited February 27 by mac_tlc

[3boyz2keep]

On 2/26/2024 at 9:38 AM, MartiniBarhooked said:

Did you just show up or make arrangements. 

We just showed up. I can't remember who went through our options with us on the first day or two. We were greeted warmly and seated immediately on both occasions.

[Purplsmurf]

On 2/25/2024 at 8:45 AM, mac_tlc said:

So if you are wondering where the island goes on a Sunday morning, it’s here:

 

 

About a 45 minute wait, island time.

 

 

Here is the menu, it is extensive. Prices in USD.

 

 

 

 

 

But how far from the ship is it? It’s this far:

 

 

Dutch Pancake House is like that everyday, not just on Sunday. We go to Aruba every year for our land vacay (just came back two weeks ago) and tried going. This was the busiest we have seen it and we go every year. It’s so good and they have gluten free Dutch pancakes……which I love

[Purplsmurf]

On 2/25/2024 at 6:43 PM, hcat said:

outrageous.. look like more than a meal!   will remember for our next visit..would they let us share?

Absolutely! We have done that many times. We have also had a savory and a fruit and shared. So good!

[hcat]

Thanks for posting these additonal pics .   Did not realize the Pancake place was outdoor seating.  Food looked great but we prefer indoors..with A/C

[abbydancer2003]

4 minutes ago, hcat said:

Thanks for posting these additonal pics .   Did not realize the Pancake place was outdoor seating.  Food looked great but we prefer indoors..with A/C

It's covered.  I'm not a fan of outdoor seating usually, and I was Ok with it.

[mac_tlc]

Welcome to Jamaica!

 

 

 

Hard to believe we have reached double digits and it is Day 10. We are really enjoying the longer voyage and, like many others. Wish X had more longer options.

 

We have a visitor next to us, as you can see in the picture. Here is another one:

 

 

 

Interesting that it is the Fantasy as I had been looking at doing our annual family cruise on Disney in 2025. What does that tell you about Royal’s pricing when they bring DCL into the competitive mix? I do currently have a 4-bdr suite ( we have 8 of us) on the Symphony of the Seas held for July 2025. I don’t know, though, the price is nuts for a week. Anyway back to the cruise at hand! 
 

Yesterday was a lazy sea day with a lot to do! It started at 9am with another talk from Rusty Farst, the underwater cave explorer. He has one left tomorrow and they have all been great and very well attended.

 

At 10:30, thankfully in the same locale, CD Shawna talked for about 75 minutes on cruise ship life and the crew. Some funny anecdotes and stores and lots of factoids. 
 

The afternoon consisted of the Deal or No Deal games how at 1:30. I had bought some cards during a cruise planner sale a while back, we won $10! Woo Hoo!—— which we give back through the casino tomorrow I bet. 
 

Then at 2:30, Matt Johnson did a matinee magic show. Theater was just about full. Great tricks and a great showman too! 
 

Dinner was again at Luminae for one of my favorite menus:

 

 

Dinner with a great view:

 

 

 

I had the Burrata and French Onion Soup as starters and the Short  Ribs for the entree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

With some veggies on the side:

 

 

 

After dinner we decided to skip the show and head to the Solarium, where there were plenty of chairs available !!!!

 

mac_tlc

Edited February 28 by mac_tlc

[mac_tlc]

It looks like Margaritaville at the port is no longer: 

 

 

[mac_tlc]

The Celebrity Today for Day 10:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 28 by mac_tlc

[hcat]

hmm does look like Magaritaville is gone.   We always enjoyed a restaurant  closer to the exit..very good Jamaican food and atmosohere..have not been to Falmouth in awhile.. Had nice local clothing stores and music.   Hope u have a great day

[gfkcruiser]

5 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

It looks like Margaritaville at the port is no longer: 

 

 

 

Edited February 28 by gfkcruiser
Change

[mac_tlc]

When in Rome….or Jamaica….

 

 

 

This was the sole goal for today and it was completed by noon !!! And it was $16 for two! I know @A&L_Ont appreciates the quest! 
 

The rest of the day was a lazy relaxing one, with an afternoon stop at Cafe alBacio for a Ceylon iced tea and awaiting our 3pm daily cheese and crackers, which have been delivered every day since we met our head butler. 
 

Maybe a little time was spent discussing future cruise options with the wife… Hmmmm… I wonder…. 
 

 

mac_tlc

Edited February 28 by mac_tlc

[CruiseProfessorCanada]

Our sixth sailing on Celebrity—including Galapagos—and continue to love the glamour and creativity of the brand. 

We are sailing in the retreat, and the retreat concierges have been exceptional. Bumps with no service in our cabin and hallways littered w room service trays, but after receiving feedback on this happy to report no more gross room service trays for you to drag your gown through on the way back to your room and cabins beautifully and timely made up. 

The performers are fantastic, the usual Celebrity calibre of talent and ambition. The plants are gorgeous and well tended, making this shop stunning to sail on. The art continues to dazzle.

The only negative is the spa manager, Adi from Montenegro. After asking for feedback as to why we were cancelling our next treatments, we provided it (the $400 USD treatment not of the quality as the same service on apex and edge so didn’t want to do it again). He LOST it, yelling at us and saying we didn’t know what a good massage was and he does. He was very angry, defensive and immature—we didn’t want any compensation, we were just answering his question, but likely  bc he is NEVER in the spa and a weak manager, he could not handle feedback. A “mantrum” by a supposed professional was not expected, and the man this was escalated to was equally defensive and dismissive. I feel for the employees in the spa, who shared they are victim to his anger and complacency often but fear complaining.
Which I understand bc as guests we escalated the issue and were met with a defensive man protecting his bro. It doesn’t take a management expert to see why the spa  employees are not disclosing their experiences to Adi’s boss… the old boys club is alive and well on Celebrity. 

Very disappointed that celebrity continues to hire men without aesthetic or spa experience to manage  spas that are staffed 99% by women. This is not in line w the brand values, and I wish celebrity would stop contracting  their spa services out so they could manage the spa with the same finesse and professionalism with which they manage the rest of the ship.

The service in Blu, Eden, and rooftop has been perfect. The staff is lovely and warm,
and the sommeliers knowledgeable and helpful.  I can’t say enough about the incredible staff everywhere on Beyond except spa management and public relations. Interesting to see such a lack of leadership at this level.

People do quibble over pool loungers on the retreat deck, and there were a few louder conflicts likely fueled by heat and tequila. The staff does their very best to manage chair hogs though—they were very vigilant! 

We love Celebrity, but today have booked another line for our Croatia cruise; hopefully Celebrity will reconcile their purpose and values with the spa contract so the ship is seamless instead of a luxe and safe experience everywhere but the spa. That said, the other services we have were great and the stylists very talented—this is a management not service issue. 
 

[Cap_D]

2 hours ago, CruiseProfessorCanada said:

Our sixth sailing on Celebrity—including Galapagos—and continue to love the glamour and creativity of the brand. 

We are sailing in the retreat, and the retreat concierges have been exceptional. Bumps with no service in our cabin and hallways littered w room service trays, but after receiving feedback on this happy to report no more gross room service trays for you to drag your gown through on the way back to your room and cabins beautifully and timely made up. 

The performers are fantastic, the usual Celebrity calibre of talent and ambition. The plants are gorgeous and well tended, making this shop stunning to sail on. The art continues to dazzle.

The only negative is the spa manager, Adi from Montenegro. After asking for feedback as to why we were cancelling our next treatments, we provided it (the $400 USD treatment not of the quality as the same service on apex and edge so didn’t want to do it again). He LOST it, yelling at us and saying we didn’t know what a good massage was and he does. He was very angry, defensive and immature—we didn’t want any compensation, we were just answering his question, but likely  bc he is NEVER in the spa and a weak manager, he could not handle feedback. A “mantrum” by a supposed professional was not expected, and the man this was escalated to was equally defensive and dismissive. I feel for the employees in the spa, who shared they are victim to his anger and complacency often but fear complaining.
Which I understand bc as guests we escalated the issue and were met with a defensive man protecting his bro. It doesn’t take a management expert to see why the spa  employees are not disclosing their experiences to Adi’s boss… the old boys club is alive and well on Celebrity. 

Very disappointed that celebrity continues to hire men without aesthetic or spa experience to manage  spas that are staffed 99% by women. This is not in line w the brand values, and I wish celebrity would stop contracting  their spa services out so they could manage the spa with the same finesse and professionalism with which they manage the rest of the ship.

The service in Blu, Eden, and rooftop has been perfect. The staff is lovely and warm,
and the sommeliers knowledgeable and helpful.  I can’t say enough about the incredible staff everywhere on Beyond except spa management and public relations. Interesting to see such a lack of leadership at this level.

People do quibble over pool loungers on the retreat deck, and there were a few louder conflicts likely fueled by heat and tequila. The staff does their very best to manage chair hogs though—they were very vigilant! 

We love Celebrity, but today have booked another line for our Croatia cruise; hopefully Celebrity will reconcile their purpose and values with the spa contract so the ship is seamless instead of a luxe and safe experience everywhere but the spa. That said, the other services we have were great and the stylists very talented—this is a management not service issue. 
 

You may want to share this directly with the hotel director and Captain Kate.  The spa is contracted out, but if they have enough time to film for Instagram they should have enough time to oversee this Adi character. 

[mac_tlc]

Good morning from Sea….. our last day 😞

 

 

It’s shaping up to be a busy day..

 

First at 9:

 

 

 

 

Followed by :

 

 

 

And then :

 

 

 

Thankfully they are all in the Theatre so no running around.

 

After that we decided to try lunch at the Rooftop Garden Grill since we had some OBC to burn.

mac_tlc

Edited February 29 by mac_tlc

[Arzeena]

15 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

When in Rome….or Jamaica….

 

 

 

This was the sole goal for today and it was completed by noon !!! And it was $16 for two! I know @A&L_Ont appreciates the quest! 
 

The rest of the day was a lazy relaxing one, with an afternoon stop at Cafe alBacio for a Ceylon iced tea and awaiting our 3pm daily cheese and crackers, which have been delivered every day since we met our head butler. 
 

Maybe a little time was spent discussing future cruise options with the wife… Hmmmm… I wonder…. 
 

 

mac_tlc

Ummm loved that pattie! We were there in early February!

[mac_tlc]

Yesterday featured a trip to the Retreat Lounge around 3:30 for the afternoon tea and a few snacks. A little later we reappeared there for a pre-dinner drink. At least when we have gone there, it has never been crowded and Emily and Anna Maria, the bar servers, have been prompt and gracious in taking our order and frequently checking back to see if we wanted a refill.

 

Dinner was at Luminae:

 

 

 

News Flash!  I skipped the French Onion soup for the Creamy Tuscan Kale soup:

 

 

 

A House salad finished off the starters and then, for the entree, the lamb:

 

 

 

My wife had the lobster. She enjoyed it !

 

 

 

After dinner we went up to the Retreat sun deck which is quite nice at night. We then headed to the Club for the nightly game show, a Jeopardy like team event. Participation was good and it was a lot of fun. We enjoy the variety of game shows and activities in the Club.

 

mac_tlc

Edited February 29 by mac_tlc

[hcat]

1 hour ago, mac_tlc said:

Good morning from Sea….. our last day 😞

 

 

It’s shaping up to be a busy day..

 

First at 9:

 

 

 

 

Followed by :

 

 

 

And then :

 

 

 

Thankfully they are all in the Theatre so no running around.

 

After that we decided to try lunch at the Rooftop Garden Grill since we had some OBC to burn.

mac_tlc

sounds like a great day.. Cap's Lecture will no doubt be packed.. re runs will usually  be shown on TV

[mac_tlc]

Celebrity Today for Day 11:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 29 by mac_tlc

[Tyler414]

8 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

Celebrity Today for Day 11:

 

 

I'm leaving the ole salt mine as we speak, to begin vaca!! 

Thanks for the reviews and keeping the ship in tip top shape for us up next!!  🏝️🏝️

Safe travels home! 🥂

[mac_tlc]

59 minutes ago, Tyler414 said:

I'm leaving the ole salt mine as we speak, to begin vaca!! 

Thanks for the reviews and keeping the ship in tip top shape for us up next!!  🏝️🏝️

Safe travels home! 🥂

Few things more exciting than that last night before and morning of embarkation.  Unfortunately we will be in PE tomorrow, probably around 6:30. 
 

Hope you have as wonderful a time as we have! She is a gorgeous ship with a wonderful crew. We hope to sail her again (but more about those thoughts in my summary, probably tomorrow afternoon).

 

Enjoy!!!!

 

mac_tlc

[Beachlover1989]

On 2/24/2024 at 2:11 PM, TheHawk1 said:

It would be better if you took a picture while they were actually sitting there.  A little public shaming never hurts to call attention to such rude behavior.

Those who feel so entitled, like these people obviously do, probably wouldn't even be bothered by a picture 😆

[hcat]

2 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

Few things more exciting than that last night before and morning of embarkation.  Unfortunately we will be in PE tomorrow, probably around 6:30. 
 

Hope you have as wonderful a time as we have! She is a gorgeous ship with a wonderful crew. We hope to sail her again (but more about those thoughts in my summary, probably tomorrow afternoon).

 

Enjoy!!!!

 

mac_tlc

Thanks for another great review!

[KLM3164]

11 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

And then :

 

 

I’m curious does Bug make an appearance at Trivia? If she does are you able to get a picture with Bug? I’d love to meet both Captain Kate and Bug Naked!