Detailed review with photos of Celebrity Beyond 23rd June - 2nd July Western Mediterranean

[Lunastella]

Precusor & Introducation 

 

It is Day 2 and I haven’t typed a word yet….remiss of me, but if I don’t start now, I never will. Where to start? Like many others, this is our first cruise since Covid-19; our last (Sapphire Princess) ended in Singapore in January 2020, just one day after the Diamond Princess left port…it was a lucky escape! Two and a half years later, all vaccinated, fully boosted, immunity from a recent C19 dose and we are ready to get back to sea…fingers crossed…..

 

Who are ‘we’  - DS (sister), DM (mother), and me. It’s our 7^th cruise – so we are still relatively new to the game. We started in 2015 on Celebrity Reflection, and in no particular order (because I really can’t remember) – there was HAL Oosterdam, Celebrity Equinox, HAL Nieuw Statendam, Cunard Queen Mary II, and Sapphire Princess covering Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean, but mostly Europe.

 

The 3 of ‘us’ on our last previous cruise from Singapore 

 

 

Why Celebrity Beyond? Why not? A beautiful new ship, Captain Kate at its helm (whom I only discovered on Instagram during lockdown), and our first time on an Edge class ship after our cruise on Celebrity Apex was cancelled in June 2020.  I have been eagerly following its build online and now I get to see her in person…the ship that is, not Captain Kate, but also Captain Kate.

 

Beyond taken from a tender

 

I have written this review/diary while on the cruise, but I am posting it when I return due to a) rubbish basic wi-fi package, and b) writing in a hot solarium after a day in port is not conducive to correct spelling, grammar, or sense, so editing is required. I will hopefully post it all over the next week or so….but don’t quote me on that.  

 

Where did we go?

-        Barcelona

-        Marseille

-        Villefrance/Nice

-        Santa Margareta/Portofino

-        La Spezia (Pisa/Florence)

-        Civitavecchia/Rome

-        Ajaccio, Corsica (well maybe not)

-        Naples

-        Barcelona

 

A few sneak peek pics of destinations to come

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How long did we go for?

-        9 nights

 

Where did we stay?

-        Sunset veranda (aft) on deck 12

 

 

Our cabin was top right

 

 

What class are we? (if that’s not a rude question)

-        We are not Elite or Zenith and we are not staying in a suite or Aqua class so we don’t have access to the Retreat, Luminae or Blu (please read review of a financially well-endowed person for that, i.e., not me); however we did purchase a 5-night speciality dining package beforehand, so you can read about Eden, Fine Cut, and Voyage.

 

What package did we have?

-        ‘Always Included’ – classic drinks package, free gratuities, free basic wi-fi. We considered upgrading to the premium drinks package but the drinks on the classic were fine and we just paid the difference when we wanted a ‘better’ glass of wine.

 

Where did we mainly hangout while at sea?

-        Solarium (for afternoon lounging)

-        Eden (for lunch and night time fun)

-        Café al Bacio (for the cakes, I’m not going to lie)

-        Cosmopolitan (for breakfast)

-        Speciality restaurants (well 3 of the 5 isn’t bad)

-        Stateroom (for obvious reasons)

 

What were the highlights?

-        Beautiful ship with that ‘new ship smell’

-        Sunset veranda for, you know, watching the sunset

-        Amazing food in the speciality restaurants, esp. Eden and Le Voyage

-        Again Eden – everything about it

-        Friendly and efficient service from all staff

-        The relative emptiness of the ship (while this cannot be sustainable for the cruise company, it’s a real bonus for anyone cruising now)

-        Meeting Captain Kate, although not Bug.

 

More of these type pics to come...balcony view 

 

 

Beyond!

 

What were the lowlights?

-        Um…….this is hard….eating too much lobster and drinking too much prosecco perhaps??

-        The absence of a outside deck where it is possible to do a full 360 loop – although I haven’t seen any of these on Celebrity ships.

-        Having to go to 4 different stations to fill one plate of salad in Oceanview café. It’s a lot of work for your lunch! 

-        A more serious one – zero info about number of guests onboard or any mention of the big C19. However, all staff were wearing masks at all times.

 

 

Great salad but took a lot of effort

 

 

If you don’t like detailed, minute-by-minute details of life on Beyond (ok not quite), this is not the post for you. I repeat move right along!

 

[Barwick Cruiser]

Like your writing style and looking forward to reading more! We’re not suite people either, have a SV booked on Edge in ‘24 because I do need an actual balcony! Looking forward to hearing about the 4 main dining rooms, if you ate there other than breakfast.  Thank you for doing this!

[bama4cruisin]

I look forward to reading the entire review as we board Beyond in October for her first US sailing, the repositioning from Cape Liberty to Ft. Lauderdale.  We were on the Apex TA last fall and if this cruise is anywhere near as nice 😊😊😊

[H2OH!]

Thank you for sharing. We are on her in November 2022! 

[lola2013]

I'll be following along...I have twice sailed on Edge, both times in a SV...and have Apex booked for December, 2023, also in a SV.  Can't lie...that's the only way to go!  Also not a suite person; a "regular" cabin in just fine for this "regular" girl.

We also got to meet Captain Kate on Edge...what a rock star!  My friend and I brought little gifts for both her and Bug; she actually sent a gift to my cabin along with a handwritten thank you note.  I remember thinking what a great job her parents did with her!!!

Maybe I'll be sailing on Beyond someday!

Susan

[Lunastella]

3 hours ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

Like your writing style and looking forward to reading more! We’re not suite people either, have a SV booked on Edge in ‘24 because I do need an actual balcony! Looking forward to hearing about the 4 main dining rooms, if you ate there other than breakfast.  Thank you for doing this!

Hi Barwick Cruiser,  

Thank you!!!

Completely  agree, balcony is key. I should have asked someone to show me the infinity ones but I chickened out. Maybe they are ok??? We ate in all 4 main dining rooms (for research purposes of course), so stay tuned! 

[Lunastella]

2 hours ago, bama4cruisin said:

I look forward to reading the entire review as we board Beyond in October for her first US sailing, the repositioning from Cape Liberty to Ft. Lauderdale.  We were on the Apex TA last fall and if this cruise is anywhere near as nice 😊😊😊

Hey Bama4cruisin,

Lucky you! I haven't been on Apex, but some say Beyond is even better. You will have a fab time! 

[Lunastella]

2 hours ago, H2OH! said:

Thank you for sharing. We are on her in November 2022! 

No problem H2OH (love the name). More to follow. 

[Lunastella]

1 hour ago, lola2013 said:

I'll be following along...I have twice sailed on Edge, both times in a SV...and have Apex booked for December, 2023, also in a SV.  Can't lie...that's the only way to go!  Also not a suite person; a "regular" cabin in just fine for this "regular" girl.

We also got to meet Captain Kate on Edge...what a rock star!  My friend and I brought little gifts for both her and Bug; she actually sent a gift to my cabin along with a handwritten thank you note.  I remember thinking what a great job her parents did with her!!!

Maybe I'll be sailing on Beyond someday!

Susan

Hi Susan,

I agree, I’m pretty small so I don’t take up much room, a suite would be lost on me (although maybe that's just cognitive dissonance. If I was upgraded, I may say yes. Captain Kate is brilliant, she is doing so much to encourage more women to entry the industry, plus she seems super nice. 

[Jim_Iain]

Thanks for your live post.   Really enjoying both the review and the Photos.   I can't help chuckle every time i see that Elephant by the pool.

 

Looks like perfect weather.

[Lunastella]

2 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks for your live post.   Really enjoying both the review and the Photos.   I can't help chuckle every time i see that Elephant by the pool.

 

Looks like perfect weather.

Hi Jim

 

I know, right....I guess it represents the weight of the world we all had on our shoulders over the last 2 years, or else, its just an elaphant on a man. Perfect weather- 28-32 degrees most days.

 

BTW, I loved following your live posts...an inspiration. 

[SunandShade]

I was so glad to see your post. My husband and I are going on Beyond in September to Greece and Malta. Can’t get enough about the ship and your experiences on board. Love your humorous way.

[helen haywood]

I am happily following your review!!  We’ve sailed Edge several times and are booked on Beyond this November.  I specifically am interested in the changes to The Sunset Bar…hoping there is more shade.  

[Lunastella]

25 minutes ago, SunandShade said:

I was so glad to see your post. My husband and I are going on Beyond in September to Greece and Malta. Can’t get enough about the ship and your experiences on board. Love your humorous way.

Thanks SunandShade. I have done Greece and Malta on a different ship and loved the ports. Valetta is a favourite. 

[Lunastella]

12 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

I am happily following your review!!  We’ve sailed Edge several times and are booked on Beyond this November.  I specifically am interested in the changes to The Sunset Bar…hoping there is more shade.  

Hi Helen,

I don't know how much shade there is on Edge, but we had no problems in the Sunset Bar on Beyond. There are little shaded cabana areas you can use. Like this. Excuse gratuitous photo of self: 

[helen haywood]

Thanks!  The is zero shade at the Sunset Bar on Edge…unless the angle of the sun is letting the smokestack provide some…

[Lunastella]

Pre-cruise travel day – Dublin to Barcelona

 

Initially we planned to take an early morning flight from Dublin to Barcelona on the day of the cruise (risky!), but Dublin airport, like many airports around the world, is a disaster at the moment due to staff shortages. I have taken multiple flights for work trips in the last 8 weeks and every single one had some delays/hassles, I even missed an entire trip to Paris as I was queuing outside the terminal building for 2.5hrs before being turned away passport in hand...no Paris for me. The government even had to intervene as 4,000 passengers, including me, missed their flight that day.

 

So taking no chances, we changed our ‘day-of-the-cruise’ morning flight to a day-before-the-cruise’ afternoon flight. Also, 4.50pm was a much more respectable time to fly than 6.30am. That said, we still left home pretty early that morning as we had a multi-stop journey to the airport – tram to the city, C19 tests in the city, followed by brunch while awaiting said C19 result with crossed fingers (I uncrossed to eat), and finally, bus to the airport. Three negative tests, onwards to the airport!

 

We arrived at the recommended 3.5hrs before the flight; bag drop took 45 mins, security took 14 mins(!!!). The only problem now - we had too much time to spare…and this turned out to be even longer as (of course) the flight was delayed by >1.5hr.

 

Tram stop - guess whose owns what??

 

 

Test (fingers crossed!)

 

 

Brunch

 

 

Bus stop-  hey where did the others go??

 

 

 

What do to with such a long wait in the airport?? First drink of the holiday anyone…

 

Cheers!

 

 

Finally, we boarded and we were good to go! DM made sandwiches for the flight (which would serve as dinner; she’s an excellent sandwich maker – ham, cheese and relish, delish! it’s a holiday tradition, see my previous reviews). The flight was just over 2hrs and passed by pretty quickly.

 

Almost onboard

 

 

DM’s sandwiches - they don't look the most instragrammable but damn they are tasty

 

 

Sunset flight light

 

 

And one more

 

I had arranged a taxi pick up from the airport as I heard that the taxi queues in Spanish airports were competing with Dublin ones in terms of terribleness. €40 from the airport to our hotel in downtown Barcelona was pretty good value for three people. Even though our flight arrived almost 2hrs later than scheduled, the driver was still there (guess he was tracking the flight).  

 

As we would be spending less than 14hrs in the hotel (and sleeping for the majority of those hours) we didn’t really care too much about where we stayed as long as it was close to the port. We booked Ramblas by Pillow (€160 for 3pp) as it was located just off La Ramblas about 10mins walk to the port. As the hotel’s reception was closed by time we arrived  (we emailed them to let them know in advance), they gave us instructions to enter the hotel and our room using a code which worked surprisingly well. What didn’t work so well was the fact that the hotel is located on the 4^th floor of an old building with no lift. Hauling up our luggage on those marble stairs was no joke. Going down the next day was also no fun. I would not recommend this hotel if you have trouble hauling a +20kg case up 4 flights of marbles stairs. That said, the hotel, was much better than expected - super clean, a balcony overlooking La Ramblas, and even tea and coffee making facilities and biscuits! What more could you want (besides a lift)!

 

After tea and biscuits, it was time for bed as it was close to midnight at that stage. Travel day is over, we had made it! Excited for tomorrow.

 

Room - would have preferred 'Woman is a genuis' but what can you do. 

 

Tea! (and chocolate milk and granola bar for some reason...breakfast maybe)

 

La Ramblas from balcony

 

[WorkerBee74]

1 hour ago, helen haywood said:

Thanks!  The is zero shade at the Sunset Bar on Edge…unless the angle of the sun is letting the smokestack provide some…

 

I guess it depends which way you're cruising... 😉

[Wirral Girlie]

8 hours ago, Lunastella said:

Where did we stay?

-        Sunset veranda (aft) on deck 12

Looking forward to the rest of your review!

We too are doing the exact same itinerary in September, also in a deck 12 Sunset Verandah..... We will be in 12288 and am interested to know whether you were bothered by noise from the deck above?

Thanks x

 

[hcat]

Enjoying this review..great style,  photos  and  helpful info.!

 

We cruised on EDGE in a SV ,  loved our cabin despite lots of walking to and from the elevator, and we  enjoyed the 4 mdr plan..favs were Tuscan and the Greek venue.  Also had great lunches at the Eden cafe and Bistro ( upcharge..well worth it)..

 

We are looking forward to a short cruise on BEYOND this fall....

Thanks for sharing!

 

[jwlane]

2 hours ago, Wirral Girlie said:

We will be in 12288 and am interested to know whether you were bothered by noise from the deck

We were in 12265 last summer on Apex (almost identical location)---no issue at all.

[Lunastella]

19 hours ago, Wirral Girlie said:

Looking forward to the rest of your review!

We too are doing the exact same itinerary in September, also in a deck 12 Sunset Verandah..... We will be in 12288 and am interested to know whether you were bothered by noise from the deck above?

Thanks x

 

 

We didn't experience any noise at all from the deck above. 

[Lunastella]

17 hours ago, hcat said:

Enjoying this review..great style,  photos  and  helpful info.!

 

We cruised on EDGE in a SV ,  loved our cabin despite lots of walking to and from the elevator, and we  enjoyed the 4 mdr plan..favs were Tuscan and the Greek venue.  Also had great lunches at the Eden cafe and Bistro ( upcharge..well worth it)..

 

We are looking forward to a short cruise on BEYOND this fall....

Thanks for sharing!

 

 

Thanks for the encouragement!  One of the advantaged of the aft cabins is that you can easily get your step count up without even trying! 

DS wanted to try Bistro, but I said no...next time. 

I liked the style in Tuscan, it was dark and arty!

[Lunastella]

Day 1 Part A -  Barcelona, Spain – To the ship!

 

Dismal sleep but it doesn’t matter, plenty of time for relaxing and snoozing by the sea when onboard. Up early for a run around Barcelona before it gets too warm and before the crowds hit. Its only 7am but boy is it still hot already. Running in 23-degree heat when you are used in <10-degrees is no joke. I took it easy, stopped, took some photos, ran, took some photos. I ran down to the beach at Barceloneta, there were lots of runners, but still pretty quiet overall.

 

The W - someday maybe...

 

 

Sweaty business this running 

 

 

Empty beach 

 

 

I was back by 7.30 and DS and DM were ‘mostly’ up. DS said she was ‘planning’ while in bed. In fairness she had booked breakfast in Milk & Co, but it didn’t open until 9.00, so we just wandered the streets of the Gothic quarter where the street washers were out in force. First time not wearing a coat in 2.5yrs (I jest, but almost true).

 

This was right beside the hotel

 

Me and a door

 

Plaça Reial I

 

Plaça Reial II

 

Plaça Reial  with DM and DS 

 

Milk & Co is a kinda trendy brunch place, but the staff were super friendly, and the prices a whole lot lower than Dublin. I had pancakes with Greek yoghurt, bananas, walnuts, and some honey, very tasty, but very huge, I could not finish it. Best of all, €1.60 for an americano….yes you heard me right, €1.60!!!  More than double that in Dublin.

 

Milk & Co

 

Coffee

 

 

Breakfast pancakes

 

Yeah, don't know either...ambience 

 

 

 Next stop, wine! Yes yes I know what you are thinking, it’s a bit early, well you say, they ARE Irish, but no we say, we do not drink alcohol quite so early, even on holiday. Rather, we wanted to pick up some ‘nice’ wine to bring onboard in case the wines included on the Classic package were not up to scratch. We found a lovely wine shop ‘Vila Viniteca’ which was open very early. I told the very knowledgeable owner that we would like a Spanish rose (while in Spain and all that) and a champagne (well we will  be in France soon). He encouraged us to try a sparking Spanish wine, not a cava, but a new variety I haven’t heard of before (later note: it was excellent, but have no idea what it was called). First job of the day done. Next, we stopped by a pharmacy for even more sunscreen (you can never have enough, have you seen the colour of me) and face masks (again you can never have enough).

 

Wine!

 

The hotel was only a few mins walk from the shuttle bus stop to the cruise terminal, but we didn’t know exactly where it was, so unencumbered by luggage (apart from the wine, sun cream and facemasks), we went to find the bus stop…just in case. Found it, another job done. Now back to the hotel to pack up the few lasts bits for check out at 11.

 

Shuttle bus to the cruise port

 

Burdened down on La Ramblas

 

 

Hauling our suitcases down those 4 flights of stairs was just as much fun as hauling them up. Figured it would count as my strength training for the day.

 

Damn, we just missed the bus! Had to wait about 15-20mins for the next. Note you can buy the tickets onboard, but you have to have cash (€3) each. The excitement was palatable…I see the ship….I am closer to the ship….I am almost on the ship.

 

 

I spy something beginning with B 

 

Beyond!!

 

There was no waiting around when we reached the terminal building. We had already checked in online, so we just had to go through all the documents with a representative - vaccine cert – check; passport – check; negative antigen test - check; health questionnaire - check…swiftly followed by, you may procced directly to the ship. I would say it was about 10 minutes in total. We boarded just before midday.

 

OK so

[TeaBag]

Lunastella, thank you so much for your detailed, well written and humorous review.  it is such a contrast to the other one recently which had us convinced to skip the Beyond.  I also appreciate a review that is not in a suite.

I didn't realize when I read your first post that you are from Dublin.  We fly there 2 weeks from today.  I am Irish also and my family sailed out of Dublin in 1957 for our new life in Canada.  It will be wonderful to sail out of Dublin again and see the Bull Wall where we used to walk.

Your pictures are awesome.  I loved that breakfast you had before sailing.

I look forward to your impression of Beyond and of course, the pictures.