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First time with Celebrity - on Beyond now - my thoughts

skatie

By skatie,
in Celebrity Cruises

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NorthStarStateCruiser

NorthStarStateCruiser

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, skatie said:

My husband and I are on our first cruise with Celebrity.  We are late 50s and have an Infinity Cabin 8252 (mid ship near elevators).  We have sailed NCL, Royal Caribbean, Princess and Disney in the past.  Most other cruises have been done with our kids and this is our second time with just the two of us.  So my personal thoughts as I lounge on a couch on deck 14 1/2 (small deck with couches and shaded half way between deck 14 and 15 -stairs beside pool bar) listening to music and the waves we sail back to FLL!

*The staff have all been so kind, polite and very helpful.  Shout out to our Room Attendant Krystina is very sweet and who has helped us with some special requests (like getting a softer pillow and more towels) and the staff at Al Bacio where I go to get my tea a few times a day.  They always call me by name and spend a moment asking us how things are going

*I was able to snag a reservation for Eden once I was in Board.  The food was outstanding and our waiter was very attentive and explained every course in great detail.  I also had the Forbidden drink which was the best I’ve ever tasted 

*we had a lot of OBC but have had a hard time spending it as we are not ones to buy very expensive jewellery.  It might be better to have another store with mid range purchasing options.  
*We have met a lot of nice fellow cruisers by being seated with them at a larger dinner table or being seated next to another table for two.  The first night we were asked if we wanted to sit at a table with other cruisers and had marvellous dinner conversations but other nights were not given that option but usually had another solo or couple beside us to chat with.  
*we enjoyed the gentle stretch classes led by the Activities crew. They were held in Eden at 9:30am on sea days.  Good way to wake up the body!

*the evening production shows were very good. The special guest who sang Whitney Houston was outstanding. Roy Tan was also excellent. The cast shows were well done and we enjoyed it all. 
*Silent disco was a lot of fun

*The Liars Club was “pee your pants” hilarious!  The illusionist that will perform tonight was part of that panel and he seems very funny

*we enjoyed the aqua fit dance classes in the pool and appreciated the size of the pool (and that there’s are relatively few children in board so no splashing!)

*the art / statues around the ship are very interesting -loved them. 
*Main dining room food and buffet are what I would expect of a higher class ship.  We had lots of choices all day long and hey, I’m not cooking or cleaning up so I have no complaints!  You could tell that some staff is new and there was some confusion in Dining rooms mostly over who we order wine or bar drinks from but in the end it all worked out!

*I was surprised that there was no sports activity on the upper decks like a pickleball court but guess it’s not something that fits their image.  
Overall we are very happy with the cruise and going home relaxed.  If you have any questions while I’m still on board ask away!

Thanks for this! It's refreshing to hear some thoughts from someone who has sailed multiple lines.

 

Also refreshing to hear opinions from someone who has some realistic expectations. I hear too many complaints for unnecesary reasons. "My butler drew my bubble bath at 11:30 instead of 11 like I asked him to." 😂

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beerme1

beerme1

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, Pinboy said:

LOL ( Big time )--

But, -----This site is Cruise CRITICS --- You gotta criticize everything or you will never receive a Lifetime Critic Award.

You mean to say that nobody pushed in front of you in the OVC , or, getting on/off the elevator, or going out of the theater, or , bumped into you at the silent disco, or you had to wait an extra 3 minutes for your drinks/dinner or your waiter forgot to bring your 3 shrimp cocktails at the same time, or your Butler was 6 minutes late to " draw " your bath , or , or etc etc.

What a great review -- Really excellent !!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"bumped into you at the silent disco" LOL!

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Guest 4-2-N-8

Guest 4-2-N-8

Posted
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42 minutes ago, NorthStarStateCruiser said:

Thanks for this! It's refreshing to hear some thoughts from someone who has sailed multiple lines.

 

Also refreshing to hear opinions from someone who has some realistic expectations. I hear too many complaints for unnecesary reasons. "My butler drew my bubble bath at 11:30 instead of 11 like I asked him to." 😂

Might you have any Grey Poupon?

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momofmab Great Review Rare

momofmab

Posted
Posted

I appreciate your comments. We will be on Beyond in January and are first-time Celebrity cruisers also, after having cruised on many of the same lines as you.

 

Was your cruise sailing at full capacity?  If you lounged by the pool, was it hard to get loungers? I have chair hog PTSD after having to sail on numerous spring break cruises with my kids 😄 

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Pinboy

Pinboy

Posted
Posted
11 hours ago, beerme1 said:

 

"bumped into you at the silent disco" LOL!

Hey-- What's funny about that ?

LOL-- Ya wanna talk about :

" How to make yourself look like a " Dork " and get an elbow in the face at the same time ?

" Look to the left-- Look to the right ---- who will collapse first " ?

" Hey, there's something we should do at our next Christmas party---- and, don't forget to reserve an ambulance".

( Ok, ok---- no need to tell me " If YOU , etc etc "---- I'm just having a little " fun " ).

 

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skatie

skatie

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Posted
11 hours ago, Lillibet16 said:

Thank you so much for your review. I’m going on the Beyond in January and can’t wait!
 

Regarding the onboard credit, you can always transfer it to the casino when on a slot machine and then just cash it out. 

I had read that tip on these boards so with our last $250 OBC  I went to casino on second last night and set up my account.  Did a transfer to room charge and lost about $50 and cashed out the rest!

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Taylor2018

Taylor2018

Posted
Posted
On 12/4/2022 at 6:55 AM, momofmab said:

I appreciate your comments. We will be on Beyond in January and are first-time Celebrity cruisers also, after having cruised on many of the same lines as you.

 

Was your cruise sailing at full capacity?  If you lounged by the pool, was it hard to get loungers? I have chair hog PTSD after having to sail on numerous spring break cruises with my kids 😄 


I was on the Beyond as well.  I believe we were around 75% capacity.  Plenty of elbow room.  Chairs adjacent to pool were usually “claimed” by 9am on sea days.  There were plenty of chairs a row or two from the pool that were available till 10 or so.  Lots of options both in full sun and in shaded spots.  I hate chair hogs but it’s just part of the deal when you have 3000 people.  I was happy with the abundance of options.  Think they said there were only 13 kids on the ship.  

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momofmab Great Review Rare

momofmab

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, Taylor2018 said:


I was on the Beyond as well.  I believe we were around 75% capacity.  Plenty of elbow room.  Chairs adjacent to pool were usually “claimed” by 9am on sea days.  There were plenty of chairs a row or two from the pool that were available till 10 or so.  Lots of options both in full sun and in shaded spots.  I hate chair hogs but it’s just part of the deal when you have 3000 people.  I was happy with the abundance of options.  Think they said there were only 13 kids on the ship.  

Thanks for responding!  I am used to the insane practice on other lines of people getting up before sunrise to put their stuff out on chairs (and then go back to sleep). I only need one chair because my husband doesn't sunbathe, and I don't need to be right next to the pool.  It sounds like I will be fine 🙂

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JFontaine

JFontaine

Posted
Posted
56 minutes ago, momofmab said:

Thanks for responding!  I am used to the insane practice on other lines of people getting up before sunrise to put their stuff out on chairs (and then go back to sleep). I only need one chair because my husband doesn't sunbathe, and I don't need to be right next to the pool.  It sounds like I will be fine 🙂

If you don't need to be near the pool, head to the upper deck where you will have plenty of chairs and much more breathing room and peace.  Walk around up there  for lots of nooks that are quiet and lovely. Bring your own drink because bar staff might not come around, but that's why it's so pleasant.  There's also a large section offering shade if your husband feels like it.  

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momofmab Great Review Rare

momofmab

Posted
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1 hour ago, JFontaine said:

If you don't need to be near the pool, head to the upper deck where you will have plenty of chairs and much more breathing room and peace.  Walk around up there  for lots of nooks that are quiet and lovely. Bring your own drink because bar staff might not come around, but that's why it's so pleasant.  There's also a large section offering shade if your husband feels like it.  

Thanks for the tip - I will check it out!

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skatie

skatie

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On 12/4/2022 at 6:55 AM, momofmab said:

I appreciate your comments. We will be on Beyond in January and are first-time Celebrity cruisers also, after having cruised on many of the same lines as you.

 

Was your cruise sailing at full capacity?  If you lounged by the pool, was it hard to get loungers? I have chair hog PTSD after having to sail on numerous spring break cruises with my kids 😄 

I believe I heard we were ~2500 and think capacity is ~3300.   We never had a problem finding pool chairs in the solarium and around the main pool there were times it was crowded but you could usually find something closer to the rails.  Enjoy

 

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Northern Aurora

Northern Aurora

Posted
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3 minutes ago, Harry_D said:

Seriously??? I’m on the Solstice in August. Are you sure? That would be epic…

 

I have just been quickly skimming the live thread by Jim_Iain but, if my memory is correct, believe Jim has posted a photo of the Solstice pickleball court.  

 

We spent two weeks on the Solstice in June and then returned for another B2B set in September.  For those who are curious about the ship Jim is posting a number photos.

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