​ 🦃 ​​Beyond Excited: Live Thanksgiving Cruise on the Beyond ​ 🦃 ​

[jam19872016]

Hello everyone! I am "Beyond" excited to finally be sailing on an E class ship! Joining me for the first time since March is my mother who is just as excited to be getting out of the house as I am!

 

If you haven't read my reviews before here is one to my recent trip on Reflection.

 

 

 

This will follow the same format , lots of shenanigan's, with some information sprinkled in but mostly just me eating too much and enjoying some beverages and music 😄

 

If you have any questions about the Beyond, ask away and I will do my best to find out for you.
 

[jam19872016]

This cruise was a fairly recent booking, I booked this trip in September with my annual tier benefit from Blue Chip Club (casino). This is the first year this has been a benefit and it is pretty similar to the offer that Royal Caribbean has, for reaching a certain amount of points in the casino I am entitled to any cruise of my choosing of seven days or less in an inside cabin with some blackout dates. Unlike Royal, there were not many blackout dates and even more surprising, Thanksgiving was not a blackout date (Christmas and New Years were).

 

With that in mind, plus knowing I wanted an Edge class ship my choices for E class over Turkey day were Apex leaving on Saturday, Ascent on Sunday, and Beyond leaving on Monday. With my work schedule in mind, a Monday-Monday was the best option so I chose Beyond. I booked late in the game and got the last inside cabin and had to settle for late dining, but I was so happy they squeezed me in, as by the time I actually booked, there was no longer any cabins showing available online.

 

Since then my work schedule has changed and the Monday departure is the least convenient. Apex on Saturday would work best, and it goes to Coco Cay. Ascent on Sunday is the same itinerary as Beyond but it is the brand new ship. But hindsight is 20/20 and I made the best choice with the facts in front of me at the time. With the harder requirements to maintain my status, I will probably never qualify for an annual tier cruise with Celebrity again, so I am still thrilled to be able to go on Beyond, since most of my comps are for short trips or trips on older ships not selling well.
 

[jam19872016]

Where are we going?

 

We board on Monday from Fort Lauderdale and start with two glorious days at sea. 

 

Thanksgiving we will be in St. Maarten. We have both been here before and have no plans but will probably walk (or ride in her case) around the port and check out the shops. 

 

Friday is St. Thomas. I believe this will be my mom's first time to dock in this part of St. Thomas as we have typically always arrived on Carnival which has the better docking position. Again we will probably just take a quick look around the port area and return to the ship. I may go for a walk in this port if it is not too warm. TBD.

 

Our final port will be Puerta Plata on Saturday. Again, we usually arrive on Carnival which docks at Amber Cove so this will be a first for both of us and so I don't really know what to expect. I suspect it will be another shopping tour for my mom and then return to the ship. I was interested in checking out the lazy river, but it doesn't seem to be getting great reviews and recently I saw someone say that the operators of the free amenity expect tips. That sort of rubs me the wrong way and seems to be only mentioned recently and so I do not think it was intended to be a tipped position, but rather some locals saw an opportunity and ran with it. Again, TBD and maybe that is not really happening I have only seen it mentioned once.

 

Those plans could change. My mom goes into these trips excited, and always leaves bored to tears. After our trip to Tennessee for her class reunion (which didn't go well) she said if she does not enjoy this trip she is done with going anywhere. I want to try and encourage her to do things that will interest her but she is always the one who does not want to spend the money on excursions or other extra cost activities. Still, I will browse some easy excursions with her and see if there are any that peak her interest.
 

[colesc15]

Oh can't wait to follow along! Jealous of your adventures on Celebrity. Their casino program refuses to offer us any comped cruises though, and when I can go on basically any royal ship for port fees, I can't justify paying for a celebrity cruise even if we've been wanting to try it. 

 

We did Puerta Plata a handful of months ago, and unless it's changed recently, we enjoyed the free lazy river and pool area without any hassle of tips that I can't remember (and that type of stuff usually drives me crazy). I remember grabbing 2 chairs right by the pool for free and bought a bucket of beer for pretty cheap and really enjoyed the day in the pool and lazy river. I don't even remember having to tip for the chairs. 

[jam19872016]

18 minutes ago, colesc15 said:

Oh can't wait to follow along! Jealous of your adventures on Celebrity. Their casino program refuses to offer us any comped cruises though, and when I can go on basically any royal ship for port fees, I can't justify paying for a celebrity cruise even if we've been wanting to try it. 

 

We did Puerta Plata a handful of months ago, and unless it's changed recently, we enjoyed the free lazy river and pool area without any hassle of tips that I can't remember (and that type of stuff usually drives me crazy). I remember grabbing 2 chairs right by the pool for free and bought a bucket of beer for pretty cheap and really enjoyed the day in the pool and lazy river. I don't even remember having to tip for the chairs. 

That's too bad, you would think with parent companies they would share data. I've had the same problem before with Carnival when trying to score a deal on their upmarket brand (Princess). Have you tried using a junket? The one I use has partnerships with both Royal and Celebrity (among other cruise lines). I enjoy Royal better, but I can't seem to get them to extend me any offers. Even now with months of no gambling since I am saving up for renewing Prime before the end of the year, I just booked a nine day trip for next September. It's crazy how generous they are being.

 

I suspect the tips thing is new or not a real thing. It was only just recently mentioned. The poster who mentioned it is a pretty regular poster, and he has posted in my reviews before so I don't want to upset him, but he wasn't particularly kind in his assessment of anyone not tipping the lazy river workers.

 

Thanks for following along, glad to have you come with me again! 

[jam19872016]

Not getting off to a great start with the planning. I admit, I am a bit of a fly by the seat of my pants kind of planner. Sometimes that blows up in my face. It is certainly proving to cause some road blocks this time. Parking is something I always book pretty last minute. I book using bookparkngo.com. It's cheap, reliable, and super convienant. 

 

It's also booked up.

 

I looked into another site I have heard good things about and have almost used before - Park by the ports. They are now charging $13.95 plus taxes and fees (airport charge? why? I'm not parking at the airport or going to the airport), and charge eight days for a seven day cruise.

 

That sent me down a rabbit hole of researching parking options, and park and stay options for hotels in the area. In the end, they all ended up being even more expensive than that once you added in the fact that none included transportation or parking (at the hotel) in the cost.

 

Frustrated, I have just decided to do like I do in Miami and just park at the port. I just don't think that $16 in savings is worth the hassle of dealing with a third party service so I am just going to park at the port this time.

 

I also am still on the fence about driving in that morning. Uncle Google says it will take me 4h and 18m to reach Port Everglades. I think that is doable but I would be devastated if something happens and I miss the ship. Gosh I do miss living two hours away, that was a much more comfortable margin of error. We may still end up booking a cheap hotel somewhere close, but not in South Florida. That was what we used to do all the time and may be the route we choose to go again. 
 

[martinitime1]

We will be on this cruise with you. First Celebrity cruise for us. Will be meeting up with a couple of friends at the pre hotel. 

[hcat]

looking forward to the review..

[jam19872016]

1 hour ago, martinitime1 said:

We will be on this cruise with you. First Celebrity cruise for us. Will be meeting up with a couple of friends at the pre hotel. 

Nice! Almost time now 😄. 

51 minutes ago, hcat said:

looking forward to the review..

Thanks for coming along again 🙂

 

[mac_tlc]

We will also be on board !. This is our 11th E class sailing and 4th on Beyond. 

 

We will be flying into Orlando this Saturday, then driving down to PE on Monday morning. We have done this a number of times and it has worked fine. Its about a 3 hr 15 minute ride. We rent a car one-way from MCO to PE, then will reverse the ride when we get off on 12/2. Using Budget/Avis, there is a convenient drop off on Miami Rd. in Fort Lauderdale with a free shuttle. 

 

We actually won a Move-Up bid to a Celebrity Suite. It will be our first CS and we are looking forward to the larger space. 

 

mac_tlc

[Altamar]

Yay! Hope you and your mom have a great cruise. Looking forward to your posts and pictures.

[jam19872016]

7 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

We will also be on board !. This is our 11th E class sailing and 4th on Beyond. 

 

We will be flying into Orlando this Saturday, then driving down to PE on Monday morning. We have done this a number of times and it has worked fine. Its about a 3 hr 15 minute ride. We rent a car one-way from MCO to PE, then will reverse the ride when we get off on 12/2. Using Budget/Avis, there is a convenient drop off on Miami Rd. in Fort Lauderdale with a free shuttle. 

 

We actually won a Move-Up bid to a Celebrity Suite. It will be our first CS and we are looking forward to the larger space. 

 

mac_tlc

Looks like I will be in good company this cruise! 

 

This is my first E class and I am super excited for it! The ship looks absolutely stunning and the entertainment seems to be kicked up compared to S class and especially M class which I don't think I will sail again. The only things missing is a forward observation area, and a free sauna.

 

Orlando is definetly doable driving in that morning but I am leaning more and more towards driving a little closer on Sunday than my present location. I've got a number of trips to Ft. Lauderdale to test the drive in morning of theory and just not sure I want to try it out on such an important trip.

 

I'll be in my inside cave at the bottom of the ship. I'm okay with that, just not crazy about being under a public deck. I don't anticipate a problem with what I am beneath, but it is still not a location I would pick if anything else were available. Looking at the deck plans, there are almost no inside cabins that are not labeled "prime inside" and my casino comps are for standard inside only. Literally like 4 cabins per deck to choose from and EVERYTHING else is considered prime.

 

Still really looking forward to it!

6 hours ago, Altamar said:

Yay! Hope you and your mom have a great cruise. Looking forward to your posts and pictures.

Thank you 😄

 

[jam19872016]

To catch everyone up who maybe has not been reading along (and why not?) I began a weight loss journey back in 2022 when I was tipping the scales at over 300 pounds. I have been using the myfitness app to track my weight (and count calories in the beginning) and the pacer app to track steps.

 

I started just counting calories but over time had to adapt to my body reacting to me consuming less and began intermittent fasting. I can eat (within moderation) for eight hours, and then fast for sixteen. I am currently at 166.4 pounds and although I will probably keep up my routine for a week or so after the cruise to undo my inevitable gains after eating my way around the

Beyond, after that I am going to modify my plans to just try and maintain as I feel like I have reached a healthy goal weight. Need to focus on toning up and gaining muscle mass for sure.

 

I love the pacer app and one of the neat features they introduced recently were leagues where you compete based on your steps. I have climbed through all the leagues and am currently in the highest league. The only goal now is to not get demoted which is not as easy as I thought, I am still averaging around 18-19k steps a day to maintain my standing. I will be doing lots of walking on the ship and am intrigued by the walking track on Beyond, it looks interesting!

 

Not going to post the screenshots of my daily steps until I get a cover photo I can live with, CC likes to take my steps and use it as the featured picture!

 

Step count yesterday: 17,268
 

[jam19872016]

Since my last cruise, I have switched jobs and moved 2.5 hours north to be closer to my mom. I ended one job on Monday, made the move Tuesday, and began work at a new job on Wednesday.

 

I say new, but I worked here for nine grueling years. I didn't leave for no reason, but I am going in with a fresh attitude and intentions to make the best of things. So far I have been stuck in an office doing (re)orientation so have not met my old coworkers, but I am down 140 LBS since I worked here last so that is kind of exciting for them to all see me again with all the weight loss I have achieved.
 

Hopefully being back here will not impact my traveling too much 😮

 

[Ciaranaman]

Following 😊.  Congratulations on the weight loss!  That's amazing, and certainly takes a whole lot of commitment.  Very inspirational 👏.  And tossing in a job change - Wow!   Sounds like a trip beyond is well-deserved!  Save travels on either Sunday or Monday - you'll be boarding that gorgeous-looking ship in no time!

~Bernadette 

[jam19872016]

28 minutes ago, Ciaranaman said:

Following 😊.  Congratulations on the weight loss!  That's amazing, and certainly takes a whole lot of commitment.  Very inspirational 👏.  And tossing in a job change - Wow!   Sounds like a trip beyond is well-deserved!  Save travels on either Sunday or Monday - you'll be boarding that gorgeous-looking ship in no time!

~Bernadette 

Thank you! It has been a challenge and with my cruises I have messed up my progress along the way many times, but I have finally made it! Now i can just focus on maintaining.

[jam19872016]

Brrr 🥶. I can't imagine living in a truly cold weather environment. We are having a cold snap here in North Florida. Temps in the low 40's right now. I am not used to that after spending the last two winters in South Florida. I recall one day temps were expected to drop into the low 40s. There were warnings of lizards falling out of trees. It ended up not dropping below 50 and there was still panic in the streets. No falling lizards though.

 

[NC State]

Great!  We will be on the Beyond 2025 and 2026. 

[jam19872016]

Twice! Excellent. I'm not enough of a planner to be thinking about 2026. I just booked Reflection for next September and that was pretty far out for me.

 

If there is anything you want to know or see let me know 😀

[exlondoner]

15 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

Hello everyone! I am "Beyond" excited to finally be sailing on an E class ship! Joining me for the first time since March is my mother who is just as excited to be getting out of the house as I am!

 

If you haven't read my reviews before here is one to my recent trip on Reflection.

 

 

 

This will follow the same format , lots of shenanigan's, with some information sprinkled in but mostly just me eating too much and enjoying some beverages and music 😄

 

If you have any questions about the Beyond, ask away and I will do my best to find out for you.
 

Hah. You thought you might escape this aging Cunarder, but no, here I am, keen as ever to hear your adventures.

[exlondoner]

15 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

Where are we going?

 

We board on Monday from Fort Lauderdale and start with two glorious days at sea. 

 

Thanksgiving we will be in St. Maarten. We have both been here before and have no plans but will probably walk (or ride in her case) around the port and check out the shops. 

 

Friday is St. Thomas. I believe this will be my mom's first time to dock in this part of St. Thomas as we have typically always arrived on Carnival which has the better docking position. Again we will probably just take a quick look around the port area and return to the ship. I may go for a walk in this port if it is not too warm. TBD.

 

Our final port will be Puerta Plata on Saturday. Again, we usually arrive on Carnival which docks at Amber Cove so this will be a first for both of us and so I don't really know what to expect. I suspect it will be another shopping tour for my mom and then return to the ship. I was interested in checking out the lazy river, but it doesn't seem to be getting great reviews and recently I saw someone say that the operators of the free amenity expect tips. That sort of rubs me the wrong way and seems to be only mentioned recently and so I do not think it was intended to be a tipped position, but rather some locals saw an opportunity and ran with it. Again, TBD and maybe that is not really happening I have only seen it mentioned once.

 

Those plans could change. My mom goes into these trips excited, and always leaves bored to tears. After our trip to Tennessee for her class reunion (which didn't go well) she said if she does not enjoy this trip she is done with going anywhere. I want to try and encourage her to do things that will interest her but she is always the one who does not want to spend the money on excursions or other extra cost activities. Still, I will browse some easy excursions with her and see if there are any that peak her interest.
 

Has your ma had her eyes done?

[exlondoner]

1 hour ago, jam19872016 said:

Brrr 🥶. I can't imagine living in a truly cold weather environment. We are having a cold snap here in North Florida. Temps in the low 40's right now. I am not used to that after spending the last two winters in South Florida. I recall one day temps were expected to drop into the low 40s. There were warnings of lizards falling out of trees. It ended up not dropping below 50 and there was still panic in the streets. No falling lizards though.

 

We had snow yesterday, which briefly settled. Really not normal on the South Coast in November.

[jam19872016]

3 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Hah. You thought you might escape this aging Cunarder, but no, here I am, keen as ever to hear your adventures.

Hurrah!! Even made it on page one! Still missing a number of people and search parties are being formed as we speak but at least I don't have to send resources across the pond.

3 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Has your ma had her eyes done?

Rescheduled for December 11.

[jam19872016]

3 hours ago, exlondoner said:

We had snow yesterday, which briefly settled. Really not normal on the South Coast in November.

Oh no, I can't do snow.

[exlondoner]

9 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

Oh no, I can't do snow.

My feelings exactly. However, tomorrow the temperature is due to go up from 0 to 12 (32-54F) and we are to have strong winds and downpours, by our standards, not Florida ones, I hope.