Lots of questions about Celebrity Beyond

[catmonkeys]

40 minutes ago, KKB said:

It was recommended by someone on the thread for our cruise; they had used them before.

Perfect, I might try them too. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

You can often save a bit if you use the site www.hotwire.com which is an Expedia site

[catmonkeys]

Thanks, all, for your replies so far. They've been super helpful. Regarding excursions: is 40% off the official excursions a good deal? And do you all have favorite things to visit in Grand Cayman, Aruba, or Curacao? This is for me and a 15 year old girl - she's not interested in very active excursions. In Bonaire, we rented a golf cart and can't wait for that.

[KKB]

45 minutes ago, catmonkeys said:

Thanks, all, for your replies so far. They've been super helpful. Regarding excursions: is 40% off the official excursions a good deal? And do you all have favorite things to visit in Grand Cayman, Aruba, or Curacao? This is for me and a 15 year old girl - she's not interested in very active excursions. In Bonaire, we rented a golf cart and can't wait for that.

40% off IS good.

Gr. Cayman--"Hell" isn't terribly exciting but she might find it funny to have visited it. I imagine she might like a Stingray experience.

Aruba & Curacao--we took the teens to the beach

[boxkite]

I second KKB's suggestion for visiting Stingray City while in Grand Cayman.

 

Going to the beach for Aruba and Curacao are also good suggestions.

[hcat]

as someone mentioned.. there are daytime activitles in the Club.. behind the scenes theater tour might be fun..nightime deck party with the DJ

 

Have to look at the dailies and the app if you can access that..

[2chiefs]

On 10/8/2023 at 1:18 PM, catmonkeys said:

Yikes! I wonder if anyone has successfully streamed from an iPhone in a deluxe interior room? 

Why would anyone want to watch TV while on a cruise? Just sayin'......  🙂 

Edit: BTW, I wasn't trying to be snarky. Just trying to inject a little levity. Having said that, I do like to read a book or watch a show on my tablet in the evening while lying in bed. I usually stay up about an hour longer than Sallie, so it helps. We have Amazon Prime and there are movies and TV shows you can download to your tablet. I'll download a few for the cruise. Not much on the ships TV but we do watch the news while getting ready to go out to dinner in the evening.

 

Edited October 11, 2023 by 2chiefs

[2chiefs]

On 10/9/2023 at 7:38 PM, catmonkeys said:

Thanks, all, for your replies so far. They've been super helpful. Regarding excursions: is 40% off the official excursions a good deal? And do you all have favorite things to visit in Grand Cayman, Aruba, or Curacao? This is for me and a 15 year old girl - she's not interested in very active excursions. In Bonaire, we rented a golf cart and can't wait for that.

Yes, the 40% off is good compared to the usual 15% off offering. We are cruising on Beyond on Dec 22 and we initially booked our excursions at 15% then re-booked them at 45% off when they had a sale. So book now if there is an opening. You can always re-book if the price goes down. Of course excursions by 3rd parties are often less expensive than the sale prices of ship sponsored tours.

Edited October 11, 2023 by 2chiefs

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, 2chiefs said:

Why would anyone want to watch TV while on a cruise? Just sayin'......  🙂 

Edit: BTW, I wasn't trying to be snarky. Just trying to inject a little levity. Having said that, I do like to read a book or watch a show on my tablet in the evening while lying in bed. I usually stay up about an hour longer than Sallie, so it helps. We have Amazon Prime and there are movies and TV shows you can download to your tablet. I'll download a few for the cruise. Not much on the ships TV but we do watch the news while getting ready to go out to dinner in the evening.

 

On my Apex TA this past spring there were some really good current movies on TV that I never had a chance to see so many  nights upon returning to the cabin for the evening I'd take advantage of seeing a good movie. 

[hcat]

3 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

On my Apex TA this past spring there were some really good current movies on TV that I never had a chance to see so many  nights upon returning to the cabin for the evening I'd take advantage of seeing a good movie. 

and movies  and music up at the Rooftop Garden.

[drakes2]

42 minutes ago, hcat said:

and movies  and music up at the Rooftop Garden.

I've booked the Beyond for March 2024

[deliver42]

I've been on over 25 cruises on different ships on most lines. In my opinion, the Beyond blows everything else out of the water. We are now booked on the upcoming Ascent.

[hcat]

1 minute ago, deliver42 said:

I've been on over 25 cruises on different ships on most lines. In my opinion, the Beyond blows everything else out of the water. We are now booked on the upcoming Ascent.

enjoyed BEYOND..better than EDGE..booked on ASCENT!

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

enjoyed BEYOND..better than EDGE..booked on ASCENT!

The changes made from the previous two ships really enhances the layout. They definitely took to heart some criticisms of the original design and made changes where allowed. One small change seldom mentioned is the addition of windows in The Club so during the day it's not a dark, gloomy space when not used as a nightclub. The reimagined Sunset Bar is wonderful and the removal of a lifeboat to give direct ocean views to Blu is exactly what people were asking for. 

 

[catmonkeys]

On 10/9/2023 at 3:13 PM, KKB said:

This price point is likely unattainable. $200 is likely closer to a low end possibility. 

That being said, depending on when you are traveling, I used valuetrips.com for our upcoming Beyond sailing in Dec.

$129 was shocking--I haven't seen anything that low in MANY years.

Now, that price was dependent on the dates we happened to sail (low season)

https://www.valuetrips.com/AMS/FL/F17.htm

Just a follow up to let you know we

secured this terrific deal. It took a few days for Value Trips to confirm, but it was well worth the wait for the price. Also, this hotel is right next to a grocery store and near the airport and cruise terminal. Thanks so much!

[golfrette]

In Bonaire you must rent the golf cart and drive yourself all over the island. Sooooo fun. But popular so reserve asap

[Yoshikitty]

We always book a rental car, pick it up at the airport and return off at the port.

Most car rentals offer a free shuttle to the port, I personally prefer dropping DW and luggage off at the pier, then drive to the car rental and return by shuttle.

Edited October 15, 2023 by Yoshikitty

[Cruise a holic]

We enjoy the Riverside Hotel on Los Olas Blvd.  Lots to do and see.  Many dining options.  The free shuttles take you from terminal to terminal- We prefer Uber. 

 

We want the minute we arrive at the hotel to be the beginning of a great vacation.  We do not want a  clean well located hotel and  take an uber to the pier .

 

 Really not that much more money for a better hotel vs. a no frills one.Sets the tone for a wonderful trip.

[catmonkeys]

15 hours ago, golfrette said:

In Bonaire you must rent the golf cart and drive yourself all over the island. Sooooo fun. But popular so reserve asap

Yes, another person mentioned this and we already rented one. Can’t wait!

[2Long2NxtCrz]

The Beyond is a gorgeous ship. Hubby and I went on it last December and it was decorated for Christmas. Just beautiful.

 

Eden was our favorite place and it's a great option for spacious ocean views with lots of solitude, but during the day our favorite hang out was at the Sunset bar on the starboard side. Lots of seating with shade.

 

As for things to keep your teen busy, I suggest downloading things to watch beforehand, just in case nothing appeals on the television. What we do (and not for teens, but us) is bring a traveling backgammon set, to which we've added a sennet (old Egyptian game) "board". The set we got was inexpensive, but it's made of leather and rolls up into a nice bag. If you like board games, it also has a side for chess.

 

The activities at the pool can be fun, if sometimes silly. There were some races that hubby participated in that were LOL funny. I'm sure your teen would enjoy those even if they don't want to participate.

 

Except for the lack of forward views, there are a ton of places you can get away from the crowds and enjoy sea views and peace. I'd suggest looking at a tour video on YT and then do a tour yourself when you first get on. Scope out the places that look like your style.

 

I generally use AirBnb for places to stay as we prefer to be near things to see and do, but out of the hustle and bustle. Uber's definitely the way to go to and from the Airport and port. We often fly into and out of Miami so we've done a ship's tour which included a water tour around all the ridiculous mansions in Ft. Lauderdale and then dropped us off at the airport. We ended up being the only passengers going to Miami airport so that was crazy (it was a large tour bus).

 

As for the ports, we did a tour in Aruba that included a trip to the cave system there which was very enjoyable and not really strenuous.

In Grand Cayman, we did a self-driving jeep tour that was a ton of fun (my girls on the tour were all 17 at the time and the moms drove). It wasn't a self-tour, we were in a long line of jeeps, but it was a good time. I honestly can't remember if the girls would have been allowed to drive on that tour. It was over a decade ago now. (Wow! Can't believe that. Time flies.)

In Curacao, it's a beautiful, colorful area. You could get a walking tour brochure and tour yourself. I haven't been to the beaches so cannot tell you about those.

 

I'm sure you're going to have a fabulous trip!

[JDPCruisers]

We're booked on Beyond in April and looking forward to it we've been on Edge and Apex and loved both, and the ABC's are some of our favorite islands. Can't wait but the Connie comes first in ~6 weeks!