Let’s Go Beyond ~ LIVE Sept 7-15, 2024 with Stem to Stern for 8 Steamy Nights to the ABCs ~ Happy to Answer any Questions ???

[Stem to Stern]

Day 7 ~ At Sea ~ Evening Chic ~ paperwork

 

Look at all the ships we have to choose from for our next cruise.  “Three brands for a lifetime of vacations.”  Says the Future Cruise Vacations flyer.  So I ask, at what stage of my lifetime am I to begin booking Silversea instead of Celebrity?!?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Monday at 10:54 PM by Stem to Stern

[mac_tlc]

10 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Thanks!  Lady Bellaïs was really awesome in every way!  The price was $166.32 was the two of us and I prepaid for this via their website on a credit card.

 

When we embarked the vessel, I believe there was one couple that was already on board, but I am not positive.  

 

As far as beginning snorkelers, I am not sure how much special attention could be given to someone.  Senna’s goal while he was in the water was to be “lifeguard” so I would imagine he would want to remain available to all if needed.  You could email them or send them a message on Facebook or Instagram.

I made a point to ask about handicap accessibility because I will be cruising with someone in a wheelchair in the future.  Senna did not bat an eyelash saying they would work as a team to lift the chair on board.  Once most snorkelers were in the water, there was ample space for a wheelchair to maneuver from aft to forward if the person desired.  I stayed aft in the shade most of the time while I remained on board.

I am intrigued by this adventure. My DW has a hard time walking any length and we use a wheelchair for that. She can usually get on/off a boat or a bus. The issue on many excursions is the ability to store the wheelchair or use it at a particular location. 

 

We are doing the BC golf cart at Bonaire in May 2025, but would love to try this one in April 2026. She would stay on board and I would head into the water!!! Maybe we will give it a go. Are you planning on doing this one on our April 2026 Silo cruise??

 

mac_tlc

[Stem to Stern]

Day 7 ~ At Sea ~ Ahhhhh….

 

We pulled open the curtains, stepped out onto the verandah, and saw the sun rising behind this cloud formation.  This vision was inspiration enough for me to make this another fun day at sea.  Oops.  Wrong cruise line.😂

 

 

I saw an X pattern.  A telling sign of what I was not exactly sure of, but I was intrigued just the same.  So, let’s go Beyond the busy and the bustle and have a relaxing day at sea.😴💤

 

 

Before most of the ship was awake, we made our way downstairs, bypassed the free sweets counter, and grabbed our prefered morning beverages at Cafe Al Bacio before heading up to The Solarium.

 

 

Cafe Al Bacio, Eden, and The Solarium are probably my favorite areas of this ship.  As you will witness as this day unfolds.  The Cafe is spacious and stocked with various seating options including a long dining-height conference table with charging stations and a long high-top table with barstools.  At one’s ankles along the banquette seating against the wall are electrical outlets in which one can use to plug in their devices.  The carpet dances whimsically around the room without screaming obnoxiously.

 

 

We had our choice of padded loungers at this early eight o’clock hour.  But sure enough others were starting to mill about.  We were determined to choose a pair of loungers near the doors into the forward elevators vestibule.  Earlier in the cruise we enjoyed a similar location because every time the automatic doors opened a gust of wonderful iced-cold air conditioning flowed into the steamy solarium.  The coordinating headrest pillows are attached to the lounge pads.  Subtle accents of wood complement the serene color scheme.  And the white noise puts us both to sleep.😴💤

 

 

We were fortunate enough to have one of the two hot tubs in the solarium all to ourselves for the time being.  I love the colors of the tile installation on the wall of The Solarium.
 

 

Later while relaxing on my lounger, I noshed on a bagel layered with peanut butter and sliced banana from The Spa Cafe & Juice Bar.  I had a lovely, made-to-order ginger smoothie to go along with it.  Meanwhile, DH had a snooze next to me.

 

 

The Spa Cafe on board Beyond is a vast improvement over the Solstice- and Millennium-class ships.  The cafe area has been segregated and privatized from the lounging/pool area with a half-wall and live plant material.  One odd aspect is the flatware.  I am used to grabbing a napkin-wrapped set of flatware to take back to my lounger to enjoy my nosh.  When I asked a crew member where the flatware was located I was told that it was on the tables.  Sure enough I had to rob mine from the pre-set tables.  There was also no place to dump one’s dirty dishes.  I hate leaving used dishes sitting around me.  So, I carried them back to the cafe and they were taken from me by a diligent crew member.  First-world dilemma, I know.

 

 

The Solarium is still one of our favorite spaces on board any class of Celebrity ships.  The roof design of Beyond’s is such an aesthetical improvement over the older vessels.  The fact that the design mimics Eden’s window elements adds to the overall design cohesiveness of the ship.

 

 

Shortly before noon I made a beeline for Eden thinking I might run into our friends.  My secondary motive was to continue avoiding crowds and stay a good distance from the buffet for the day.  Sure enough the friends were present and accounted for.  They had already grabbed a table in anticipation of Eden Cafe’s noon opening.  Since the tables are all two-tops, I grabbed the one next to theirs.  After plopping my backpack in one of the two chairs I strolled over to the bar for a Whispering Angel to bring back to the cafe table.

 

 

I enjoyed the chicken and pesto on focaccia with a side of potato salad.  Oh, and I added a spinach salad to my graze just to ensure that I did not find myself starving on a cruise ship.😂

 

Did I mention the desserts at Eden Cafe?  They disappeared before I could grab a snap.😋

 

 

Meanwhile DH grabbed a burger and a hot dog (He is not shy.) from The Mast Grill.  He enjoyed them both back at his lounger.  In the process he made a little, feathered friend who was trapped indoors.

 

 

Edited yesterday at 01:08 AM by Stem to Stern

[Stem to Stern]

On 9/22/2024 at 1:45 PM, lola2013 said:

I see you “driving” the boat.  Does Captain Sandy have to worry that you will take over her job? 😉

Nah.  I’ve got a lot of patience, but not enough patience to captain all that yachtie drama.😁

[zanydoc]

I really appreciate your thoughtful and entertaining review-thank you so much! We are sailing Beyond on October 5th and have decided to book the Bonaire excursion on Lady Bellais thanks to your great suggestion. Happy sailings! 

[Stem to Stern]

1 hour ago, mac_tlc said:

The issue on many excursions is the ability to store the wheelchair or use it at a particular location. 

 

We are doing the BC golf cart at Bonaire in May 2025, but would love to try this one in April 2026. She would stay on board and I would head into the water!!! Maybe we will give it a go. Are you planning on doing this one on our April 2026 Silo cruise??

There is plenty of space on board the vessel to store the wheelchair.  If you and the Mrs. decide to join Tim and I on Lady Bellaïs in 2026, I promise that neither one of you will be disappointed.  Tim said the snorkeling in Bonaire was far better than the shipwreck site we visited in Aruba two days earlier.  I plan on staying on board again in hopes of getting Captain Nino to share a few tales of his sailing adventures.

[Stem to Stern]

8 minutes ago, zanydoc said:

I really appreciate your thoughtful and entertaining review-thank you so much! We are sailing Beyond on October 5th and have decided to book the Bonaire excursion on Lady Bellais thanks to your great suggestion. Happy sailings! 

Thank you!

You will not regret it.

Please tell them Paul and Tim say hello!

Have a great cruise!

[Stem to Stern]

If you are a nauti-nerd like me, you can check out more pics of the ship while it was still in Brazil before the journey to the Caribbean over on their FB page.  They are also on Instagram.  Just search Lady Bellaïs Bonaire Cruisers on either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited yesterday at 12:57 PM by Stem to Stern

[hcat]

This review has elevated from Excellent to SPECTACULAR!.  Thank You!

[Stem to Stern]

3 hours ago, hcat said:

This review has elevated from Excellent to SPECTACULAR!.  Thank You!

Thank you for the kind words.

This was a very memorable vacation.

[Stem to Stern]

Day 7 ~ At Sea ~ conclusion

 

EDEN

Chillful.  Playful.  Wonderful.

 

 

We started off our evening in Eden meeting our friends for drinks.  When it was just about time for our 7pm reservation DH and I headed downstairs to the Deck 4 dining room of Eden.

 

 

We were seated just one table off the aft-facing bank of windows, but the wheels in my head were already turning when I saw that our neighbors were finishing their final course.😉

 

 

While DH made a quick dash to the loo, I admired the tablescape and the nearby waterside view.

 

 

Oh, look!  The view was getting better and better.😂

 

 

Now seated at my prefered table, DH was mesmerized by the wake and our waiter Jess AKA Jesse James of Tuscan Grill fame arrived and introduced himself.  Yes!  The Jesse James!  Has he waited on you before in Tuscan Grill on a Solstice-class ship?  You would have remembered him if you had.  His r’s still roll off his tongue with much flourish and his service still exudes a relaxed drama.  
 

 

Oh, Jess is pretty handy with an iPhone too.😉

 

 

I originally booked Eden in August 2023 when the on board price was still $60 per person versus the revised $85.  Of course, neither price would suit me.  I settled on a pre-cruise price of $115.16 for the two of us.  A few weeks later I cancelled and rebooked on a 25% off flash sale price of $44.99 per person plus gratuity reducing the bill to $107.96.  Speaking of prehistoric pricing, I forgot to mention one other thing in the financial post at the start of this review.  This booking was under the old all-included promotion that did in fact include gratuities.  Now and going forward my standard protocol will be to prepay the gratuities on the front end along with the rest of the invoice when final payment is due.

 

 

 

Anyway, back at Eden I suggested to DH that we share one serving of each menu item that we decided to order because there were a lot of items that I wanted to be sure to try.  I saw no reason to spring for the tasting menu.  We placed our order with Jess and the courses started arriving at a leisurely but not too leisurely pace.

 

Amuse-bouche 

Appetizers

 

Pan Roasted Caribonero Shrimp

 

Mulligatawny Soup

 

Truffled Huitlacoche Risotto

 

Jumbo Lump Crabcake

 

Entrees

 

Nova Scotia Lobster Casserole

 

Filet Mignon and Mini Shortrib Wellington

 

Desserts

 

Azteca chocolate pie ~ I believe?

 

Meyer Lemon Tart

 

Celebrity promotes Eden as an elevated dining experience.  “Our menus offer sensory delights and experiential dishes inspired by nature, leaving you craving more.  Let your senses run wild and indulge in our mouth-watering specialties.”

 
Celebrity nailed it.  Everything was fantastic.

 

We finished the evening with another visit to The Theater for the 9:30 seating of the energetic Travis Cloer’s show.  He was in Jersey Boys on Broadway and in Las Vegas.
 

Edited 23 hours ago by Stem to Stern

[mnpurple]

Great report! I've been planning on booking Eden for our cruise and wondered is any of the sales had better pricing there. I've only seen 5% off so far. I think it will be our one splurge for our cruise because everything looks really good.

[challahmom]

Thanks for great reviews and pictures!  We board Sunday for the next to sailings b2b.  Does anyone have a suggestion to fix the “bad report” that comes up when trying to sign onto the celebrity website?

[Stem to Stern]

2 hours ago, mnpurple said:

Great report! I've been planning on booking Eden for our cruise and wondered is any of the sales had better pricing there. I've only seen 5% off so far. I think it will be our one splurge for our cruise because everything looks really good.

Thank you!  
 

Everything about the Eden dinner was really good.  I kept reading advice not to eat all day to have room for all of the food.  But the way we chose to tackle it, we could have easily enjoyed another two or three items.  I missed the Branzino.  The description of it on the menu sounds so good.  
 

Eden was our only specialty dining splurge on this cruise.  May I suggest you book it at the 5% off pre-cruise savings, cancel, and rebook if and when a better sale comes along.

The meal, ambience, and the whole experience was so worth it to me.  I would probably rank it up there with Murano and I really love Murano.😋

 

 

I almost forgot to mention the Parker House rolls and leaf-shaped butter.🤩

[Stem to Stern]

43 minutes ago, challahmom said:

Thanks for great reviews and pictures!  We board Sunday for the next to sailings b2b.  Does anyone have a suggestion to fix the “bad report” that comes up when trying to sign onto the celebrity website?

Wishing you a premature Bon Voyage!

 

I am not experiencing the issue you are describing.  I just logged into my Celebrity cruise planner on my phone using the Safari browser without any issue.  
 

Coincidentally, a 30% off flash sale is being advertised on each of my upcoming cruises.  Sadly, nearly everything is still only at the 5% pre-cruise savings and nothing is 30% off.

[Stem to Stern]

Day 8 ~ At Sea ~ paperwork

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mac_tlc]

23 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

There is plenty of space on board the vessel to store the wheelchair.  If you and the Mrs. decide to join Tim and I on Lady Bellaïs in 2026, I promise that neither one of you will be disappointed.  Tim said the snorkeling in Bonaire was far better than the shipwreck site we visited in Aruba two days earlier.  I plan on staying on board again in hopes of getting Captain Nino to share a few tales of his sailing adventures.

Sounds like a plan! Count us in! 

[dazey]

Stem to Stern:  Were you able to enjoy Eden when it first opened when it had the performers interacting with dinner guests?  At first we had no idea what was going on but quickly did partake in the "program".  It was so different and quite unusual. Obviously many did not understand it(as we first did not) nor enjoy it so it changed to what it is today.  Honestly we do enjoy the present Eden as one gets to enjoy the food more without interruption.  Glad we did experience it though.

 

 

[Stem to Stern]

3 hours ago, dazey said:

Stem to Stern:  Were you able to enjoy Eden when it first opened when it had the performers interacting with dinner guests?  At first we had no idea what was going on but quickly did partake in the "program".  It was so different and quite unusual. Obviously many did not understand it(as we first did not) nor enjoy it so it changed to what it is today.  Honestly we do enjoy the present Eden as one gets to enjoy the food more without interruption.  Glad we did experience it though.

 

 

No, we did not have the opportunity to experience the previous iteration of Eden of days gone by.  This sailing was our first on an Edge-class vessel.  

[81Zoomie]

On 9/12/2024 at 8:00 PM, Stem to Stern said:

Getting a bit of a late start, but I am happy to answer any questions.

Will play catch up during the next two sea days back to Port Everglades.

 

On board Celebrity Beyond for an 8-night sailing.

Visiting Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire.

DH’s and my third visit to these lovely islands.

We always end up here in Sept or Oct when it is hot, hot, hot.

 

We are not in The Retreat or in an Infinite Verandah.

We have a Sunset Verandah which we find more than adequate.

This is our first experience on an Edge-class vessel.

 

More to come….

Oh my gosh!  How did I miss this? I’m behind as well as we are in Venice and about to hop on the Connie.  Love following along on your travels 🚢🚢🚢!

[Stem to Stern]

20 minutes ago, 81Zoomie said:

Oh my gosh!  How did I miss this? I’m behind as well as we are in Venice and about to hop on the Connie.  Love following along on your travels 🚢🚢🚢!

Thank you!  

O. M. G. Right back at you!

So jealous of your visit to one of our favorite cities, Venezia, and your upcoming voyage through the Adriatic on Connie.

Bon voyage!!😎