Some very personal musings about our Beyond cruise....

[dani negreanu]

 “Personal” because we look at our cruises from a different perspective/point of view – we don’t participate in a lot of ship’s activities like Trivia/L&M/Quest, etc. Also, comedians/one man shows, all of them necessitating a good command of English. We go only to the big musicals, and on this cruise, DH had to leave after a few minutes, the sound being too much for his hearing aids.

 

 We don’t cruise for the beaches/hot weather, drinks and we gamble very small amounts (like 5-10$ pp per evening) just for fun. Usually bets of 1 or 2 cents 😊 On this cruise, after 3 long “dry dock” years, we found out that the minimum bet was raised to 75 cents, so our 9$ were quick to disappear. 

 

Then, why are we cruising? Mainly for the itineraries. Sometimes – for the ship. This time we found an excellent combo – interesting itinerary and a new class of ship.

 … and, for the food, mainly on Celebrity.

 

Therefore, our criteria of judging if we enjoyed the cruise is much more limited – itinerary, food and ship.

 

What we liked about Beyond?

*the lower staff (servers, waiters, cleaners, sales attendants, casino staff) were all excellent, always smiling, always willing to help.

*the pool – was the longest in comparison to every other ship. I’ve managed, early in the mornings, to swim some nice laps.

*all night light in the bathroom.

*the infinite veranda makes for a bigger room, but, if one of the cruisers is an early raiser and wants to spend time on the veranda, the light wakes up the other.

 

What we didn’t like?

Soulless. Too dark. Too much “real estate” taken by very high-end shops (Cartier, Bvlgari, Montblanc, La maison du chocolat – always empty), and not enough connection with the sea.

A dark mirrored hallway, which I’ve found down right creepy, fearing I’ll find myself stepping right into one of the mirrors [deck 5 on the way to Eden].

No library, which is weird, since Beyond was designed BEFORE Covid.

We like to sit and admire the wake. Eden. A very strong smell of fried fish from the restaurant below.

At Raw 5 we couldn’t hear one another due to the high volume of music in the Grand Plaza.

The SOUND. First time we saw many people leave after the show began, mainly because of the high volume. Yes, the issue was raised by me and others, nothing was done.

 

Unless we travel with family/friends, we usually prefer to dine at WJ/OVC. We’re "in and out" quickly, can try different dishes, mainly the stir fry, which we highly prefer. 

 

Quite from the beginning we were disappointed in the quality, quantity and diversity of the OVC’s food. There were a lot of heavy stews, unappealing for the most of time.

 

I found myself making one round, two rounds, trying to map the dishes I’d like to sample, and found myself “settling” for a grilled steak, chicken breast or burger…. In very contrast to all other cruises, where I’d make a round and say to myself: “ohh, shepherd’s pie, ohh, meat lasagna, ohh, seafood salad, ohh, this pad thai looks sooo good”.

 

DH was even more disappointed, since he mainly eats fish, seafood and salads. Usually, he’s going to the salad bar, and comes back with a huge amount of leaves, tomatoes, cucumbers, hummus, etc., his usual Mediterranean staple at home. Here, he found himself asking for two slices of this, two leaves of this, a spoon of this -- a rather tedious “affair”. Meantime, a line is forming after him, close enough to defy the purpose of being served in the name of “social distancing/ Covid”.

 

The first grilled fish he asked for was half frozen… The second – the same. He showed it to the server, who promptly left the serving and went in search of the “culprit” (the cook). Another line after DH. Someone appeared from the kitchen, and agreed, that, indeed, the fish was not properly unfrosted and grilled. Meanwhile, another “in-charge” saw the “fuss” and wanted details. DH explained the “case” and wondered why, 1 day after we left Rome, which is a fishing port, there are only deep frozen fishes on board, not to mention calamari, shrimps, mussels, etc. The standard reply, which we were going to hear repeatedly, was “difficulties in the chain of supply”. 

 

After 2 days of “buffet” diner, DH wanted escargot and we went to one of the 4 “free” restaurants. The escargots DH got were tiny and the meal was no more than OK but, as expected, took a lot of time.

 

Back to OVC.

After another 2 days of disappointing food at OVC, DH wanted a proper grilled fresh fish and we opted for “Cyprus”, which offered a grilled seabass.

 

While DH was eating the seabass, I suddenly saw him confused, murmuring “a bone” and taking something out of his mouth… turns out it was not a bone, it was a 1.5 cm long piece of … wire !!! He gently placed it on the bread plate and we called the waiter, who immediately called… whoever. DH, of course, was distressed. What if he ingested another, smaller, piece of wire and he didn’t feel it??

 

Me? I was speechless and worried sick. A perforated intestine was NOT in our plans… 

 

After a few minutes of looking one at another and pushing aside the beginnings of our entrees, the head waiter appeared with an “explanation”… the piece of wire comes from the brush used to clean the grill…”   Ahhhh, now we were “relieved”… 

 

We were so outraged, we just left the restaurant and went outside, to try to understand what just happened, and moreover, what IF another piece of wire was ingested? 

 

When we got back to our cabin, a bottle of white vine was waiting for us, along with some chocolate covered strawberries from the Cypress’ manager. The cheap bottle of wine really irritated DH: “I don’t want their vine, I want this going up and reported to the higher management, so that it will never happen again!!!” “It should have never happened in the first place” !!!

 

 So, first thing in the morning we went to GS with the vine in tow. Asked for “someone in charge”. The GS was reluctant, asking our room #, saying: “it is mentioned here”. I took the “helm” and said that we want to be sure it is “mentioned” up to the B&F director, and besides, we want to return their vine. Even if it’s just a “gesture”, might as well find out if we drink vine, and find something “neutral”, but that was not really the issue. We just felt that the vine was CYA. 

 

After a few minutes, the Cypress’ “in charge” came, claiming that it has been “reported”, “measures are being taken”, and, get this: “should you need medical assistance, we’ll be more than happy to provide it”. DH replied that “should I need medical assistance, I’ll be in big trouble, and Celebrity in an even BIGGER trouble”. He took the vine back, DH telling him that it was offending to receive a cheap bottle of several dollars by way of apology, instead a letter of “we will thoroughly examine what went wrong”, which surely will be more to the point.

 

Quite reluctantly the “in charge” offered a free lunch at either Le Fine Cut or Raw 5, and we agreed to Raw 5, being seafood and fish.

 

DH was eating bananas from the fateful evening, in the hope that his intestine will “weather” any stray wire…

 

A day after the “wire”, I went to a “senior officers” meeting with Elite, +, etc. members. 

 

While I was sitting by myself, people watching, one of them came, randomly, to ask me “how do you like the cruise so far”? Big mistake on his part, HUGE…. I made a “so-so” movement with my hand, being masked and him also. Didn’t want to elaborate… but he was so surprised and, seemingly, interested…

I told him that the food quality, diversity, quantity is sub par for a Celebrity cruise, and us being foodies, are underwhelmed. He wanted examples and details, which I supplied.

 

Turns out he was the “procurement” officer, which enraged me more. I told him that there is no quality control whatsoever on the food, fruits in particular, and some products should never reach the buffet [overmature watermelon and kiwi coming immediately to mind]. Told him that, obviously, being veteran Celebrity cruisers, we have the “means” to compare.

 

He said that they pride themselves in the quality of food on Celebrity, being one of the things which set them apart from other cruise lines. I just gave him THE LOOK “not happening here”.

 

When I told him that I’ve heard the same from others, suite guests/Luminae, Le Voyage, The Fine Cut, etc., he excused himself and went in search of the F&B guy, and brought him to me.

 

At that moment I decided to check if our plea that the “wire incident” will go to the “top” was granted and was shocked to see that he never heard of it. Immediately he profusely apologized and asked where we’re going to eat tonight, wanting to see for himself that DH is OK. Told him we had a reservation for Raw 5 [which was made before the free lunch offer]. He promised to be there. He wasn’t… but he comped us the dinner….

And we were glad he did, since, how DH said it so succinctly: “the lobster tail was from the runt of the litter” [and the oysters were far from fresh]. On the “free” lunch, we ordered only fried items and they were good. 

 

There were other food disappointments, where you see “grilled steak” advertised, but no steak on the grill. When you ask about it, they search one in their drawers, put one on the grill and tell you to come back between 7 and 10 minutes… Fries? “We’re waiting for a new batch, come back in 5 minutes?” NO!! Someone should monitor the popular items like fries, and the moment it seems that in a few more servings, they’ll be out of it, to already bring a new batch. 

 

The last “straw” was potato salad. With no fries available, I’ve tried my luck with the 2^nd best… Long line, since the potato salad is with the “made to order sandwiches” and it takes time. I’m getting the last batch. Yay!! Sit down to eat, the potatoes are undercooked…

I calm myself, and go back for another batch. Same “quality”. Ask a waiter to call someone “higher”. A nice and seemingly harassed lady arrives. Stoked her fork too. “Yep!!, not cooked at all”… 

 

“What’s you room number”?? That was the "standard procedure". Can’t figure it out what my room # has to do with the undercooked potatoes, overmature fruits, not properly unfrozen fish, etc.

 

It’s not that someone called and apologized or explained. 

 

To sum it up, on previous cruises, at dinner you saw lots and lots of officers eating at the OVC. There were always stir fry stations, pasta stations, grill stations with every imaginable meat or fish being done on the spot. 

There were officers patrolling the buffet and keeping eye on everything. If a tray was about to be 2/3 finished, immediately a fresh one was brought, so there will be no delay and waiting. 

 

Not on Beyond. Not even one. 

 

DH, ever the cynic, predicted that in the last day, Celebrity will pull all stops and gave us a meal to remember. He was right… In the last day lunch there was a “buffet extravaganza”….

[talljules1]

I'm so sorry you had this experience, but sadly I can believe it.  We have always had superb cruises with Celebrity, until this year.  We totally get that the industry is coming back.  But we take the view we are shelling out a decent amount of coin - the service is not what it was, but the prices continue to rise. (We have noticed, year on year, that the prices go up and up but the service slow declines).  If you are going to charge the usual price, we expect the usual service (and don't think that is unreasonable). If you can't deliver, either charge less, or don't offer.

 

On our last cruise (silhouette) we did have great food in Luminae, but the OVC did not appeal to us at all and on the retreat sundeck they brought us undercooked burgers. The specialty dining restaurants were generally v good (Sushi on 5 (inc. Taj X) and Murano) but service in Murano was often slow - we expressly stated we were looking for an in and out experience, and that generally was better). Breakfast and dinner were good. Lunch options were distinctly lacking (esp compared to last year when Luminae, Porch and Sushi on 5 were always open for lunch - I gather this was unusual now). In the retreat lounge they have snacks for lunch/afternoon but no Gluten free options. "Oh - you're supposed to tell us the day before/first thing in the morning if you want these!" There was nothing anywhere to tell us this.

 

I think what irritated me the most was:

 

1. One of the ports was not as advertised. Was supposed to be Olden. We docked in Loen. Not the end of the world but they could have told us where we were.  It was obvious we were not in Olden, so grating to have the retreat manager tell us "Welcome to Olden". He told us there would be a shuttle to take us to Olden. There was not. Loen is still great. But why lie? Just tell us the truth. I don't like paying $$$ to be lied to. The lies grate way more than the altered destination.

 

2. Celebrity prides itself on being inclusive/welcoming of LGBTQ+ passengers. They make a big deal of this in their advertising. I found it irritating/disappointing then to get letters in our suite addressed to Mr and Mrs TallJules.  They know from our booking, check in and previous cruises we are Mr and Mr (and could avoid all this by Dear TallJules and Paul or Dear Mr and Mr). Can forgive it once with ease. We immediately told the retreat concierge. They apologised. All good - mistakes happen. Then we got another.  Mis-titling like this is a micro-aggression. Not good enough.

 

3. The app often said places were open for lunch when they were not.

 

These were irritations.  Each on its own is minor, but they add up and leave a bad taste. We did still have a good cruise - we really did. But it could easily have been better.  Hoping for better for our remaining cruises this year (which were booked and paid for by the end of our last cruise). If not, we will be looking at another line, despite having an expensive cruise booked with them for next year. We have spent a LOT this year on cruises.

 

This sounds like a lot of moaning. I suppose it is. We do, truly, love Celebrity (we have >£25K of cruises with them this year) and want to stay with them, but they are as good as your last cruise with them. We hope for better this time - and think it will BE better.  But we now realise that now we are into the suite life, there are other lines out there who might offer better for the same price.  We will wait and see.

[tupper10]

Sorry you had such an awful experience.  No excuse for how you were treated.  Take your $$ elsewhere.  

[Michidoeme]

4 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 “Personal” because we look at our cruises from a different perspective/point of view – we don’t participate in a lot of ship’s activities like Trivia/L&M/Quest, etc. Also, comedians/one man shows, all of them necessitating a good command of English. We go only to the big musicals, and on this cruise, DH had to leave after a few minutes, the sound being too much for his hearing aids.

 

 We don’t cruise for the beaches/hot weather, drinks and we gamble very small amounts (like 5-10$ pp per evening) just for fun. Usually bets of 1 or 2 cents 😊 On this cruise, after 3 long “dry dock” years, we found out that the minimum bet was raised to 75 cents, so our 9$ were quick to disappear. 

 

Then, why are we cruising? Mainly for the itineraries. Sometimes – for the ship. This time we found an excellent combo – interesting itinerary and a new class of ship.

 … and, for the food, mainly on Celebrity.

 

Therefore, our criteria of judging if we enjoyed the cruise is much more limited – itinerary, food and ship.

 

What we liked about Beyond?

*the lower staff (servers, waiters, cleaners, sales attendants, casino staff) were all excellent, always smiling, always willing to help.

*the pool – was the longest in comparison to every other ship. I’ve managed, early in the mornings, to swim some nice laps.

*all night light in the bathroom.

*the infinite veranda makes for a bigger room, but, if one of the cruisers is an early raiser and wants to spend time on the veranda, the light wakes up the other.

 

What we didn’t like?

Soulless. Too dark. Too much “real estate” taken by very high-end shops (Cartier, Bvlgari, Montblanc, La maison du chocolat – always empty), and not enough connection with the sea.

A dark mirrored hallway, which I’ve found down right creepy, fearing I’ll find myself stepping right into one of the mirrors [deck 5 on the way to Eden].

No library, which is weird, since Beyond was designed BEFORE Covid.

We like to sit and admire the wake. Eden. A very strong smell of fried fish from the restaurant below.

At Raw 5 we couldn’t hear one another due to the high volume of music in the Grand Plaza.

The SOUND. First time we saw many people leave after the show began, mainly because of the high volume. Yes, the issue was raised by me and others, nothing was done.

 

Unless we travel with family/friends, we usually prefer to dine at WJ/OVC. We’re "in and out" quickly, can try different dishes, mainly the stir fry, which we highly prefer. 

 

Quite from the beginning we were disappointed in the quality, quantity and diversity of the OVC’s food. There were a lot of heavy stews, unappealing for the most of time.

 

I found myself making one round, two rounds, trying to map the dishes I’d like to sample, and found myself “settling” for a grilled steak, chicken breast or burger…. In very contrast to all other cruises, where I’d make a round and say to myself: “ohh, shepherd’s pie, ohh, meat lasagna, ohh, seafood salad, ohh, this pad thai looks sooo good”.

 

DH was even more disappointed, since he mainly eats fish, seafood and salads. Usually, he’s going to the salad bar, and comes back with a huge amount of leaves, tomatoes, cucumbers, hummus, etc., his usual Mediterranean staple at home. Here, he found himself asking for two slices of this, two leaves of this, a spoon of this -- a rather tedious “affair”. Meantime, a line is forming after him, close enough to defy the purpose of being served in the name of “social distancing/ Covid”.

 

The first grilled fish he asked for was half frozen… The second – the same. He showed it to the server, who promptly left the serving and went in search of the “culprit” (the cook). Another line after DH. Someone appeared from the kitchen, and agreed, that, indeed, the fish was not properly unfrosted and grilled. Meanwhile, another “in-charge” saw the “fuss” and wanted details. DH explained the “case” and wondered why, 1 day after we left Rome, which is a fishing port, there are only deep frozen fishes on board, not to mention calamari, shrimps, mussels, etc. The standard reply, which we were going to hear repeatedly, was “difficulties in the chain of supply”. 

 

After 2 days of “buffet” diner, DH wanted escargot and we went to one of the 4 “free” restaurants. The escargots DH got were tiny and the meal was no more than OK but, as expected, took a lot of time.

 

Back to OVC.

After another 2 days of disappointing food at OVC, DH wanted a proper grilled fresh fish and we opted for “Cyprus”, which offered a grilled seabass.

 

While DH was eating the seabass, I suddenly saw him confused, murmuring “a bone” and taking something out of his mouth… turns out it was not a bone, it was a 1.5 cm long piece of … wire !!! He gently placed it on the bread plate and we called the waiter, who immediately called… whoever. DH, of course, was distressed. What if he ingested another, smaller, piece of wire and he didn’t feel it??

 

Me? I was speechless and worried sick. A perforated intestine was NOT in our plans… 

 

After a few minutes of looking one at another and pushing aside the beginnings of our entrees, the head waiter appeared with an “explanation”… the piece of wire comes from the brush used to clean the grill…”   Ahhhh, now we were “relieved”… 

 

We were so outraged, we just left the restaurant and went outside, to try to understand what just happened, and moreover, what IF another piece of wire was ingested? 

 

When we got back to our cabin, a bottle of white vine was waiting for us, along with some chocolate covered strawberries from the Cypress’ manager. The cheap bottle of wine really irritated DH: “I don’t want their vine, I want this going up and reported to the higher management, so that it will never happen again!!!” “It should have never happened in the first place” !!!

 

 So, first thing in the morning we went to GS with the vine in tow. Asked for “someone in charge”. The GS was reluctant, asking our room #, saying: “it is mentioned here”. I took the “helm” and said that we want to be sure it is “mentioned” up to the B&F director, and besides, we want to return their vine. Even if it’s just a “gesture”, might as well find out if we drink vine, and find something “neutral”, but that was not really the issue. We just felt that the vine was CYA. 

 

After a few minutes, the Cypress’ “in charge” came, claiming that it has been “reported”, “measures are being taken”, and, get this: “should you need medical assistance, we’ll be more than happy to provide it”. DH replied that “should I need medical assistance, I’ll be in big trouble, and Celebrity in an even BIGGER trouble”. He took the vine back, DH telling him that it was offending to receive a cheap bottle of several dollars by way of apology, instead a letter of “we will thoroughly examine what went wrong”, which surely will be more to the point.

 

Quite reluctantly the “in charge” offered a free lunch at either Le Fine Cut or Raw 5, and we agreed to Raw 5, being seafood and fish.

 

DH was eating bananas from the fateful evening, in the hope that his intestine will “weather” any stray wire…

 

A day after the “wire”, I went to a “senior officers” meeting with Elite, +, etc. members. 

 

While I was sitting by myself, people watching, one of them came, randomly, to ask me “how do you like the cruise so far”? Big mistake on his part, HUGE…. I made a “so-so” movement with my hand, being masked and him also. Didn’t want to elaborate… but he was so surprised and, seemingly, interested…

I told him that the food quality, diversity, quantity is sub par for a Celebrity cruise, and us being foodies, are underwhelmed. He wanted examples and details, which I supplied.

 

Turns out he was the “procurement” officer, which enraged me more. I told him that there is no quality control whatsoever on the food, fruits in particular, and some products should never reach the buffet [overmature watermelon and kiwi coming immediately to mind]. Told him that, obviously, being veteran Celebrity cruisers, we have the “means” to compare.

 

He said that they pride themselves in the quality of food on Celebrity, being one of the things which set them apart from other cruise lines. I just gave him THE LOOK “not happening here”.

 

When I told him that I’ve heard the same from others, suite guests/Luminae, Le Voyage, The Fine Cut, etc., he excused himself and went in search of the F&B guy, and brought him to me.

 

At that moment I decided to check if our plea that the “wire incident” will go to the “top” was granted and was shocked to see that he never heard of it. Immediately he profusely apologized and asked where we’re going to eat tonight, wanting to see for himself that DH is OK. Told him we had a reservation for Raw 5 [which was made before the free lunch offer]. He promised to be there. He wasn’t… but he comped us the dinner….

And we were glad he did, since, how DH said it so succinctly: “the lobster tail was from the runt of the litter” [and the oysters were far from fresh]. On the “free” lunch, we ordered only fried items and they were good. 

 

There were other food disappointments, where you see “grilled steak” advertised, but no steak on the grill. When you ask about it, they search one in their drawers, put one on the grill and tell you to come back between 7 and 10 minutes… Fries? “We’re waiting for a new batch, come back in 5 minutes?” NO!! Someone should monitor the popular items like fries, and the moment it seems that in a few more servings, they’ll be out of it, to already bring a new batch. 

 

The last “straw” was potato salad. With no fries available, I’ve tried my luck with the 2^nd best… Long line, since the potato salad is with the “made to order sandwiches” and it takes time. I’m getting the last batch. Yay!! Sit down to eat, the potatoes are undercooked…

I calm myself, and go back for another batch. Same “quality”. Ask a waiter to call someone “higher”. A nice and seemingly harassed lady arrives. Stoked her fork too. “Yep!!, not cooked at all”… 

 

“What’s you room number”?? That was the "standard procedure". Can’t figure it out what my room # has to do with the undercooked potatoes, overmature fruits, not properly unfrozen fish, etc.

 

It’s not that someone called and apologized or explained. 

 

To sum it up, on previous cruises, at dinner you saw lots and lots of officers eating at the OVC. There were always stir fry stations, pasta stations, grill stations with every imaginable meat or fish being done on the spot. 

There were officers patrolling the buffet and keeping eye on everything. If a tray was about to be 2/3 finished, immediately a fresh one was brought, so there will be no delay and waiting. 

 

Not on Beyond. Not even one. 

 

DH, ever the cynic, predicted that in the last day, Celebrity will pull all stops and gave us a meal to remember. He was right… In the last day lunch there was a “buffet extravaganza”….

Can t agree more with your observations on Beyond being dark and especially LOUD almost everywhere.   We had also mixed experiences like this on our cruise in May.  We had trouble finding a quiet place.  The combination of loud, irritating music (even outside on top) and uncomfortable seating in places like Eden, Al Bacio etc. did not really make it a relaxing cruise.  We had a nice roomy sunset veranda but helas could not really enjoy balcony as it was fully exposed to the sun. Next time we  will go on the S class again.  

Edited July 3, 2022 by Michidoeme

[zitsky]

The wire was certainly unacceptable.  But you seem to want every issue reported to the captain.  Give me someone higher…

[dani negreanu]

2 minutes ago, zitsky said:

But you seem to want every issue reported to the captain.

 

No, I'm not. I wanted it reported to the person in charge of Food, yes all the way UP. Celebrity was very lucky that nothing happened to my husband.

 

If not reported and not dealt with, next time Celebrity might not be so lucky...

 

We were not after compensation / free cruise / suing.

 

And let me quote what someone wrote to me in another thread: 

 

"What happened is so unlike Celebrity, and you should make your experiences known to the CEO. How they addressed the wire is unacceptable, and I can’t believe they would still be using wire brushes to clean a grill.  The problem with wires coming loose and sticking to the grill and transferring to food is well known. I haven’t used wire brushes on my grill for at least 20 years, because of that exact problem."

 

[Loracpin2]

The only thing this post did was seriously make me re-think our back-to-back January BEYOND sailings. If even half of the OP's story is factual,  I have concerns. 

[zitsky]

19 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

No, I'm not. I wanted it reported to the person in charge of Food, yes all the way UP. Celebrity was very lucky that nothing happened to my husband.

 

If not reported and not dealt with, next time Celebrity might not be so lucky...

 

We were not after compensation / free cruise / suing.

 

And let me quote what someone wrote to me in another thread: 

 

"What happened is so unlike Celebrity, and you should make your experiences known to the CEO. How they addressed the wire is unacceptable, and I can’t believe they would still be using wire brushes to clean a grill.  The problem with wires coming loose and sticking to the grill and transferring to food is well known. I haven’t used wire brushes on my grill for at least 20 years, because of that exact problem."

 

You left out my post where I said the wire was a terrible thing to happen.  I can tell you are protective of your spouse when you say something like “it enraged me even more”.

[Virginia100]

Very illuminating! I’m going in August but once again on the Reflection. After once on the E class I now only want S class. Never had one issue in years. New is not always better,

[chemmo]

13 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 “Personal” because we look at our cruises from a different perspective/point of view – we don’t participate in a lot of ship’s activities like Trivia/L&M/Quest, etc. Also, comedians/one man shows, all of them necessitating a good command of English. We go only to the big musicals, and on this cruise, DH had to leave after a few minutes, the sound being too much for his hearing aids.

 

 We don’t cruise for the beaches/hot weather, drinks and we gamble very small amounts (like 5-10$ pp per evening) just for fun. Usually bets of 1 or 2 cents 😊 On this cruise, after 3 long “dry dock” years, we found out that the minimum bet was raised to 75 cents, so our 9$ were quick to disappear. 

 

Then, why are we cruising? Mainly for the itineraries. Sometimes – for the ship. This time we found an excellent combo – interesting itinerary and a new class of ship.

 … and, for the food, mainly on Celebrity.

 

Therefore, our criteria of judging if we enjoyed the cruise is much more limited – itinerary, food and ship.

 

What we liked about Beyond?

*the lower staff (servers, waiters, cleaners, sales attendants, casino staff) were all excellent, always smiling, always willing to help.

*the pool – was the longest in comparison to every other ship. I’ve managed, early in the mornings, to swim some nice laps.

*all night light in the bathroom.

*the infinite veranda makes for a bigger room, but, if one of the cruisers is an early raiser and wants to spend time on the veranda, the light wakes up the other.

 

What we didn’t like?

Soulless. Too dark. Too much “real estate” taken by very high-end shops (Cartier, Bvlgari, Montblanc, La maison du chocolat – always empty), and not enough connection with the sea.

A dark mirrored hallway, which I’ve found down right creepy, fearing I’ll find myself stepping right into one of the mirrors [deck 5 on the way to Eden].

No library, which is weird, since Beyond was designed BEFORE Covid.

We like to sit and admire the wake. Eden. A very strong smell of fried fish from the restaurant below.

At Raw 5 we couldn’t hear one another due to the high volume of music in the Grand Plaza.

The SOUND. First time we saw many people leave after the show began, mainly because of the high volume. Yes, the issue was raised by me and others, nothing was done.

 

Unless we travel with family/friends, we usually prefer to dine at WJ/OVC. We’re "in and out" quickly, can try different dishes, mainly the stir fry, which we highly prefer. 

 

Quite from the beginning we were disappointed in the quality, quantity and diversity of the OVC’s food. There were a lot of heavy stews, unappealing for the most of time.

 

I found myself making one round, two rounds, trying to map the dishes I’d like to sample, and found myself “settling” for a grilled steak, chicken breast or burger…. In very contrast to all other cruises, where I’d make a round and say to myself: “ohh, shepherd’s pie, ohh, meat lasagna, ohh, seafood salad, ohh, this pad thai looks sooo good”.

 

DH was even more disappointed, since he mainly eats fish, seafood and salads. Usually, he’s going to the salad bar, and comes back with a huge amount of leaves, tomatoes, cucumbers, hummus, etc., his usual Mediterranean staple at home. Here, he found himself asking for two slices of this, two leaves of this, a spoon of this -- a rather tedious “affair”. Meantime, a line is forming after him, close enough to defy the purpose of being served in the name of “social distancing/ Covid”.

 

Dani, I saw your review heading and went to it with interest as we haven’t cruised an E class ship yet. 
 

Your what I liked/didn’t like matched pretty well the views of friends of ours….
 

Shocked by your experiences in OV. Whilst we only generally use the buffet for a grazing lunch I frequently have extolled it’s virtues. Like you said, usually you have so many options that look tasty you can end up with a real plateful. Waits for fries and undercooked potato salad simply indicate poor control of both the preparation and service side of the operation. Throughout the hospitality industry there seems to be a real issue getting back up to speed with standards of preparation and delivery….I understand your husband’s frustration with served salad, sublime to the ridiculous springs to mind…We only visited the buffet on one occasion on our last cruise and I asked for cucumber and got a plateful!

 

Re the wire incident…I had similar on RC when I took a spoonful of prawn cocktail and had a mouthful of glass. The M’Ds comment of ‘So sorry, these things happen..’ did nothing to comfort me. I was  grateful that my mouth wasn’t cut and that I was fairly sure I had spit it all out (very glamorous). We didn’t get the wine or strawberries…I honestly think that ‘major’ incidents like this should result in formal documentation like they would do if you slipped and hurt yourself somewhere. It presented a serious risk to health. The M’D should definitely forward an incident like this to the health and safety officer and he (or one of his staff) should request an interview with you.

 

It would be interesting if those on other E class and S and M class ships could comment on the present standards in OV at present…

 

So, would you book E class again?

[CU64]

15 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 “Personal” because we look at our cruises from a different perspective/point of view – we don’t participate in a lot of ship’s activities like Trivia/L&M/Quest, etc. Also, comedians/one man shows, all of them necessitating a good command of English. We go only to the big musicals, and on this cruise, DH had to leave after a few minutes, the sound being too much for his hearing aids.

 

 We don’t cruise for the beaches/hot weather, drinks and we gamble very small amounts (like 5-10$ pp per evening) just for fun. Usually bets of 1 or 2 cents 😊 On this cruise, after 3 long “dry dock” years, we found out that the minimum bet was raised to 75 cents, so our 9$ were quick to disappear. 

 

Then, why are we cruising? Mainly for the itineraries. Sometimes – for the ship. This time we found an excellent combo – interesting itinerary and a new class of ship.

 … and, for the food, mainly on Celebrity.

 

Therefore, our criteria of judging if we enjoyed the cruise is much more limited – itinerary, food and ship.

 

What we liked about Beyond?

*the lower staff (servers, waiters, cleaners, sales attendants, casino staff) were all excellent, always smiling, always willing to help.

*the pool – was the longest in comparison to every other ship. I’ve managed, early in the mornings, to swim some nice laps.

*all night light in the bathroom.

*the infinite veranda makes for a bigger room, but, if one of the cruisers is an early raiser and wants to spend time on the veranda, the light wakes up the other.

 

What we didn’t like?

Soulless. Too dark. Too much “real estate” taken by very high-end shops (Cartier, Bvlgari, Montblanc, La maison du chocolat – always empty), and not enough connection with the sea.

A dark mirrored hallway, which I’ve found down right creepy, fearing I’ll find myself stepping right into one of the mirrors [deck 5 on the way to Eden].

No library, which is weird, since Beyond was designed BEFORE Covid.

We like to sit and admire the wake. Eden. A very strong smell of fried fish from the restaurant below.

At Raw 5 we couldn’t hear one another due to the high volume of music in the Grand Plaza.

The SOUND. First time we saw many people leave after the show began, mainly because of the high volume. Yes, the issue was raised by me and others, nothing was done.

 

Unless we travel with family/friends, we usually prefer to dine at WJ/OVC. We’re "in and out" quickly, can try different dishes, mainly the stir fry, which we highly prefer. 

 

Quite from the beginning we were disappointed in the quality, quantity and diversity of the OVC’s food. There were a lot of heavy stews, unappealing for the most of time.

 

I found myself making one round, two rounds, trying to map the dishes I’d like to sample, and found myself “settling” for a grilled steak, chicken breast or burger…. In very contrast to all other cruises, where I’d make a round and say to myself: “ohh, shepherd’s pie, ohh, meat lasagna, ohh, seafood salad, ohh, this pad thai looks sooo good”.

 

DH was even more disappointed, since he mainly eats fish, seafood and salads. Usually, he’s going to the salad bar, and comes back with a huge amount of leaves, tomatoes, cucumbers, hummus, etc., his usual Mediterranean staple at home. Here, he found himself asking for two slices of this, two leaves of this, a spoon of this -- a rather tedious “affair”. Meantime, a line is forming after him, close enough to defy the purpose of being served in the name of “social distancing/ Covid”.

 

The first grilled fish he asked for was half frozen… The second – the same. He showed it to the server, who promptly left the serving and went in search of the “culprit” (the cook). Another line after DH. Someone appeared from the kitchen, and agreed, that, indeed, the fish was not properly unfrosted and grilled. Meanwhile, another “in-charge” saw the “fuss” and wanted details. DH explained the “case” and wondered why, 1 day after we left Rome, which is a fishing port, there are only deep frozen fishes on board, not to mention calamari, shrimps, mussels, etc. The standard reply, which we were going to hear repeatedly, was “difficulties in the chain of supply”. 

 

After 2 days of “buffet” diner, DH wanted escargot and we went to one of the 4 “free” restaurants. The escargots DH got were tiny and the meal was no more than OK but, as expected, took a lot of time.

 

Back to OVC.

After another 2 days of disappointing food at OVC, DH wanted a proper grilled fresh fish and we opted for “Cyprus”, which offered a grilled seabass.

 

While DH was eating the seabass, I suddenly saw him confused, murmuring “a bone” and taking something out of his mouth… turns out it was not a bone, it was a 1.5 cm long piece of … wire !!! He gently placed it on the bread plate and we called the waiter, who immediately called… whoever. DH, of course, was distressed. What if he ingested another, smaller, piece of wire and he didn’t feel it??

 

Me? I was speechless and worried sick. A perforated intestine was NOT in our plans… 

 

After a few minutes of looking one at another and pushing aside the beginnings of our entrees, the head waiter appeared with an “explanation”… the piece of wire comes from the brush used to clean the grill…”   Ahhhh, now we were “relieved”… 

 

We were so outraged, we just left the restaurant and went outside, to try to understand what just happened, and moreover, what IF another piece of wire was ingested? 

 

When we got back to our cabin, a bottle of white vine was waiting for us, along with some chocolate covered strawberries from the Cypress’ manager. The cheap bottle of wine really irritated DH: “I don’t want their vine, I want this going up and reported to the higher management, so that it will never happen again!!!” “It should have never happened in the first place” !!!

 

 So, first thing in the morning we went to GS with the vine in tow. Asked for “someone in charge”. The GS was reluctant, asking our room #, saying: “it is mentioned here”. I took the “helm” and said that we want to be sure it is “mentioned” up to the B&F director, and besides, we want to return their vine. Even if it’s just a “gesture”, might as well find out if we drink vine, and find something “neutral”, but that was not really the issue. We just felt that the vine was CYA. 

 

After a few minutes, the Cypress’ “in charge” came, claiming that it has been “reported”, “measures are being taken”, and, get this: “should you need medical assistance, we’ll be more than happy to provide it”. DH replied that “should I need medical assistance, I’ll be in big trouble, and Celebrity in an even BIGGER trouble”. He took the vine back, DH telling him that it was offending to receive a cheap bottle of several dollars by way of apology, instead a letter of “we will thoroughly examine what went wrong”, which surely will be more to the point.

 

Quite reluctantly the “in charge” offered a free lunch at either Le Fine Cut or Raw 5, and we agreed to Raw 5, being seafood and fish.

 

DH was eating bananas from the fateful evening, in the hope that his intestine will “weather” any stray wire…

 

A day after the “wire”, I went to a “senior officers” meeting with Elite, +, etc. members. 

 

While I was sitting by myself, people watching, one of them came, randomly, to ask me “how do you like the cruise so far”? Big mistake on his part, HUGE…. I made a “so-so” movement with my hand, being masked and him also. Didn’t want to elaborate… but he was so surprised and, seemingly, interested…

I told him that the food quality, diversity, quantity is sub par for a Celebrity cruise, and us being foodies, are underwhelmed. He wanted examples and details, which I supplied.

 

Turns out he was the “procurement” officer, which enraged me more. I told him that there is no quality control whatsoever on the food, fruits in particular, and some products should never reach the buffet [overmature watermelon and kiwi coming immediately to mind]. Told him that, obviously, being veteran Celebrity cruisers, we have the “means” to compare.

 

He said that they pride themselves in the quality of food on Celebrity, being one of the things which set them apart from other cruise lines. I just gave him THE LOOK “not happening here”.

 

When I told him that I’ve heard the same from others, suite guests/Luminae, Le Voyage, The Fine Cut, etc., he excused himself and went in search of the F&B guy, and brought him to me.

 

At that moment I decided to check if our plea that the “wire incident” will go to the “top” was granted and was shocked to see that he never heard of it. Immediately he profusely apologized and asked where we’re going to eat tonight, wanting to see for himself that DH is OK. Told him we had a reservation for Raw 5 [which was made before the free lunch offer]. He promised to be there. He wasn’t… but he comped us the dinner….

And we were glad he did, since, how DH said it so succinctly: “the lobster tail was from the runt of the litter” [and the oysters were far from fresh]. On the “free” lunch, we ordered only fried items and they were good. 

 

There were other food disappointments, where you see “grilled steak” advertised, but no steak on the grill. When you ask about it, they search one in their drawers, put one on the grill and tell you to come back between 7 and 10 minutes… Fries? “We’re waiting for a new batch, come back in 5 minutes?” NO!! Someone should monitor the popular items like fries, and the moment it seems that in a few more servings, they’ll be out of it, to already bring a new batch. 

 

The last “straw” was potato salad. With no fries available, I’ve tried my luck with the 2^nd best… Long line, since the potato salad is with the “made to order sandwiches” and it takes time. I’m getting the last batch. Yay!! Sit down to eat, the potatoes are undercooked…

I calm myself, and go back for another batch. Same “quality”. Ask a waiter to call someone “higher”. A nice and seemingly harassed lady arrives. Stoked her fork too. “Yep!!, not cooked at all”… 

 

“What’s you room number”?? That was the "standard procedure". Can’t figure it out what my room # has to do with the undercooked potatoes, overmature fruits, not properly unfrozen fish, etc.

 

It’s not that someone called and apologized or explained. 

 

To sum it up, on previous cruises, at dinner you saw lots and lots of officers eating at the OVC. There were always stir fry stations, pasta stations, grill stations with every imaginable meat or fish being done on the spot. 

There were officers patrolling the buffet and keeping eye on everything. If a tray was about to be 2/3 finished, immediately a fresh one was brought, so there will be no delay and waiting. 

 

Not on Beyond. Not even one. 

 

DH, ever the cynic, predicted that in the last day, Celebrity will pull all stops and gave us a meal to remember. He was right… In the last day lunch there was a “buffet extravaganza”….

Things are very different after Covid. ….surely you must know this I suggest you travel Oceania for the food and itineraries. You will pay for it but your expectations might be netter served.

[BigAl94]

1 hour ago, CU64 said:

Things are very different after Covid. ….surely you must know this I suggest you travel Oceania for the food and itineraries. You will pay for it but your expectations might be netter served.

Yes things are very different after covid. On our land based trips we have found all the hotels we have stayed in really going the extra mile in terms of food and service despite supply chain and staffing issues. So much so that we have found improvements on pre covid times. I'm sure the OP paid well for the cruise and their not unreasonable expectations should have been met - no excuses without the need to look to other cruise lines. Reinforces my personal view that we are not prepared to return to Celebrity for the time being. 

[sgmn]

4 hours ago, CU64 said:

Things are very different after Covid. ….surely you must know this I suggest you travel Oceania for the food and itineraries. You will pay for it but your expectations might be netter served.

The problem is these Beyond cruises aren't cheap, think is was over £2500 for an infinite balcony.  Maybe you're right and we are all going to have to expect to pay a lot more post covid but I would expect decent edible food for my hard earned money

[chemmo]

2 hours ago, BigAl94 said:

Yes things are very different after covid. On our land based trips we have found all the hotels we have stayed in really going the extra mile in terms of food and service despite supply chain and staffing issues. So much so that we have found improvements on pre covid times. I'm sure the OP paid well for the cruise and their not unreasonable expectations should have been met - no excuses without the need to look to other cruise lines. Reinforces my personal view that we are not prepared to return to Celebrity for the time being. 

We have found everything a bit more hit and miss on land…some restaurants/hotels as good as pre covid but others having reduced service, reduced menu options, increased cost or kept cost similar but then certain things that were previously included (breakfast, parking) are now add ons.

 

When we next board Celebrity there are issues I can be tolerant about….a slightly longer wait for service, some issues with certain wines or spirits but I would expect the OV to supply decent potato salad and have fries ready! I would also not expect a piece of wire in my food.

 

For me, I felt a degree of alarm about the reported noise levels. I like noise sometimes but it is the quiet ambiance of areas of the ship that tend to be our go to places…

[sgmn]

So I was on the same cruise as Dani (really enjoyed meeting you and DH).

We ate most of our evening meals in the four included dinnng rooms. There were good things about the cruise but also disappointing things, and the food generally was one of the disappointing things IMO. 

Most of it was ok, occasionally very good but never outstanding. 

We're pretty easy going and for the first time in all our cruises had to send a meal back because the steak was cold. When it came back the six artfully arranged chips  (frys) it came with were hard and unedible. My husband said some flavouring on the steak would be nice, it was bland.

On Silhouette in May we always asked for extra veg, we didn't bother on Beyond as it was always very undercooked 

There were some good things.  The bread baked fresh on board was lovely, 

Fresh stir frys in OV was nice as were the ice cream and freshly made pizza. . My husband liked the Mast Grill for lunch . I liked the freshly made coffee in the spa cafe for breakfast and enoyed the fruit plates there. 

We didn't do any specialised restaurants 

 

First time in an infinity balcony which we Iiked, made the room much  bigger. Our room attendant was excellent as always. 

I also enjoyed the long pool for doing lengths and the sunset bar was our go to bar, staff were great and the views stunning. 

My husbands biggest concern was no forward facing top deck lounge for non suite guests, probably a deal breaker for him. 

 

Entertainment was generally good, especially Elements which was probably one of the best shows I've seen on stage. I also found the sound too loud though.

Captain Kates talk on the last day was interesting and well worth attending 

The sculptures and art work were interesting, would be nice to have more information about them .

We did find the seating in Eden uncomfortable and it didn't really work as an entertainment venue as limited capacity and sight lines weren't good. 

Ports were fab and our one ship tour in Malta was excellent and good value

Other ports we did our own thing 

[TeeRick]

@dani negreanu you had a pretty mediocre experience on BEYOND and thank you for reporting some of the details here.  You are a very experienced and honest poster here on CC so when you take the time to write your experience at length it really helps all of us.  Maybe your comments here and on board to the staff and officers will help get the BEYOND on the right track.  It is really unfortunate that you did not enjoy this cruise as much as you were expecting.  Best cruising in the future!

[AC Stew]

Agree with TeeRick: I've always found Dani's posts to be interesting and informative. 

 

Just returned from the Equinox and we enjoyed a lovely cruise. We've managed to avoid Edge class, but finally gave in and booked the Edge for an October Transatlantic. Not for the ship ... for the itinerary. Dani's post confirmed my concerns, and I will keep my expectations in line with her comments.

[dani negreanu]

6 hours ago, chemmo said:

So, would you book E class again?

 

Thank you for your kind words.

 

No, we would not book an E class again.

 

The "premium" rates for this class of ships is high, and for Beyond -- beyond a reasonable price. Our C2's cabin's rate fluctuated between 10K and 11K [with the 3 perks -- free grats, classic beverage and free wi-fi -- and refundable deposit].... As I've mentioned in my long post above, we don't drink [hubby may enjoy a "social" glass of vine] and being "Elite" we had some free drinks anyway. The "free" wi-fi turned out to be very basic, no pictures and videos to be sent. Free grats were always a perk from our travel agent, so, basically, we paid a LOT more for nothing.

 

On a humorous note, I'm sure that hubby and I are on a Celebrity "persona non grata" list, after insisting that the "wire incident" will be taken seriously.... 😉

[Spif Barwunkel]

At all times the classy lady, I have always found dani's comments to be fair, and no matter her take on the topic, never scathing or disrespectful. Such is the case with this thread. Perhaps more vitriolic commentary might be justified here but dani has kept her words quietly forceful yet blatantly meaningful. That speaks to her character and credibility as a CC poster. 

 

To incur this lady's ire is serious since she is always willing to give the benefit of the doubt. That is why it is troubling to me that Celebrity, via its newest vessel, presented a less than ideal product. Just goes to show that no matter the pomp and circumstance, the promise of all things new and better, and a "Celebrity" captain at the helm, a particular cruise can seem rudderless with no particular direction.

 

Whether speaking literally or figuratively, the responsibility and the blame spans the entire org chart whether sea or land based. Don't compartmentalize or categorize who should or should not be in the know. If you've made this lady feel mistreated and unappreciated, shame on you. There are definitely course corrections on the horizon...at least there better be. 

Edited July 4, 2022 by Spif Barwunkel

[Pinboy]

This is an extremely informative thread , and, thanks for everyone's input.

From this , Pinboy and " You know who " will :

Continue to cruise on Celebrity's S Class ships -- even if Captain X -- oops ( better skip that part ).

Continue to select a cabin on the hump rather than a suite ( non-drinkers-- prefer to arrange reservations, tours, etc , on my own -- would really not use the services of a Butler ).

Continue to tip room service delivery personnel--- EVEN if it " might " be included already ( Pinboy is a " good sport ).

Continue to sit near the back of the theater--- just in case ( we all know what that means ).

Continue to enjoy the excellent food and service throughout ( excluding the one time our Waiter forgot to bring my 3 shrimp cocktails at the same time )--- LOL-- I was going to complain at Guest Services but the line was too long with people removing their Gratuities, and besides , we didn't need a plate of chocolate strawberries !!

Continue to meet nice people from all over the world on cruises ----- until , until , out comes 600 pictures of etc, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BigAl94]

2 hours ago, chemmo said:

For me, I felt a degree of alarm about the reported noise levels. I like noise sometimes but it is the quiet ambiance of areas of the ship that tend to be our go to places…

An issue for us as well. My wife had a stroke three years ago and since then cannot tolerate a lot of mixed noise and especially loud noise. Celebrity used to provide a more tranquil up market experience and noise could be avoided but this no longer appears to be the case.

[canderson]

17 hours ago, Michidoeme said:

Can t agree more with your observations on Beyond being dark and especially LOUD almost everywhere.   We had also mixed experiences like this on our cruise in May.  We had trouble finding a quiet place.

One of the reasons we sail X is to be able to get a bit of peace when we want it (the lack of someone yapping on the PA all day long being one of those).  Not happy to hear that it's harder to find quiet spaces on Beyond.  Have also heard that there are restaurant venues where the noise from adjacent space is unavoidable.  NOT places we would dine.  If I want rowdy with my meal, I'll grab a burger on the pool deck.

[George C]

Edge ships to a certain extent is a two class ships, suites definitely seem to be a priority for edge class . I know if someone is a upper class suite did complain like Dani , more attention would have been paid, this goes for other lines also.

[Mark_K]

18 hours ago, talljules1 said:

Well, that's fine then.  We ditched the Rolls and Ferraris to have cruises 😆

 

For no particular reason we've never done an inside stateroom. I do not know why. We've always had a balcony.  The reason "I don't know why" is that we never spend any time on the balcony. We totally get the whole "but you don't spend much time in your room" argument as well. The only reason we now do the sweet suite life is that I am spending my inheritance. Would much rather have my parents and an inside stateroom.

Good idea.  If all that happens with an inheritance is that it gets passed on from generation to generation, it’s the same as not having one.

[Cap_D]

As a relatively new comer to cruising, it seems everyone's first inclination when something goes wrong is to suggest cruising on a different line.  That is not an option once one has already boarded or reason to question the quality.  The reality is that unlike being on land, one can't just change up the venue for their vacation, find a new restaurant, etc.  No matter the willingness to pay one I stuck.  And, the entire boat is actually one giant restaurant, with one set of buyers, freezers, qc, and so on. 

 

So, if Celebrity and/or the team on the ship is content with less than Applebee's quality, or poor food safety, then one is stuck, already paid, and isn't going to get the time or calories back from subpar food.  It's a loss, and leads to a crappy experience.  But, for the price and the amount of resources including the number of staff people on board and equipment there is no reason for many of the issues.  They could handcook all food given the staffing ratios and supplies available, or at least have some ability to get the apology right. 

 

The OP's issues are valid, and regardless the cost of a cruise on Celebrity is generally more per day than any meal would be on land for similar quality (and Celebrity enjoys less labor costs compared to anything in the U.S.).  

 

There is no excuse for any of the food issues OP experienced, especially the lack of recovery and recourse by the Celebrity team shipboard and otherwise.  There is a lot of middle management on the ships covering for issues, and the actual managers seem out of touch or incentives to not care. 

 

No need to defend the indefensible or mediocre.  Also, had somewhat similar experience on Edge in April.  And, there are few places where there is quiet or one source of background noise.