I had an Epic experience on Celebrity Beyond!
This article is about the 10 things that made my Celebrity Beyond cruise Epic! I traveled on a seven-night cruise to Western Caribbean on Celebrity Beyond in 2023.
Celebrity Beyond is one of the newest cruise ships operating in the Caribbean and Europe and is currently Celebrity’s flagship vessel. Celebrity has a star Captain Kate McCue who is the primary captain for the cruise. Captain Kate is well known for being the first Women Captain of a Cruise Ship! She is a wonderful person and has a famous cat, Bugnaked who accompanies her when she is onboard. It is not always clear who is more popular? Bugnaked or Captain Kate!
Celebrity Beyond is part of the Edge Class of ships most ironically known for the Orange Platform that Extends out from the side of the ship allowing for a unique experience as a bar or restaurant or hang out spot. This platform is known as the Magic Carpet and is a unique feature of the Edge Class ships! The platform can move between decks to serve as a bar or restaurant as well as a platform for tender operations in ports that do not have a dock. It is a really cool concept and I have enjoyed being on the Magic Carpet at sail away for some cool views or for a cocktail.
Booking
I booked my sailing on Celebrity Beyond as an inside room on the weeklong sailing to Western Caribbean at a cost of $4,100 including airfare from the Twin Cities. This included two passengers traveling on the ship with Premium Drinks, Premium WiFi, and gratuities included as part of a previously marketed package Indulge. I also received $600 in onboard credit as part of the package as well as an additional promotion of $200 in onboard credit for the specific booking. That package is no longer available.
I have over 100 shares of stock in Royal Caribbean so I received an additional $100 in onboard credit for the sailing due to my stock ownership.
About a month prior to the sailing, I used the Move Up process and submitted a bid for a concierge class room with Infinite Balcony at a cost of $250 per person or $500. The bid was accepted a few days prior to the sailing which upgraded the inside room to a room with an Infinite Balcony as well the class of cabin offered lunch in the restaurant on the first day as well as a few other benefits.
All in I spent $4,600 for the cruise fare.
I traveled to Fort Lauderdale the night before and used points to stay at a hotel in Fort Lauderdale before taking UBER to the port for about $30. The return UBER to Fort Lauderdale Airport cost an additional $25.
Cruise Travel Agent
Let me help you plan your next cruise vacation! Email me at john@johnthewanderer.com and I can help put together a great vacation experience. As a travel agent I often have access to additional promotions such as onboard credit, meals or some other experience or group pricing.
10 Things I loved About Celebrity Beyond
I had an amazing experience on Celebrity Beyond. The following are the 10 reasons why I loved the experience so much!
#1 – Captain Kate is truly a wonderful host and great leader
From her funny jokes via the daily announcements, to warm welcome to the shows in the theater, Captain Kate brought a fun environment to the ship.
You could see how passionate she is about the team and them working together to create amazing experiences for the guests.
Captain Kate highlighted the team and gave credit constantly to the crew and she publicly recognized team members throughout the voyage.
She really made the experience amazing and it was such a blessing to get to sail with her at the Captain!
I got to do trivia on Bugnaked one of the days which was a cool experience.
On the last day, Captain Kate took the time to stand in the cruise terminal for hours personally greeting and thanking guests as they were departing the ship. That is something that you just don’t see, and it really showed her heart and passion.
#2 – The Entertainment on Celebrity Beyond was amazing.
The second thing that I loved about being on Celebrity Beyond was the entertainment. From the production shows with singers and dancers to the musicians performing throughout the ship the experience overall was top notch.
There were three production shows during the sailing including State Door which featured Broadway songs and tunes, Arte which brought artwork to life and Elements which had stunning visuals about the different elements that make up the world (Fire, Water, Wind, etc).
I stook in awe of the talent of the singers and dancers and loved each of the performances!
In addition, throughout the ship there were talented solo, duo and groups that performed in the Grand Plaza, Sunset Bar, Resort Deck, Eden, and other locations. The singers were also exceptionally talented, and they added to the overall experience.
#3 – Coffee with great views from Café Al Bacio
The third thing that I loved about Celebrity Beyond is the experience at Café Al Bacio. There are two locations of this iconic coffee house onboard Celebrity Beyond. The main one is located near the Martini Bar and the Grand Plaza which features barista made coffee and tea beverages in beautiful mugs and oftentimes featured really cool Latte art.
I loved taking a seat in the café and one of the servers would take my order and bring a really great coffee and bring smiles to me or a needed pick up!
The second location was part of the buffet at Oceanview Café where you could get a take out cup of coffee to bring to the pool or enjoy in the Oceanview Café.
#4 – The Four Main Dining Rooms with Themed Menus based on the restaurant
The fourth thing that I loved about Celebrity Beyond is the fact that there are Four Main Dining Rooms. Each dining room offers a unique featured menu which was available only in that restaurant, as well as the daily main dining room options which changed each day and were available in all four of the dining rooms. In addition, you could order from the classics such as shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad, salmon, and steak at any day.
I selected Anytime Dining and made reservations each night in one of the four dining rooms.
The four restaurants include Cosmopolitan, Cyprus, Normandy, and Tuscany.
Cosmopolitan focused on contemporary cuisine that you might find in a major city such as New York.
Cyprus focused on Mediterranean cuisine and offered a Mezze Plate as well as some exceptional Greek entrees.
Normandy featured classic French Cuisine and had excellent offerings.
Tuscany focused on Italian with pastas and dishes you might find in Tuscany.
Each restaurant had decorations and pictures that matched the theme as well as unique chair options reminiscent of the various themes.
The four dining rooms are a great concept and I found awesome meals in each of the dining rooms each night!
#5 – Silent Disco Battles with DJ Linda Blease
The fifth thing I loved about being on Celebrity Beyond was the multiple Silent Disco battles between three DJ’s on Beyond!
I love putting on the headphones and dancing along with the crowd as the DJ’s mix great tunes into the headphones. The best part listening to your fellow passengers singing along to their respective channels!
The best DJ onboard is Linda Blease! She won all the battles!
It was fun getting to do Silent Disco in the Grand Plaza as well as the Club during the trip!
#6 – Flair Bartending at the Martini Bar at the Chandelier Show nightly!
The sixth thing on my list of things that I loved about Celebrity Beyond is the flair bartenders at the Martini Bar during the Chandelier Show each night!
The bartenders have so much fun mixing up the bottles and throwing them in the air and all kinds of fun things party.
The big finale each night meant someone was pouring 10 martinis at once. Sometimes even blindfolded! What a cool experience!
#7 – Catching the Sunset from the Sunset Bar
The seventh thing that I loved about being on Celebrity Beyond was visiting the Sunset Bar!
The Sunset Bar is found on all the Celebrity ships; however, it was significantly increased on Celebrity Beyond which allows for lots of great seating and it has a cool design.
Sunsets on the ocean are epic and the Sunset Bar really creates an awesome backdrop!
#8 – The cruise director Luigi brining the fun
The cruise director can make or break the cruise so coming in at number 8 on my list of things that I loved about Celebrity Beyond was having Luigi as the Cruise Director!
I’ve gotten to sail three times with Luigi as the Cruise Director and each time it has been fun!
From Luigi leading dances classes at the pool, to him hosting all the events on the ship he really created awesome environment for having fun.
Luigi even teaches Latin dance for an awesome party late night during the week!
#9 – Mexico Port Day in Cozumel and Costa Maya
The ninth thing I loved about Celebrity Beyond was the port calls in two awesome Mexico ports: Costa Maya and Cozumel!
At Costa Maya the beach club is right at the port! You can lounge at the pool and enjoy chairs when you buy a drink from one of the bars there or take a dip in the pool! In addition, there are some beach areas to catch some rays!
In addition, Costa Maya port has a habitat for Pink Flamingos! It is so fascinating watching the Flamingos walk around in the port area and play in the water!
Cozumel gives lots of opportunities for a beach club. This time I choose the Del Mar Latino Beach Club which is just a couple blocks from International Pier! They have great food and drinks and a fun spot!
Consider booking your day pass for Del Mar Latino Beach club via my TripAdvisor Link or Expedia.
These two ports are a lot of fun and they helped make the cruise on Celebrity Beyond to be excellent!
#10 – Cool artwork and spaces throughout the ship!
The 10th thing that I loved about Celebrity Beyond is all the awesome artwork and design elements you find throughout the ship.
From the iconic elephant near the pool to the millions of dollars of artwork throughout the ship its hard to not find something cool to look at.
There is something about walking through the walkway area on the Resort Deck near the Magic Carpet that brings smiles and good energy!
Celebrity Beyond
I had a lot of fun sailing on Celebrity Beyond! I can’t wait for my next sailing on Celebrity!
Book Your Next Cruise
Let me help you plan your next cruise vacation! Email me at john@johnthewanderer.com and I can help put together a great vacation experience. As a travel agent I often have access to additional promotions such as onboard credit, meals or some other experience or group pricing.