Creaking noises on Celebrity Beyond

[Moby Jones]

Currently aboard Beyond. I've seen a few posts on social media about creaking, banging and popping noises aboard the latest two E class XL ships Beyond and Ascent. 

We didn't hear anything over the first two nights, but last night we experienced a lot of creaking in our Sky Suite at the rear of deck 11. The creaking is from all around the verandah door and window area. We also had popping and banging noises from the walls. 

This morning we've noticed a lot of creaking all around the ship. From deck 4 to 16, bow to stern. The seas today are a little rougher and this really does seem to make a difference. 

Interestingly we've not had anything like this aboard cruises on Apex..... 

[jelayne]

Here is the thread the issues creaking issues have been reported.

 

 

[Mrdell]

52 minutes ago, Moby Jones said:

Currently aboard Beyond. I've seen a few posts on social media about creaking, banging and popping noises aboard the latest two E class XL ships Beyond and Ascent. 

We didn't hear anything over the first two nights, but last night we experienced a lot of creaking in our Sky Suite at the rear of deck 11. The creaking is from all around the verandah door and window area. We also had popping and banging noises from the walls. 

This morning we've noticed a lot of creaking all around the ship. From deck 4 to 16, bow to stern. The seas today are a little rougher and this really does seem to make a difference. 

Interestingly we've not had anything like this aboard cruises on Apex..... 

So unfortunate! This should not be swept under the rug. We are currently on Beyond also…. Seventh floor aft and our room is super quiet… sorry to hear of your experience.

[JDPCruisers]

Just now, Mrdell said:

So unfortunate! This should not be swept under the rug. We are currently on Beyond also…. Seventh floor aft and our room is super quiet… sorry to hear of your experience.

I do wonder of it is a location or more widespread beyond the IV cabins? Not sure I can get a sense of that from the report on here. 

[Moby Jones]

2 hours ago, JDPCruisers said:

I do wonder of it is a location or more widespread beyond the IV cabins? Not sure I can get a sense of that from the report on here. 

It definitely is. We are travelling with friends on deck 11 sky suites which are affected. 
 

Outside our room the walks around the elevators are very badly affected. 
 

Our Retreat host has advised that it only happens when the ship is moving through choppy seas. 
 

Basically it’s a design fault with this class of ship…..

[Mrdell]

2 hours ago, JDPCruisers said:

I do wonder of it is a location or more widespread beyond the IV cabins? Not sure I can get a sense of that from the report on here. 

It’s really strange that some cabins are perfect and others are terrible…. We were keeping our fingers crossed that we would be okay because of all the reports…. Really not fair that you should prepare for your vacation thinking of this noise issue.

[JDPCruisers]

22 hours ago, Moby Jones said:

It definitely is. We are travelling with friends on deck 11 sky suites which are affected. 
 

Outside our room the walks around the elevators are very badly affected. 
 

Our Retreat host has advised that it only happens when the ship is moving through choppy seas. 
 

Basically it’s a design fault with this class of ship…..

Sorry to hear for folks that are affected. Hoping we are not when we're on her in a couple of month. 

[Mariastreby]

On 1/11/2024 at 1:43 PM, Mrdell said:

It’s really strange that some cabins are perfect and others are terrible…. We were keeping our fingers crossed that we would be okay because of all the reports…. Really not fair that you should prepare for your vacation thinking of this noise issue.

Perfectly worded. We embark 3 months from today, having splurged for a Sky Suite. And we have to sit here with our fingers crossed that our cabin won’t be one of the really bad ones. Though I do feel sorry for the passengers whose cabins are still terrible, though I’m sure Celebrity maintenance folks have worked on them as much as possible in all these months. I truly think these two ships were somehow affected by engineering errors when they were expanded from the measurements and size of the Edge and Apex. Somewhere in the design and building, the ships obviously got really messed up.

 

They should be back in their shipyards and fixed, if possible. It won’t happen, of course, because the lost revenue would cost Celebrity too much. Let’s hope that the Ascent has been somewhat improved during its “build”, based on all the negative feedback about the Beyond. Until more reviews get published or put on video, it’s too soon to know if it’s as bad as the Beyond. 

[Bill Miller]

Bottom Line:

You shouldn't need to wear ear plugs in a luxury cruise ship cabin.

[Roxydog15]

Interesting about new X ships.  Recently was on the Regent Grandeur, brand new also, and when seas were over 6 ft swells, it creaked like an old sailing galleon. I don't recall ever a problem like that this X ships, S or M class, even in high seas.  Some people were very upset.  My cabin was not too bad, but I was using ear plugs anyway.  Could there be something universally wrong/inadequate with how ships are being built lately?

[vmontell26]

I was on the Beyond TA in Oct/Nov 2023. Our room was midship on the 8th floor. We hit rough seas after we left Spain and for 2 1/2 days the creaking and banging noises were awful. Luckily I brought two pairs of noise canceling headphones because I was unable to sleep without them. It got better when the seas calmed but still made some noise. I never remember this occurring on S and M class ships. 

[Moby Jones]

OK then we've had lengthy discussions with two ships officers onboard Beyond today concerning the creaking and banging noises. 

The bottom line is they are well aware of the issues and have shoreside engineering teams onboard working on the problem.  Ideally the teams need four to five hours in the room to tighten screws and lubricate bolts! 

One officer stated that their new E class ships are bit fragile when sailing at sea or in choppy waters and that "these French built ships are not as sturdy as the German built S class fleet. 

Anyone familiar with French and German built automobiles will understand completely!!!!

[Stem to Stern]

43 minutes ago, Moby Jones said:

One officer stated that their new E class ships are bit fragile when sailing at sea or in choppy waters and that "these French built ships are not as sturdy as the German built S class fleet. 

Fragile?!?

[Moby Jones]

9 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

Fragile?!?

Their word not ours!!!!

[Oceansaway17]

On 1/13/2024 at 1:44 PM, Moby Jones said:

OK then we've had lengthy discussions with two ships officers onboard Beyond today concerning the creaking and banging noises. 

The bottom line is they are well aware of the issues and have shoreside engineering teams onboard working on the problem.  Ideally the teams need four to five hours in the room to tighten screws and lubricate bolts! 

One officer stated that their new E class ships are bit fragile when sailing at sea or in choppy waters and that "these French built ships are not as sturdy as the German built S class fleet. 

Anyone familiar with French and German built automobiles will understand completely!!!!

agree what an odd thing to say.

 

BTW back in 2016 when RCI Harmony of the Seas came out, and third in class with first and second being built in Finland, even in 2016 jokes were swirling about nut and bolts on the new Harmony.

Funny to fast forward to now and hearing the same thing.

 

For me I wish they could find a way to stop the rattling of the dividers on the balconies during high winds.  That is why the infinity rooms appear to me now.

[STLCRUISIN]

On 1/13/2024 at 12:44 PM, Moby Jones said:

OK then we've had lengthy discussions with two ships officers onboard Beyond today concerning the creaking and banging noises. 

The bottom line is they are well aware of the issues and have shoreside engineering teams onboard working on the problem.  Ideally the teams need four to five hours in the room to tighten screws and lubricate bolts! 

One officer stated that their new E class ships are bit fragile when sailing at sea or in choppy waters and that "these French built ships are not as sturdy as the German built S class fleet. 

Anyone familiar with French and German built automobiles will understand completely!!!!

That is just what happened with us on Beyond last February. We were in a MC Sky Suite. Our butler heard all the banging and popping when we pointed it out to her. There was a shoreside engineering team onboard who's job it was to go around and fix the affected cabins.

 

They spent around 4 hours tearing the ceiling apart around all the walls, adding rubber into the joints where the ceiling and walls meet and drilled an additional 8-10 screws into the frame around the door. There was also, what sounded like a bowling ball, rolling back and forth within one of the walls but the team couldn't do anything about that since it was within the wall.

 

Thank goodness we were out that day because our butler told us the room was a mess since she also spent most of her time in our cabin while they were working on it. The room was much quieter after they finished. 

[bnurick]

@Moby Jones Thank you for the information. We are in a SS on deck 11 next sailing. Can you give some color on your Retreat experience? Many thanks.

[39august]

So if they know these new French built ships are "fragile", why continue to build in France? Oh, I think I know the answer. Cheaper! Sorry now that our April trip is on Beyond. That is only because we are among those who originally were booked b2b Reflection and X moved us all to BY when they changed all the RF cruises to short cruises.  

[Moby Jones]

8 hours ago, bnurick said:

@Moby Jones Thank you for the information. We are in a SS on deck 11 next sailing. Can you give some color on your Retreat experience? Many thanks.

My first impression was that the lounge, sundeck and Luminae are big. We thought this on Apex, but Beyond is even bigger. 

Luminae is very large and has lost some of the personal touch we enjoyed on M and S class ships. I'm not going to lie here, service onboard is slow. The staff themselves are incredibly hared working, courteous and professional as you'd expect. There simply isn't enough of them. 

Food quality has been a bit of a disappointment. Cutbacks are evident. A friend who is sailing with us ordered the ravioli as his entree and received just three pieces in a bowl! 

Wines in the premium package are a huge disappointment but that subject has been covered widely elsewhere. 

Right now I'd award the suite restaurant 7 out of 10. There's a lot of room for improvement. We haven't had the maitre 'd come around and introduce himself either which is a first for Luminae or even Blu. We've sailed with X many times and they have always done this previously. 

The lounge and sundeck are very nice and there's always room for those looking for a lounger etc. Again, service could be a little quicker in the lounge or on the sundeck, The staff here are all friendly and helpful. They could just do with a few more.  

I don't want to sound negative but we won't be visiting the future cruise team. It's impossible for me to justify Retreat fares these days for the pretty ordinary restaurant and service you receive. In fact I've just been looking at three lines with much smaller ships largely due to them having better itineraries, pricing and with the hope that we'll fins a more personal experience elsewhere. 

On the plus side the ship is impeccably clean. The noise seems to have disappeared for now, though we have a two day sail to the Bahamas, so we'll see how that goes. 

We've enjoyed both the Eden cafe and restaurant. The former still appears to be the ships biggest secret as very few people head there for breakfast. 

The Captains Club breakfast event was poor. The staff were miserable and the service also slow! 

And I'm staggered how the Ocean Cafe chef manages to produce such a great looking display of colourful and attractive deserts, with all different textures and shapes with such an incredible lack of flavour|! Honestly some of them have to be tried to appreciate how flavourless they actually are!!! 🙂 
 

[hcat]

On 1/14/2024 at 3:06 PM, STLCRUISIN said:

That is just what happened with us on Beyond last February. We were in a MC Sky Suite. Our butler heard all the banging and popping when we pointed it out to her. There was a shoreside engineering team onboard who's job it was to go around and fix the affected cabins.

 

They spent around 4 hours tearing the ceiling apart around all the walls, adding rubber into the joints where the ceiling and walls meet and drilled an additional 8-10 screws into the frame around the door. There was also, what sounded like a bowling ball, rolling back and forth within one of the walls but the team couldn't do anything about that since it was within the wall.

 

Thank goodness we were out that day because our butler told us the room was a mess since she also spent most of her time in our cabin while they were working on it. The room was much quieter after they finished. 

 

What happens if engineers are not on board to fix these cabins,

 

Our ear plugs arrived today....hope they will not be needed on ASCENT other than in the theater or around the pool which a few  posts say has very loud music!

Edited January 15 by hcat

[STLCRUISIN]

48 minutes ago, hcat said:

 

What happens if engineers are not on board to fix these cabins,

 

Our ear plugs arrived today....hope they will not be needed on ASCENT other than in the theater or around the pool which a few  posts say has very loud music!

Hopefully, the stateside engineers will be onboard or, if not, the shipside engineers should be proactive if any cabins need attention. Our cruise was last February so I was surprised Moby Jones, who is currently on Beyond, stated that they still have shoreside engineers onboard addressing the issues. 

 

You may be lucky and not have any noise at all. Not every cabin is experiencing the issues we had. Just keep the earplugs close by but having to use them is certainly not a way to a cruise. 

[bnurick]

@Moby Jones Thank you for the information. We booked Eden for first and last night; we call it our bookends. Agree 💯 regarding Luminae, we plan on going to Blu one night after looking at menus. On future booking we have moved to CC with specialty dining most nights and no beverage package. X just can’t be trusted right now. Lastly, we like DCL a lot because everything is a la carte… Cheers 🥂 

[Mariastreby]

33 minutes ago, bnurick said:

@Moby Jones Thank you for the information. We booked Eden for first and last night; we call it our bookends. Agree 💯 regarding Luminae, we plan on going to Blu one night after looking at menus. On future booking we have moved to CC with specialty dining most nights and no beverage package. X just can’t be trusted right now. Lastly, we like DCL a lot because everything is a la carte… Cheers 🥂 

A couple of other cruise lines you might consider are Oceania and Viking. The food is usually extremely good, and every specialty restaurant is included. Wine and beer at meals are included, then cocktail packages or a la carte drinks are rather reasonable. 
 

We usually cruise on Viking, which is quite laid back, but they have some great itineraries and staterooms. We were trying Beyond for the large ship experience and entertainment, plus the Retreat amenities. Sounds like they will be disappointing, as Viking’s service is usually stellar, and crew remember your names just a couple days into a cruise. So, I guess we’ll find out how the Beyond stacks up in 3 months. 🤷‍♀️

[Moby Jones]

13 hours ago, STLCRUISIN said:

Hopefully, the stateside engineers will be onboard or, if not, the shipside engineers should be proactive if any cabins need attention. Our cruise was last February so I was surprised Moby Jones, who is currently on Beyond, stated that they still have shoreside engineers onboard addressing the issues. 

 

You may be lucky and not have any noise at all. Not every cabin is experiencing the issues we had. Just keep the earplugs close by but having to use them is certainly not a way to a cruise. 

Well, we're currently sailing from Curacao to the Bahamas. After a couple of quiet nights the creaking noises started around 3am.

It's all very simple as soon as the ship travels at speed or you hit high seas the creaking starts. This all ties in with the description from the ships officer when they claimed the ship was 'fragile'.

The reality is it's just poorly built. What ever work the shore side engineering team did they haven't fixed the problem. In Celebrity's defence they did ask us to call when we experienced the creaking noise, but we didn't want a bunch of engineers in the cabin at 3 am when trying to sleep! 

No one knows how the seas will be when they first set foot on the ship to start a cruise, so packing ear plugs would be my recommendation. 

[KeyLimeKayak]

We had creaking and popping in our cabins on deck 9 and deck 11 on Ascent last month. Booked Apex for later this year - is anyone aware of similar issues, or have complaints been isolated to Beyond and Ascent? Fingers crossed...