Beyond LIVE Solo Retreat Review (4/9/23): A One-Woman Suite Show

[M&JfromSDL]

Thanks for taking us along with you.  Live threads add a bit of 'work' to a cruise so I appreciate you taking the time from your vacation.  

[WNCtourist]

Thanks for your review! Wishing you safe travels home and await your next adventure.

[raudacruise]

Charla, you need to take longer cruises. This is ending much too soon!

 

Safe travels.

[DaKahuna]

Charla --  I hope your disembarkation went well and you are not having any issues with your return home. 

 

 It has been fun, as always, reading about your shipboard and on shore experiences.  Thank you for sharing them with us. 

 

 

 

[Chriskoo]

Thank you for all the effort you put into these reports- they make me feel like I’m on vacation too!

[Buckeye94]

Thank you, Charla! I need a vacation and kind of got one through you! It felt like I was there...even more so when I made prosciutto chips to drink with my bubbly as I finished reading this and caught up on your last adventure with Gen Z! 😀

[CruiseNYC]

Thank you,  Charla!  Another fabulous virtual cruise for me 😆

[GenerationX]

Sigh, all I regretfully write to you this morning from a much less pleasant place than where I last left you…

 

Yes, my 3 month marathon of bi-weekly cruising has officially come to an end.😭

 

I can’t believe I actually have to wait months, MONTHS before I sail again (I know, your sympathy for me is minimal).

 

This morning as I was sulking on my veranda I saw the walkoff disembarks start at around 7:15.  

 

I was in no rush to catch my flight so after saying final goodbyes and thank you’s to my butler and stateroom attendant and giving them their envelopes, I went to one last breakfast in Luminae then headed down to the gangway.   I didn’t think a Retreat concierge escort would be necessary leaving later in the morning and I was right.  There was almost no line to get off at 8:45.

 

I didn’t get an offer of luggage valet service, even though I have a later flight, and no one else I spoke to last night did either, so I don’t think it was available yet.  It would’ve been nice since according to my husband I allegedly travel with my entire summer wardrobe in tow.

 

Instead when I got to the terminal, I found a porter to assist with my cargo and was through facial recognition customs in less than 5 minutes.  There were 4 ships in port this morning including Odyssey of the Seas so I wasn’t surprised to see Uber on surge pricing.

 

When I checked my bags for the flight, the AA agent checked to see if there were any earlier flights to STL I could jump on since I made it to the airport so early.  There was also an 11am flight through LGA that I could have booked, but I try to avoid booking flights that leave before noon on disembarkation day. Especially if I’m going over to MIA from port Everglades.  You never know what disembarkation and traffic will be like.

 

A few weeks ago my social media blew up about a disembarkation for MSC in Miami that was delayed almost 3 hours with no passengers even allowed off the ship till almost 11am.

 

Unfortunately today the ticket agent said that everything going to or through STL is completely sold out.  He said domestic departures have been particularly busy the past few days thanks to to rebooks from the 4 day FLL closure.

 

Oh well, at least I’ll have a nonstop and I’ve got the bartenders at the D30 Admirals club (who at this point recognize me, remembered my name, and asked where I cruised to THIS time, yikes 😬) to keep me company till my flight boards at 2pm.

 

In the meantime, let’s also take a step back and talk about my second dinner in Eden last night, which was every bit as good as the first.

 

For my starters I had the crab cake and risotto.  That crab cake is my kinda crab cake. 100% blue crab meat with just a little layer of crispy panko on top for crunch, with a slightly spicy chipotle Mayo and pickled peppers and onions on the side.

 

The risotto was also just as good as I remembered from Red and I’s November cruise.  Cheese and mushroom lovers, this is your dish.

 

This time for the main I had the lobster casserole.  For my southerners and midwesterners following “casserole” is a total misnomer for this dish.  You’re actually getting a whole, fresh Canadian lobster (I’ve been told they’re brought on the ship live) served over  a delicious sweet corn sauce with little chunks of thick pancetta and like 4 baby potatoes in it.  Far better than any casserole I’ve ever made!

 

The couple at the table next to me saw mine come to the table next to me saw it come to the table and commented how they should’ve waited for Eden to have lobster because they’d ordered it in the main dining room the night before and what they got was “a piece of lobster slightly bigger than my husband’s thumb”.

 

For dessert I also switched it up and had a deceptively rich lemon tart and Adrian the sommelier poured me a complimentary glass of 20 year tawny port to drink with it as I watched Beyond leave my week of Caribbean fun behind.

 

I’m going to head to the bar for a back to reality Bloody Mary, then will work on my catch up posts on my Cozumel excursion and specialty lunches onboard and a final thoughts post.  If there’s anything else I’m forgetting or questions folks have about things I haven’t mentioned, please feel free to jump in!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Azulann]

Yea, I am looking forward to your posts about Salsa etc excursion in Cozumel ! 

Love your luggage!  

Your Eden dinner looks fabulous. Now I want lobster. But its is snowing here in the North today.

So enjoy your trip reports as always. I feel like I am on a cruise with you when I read them. 

I forgot, but which ship will you be on when you and Jeremey go to Europe this fall? 

If you  are stopping in Liverno and want to do a private tour including wine tasting. I have the best guide ever. He is a sommelier/ tour guide in Tuscany. 

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by Azulann

[gizmo42]

Charla, thank you so much for doing a live report. I really enjoy your writing style and the great pictures! Reading your live report is a fun positive way to start my day. I look forward to your next adventure. Have a safe trip home.

[mac_tlc]

A few thoughts on our wonderful but short week on the Beyond.

 

The ship is really gorgeous and even though I am certainly not an “art guy “, I can appreciate the sheer number and variety of artistic works. For some reason I like the ridiculous number of unique seats scattered everywhere, yes, even though half are uncomfortable and quite a few would be impossible for me to get out of if so even got into it😳. 
 

I can’t imagine anyone being bored — the number of shows, headliners, live music, game shows, trivia, etc. etc. is way too much to pack into a week. If someone is bored, I think they are not trying. 
 

But what was great this week is that we shared it with some newfound friends, who before last Sunday we only knew through their contributions to these boards ( Ok we knew @KKB  before then ) 

 

@KKB (K & D), what a great trivia team we made! Actually winning a couple of sessions! I sure hope we travel again together. What do you say about that TA and some serious progressive trivia? 
 

@Silkroad (M & A), what great conversations we had! Thank you for letting us see your S3, it will help on our future decisions. You have some great journeys scheduled, hope that all go well!

 

@Mrs_Tiki (M & M) , it was great to finally meet you and your MSC experience will certainly help us when we discuss whether to give YC a shot! I believe we are sailing again on the 1/21/24 Ascent, so our 2pm Retreat Lounge meetup on Day 1 is now officially set! 
 

@GenerationX, wow, where to start. As I read your daily musings, I at times wondered if we were on the same ship😂😂😂, certainly those late night times. Our ability to last that long and somehow awaken the next day seem to be getting fewer and fewer. You are a joy to be around, vivacious, positive , and funny! Certainly hope to sail again with you and maybe meet Jeremy ( if you let him out that week😜😜). 
 

Well we made the drive to Orlando, pulling into the garage at about 11:40. Had to make a stop for a cup of Dunkin’!! I do miss that on a cruise ship. First load of laundry is in process, with several more to follow. 
 

Our next adventure is on Royal 😳😳. An Arctic Circle cruise to Norway with our son and DIL in June, hop over to the Royal boards— I’ll be posting something, internet dependent! 
 

I am officially a Celebrity Retreat Bargain Hunter now! If/ when I find something @KKB, @Silkroad, @Mrs_Tiki, @GenerationX will be the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th to know!!! As will the CC boards of course! 
 

Im pretty easy to contact, CC username at hotmail dot com! 
 

Thank you all for a great week! Until we sail again …………

 

 

mac_tlc

Edited April 16, 2023 by mac_tlc

[tortoni]

really loved your trip report and I wish you did not have months before the next one because I love following along on your adventures!

[Lazonia]

On 4/10/2023 at 7:18 PM, GenerationX said:

Cheers from evening chic night! Don’t you just love an evening dress with pockets?

 

I just arrived at the theatre for tonight’s production show.  Elaine was there to escort me to a great seat in the reserved Retreat area in the balcony and bring me a glass of champagne.

 

More to come later tonight!

 

 

love that red dress!

 

[bjahil47]

Safe travels home, Charla!  

[hcat]

wow.. now I know what to order in EDEN!  dh will love the Crab Cakes

[Jim_Iain]

On 4/14/2023 at 9:44 AM, mac_tlc said:

When we went to the casino last night to make our donation, I noticed a different message on the slot screen where you do a room charge to transfer $$ to the machine:

 

 

 

Hmmmmm… 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

 

 

mac_tlc

 

I'll have to check that out on Apex.   This first cruise we spent most of the Refundable already but will see what we can do on the TA.    I didn't get to the Casino last night.

[Norwaylady]

Safe travels home Charla🥰

always a pleasure following you😁 

 

@mac_tlc  welcome to Norway and artic circle😎 Looking forward to seeing your adventure⚓️ 

[DUTRAVEL]

Thank you so much for taking time out of your cruise to post another fantastic review. I do enjoy traveling with you Safe travels home.

[KKB]

4 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

A few thoughts on our wonderful but short week on the Beyond.

 

The ship is really gorgeous and even though I am certainly not an “art guy “, I can appreciate the sheer number and variety of artistic works. For some reason I like the ridiculous number of unique seats scattered everywhere, yes, even though half are uncomfortable and quite a few would be impossible for me to get out of if so even got into it😳. 
 

I can’t imagine anyone being bored — the number of shows, headliners, live music, game shows, trivia, etc. etc. is way too much to pack into a week. If someone is bored, I think they are not trying. 
 

But what was great this week is that we shared it with some newfound friends, who before last Sunday we only knew through their contributions to these boards ( Ok we knew @KKB  before then ) 

 

@KKB (K & D), what a great trivia team we made! Actually winning a couple of sessions! I sure hope we travel again together. What do you say about that TA and some serious progressive trivia? 
 

@Silkroad (M & A), what great conversations we had! Thank you for letting us see your S3, it will help on our future decisions. You have some great journeys scheduled, hope that all go well!

 

@Mrs_Tiki (M & M) , it was great to finally meet you and your MSC experience will certainly help us when we discuss whether to give YC a shot! I believe we are sailing again on the 1/21/24 Ascent, so our 2pm Retreat Lounge meetup on Day 1 is now officially set! 
 

@GenerationX, wow, where to start. As I read your daily musings, I at times wondered if we were on the same ship😂😂😂, certainly those late night times. Our ability to last that long and somehow awaken the next day seem to be getting fewer and fewer. You are a joy to be around, vivacious, positive , and funny! Certainly hope to sail again with you and maybe meet Jeremy ( if you let him out that week😜😜). 
 

Well we made the drive to Orlando, pulling into the garage at about 11:40. Had to make a stop for a cup of Dunkin’!! I do miss that on a cruise ship. First load of laundry is in process, with several more to follow. 
 

Our next adventure is on Royal 😳😳. An Arctic Circle cruise to Norway with our son and DIL in June, hop over to the Royal boards— I’ll be posting something, internet dependent! 
 

I am officially a Celebrity Retreat Bargain Hunter now! If/ when I find something @KKB, @Silkroad, @Mrs_Tiki, @GenerationX will be the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th to know!!! As will the CC boards of course! 
 

Im pretty easy to contact, CC username at hotmail dot com! 
 

Thank you all for a great week! Until we sail again …………

 

 

mac_tlc

It was a joy to meet each & every one of you! 
@GenerationX HOW did we not run into each other ALL WEEK??!! Honestly I was astounded how infrequently we bumped into everyone!

@mac_tlc we did an open booking—looking at dates & details but I would say there is a STRONG possibility we will be on that TA—did u book it?

 

[mac_tlc]

2 minutes ago, KKB said:

It was a joy to meet each & every one of you! 
@GenerationX HOW did we not run into each other ALL WEEK??!! Honestly I was astounded how infrequently we bumped into everyone!

@mac_tlc we did an open booking—looking at dates & details but I would say there is a STRONG possibility we will be on that TA—did u book it?

 

In the next couple days will probably be booking it. I’ll let you know.

 

mac_tlc

Edited April 16, 2023 by mac_tlc

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Thanks for a great report!

[librarylady19]

On 4/14/2023 at 5:17 AM, momofmab said:

😆 I thought they could have worded that better, myself.  Maybe switch out "valued" with "Retreat".

I think they mean "valuable" as they get lots of revenue from those "Valued" guests.

[lola2013]

35 minutes ago, librarylady19 said:

I think they mean "valuable" as they get lots of revenue from those "Valued" guests.

“Potato” / “Pototoe”…even those of us not in the retreat should be considered valued/valuable.  I agree it could have been worded better.  

[peanut head]

Whenever I read your cruise post, I think they are the best…and then you go ahead and outdo yourself with another. So glad you had a wonderful time with everything you did, saw, heard, tasted and drank. Enjoy the “down time” with your family until you sail again. 

[Stem to Stern]

This was a 7-night cruise right?
Just double checking.😂😂😂