Currently on Beyond for 11 nights in an Edge Villa. Any questions?

[RRFPresident]

Craft Social Bar - food costs extra even if you have unlimited specialty dining since it’s considered a bar and not a restaurant. 

[luckyinpa]

in another thread i read about a slamming door but forget how to fix it. i only have a year before the cruise so i do need to assemble a spreadsheet of tips and tricks so hopefully someone can post how that door problem was solved.

 

are you making use of the secret door to the lounge and the door to the retreat. those are 2 very cool features i am hoping to make good use of!

 

also have you used your patio at all (if you have one)

[RRFPresident]

4 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

in another thread i read about a slamming door but forget how to fix it. i only have a year before the cruise so i do need to assemble a spreadsheet of tips and tricks so hopefully someone can post how that door problem was solved.

 

are you making use of the secret door to the lounge and the door to the retreat. those are 2 very cool features i am hoping to make good use of!

 

also have you used your patio at all (if you have one)

Yes I love using the secret door to the lounge. We’ve used our patio a few times because it’s directly across from Luminae and easy access when we have been using the outside decks.

[RRFPresident]

Eden cocktails

[RRFPresident]

I had someone ask about how they handle food allergies and dietary restrictions. There are coded signs on the buffet signs and on dining menus that let you know what dish is ok to eat. Each waiter has also asked us at the start of each meal.

[CCinTV]

3 hours ago, RRFPresident said:

I talked to Guest Relations Officer Ken and he said the same thing you probably heard yourself about going to chargerback website and creating an account to match with the product. 

Yep. Been there done that. Nothing. 

[DaKahuna]

I see the Affogato is still not back on the Cafe Al Bacio menu.  Hopefully, you can order one off menu. 
 

[RRFPresident]

Thanks for following along everyone! Been super busy since we got home so I haven't had much time to work on the blog. I wrote up a photo walkthrough and review of the Edge Villa cabin to start off the trip report. Hopefully it helps anyone considering sailing in these cabins. www.dl819cruiser.com

[smeck]

How’s your experience in the Retreat?  Crowds ?  We were in the Haven on  NCL and had a great experience if Celebrity matches 80% of that experience it’s a win. 

[RRFPresident]

1 hour ago, smeck said:

How’s your experience in the Retreat?  Crowds ?  We were in the Haven on  NCL and had a great experience if Celebrity matches 80% of that experience it’s a win. 

The experience was pretty good. It was nice to be so close to all of the Retreat spaces. Lounge was good space wise except when they had an event. Service was superb in the lounge though. Pool and nearby lounge chairs were pretty full especially on sea days but the chairs on the lower sun deck were plentiful. Luminae was rarely ever crowded but we did routinely end up dining near the end of service. 

[Monthend]

What nights are the more formal nights on the 10 night cruuses.

[Lastdance]

So, did your Butler and suite attendant set you back quite a few hundred dollars?  We really do not have a big need for the butler at all.  Factoring in everything is important when making a decision as big as yours, at least for me it is.  

 

Glad you enjoyed your villa!

 

 

[RRFPresident]

On 1/10/2024 at 12:13 PM, Monthend said:

What nights are the more formal nights on the 10 night cruuses.

Our formal nights on this 11 day itinerary were night two and night nine, both sea days. For a 10 day cruise, I'd guess they'd be night two and night seven or eight. Usually they plan them for a sea day or a day when the port day ends earlier than the rest.

[RRFPresident]

On 1/10/2024 at 3:26 PM, Lastdance said:

So, did your Butler and suite attendant set you back quite a few hundred dollars?  We really do not have a big need for the butler at all.  Factoring in everything is important when making a decision as big as yours, at least for me it is.  

 

Glad you enjoyed your villa!

 

 

I totally agree that one should factor in everything. We originally had an Aqua Sky Suite booked before the change in butler assignments because we figured that was good enough for getting the suite perks and we had booked with a ton of OBC that we had planned to use on specialty dining etc. Then we stayed in an Aqua Sky Suite on Equinox in May and hated the bathtub/shower combo plus we noticed a definite difference in service compared to our last suite experience (RS) on Equinox. Granted that was back in 2017 so a lot of factors could be the issue. We booked the RS then because it was right after Celebrity had pulled the Equinox back to the Caribbean and canceled everyone's European sailings so they were offering some great prices to book the Caribbean sailings. Then it ended up being the Jazz Fest themed cruise that had us docked in New Orleans for three days straight so we had a unique itinerary and a nice cabin.

 

We tried a move up bid for the Iconic Suite for this cruise and got rejected twice. The second higher bid was the max we were willing to bid and they finally told us we were rejected two nights before the cruise. We briefly considered bidding for the Penthouse Suite too but then thought the balcony would be better on the villa. I think for us while we still have the means, a Penthouse Suite would be our go to since it has two bedrooms and bathrooms. Would I sail in the Retreat on Beyond again? Absolutely if the right deal came along. We've tried a lot of new to us cabin types, cruise lines, and itineraries because the right deal came along.

[hcat]

On 12/21/2023 at 2:41 PM, RRFPresident said:

Eden cocktails

thanks for posting..they look " interesting".. we'll be dining in EDEN on ASCENT in a few wks..but I usually drink Club Soda and lime..!

[lasvegastraveler]

Wondering is The Retreat area has a mini buffet area serving snacks and hot food? This is such a great option when you want a quick breakfast/lunch or snack without fighting the buffet crowd.  ( they have this mini buffet setup in MSC Yacht Club ).  

[samplecd02]

18 minutes ago, lasvegastraveler said:

Wondering is The Retreat area has a mini buffet area serving snacks and hot food? This is such a great option when you want a quick breakfast/lunch or snack without fighting the buffet crowd.  ( they have this mini buffet setup in MSC Yacht Club ).  

Not that I saw on Apex, it was snacking items.

[RRFPresident]

On 1/19/2024 at 6:32 PM, lasvegastraveler said:

Wondering is The Retreat area has a mini buffet area serving snacks and hot food? This is such a great option when you want a quick breakfast/lunch or snack without fighting the buffet crowd.  ( they have this mini buffet setup in MSC Yacht Club ).  

Here is what The Retreat Lounge offered at breakfast time - cold deli meats and cheeses, lox, fruit slices, yogurt parfait, assorted pastries, and warm cinnamon rolls.

[voyager1964]

Thank you for your excellent blog type review!

I am tempted to book an EV on either Beyond or Ascent, but have a couple of concerns and would appreciate your advice.

1) On these newer ships, they put a Retreat sundeck on Deck 17, and I can see some loungers right above the villas. Do you think the folks on the 17th could look down at your balcony? At your plunge pool?

2) Do you think all six EVs are equally private? 

3) If you could select, which particular EV would you choose and why? Same question if your SO would need to use the ship elevators to move between the villa's floors.

 

Thank you in advance.

[RRFPresident]

24 minutes ago, voyager1964 said:

Thank you for your excellent blog type review!

I am tempted to book an EV on either Beyond or Ascent, but have a couple of concerns and would appreciate your advice.

1) On these newer ships, they put a Retreat sundeck on Deck 17, and I can see some loungers right above the villas. Do you think the folks on the 17th could look down at your balcony? At your plunge pool?

2) Do you think all six EVs are equally private? 

3) If you could select, which particular EV would you choose and why? Same question if your SO would need to use the ship elevators to move between the villa's floors.

 

Thank you in advance.

1) I don't think they can look down, at least not on to the plunge pool area as there is a covered awning over that corner of the balcony. 

2) Not all of the EVs have the porch area outside of the top level. I also just learned that the porch concept stopped after Beyond so if you book Ascent, this may not even matter. Those that do have it completely visible from anyone walking by. I was personally a little surprised that there wasn't anything preventing someone else from hanging out on your porch like a key carded gate. As far as the balcony space, I'd say that yes all of the six EVs should have the same privacy on the sides and from above. 

3) I expected to use the porch area a lot more than I did so booking one with a porch was a big part of our choice. I'd question whether your SO can handle moving around in the small porch area to get inside the top floor of the villa. If you need to be able to move a wheelchair, one without a porch would be better versus needing a cane or walker. I'd have to double check the deck plans but there was one villa as far in from the sun deck as you can go that had the porch sideways so the door to the cabin was a straight walk in from the railing opening. I'd also choose the one we had 15102 again because it was steps away from the doors off the elevator bank and steps from the Retreat Lounge doors. No long hallway to make your way down and Luminae was directly across the hall from our upper floor. You could easily step out from the upper level, go inside to Luminae, or go through Luminae's entrance to the elevator bank to get back to the lounge, the main level of your villa, or anywhere else.

[voyager1964]

52 minutes ago, RRFPresident said:

 

Thank you so much @RRFPresident for your most comprehensive response.

[danceswithphones]

On 12/14/2023 at 8:02 AM, RRFPresident said:

Been really rocking and rolling, especially noticeable at night. Made it into Grand Cayman with a rainy start but enjoyed the plunge pool on the balcony when the sun came out later.

 

Tried Le Petit Chef for the first time last night. Cute but I can see why people say one and done. What dishes do you recommend at Le Voyage?

 

Put in our first round of laundry yesterday morning as butler says it’s unlimited for us. Suite perks page on Celebrity’s site says it’s only for a couple bags per trip. He also says that thermal suite access is unlimited but we haven’t made it to the spa to check. Web site says only Aqua Class get spa included. 
 

Asked about bridge or engine control room tours and butler said that suite perk “stopped last week” but we were welcome to book the paid behind the scenes tour. 
 

Stacked pillows and hard wooden boards don’t make for a comfy head when you forget they are there trying to rest your head against the headboard.

 

Sometimes you just have to laugh at moments like this - we were talking with the butler about whether the monogrammed pajamas he was offering came any bigger and he offered size 2x. We agreed to that when he had already moved on to asking about monogram choices. As a result, Al’s pajama set is now monogrammed with XAL.

 

For future reference, here is what the sofa bed looks like made up at night. 

Thanks for that image of the sofa bed. Sitting on one now but couldn't figure out how it works. Should have asked the butler (duh). First night out of Port Everglades was rough and we camped out downstairs until well out to sea. 

[Cap_D]

Was the iPad ever returned? 

[RRFPresident]

21 hours ago, danceswithphones said:

Thanks for that image of the sofa bed. Sitting on one now but couldn't figure out how it works. Should have asked the butler (duh). First night out of Port Everglades was rough and we camped out downstairs until well out to sea. 

We had some rough nights as well as days at sea. Heard that we left Ft. Lauderdale the day before several ships couldn't get out or in due to the weather. Hope you have smooth sailing the rest of the trip!

[danceswithphones]

4 hours ago, RRFPresident said:

We had some rough nights as well as days at sea. Heard that we left Ft. Lauderdale the day before several ships couldn't get out or in due to the weather. Hope you have smooth sailing the rest of the trip!

Voyager of the Seas was in Cozumel today after skipping Costa Maya due to wind. I doubt if the tenders will be running when we get to Grand Cayman.