first and last Beyond cruise

[Ex-Airbalancer]

33 minutes ago, Lena11033 said:

lol I just did a Mardi Gras cruise and it was far better than the Tampa bay one. People were generally nicer and even when the martini bar was busy you could still have a conversation. 

But I won't be doing a short cruise again, needs to be at least a week.

We would only do a week cruise if it was b2b with a TA 

[Hawkstar33]

5 hours ago, 39august said:

Elite Plus, so have some experiences for comparisons. What we liked about Beyond: Eden, Oceanview Cafe, 4 MDR experience, and the Infinite Veranda cabin.. Of course, it's not a veranda at all, but a mini sun room. There is actually more storage space in the closet than pictures seem to show. The staff was incredible ship wide. That's it. The ship was loud over all and very dark in some areas such as  WCB. Craft Social is ridiculously small for such a large ship. A lot of areas encouraged use of stairs. Those at the Martini Bar seemed dangerous. And speaking of dangerous, who in the heck thought that dark maze approach to Eden was a good idea?! If no one has been badly injured there, I am surprised! Shows were strong on effects with the amazing lights and screens. however, only 2 production shows each of our two back to back cruises. Using acrobatics in all shows seemed redundant. Seemed as if every time I wanted to take a drink into the Club,to escape the noise of Craft Social,  it was not open. Just didn't like the layout of the ship and the noise. Have Eclipse, Reflection and Silhoutte booked for the future. 

Just got off after 15 nts, and actually thought it was rather quiet overall, especially on the pool deck where they could've turned up the volume a bit for my liking.  I kinda thought that was because the age group of our fellow passengers, was age 60 plus, for the most part.  Might've been the most canes, walkers, braces, scooters, that I've ever seen, on any class ship in the fleet.  Agree about the small bar areas you mentioned..Eden entrance was interesting but not a good idea with the darkness, and things hanging head high as you walk thru...Somebody has had to have hit their head in there by now...Plenty of seats all around the ship, except in those bars, where it was definitely not enough seating.  Eclipse in 20 days, hoping for best..Silhouette emerging as our new favorite, booked on her 4x next yr...

[hcat]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I think you can get to it by approaching from the deck below and taking the spiral staircase up from the 2 MDR's  on Deck 4- you exit right at Blu and before Eden

yes, correct,  but for those like me with vision issues,  the spiral stairs

(up or down)  are as perilous as the creepy forest on  EDGE and its progeny..  But  at least no one can race thru on their scooter!

[cluso]

2 hours ago, lv2cruisgrl said:

We agree and just won't sail on a dated, worn out ship!

 

So how old are you? I am 70.  A lot of us old and dated sailors love the older/smaller ships and where they take us.   It's history.  First cruise in 1971, Honolulu to LA on Matson Monterey.  I remember LA being so dark--I thought it was fog, but it was air pollution.  Fast forward to 1985 (H&W) and we cruised a short cruise on Chandris Amerikanis (pre-Celebrity) to Nassau.  Then work intervened for many years.

Anyway, we are Elite+ on Celebrity, have sailed many lines, have had motor/sailboats, have done many bare boats with the Moorings, and canal boats with Le Boat in Europe.

I guess what I am saying, is that a lot of us experienced "old folks" have a greater appreciation for smaller/older boats/ships.  It's in the eye of the beholder.  We don't look for a new self-contained city at sea with all the adornments.  Even though we live on the water, we are on boats/ships for the sea, sea view, sea experience, wind and the salt air.  Okay, and some of the port stops.  😎    

I am not arguing about your desires, which are fine for you.  Just another idea...

 

 

.

[George C]

I love the E class but I sail in suites so my experience is a little different, never ever thought crowd anywhere was dangerous. I do agree that the maze you go through to get to Eden is totally bizarre. 

[crossingfan]

4 hours ago, billc23 said:

I appreciate that you specified what you liked and did not enjoy on the ship because it helps others make a more informed decision.

 

To my way of thinking it boils down to what one enjoys and what one is annoyed by:

 

Production shows with amazing lights and screens or production shows that rely on the talent of the individual performers?

 

High energy or more sedate environment? 

 

However much I enjoyed my Edge class sailings, I was annoyed by the constant music/noise level on the ships that made it difficult to communicate with the bar tenders and nearly impossible to carry on a conversation in Fine Cut and Eden restaurant. To many the higher energy level is a plus but not for me.

 

 

I too was in the Beyond 5 night cruise in April.  Way too loud everywhere!!! Virtual no escaping it except for the cabin.  Even a small got of about 7 putting in the bottom of the atrium one morning was being blasted on the microphone all over the place.  
I really dislike having to yell in a simple conversation.

I simply don’t understand why so many places, not just cruise ships, think that music has to be blasted or games amplified.  What is wrong with some peace and quiet and watching the sea glide by??

[RICCruisers]

6 hours ago, RK-NC said:

 

We were on Beyond 10 nights in April and thought the crew amazing too...several who were "beyond amazing"!  Did your stateroom have creaking, popping and banging? Ours did and if that were not such a big problem with the ship, we would book Beyond or another e-class ship without hesitation. I guess the smaller Celebrity ships are quieter/calmer? I think that's what we liked about Beyond - the energizing atmosphere. Eden was a nice quiet spot when we needed that. Cafe Al Bacio was relaxing and quiet in the morning. 

Can you please let me know which cabin you were in?  We cruised Beyond last October in 9284 with no issues. We just booked a family cruise on Deck 8 with 3 cabins and hope to avoid the creaking. 
 

Thanks for your reply. 

[RICCruisers]

6 hours ago, RK-NC said:

 

We were on Beyond 10 nights in April and thought the crew amazing too...several who were "beyond amazing"!  Did your stateroom have creaking, popping and banging? Ours did and if that were not such a big problem with the ship, we would book Beyond or another e-class ship without hesitation. I guess the smaller Celebrity ships are quieter/calmer? I think that's what we liked about Beyond - the energizing atmosphere. Eden was a nice quiet spot when we needed that. Cafe Al Bacio was relaxing and quiet in the morning. 

Which cabin was creaking. We sailed on Beyond with no issues but have another cruise booked on Beyond with 3 cabins on Deck 8. Hoping to avoid this problem. 
 

thanks for your reply. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

4 hours ago, Lena11033 said:

 

I did summit last year where the Tampa Bay fans were on board, it was a horrible experience.

Can’t be worse than the cruise I was on with the Saints fans 😳🙀

[cruisestitch]

17 hours ago, 39august said:

Elite Plus, so have some experiences for comparisons. What we liked about Beyond: Eden, Oceanview Cafe, 4 MDR experience, and the Infinite Veranda cabin.. Of course, it's not a veranda at all, but a mini sun room. There is actually more storage space in the closet than pictures seem to show. The staff was incredible ship wide. That's it. The ship was loud over all and very dark in some areas such as  WCB. Craft Social is ridiculously small for such a large ship. A lot of areas encouraged use of stairs. Those at the Martini Bar seemed dangerous. And speaking of dangerous, who in the heck thought that dark maze approach to Eden was a good idea?! If no one has been badly injured there, I am surprised! Shows were strong on effects with the amazing lights and screens. however, only 2 production shows each of our two back to back cruises. Using acrobatics in all shows seemed redundant. Seemed as if every time I wanted to take a drink into the Club,to escape the noise of Craft Social,  it was not open. Just didn't like the layout of the ship and the noise. Have Eclipse, Reflection and Silhoutte booked for the future. 

Welcome to the “one and done” club😀

[happy cruzer]

Do all the Edge class have the beautiful walking track?  That and the 4 MDRs are what we enjoyed the most on Edge.  However we did notice that the bars especially the Martini Bar were crowded and that was on one of the early cruises after covid with only 1/3 passengers.

 

I guess we will go on whichever ship is sailing where we want to go :0

 

[DaKahuna]

2 hours ago, cruisestitch said:

Welcome to the “one and done” club😀

 

 We are also members of that club.   Said on Edge in February 2020 and did not like many things about it.  

 

 We just booked a future cruise and had the choice of booking almost the same itinerary on Edge or on Solstice.  Despite the Future Cruise Manager’s best attempted, I was adamant that we did not want to sail on Edge.  

 

[lv2cruisgrl]

9 hours ago, cluso said:

 

So how old are you? I am 70.  A lot of us old and dated sailors love the older/smaller ships and where they take us.   It's history.  First cruise in 1971, Honolulu to LA on Matson Monterey.  I remember LA being so dark--I thought it was fog, but it was air pollution.  Fast forward to 1985 (H&W) and we cruised a short cruise on Chandris Amerikanis (pre-Celebrity) to Nassau.  Then work intervened for many years.

Anyway, we are Elite+ on Celebrity, have sailed many lines, have had motor/sailboats, have done many bare boats with the Moorings, and canal boats with Le Boat in Europe.

I guess what I am saying, is that a lot of us experienced "old folks" have a greater appreciation for smaller/older boats/ships.  It's in the eye of the beholder.  We don't look for a new self-contained city at sea with all the adornments.  Even though we live on the water, we are on boats/ships for the sea, sea view, sea experience, wind and the salt air.  Okay, and some of the port stops.  😎    

I am not arguing about your desires, which are fine for you.  Just another idea...

 

 

.

I am 69, I look and feel 60 and I have done 45 cruises.  I love things old and new. In the past we have loved all the celebrity ships but new things appeal to me more than old and ragged.  

[Lena11033]

8 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Can’t be worse than the cruise I was on with the Saints fans 😳🙀

 

lol to me it's all the same, I don't watch American Football.

But main issue was really drunk people who were too loud and took over the whole place. And when I say drunk I mean bad drunks who can't handle their alcohol. Unfortunately as well because it was a partial charter it was all about what they wanted so lesson learned.

 

10 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

We would only do a week cruise if it was b2b with a TA 

I only have so much vacation time - also I get nailed with pricing as I'm a solo traveller 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

7 minutes ago, Lena11033 said:

 

I only have so much vacation time - also I get nailed with pricing as I'm a solo traveller 

Never had vacation time as owners of a business ,

we would just shut down for the time we need to go away 

[cruisestitch]

Old and ragged? Nothing I have seen on my last 21 days on S class ships even remotely resembles that.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

2 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 We are also members of that club.   Said on Edge in February 2020 and did not like many things about it.  

 

 We just booked a future cruise and had the choice of booking almost the same itinerary on Edge or on Solstice.  Despite the Future Cruise Manager’s best attempted, I was adamant that we did not want to sail on Edge.  

 

We feel the same way 

much rather sail on a S class ship 

[horseymike]

12 hours ago, rmalbers said:

X should really tell people when there is going to be a large group like that onboard.

Unfortunately , they won't do that. I agree with you. These boards sometimes tip you off to these "group " cruises.

[dock]

Have only done one E Class ( Ascent). 
We loved it.  Won’t go back to any other class if we book X again. No brand loyalty anymore, we’re at the stage of booking itinerary we like rather than staying with one cruise line. Makes it more exciting for us. 
Fortunately there’s soo many choices available for everyone. 
 

[chisoxfan]

19 hours ago, 39august said:

Elite Plus, so have some experiences for comparisons. What we liked about Beyond: Eden, Oceanview Cafe, 4 MDR experience, and the Infinite Veranda cabin.. Of course, it's not a veranda at all, but a mini sun room. There is actually more storage space in the closet than pictures seem to show. The staff was incredible ship wide. That's it. The ship was loud over all and very dark in some areas such as  WCB. Craft Social is ridiculously small for such a large ship. A lot of areas encouraged use of stairs. Those at the Martini Bar seemed dangerous. And speaking of dangerous, who in the heck thought that dark maze approach to Eden was a good idea?! If no one has been badly injured there, I am surprised! Shows were strong on effects with the amazing lights and screens. however, only 2 production shows each of our two back to back cruises. Using acrobatics in all shows seemed redundant. Seemed as if every time I wanted to take a drink into the Club,to escape the noise of Craft Social,  it was not open. Just didn't like the layout of the ship and the noise. Have Eclipse, Reflection and Silhoutte booked for the future. 

Agreement here, bizarre entrance to Eden, while it is great to try 'new things' ship space is valuable and could be used to much better effect. While on the subject we did not get Eden at all. There is an interesting space on second level looking out aft but when you enter Eden during evening you don't see it and regardless access is a bit challenging (live music was terrible in my opinion.... a violin and guitar combo just doesn't cut it). So a huge waste of space IMHO. Although we stayed in Retreat we will not do Edge class again. We though S class ships were the best design at sea but like all of us they are getting old so not lining up for these either.  Other lines have perhaps been more innovative to our tastes moving forward.

[Texed]

17 hours ago, Liao said:

I thought that area on Edge was pretty cool.

I agree. And, on Ascent I found a beautiful woman waiting for me there. 😉

[39august]

Interesting. So on Ascent this is lighted. On Beyond it is very dark and includes objects hanging down from the ceiling as well as the weird shapes on the floor,  sort of like a cave.

[NMTraveller]

Now you know why some of us will not choose E class again unless in a suite.

 

Besides the loud and shouty I missed the views and connection to the sea.

Edited May 14 by NMTraveller

[RK-NC]

20 hours ago, RICCruisers said:

We just booked a family cruise on Deck 8 with 3 cabins and hope to avoid the creaking. 

 

We were in Sky suite 9168. There is a long thread with many affected stateroom #s and it is random all over the ship. It is a shame that Beyond is a lemon - we enjoyed the ship, the entertainment, pretty much everything but we will not sail Beyond again nor Ascent or Xcel (same design. Ascent already has reported problems)

 

We knew nothing about the creaking, popping, bowling ball rolling (yes, we had that one night -the bed actually lifted up and we thought something was under there) problem when we booked in January and paid the full amount for the cruise. Sometime in mid-March, we found a report here on CC about our suite having problems but by then, everything was booked so we just said some prayers and packed OTC sleep meds, ear plugs, and 2 white noise machines hoping maybe it had been fixed.

 

We probably won't sail any Celebrity ship again because it is wrong that they continue to book these staterooms to unsuspecting passengers. Surely they know by now which ones have problems. They need to fix them or block them from booking. 

 

Best wishes for your cruise! We had a wonderful time and made some great memories but we missed out on a lot of sleep. 

[screwsmcernst]

On 5/13/2024 at 4:28 PM, Stem to Stern said:

.  Give me Cellar Masters on board a Millennium-class vessel any day.

 

 

We love Cellar Masters on Reflection.  I am really sad that there won't be any space like that on the Edge.