Non Suite Passengers on Beyond

[horseymike]

Hi Everyone,

Can anyone who has sailed as a NON SUITE passenger on the Beyond give me their opinion with regard to the overall enjoyment of their cruise ?

I get a feeling that the Edge class ships have been designed primarily for Suite Guests and I am hoping someone will convince me otherwise.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

[helen haywood]

I’ve sailed Edge three times, Apex and Beyond once…all in an infinite veranda cabin…not a suite.  Honestly, if you didn’t know The Retreat existed you’d never know.  True the suites have the only forward facing area…and I thought I’d miss the Sky Lounge of the S Class…but Eden is a spectacular venue!  And the 4 MDR concept with the extra menu options is amazing!  Edge Class ships are stunningly beautiful; you definitely do not have to be in a suite to enjoy them.

[Irish clare]

i have now been lucky enough to sail on the Apex / Edge and the Beyond and am on the Ascent in a few weeks 

I have had the combination of single infinity balcony room / porthole room and will have an internal room on the Ascent - i also travel solo

Unless i win the lottery i will never be in a position to have a suite room but i can assure you that the Edge class ships are amazing for all passengers ... while  we do not have the extra restaurants or access to the retreat but the rest of the ship is so beautiful, the staff so helpful and the Martins very very tasty 🙂 

 

[Arubamoose]

Haven't done the Beyond (2026) but have done the Apex and Edge.  

We've done an obstructed balcony (can actually sit outside of your room), which we loved and an inside. 

Had no issues with not being in a suite.  The only thing is that we weren't able to eat in Luminae.  No big loss with the other specialty restaurants that we did.

Friends who had done a suite were really not that impressed for the price.

[SbbquilterUT]

We have sailed the Apex twice (interior)  and really enjoyed the cruise.  The four smaller dining rooms for meals was a pleasant surprise - enough choice and quieter setting was very nice.  The size of Cafe Al Bacio was roomy and light, perfect for our cool weather cruises.  The Eden area was a favorite place to watch the water, read a book, play a board game during the day.  And our cabin was the biggest interior we had sailed in with a really nice bathroom.  Liked it so much we will sail her for 42 days next year.  My only disappointment with the Retreat area was it did not allow us to go all the way forward on the deck.

[Tyler414]

I've been on four E-class cruises and I feel like I'm in a suite, I have always been in sunset aft cabins (best cabins IMO on any ship) I have eaten at all the specialties (from what I've heard, much better than Luminate)  I do have two cruises booked for the future in a Retreat cabin, but ONLY because it was only about $700pp more than a sunset aft cabin.  To me, paying $5-10K more to be in a sky suite is not worth it, I'd much rather take another/longer cruise with those funds.  Just my opinion...

Edited April 24 by Tyler414

[PTC DAWG]

I have sailed E Class in suite and non suite...I was just fine in the non suite.  The Retreat Lounge was a waste to me, it reminded of a Dr's waiting room.  The pool in the Retreat area was nice for sure, along with the service, that said we spent a lot of time outside of the Retreat areas on the cruise where we were  in a Sky Suite...

 

We met a lot of nice people around the plunge pools, and had good bar service there, and the Sunset Bar is one of my favorite bars on any ship.

 

 

Edited April 24 by PTC DAWG

[CruisinShips]

I just watched a good review of the Beyond (non Retreat) from a you tube channel called Cruise News and Booze.  You may want to check it out.

[scrapcreator]

We've sailed on the Beyond, the Apex, and will sail on the Edge later this year. All have been non-suite but Sunset Veranda staterooms. We love the Sunset Bar areas as well as Eden and the four restaurants choices.

[spammie]

We have sailed on Edge twice - once in a Suite and once in Aqua.  We have sailed on Apex in a regular Infinite Veranda.  We sailed on the Beyond in November in a Suite and just disembarked Monday from the Beyond in an Infinite Veranda.  We have had amazing cruises on all of them but really enjoyed our latest cruise on the Beyond not being in a Suite.  We also did not enjoy the Retreat Lounge but loved the bar at the Retreat pool.  We also are not big fans of Luminae.  Not being in a Suite we really enjoyed more venues on the ship outside of the "Retreat area".  We did miss having the Retreat area to hang out in before getting off of the ship but personally I don't think the prices they are charging are worth it.  You will have an amazing time!

[miched]

We have been in suites and IV cabins.    The only difference for us was the size of the cabin. 

We purchased the all included package when not in a suite and upgraded to the premium.   You get the better speed internet and premium drink pack with a suite. 
 

When we sailed in the suite we felt there was a lot of redundancy.    We are Elite in the Captains Club so we had access to the breakfast.  There was also the Eden Cafe, MDR, Spa Cafe, and buffet for breakfast choices.   With the drink pack we could go to any bar.  Didn’t need to go to the Retreat lounge and rarely used it. We spent more time in the public areas than in  the retreat areas.  
 

As others mentioned you won’t notice that the Retreat area exists.  It is in an area you probably won’t go near.   Too many other great areas to use.  
 

With the price difference between the suites and a regular cabin I doubt we will be ailing anymore in a suite.   YES you can go back after being in one.  We have done it and didn’t really miss it.    Actually felt better as we still had the extra cost in our bank account to use for another cruise.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Edited April 24 by miched

[Notagoose]

Had an amazing cruise on Beyond over Christmas in an infinite balcony. The ship is gorgeous and there are so many amazing spaces to explore as a non-suite guest. I can't fathom spending tens of thousands on a suite when I can just have extra vacations instead. 🙂 (Some people can do both -do suites and multiple vacations- but I am not one of those people!)

[George C]

While we always book suites, lots to love about E class ships , great martini bar , love all the entertainment from early afternoon to late night , great view and music in Eden , seem to us there was always live music in either Eden or outside the martini bar . No music in suite areas.

[horseymike]

Thanks everyone for all your responses.

Looks like I need to book a cruise on the Beyond soon 🔜😎

[cachouonacruise]

We have sailed the M, the S and the E class ship.

 

Our last sailing, was on the Edge in Australia in February 2024.

 

We have never sailed in a suite.

 

Our cruise experience on the Edge was below our experiences on other class ships.

 

The pro on the Edge: the theatre! The quality of the sound and productions shows were definitely better.

 

We also enjoyed the two pianos: The one at the Martini Bar and the one at the Eden Bar.

 

The con on the Edge:

 

The Infinite Veranda: While at sea, if you have encountered rough seas, the window gets filled with salt residues. Besides being locked during rough sea conditions, you really don sea the ocean sitting down at the table in your room.

 

The absence of forward view. There is no Sky Lounge. the only place to have a forward view, if you're not in a suite, is the Gym and the Magic Carpet. On the Magic Carpet, the front and back windows ended up being filled with sea residues... blocking the view.

 

Most activities, were held in room without view access to the ocean, in particular, the area referred to as The Club, which is a windowless square box area. Regarding activities, we registered once, to try their Archery, but were not allowed due to timing restrictions. Our names were kept, to be on the priority list for the next archery session, which was held while in port, during our excursion.

 

The food, in the MDR and even in the Specialty Restaurants did not hit the mark either, something was off. This said, service was excellent in all dining venues. 
 

The Eden bar, offered a beautiful view of the ship's wake; however, service on the passerelle at the back of the ship, was frequently extremely slow. Waiting for about twenty minutes... and then having to go to the bar to order the drinks, ( even being told off for unknowingly, waiting at the wrong end of the bar).

In conclusion, sadly, the Edge Class is not a fit for us, and we will not return. 

 

[RK-NC]

Just off Beyond on Monday April 22 in a sky suite. We booked it for the room design and extra space. Ended up not eating very often at Luminae and spent a limited amount of time on the Retreat sundeck and lounge. It was definitely a perk to eat lunch at Luminae on embarkation day plus priority embark/disembark but other than that, we would have been just fine in IV. 

[TheHawk1]

Have been on Sky Suite on Edge and Sunset Veranda on Apex (with SS booked for next year on Beyond).  I enjoy some aspects of the suite experience on E class, particularly the larger cabin and bathroom, the Retreat Sun Deck (still chair hogs, but of a higher calibre 😄) and the additional perks (premium drink and wifi package, but cost is embedded in your price).  I am not a big fan of Luminae's menus and prefer to move around to various ship bars rather than use the Retreat Lounge. Having priority embarkation and first in line for leaving ship at ports is also a benefit.

 

The cruise in a Sunset Veranda turned out to be just as enjoyable, i.e. the cabin was standard but nicely appointed and the balcony was larger than SS balcony (note, I would never book an IV cabin). We had a very attentive cabin steward who met all our requests and didn't miss the butler.  I liked the variety of moving to different MDR's and specialty dining.  When you pay for a suite, I feel obligated to get my money's worth from Luminae, rather than pay for additional restaurants.  I missed some of the VIP treatment mentioned above, but it also didn't cost anywhere near the same price, so the trade off was worth it, depending on your expectations. I don't believe there would be much difference between Apex and Beyond, in terms of the non-suite experience.

[Georgia_Peaches]

Exact opposite for us!  Being in a non Suite category on E class b2b is what convinced us that we didn’t need it to have an enjoyable cruise. On the suite leg of our cruise we spent the vast majority of our time outside the retreat to include Luminae, which we found bordered upon dreadful for ambience. Our next category on Beyond is a deluxe ocean view. 

Edited April 24 by Georgia_Peaches

[dreamer321]

I sailed on Beyond in January 2022 in an interior cabin and loved it. I travel solo so cabin size wasn't an issue.  Sailing in an interior cabin amidship also avoided all the controversy of Infinite Veranda staterooms and there was no noise or popping sound in the cabin not to mention no motion since I was midship.  With the money I saved booking a cheaper cabin I ate in Eden Restaurant three times and Le Voyage once while aboard. I enjoyed Anytime Dining in the four Main Dining Rooms. Don't forget to take advantage of Eden Café for the complimentary breakfast and lunch when it's open. I also bought the Premium Beverage Package and Premium WiFi packages when they were on sale pre-cruise. You only miss out on the Suite specific venues (Luminae, Retreat Lounge and Retreat sundeck) but there are plenty of alternative locations to enjoy. The most common criticism of Beyond for non-suite passengers is that most verandas are the Infinite Veranda type rather than the tradition veranda. If a traditional veranda is important to you then book a sunset veranda or a deluxe porthole veranda.

[LinniB]

Absolutely loved our March 2024 cruise on Beyond We worried about being in an IV but we really liked it The layout of the ship was great , we loved Eden and having the 4 main dining rooms The whole ambiance of the ship was brilliant and have booked again whilst on board 

[fliprcruiser]

Our January Beyond trip was full. Couldn't find decent location of chairs in the sun. Retreat area had space, but not for IV cruisers. But that was our only issue.

[Lena11033]

My cruise on Beyond so far has been my favourite one, it was over 90% full but I never had an issue with getting a seat anywhere. IV is a hot topic it really comes down to what you like, I was perfectly fine with mine and enjoyed the space.

[CTCruiser76]

Not to highjack, but on topic for the Beyond, can someone explain exactly how the 4-restaurant concept works?

We will be a party of 5.

Do we go at whatever time we want? - is it all 'My time Dinning' or do we have a set time?

The reason for the confusion is that we booked this cruise before they switched us to The Beyond, so all our documents and the App still say we have 6pm dinning. 

 

Do you just show up to whichever of the 4 restaurant you want at any time you want?

 

Thanks in advance. 

[hcat]

We sailed on EDGE twice... in AQ Class and a  Sunset Veranda..Sailed on ASCENT recently in AQ Class,  and  took a short cruise on BEYOND in a SS...while Butlers were  on the job.  We are booked in an SV on APEX  but also heading to an S Class ship in Concierge.

 

There's something for everyone on E Class ships....We did not enjoy Luminae..one of the main benefits of Suites and found the Retreat lounge antiseptic ! 

 

Suite guests do have certain perks and private areas,  but so did AQ Class. Most everything is open to all like bars and specialty dining, the gym,   outdoor pools and Solarium...etc

 

More concerning is the Creaking thing!

 

[zitsky]

Someone once told me that Celebrity is elitist / classist BECAUSE they offer different experiences to different pax.  I think they’re crazy.  I’ve been in suite and non suite.  SS on Beyond.  There is plenty to do outside the Retreat.