10/11/2024
Review of Celebrity Beyond:
It is a newer ship and you can tell. The capacity is close to 4,000 so it is very manageable size-wise. The artwork and design is beautiful. The layout makes sense and they use the space wisely (except for maybe the huge elephant structure!)
The ship lacks many of the areas for small children- no splash pad or kiddie pool area. I think we saw ten children on the ship - which was lovely! There is a covered adults-only area with two hot tubs. It was strange that there were no hot tubs near the main pool. The champagne glass looking hot tubs were two decks above on deck 16.
We had an interior stateroom on Deck 7…it was a great location and very convenient. We usually stay more forward and enjoy that location. The room was spacious and other than the charging situation being strange - no complaints! The shower was one of the best at sea (not quite Virgin Voyages quality!)
The food was very good - the breakfast buffet was better than most and the main dining room was consistently decent. They have four main dining rooms with different theme and you can choose which dining room you want to dine in each night. We reserved dining ahead of time. We did not eat at any of the specialty restaurants and actually canceled a reservation because the main dining room was good. Michael and I do not typically enjoy long dinners in the main dining room, but Daniel does so we at in one of those 6 out of the 7 nights.
The entertainment on the show was good…it does not have the broadway style shows like Oasis class shops. We saw a comedian, one singing group, one production show and a magician. There were some venues we just never got to that also had entertainment. There was always music/entertainment at the grand plaza and near the pool. We spent a lot of time at Craft Social (the sports bar) because…football.
The service was good- still not at the level we have experienced on some of the Royal Caribbean ships.
We visited Coco Cay, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman. We did the adults only area on Coco Cay (we know how that ended), went to Paradise Beach in Cozumel, and just walked around the port in Grand Cayman because we had a short window there. It was also raining and we had to tender which is a pain!
We booked with a drink package and wifi deal. Highly recommend pricing out that option. We paid for upgraded WiFi because Daniel had to do some assignments when we were onboard, and we never had an issue. We also upgraded our drink package so we could basically get any drink we wanted. There was a $10 price limit for the original package. Daniel and I probably did not need the upgraded alcohol, we would have been fine with the cheaper option. I booked it when Michael was going, specifically for bourbon options!
Overall, this was my favorite cruise this year. I would recommend this shop if you want a relaxing trip. There is not a huge party vibe. It is definitely an older crowd. I enjoyed myself and Daniel said he had a good time. I think he would have enjoyed a younger demographic, but he was still able to relax and have fun. I think I am actually booking again for next August so Michael can experience the ship and I found a great deal!
Here are the rankings of the ships I have been on this year. If you have any questions or would like more information about possibly cruising, please let me know!
1. Celebrity Beyond
2. Holland America Nieuw Statendam
3. Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady
4. Celebrity Eclipse
5. Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas
