Beyond 11/13 sailing - Review

[mtempelaar]

Just got off the Beyond yesterday, and wanted to provide my own high level review of the ship.  For background, while this is my 18th cruise overall, I've only sailed Celebrity 3 times previously - Constellation, Summit and Century. My last Celebrity cruise was in 2004.

Overall it was a great cruise and we are looking forward to sailing her again in 2024, but with a bit more wisdom to eat some places more often, skip others and take advantage of things we didn't get to until too late in the cruise.

 

Checkin:

Seriously disappointed.   We were among the first for suite passengers to enter the lounge.  We sat, as instructed, and waited for someone to come over to check us in.  We were there for at least 40 minutes waiting.  Everyone around us got checked in and was able to board.  People just walking in were getting checked in immediately (escorted to a seat and check right in).  After 20 minutes of watching everyone around us going onboard I asked for help.  I was told someone would be right over and no one came.  Did that again, and then again.  Incredibly frustrating.

 

Ship:

• Beautiful ship, IMO visually designed for 20/30 somethings.   That South Beach vibe they went for is wonderful.
• The resort deck in the evening, as well as the Sunset Bar, is a ghost town at night except for the Sunset Bar smoking area.  It is a perfect design and location for nighttime deck activities.   IMO they should move the Silent Disco up there.  There's not enough space in the Martini Bar for it but PLENTY of space on the resort deck.  Especially during a time where Covid, flu and RSV are running rampant.  
• The dark mirrored hallway to get Eden is a menace for those with visibility issues, tall people, and mobility impaired, whether unstable on feet or on scooters, can struggle.   You can skip it by going outside and walking around it.
• Elevator button panels have a bug in the computer system that causes them to unselect floors or skip them.  They need a firmware upgrade 😉
• For smokers - this was the best smoking setup I have seen on a ship since we were banned from smoking on balconies.  Even my non-smoking husband loved it and would sit with me there.  I heard non-smokers comment they weren't even aware of two of the three areas as they couldn't smell it.  
• We had an S2 Sky Suite.  We have an S1 in 2024.  Nice size, and our butler did bring us a lounger for the balcony.   Nice bathroom.  Good storage. That being said, I'm not convinced for us that a retreat is overall worth the cost, or at least not for some itineraries.  We discussed downgrading 2024 to a sunset verandah or aquaclass but in price checks, it's kinda too late for that.
• While not required, I did find that I missed having an elevator nearer to the center of the ship. My fitness app, however, was quite impressed with my exercise and kept telling me so since I kept having to go end to end.  And I can't believe I'm saying that I miss something from NCL, but turns out that the carpet with the fish swimming towards the bow is kinda useful at times.

 

 

Food: 

• Retreat lounge is smaller than we expected.  Pretty but only went there once for snacks.  Found some food there wasn't fully thawed and had ice crystals on top.  The other stuff was tasty.
• Luminae was not impressive (except the lobster).  In fact the sirloin I had there was thin, tough and tasted like it had marinated in Liquid Smoke for a week (which was same issue with Rooftop Grill).  We tried it for breakfast, which was better but the egg yolks in fried eggs and eggs benedict were inconsistent (same for Blu BTW).
• Eden food was fantastic.   Service in both of those places, and the premium drink package glasses of wine were great.    How good was Eden?  So good that my husband, who HATES seafood, asked for another entree while he was eating his short ribs - Chilean Sea Bass.  He ate the whole thing.  He hummed his way through the meal.
• Le Petit Chef was fun, and they swapped out my husband's 2nd course for a Caesar Salad upon request since he didn't want either of the options for that course.  We REALLY appreciated the swap.
• Grand Bistro for lunch - we loved this.  We will be back!  Honestly that steak was the best I had on the ship and the escargot was top notch.  The lobster bisque had big chunks of lobster in it.  
• Normandie - Great service, great food on formal night.  Traditional, yummy.  even though we have 2024 as a sky suite, Normandie will be our MDR on non-specialty nights (though we want to try Cyprus).
• Blu:  Good breakfast but just like Luminae - they don't know how to cook eggs 😞  Still we kept going back as we did enjoy it.
• Buffet:  Dinner has less selection than other meals.  Some things are staples like the Indian and nacho/taco bar.  Breakfast and Lunch are good and we loved the Indian food most.   

 

Entertainment:

• Theater:  We didn't see Stage Door.  Arte was fantastic and we loved every minute.   We intended to see Elements but there was a big accident in the 7pm show and the 9pm was cancelled, replaced by the comedian was fun.  One of the dancers fell into the stage pit and her arm got caught in the pit elevator.  I think she broke her arm.  Passengers there and saw/heard it seemed to be quite traumatized by the event.    There was a matinee later for Elements but we couldn't attend.  Not sure how it was.   My heart does go out to that poor girl who was injured.  
• We enjoyed some musical entertainment but not all.  A few cover songs made us wince.
• Music on the Resort Desk was rightfully peppy but the retreat lounge - for us it was blah and boring.  
• Silent Disco was great (but move to a bigger open area Celebrity!)
• The Liars Club was hilarious and I've added some new words to my vocabulary.   Highly recommend this event, which was held in the Theater later in the evening.

 

Note: For whomever is in 9182 in the future, sorry about stains on the carpet by the balcony door.   In the words of Taylor Shift, "It's me! Hi! I'm the problem, it's me!"  I tripped and spilled a cappuchino.  Immediately got someone to clean the carpet but you could still see some spots.  

 

 

 

  

  

Edited November 21, 2022 by mtempelaar

[basenji56]

Was the ship creaking? 
 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/index.php?app=core&module=system&controller=redirect&url=https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2895227-beyond-creaking-and-knocking-and-slamming-oh-my/?source=122648&key=907d1cbbeb9644e520e16762db52619288c787e648b3a099074b9ca50ae8767a&email=1&type=notification_new_comment

[mtempelaar]

1 minute ago, basenji56 said:

Was the ship creaking? 
 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/index.php?app=core&module=system&controller=redirect&url=https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2895227-beyond-creaking-and-knocking-and-slamming-oh-my/?source=122648&key=907d1cbbeb9644e520e16762db52619288c787e648b3a099074b9ca50ae8767a&email=1&type=notification_new_comment

Nope.  Those on the current sailing experienced some bad weather, so things are going bump in the night.   We were on last week's sailing.  No weather issues, no noise concerns.

[FourNines]

Nice high level review.  We're schedule to board her this coming Sunday.

 

 

 

 

Edit: My bad. The grumblings I am hearing are about the last Edge cruise.

Edited November 22, 2022 by FourNines

[Georgia_Peaches]

Thank you for this review. Have to ask, why were others being checked in around you and what was the delay where you were concerned?  Suite guests who arrived after you were checked in and on board before you?  This is unacceptable. 

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Thank you for this review. Have to ask, why were others being checked in around you and what was the delay where you were concerned?  Suite guests who arrived after you were checked in and on board before you?  This is unacceptable. 

Agreed and I would have asked to speak to a supervisor and insisted on being checked in now, not later. Period. 

[RedneckBob]

I was on this sailing and wrote a short review too. Agree with everything you said especially about the elevators! Also the dark mirror hallway is a terrible idea. If you had too much too drink and can’t walk a straight line, expect to hit your head on one of those low hanging boulders 😳. We were in a basic Verandah. Still don’t like so called balcony. Never ate at any speciality restaurants. MDR service was hit and miss and overall food quality nothing close to our sailing on Apex a year ago. It was obviously Staff still being trained but always very friendly.

[mtempelaar]

8 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Thank you for this review. Have to ask, why were others being checked in around you and what was the delay where you were concerned?  Suite guests who arrived after you were checked in and on board before you?  This is unacceptable. 

I was close to becoming a Karen at the end.  I kept trying to call over people and nothing. The very first person I went to speak to looked like a supervisor to me.  She promised someone would be right over.  10 minutes later I spoke with her again and nothing.  3rd time I went to someone else and complain that this was ridiculous and finally got help, but the woman’s ipad wasn’t working right and then she had to grab some else.   I was not happy when boarding that ship.   
 

i don’t know why we were being ignored, other than in theory sitting down to check in is nice, but it makes things confusing to tell who has been checked in and who hasn’t.  They don’t assign people to certain areas.  Just grab people as you see them. 

Edited November 22, 2022 by mtempelaar

[mtempelaar]

1 hour ago, RedneckBob said:

I was on this sailing and wrote a short review too. Agree with everything you said especially about the elevators! Also the dark mirror hallway is a terrible idea. If you had too much too drink and can’t walk a straight line, expect to hit your head on one of those low hanging boulders 😳. We were in a basic Verandah. Still don’t like so called balcony. Never ate at any speciality restaurants. MDR service was hit and miss and overall food quality nothing close to our sailing on Apex a year ago. It was obviously Staff still being trained but always very friendly.

That hallway wasn’t quite as bad when the lights were turned up, but still really bad idea.

 

Those elevators 🤦‍♀️ At one point I treated the deck 9 button like I was in a slot tournament because it would NOT stay on.

[RedneckBob]

2 hours ago, mtempelaar said:

That hallway wasn’t quite as bad when the lights were turned up, but still really bad idea.

 

Those elevators 🤦‍♀️ At one point I treated the deck 9 button like I was in a slot tournament because it would NOT stay on.

I wish Celebrity offered frequent flyer miles for elevator rides 😀

[Cruise a holic]

We sailed on the Edge and soon the Apex.  Which I thought was identical to the Beyond. The suite lounge on the Apex is much bigger as is the suite deck.  My neice and nephew were recently on the Apex an loved it.  The sky suite was great, plenty of storage and a true balcony.  So many do not like the infinite balcony cabins.  Say just like a window room with a window that opens, sometimes if not closed by the captain for weather or other reasons.  When we boarded to Edge we were ushered to the suite lounge.  Everything went so smoothly.  Hope the same for our Apex trip.   IMO nothing beats a suite on these ships.

 

If I had to book a balcony, which I might as rates continue to climb, I would opt for an aft balcony cabin.  You get a true balcony.

 

Thanks again for sharing.

 

Edited November 22, 2022 by Cruise a holic

[RedneckBob]

Also forgot to mention that when we boarded the Beyond on 11/13/22 they were out of Diet Coke but was assured that a new supply would arrive prior to sailing. It did but the ship ran out of Diet Coke by Day 5 at most bars. Also Celebrity ran out of water in a can so we settled for water in a heavy bottle, Evian, which spelled backwards is Naive. Go figure!

[George C]

1 hour ago, Cruise a holic said:

We sailed on the Edge and soon the Apex.  Which I thought was identical to the Beyond. The suite lounge on the Apex is much bigger as is the suite deck.  My neice and nephew were recently on the Apex an loved it.  The sky suite was great, plenty of storage and a true balcony.  So many do not like the infinite balcony cabins.  Say just like a window room with a window that opens, sometimes if not closed by the captain for weather or other reasons.  When we boarded to Edge we were ushered to the suite lounge.  Everything went so smoothly.  Hope the same for our Apex trip.   IMO nothing beats a suite on these ships.

 

If I had to book a balcony, which I might as rates continue to climb, I would opt for an aft balcony cabin.  You get a true balcony.

 

Thanks again for sharing.

 

We sail beyond this Sunday and are really looking forward to our aft corner sky suite, balcony looks great , we love celebrity suite perks and retreat area on edge class ships . My only problem is it will not compare to the penthouse we had last year on the edge. ( have a very very long shot for our move up bid )

[Cruise a holic]

25 minutes ago, George C said:

We sail beyond this Sunday and are really looking forward to our aft corner sky suite, balcony looks great , we love celebrity suite perks and retreat area on edge class ships . My only problem is it will not compare to the penthouse we had last year on the edge. ( have a very very long shot for our move up bid )

We have also sailed a couple of times in Reflection Suites on the S class ships and loved them.  Getting too pricey now.  Happy to stay in a sky suite!

Edited November 22, 2022 by Cruise a holic

[mtempelaar]

36 minutes ago, RedneckBob said:

Also forgot to mention that when we boarded the Beyond on 11/13/22 they were out of Diet Coke but was assured that a new supply would arrive prior to sailing. It did but the ship ran out of Diet Coke by Day 5 at most bars. Also Celebrity ran out of water in a can so we settled for water in a heavy bottle, Evian, which spelled backwards is Naive. Go figure!

All the canned water in a can was in my cabin.  Every day more appeared even when we hadn't made it though the supplies we already had.  Sorry.  Should have stopped by 😉

[mtempelaar]

30 minutes ago, George C said:

We sail beyond this Sunday and are really looking forward to our aft corner sky suite, balcony looks great , we love celebrity suite perks and retreat area on edge class ships . My only problem is it will not compare to the penthouse we had last year on the edge. ( have a very very long shot for our move up bid )

I hear you.   Back in 2003 I was in the Royal Suite on Constellation for a 2 week baltic cruise (10k total price).  It was amazing sitting in our hot tub going through fjords while our amazing butler was bringing in food and drinks.  Once you have traveling like that, you are spoiled.  That being said, I cannot imagine splurging on a Royal Suite on Edge class for Caribbean at current prices, and it doesn't even have the hot tub on balcony either 😞       

Edited November 22, 2022 by mtempelaar

[George C]

15 minutes ago, mtempelaar said:

I hear you.   Back in 2003 I was in the Royal Suite on Constellation for a 2 week baltic cruise (10k total price).  It was amazing sitting in our hot tub going through fjords while our amazing butler was bringing in food and drinks.  Once you have traveling like that, you are spoiled.  That being said, I cannot imagine splurging on a Royal Suite on Edge class for Caribbean at current prices, and it doesn't even have the hot tub on balcony either 😞       

We have done royal suite a couple of times on M class including last February but never used that hot tub , but great balcony and suite, better balcony then penthouse has on edge class. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

3 hours ago, mtempelaar said:

I cannot imagine splurging on a Royal Suite on Edge class for Caribbean at current prices, and it doesn't even have the hot tub on balcony either 😞      

That's a shame about the lack of hot tub.  Was wondering if a RS is still considered a higher level suite with all the perks afforded that category on an S and M class ship.  I could be mistaken but I thought I read somewhere that they are not considered "upper suites" on E class ships.

[dlh015]

4 hours ago, RedneckBob said:

Also Celebrity ran out of water in a can so we settled for water in a heavy bottle, Evian, which spelled backwards is Naive

I have often wondered how they got that name...🤣

[chemmo]

5 hours ago, mtempelaar said:

That being said, I cannot imagine splurging on a Royal Suite on Edge class for Caribbean at current prices, and it doesn't even have the hot tub on balcony either 😞       

It barely has a balcony let alone a hot tub!

[Covepointcruiser]

When did they put a hot tub on the Royal Suite Balcony?    We had a bathtub, same as you would have in a master bath.   It had jets but was not filled with water.    It was nothing like the spa we have on our deck, always ready with hot water, and also comfortably fits more than one person.   It took up a lot of space and we never used it.