CRUISE SHIP: CELEBRITY BEYOND

A SOLO CRUISE ON CELEBRITY BEYOND – PART ONE

“Let’s go Beyond!”

The sky was a cloudless blue and the temperature in the high twenties celsius, even after 5 o’clock in the afternoon.

That was okay. The beer was cold and we were being entertained by a DJ playing 80’s tunes, accompanied by a live sax player.

There was a lively atmosphere in The Sunset Bar, with its views over the port town of Civitavecchia in Italy.

Of course this view was temporary. The Sunset Bar sat on deck 15 at the back (or should I say aft) of the cruise ship Celebrity Beyond.

Captain Kate had already given us the mandatory safety briefing over the tannoy, signing off with “Let’s go Beyond!”. The horns had been blown and we were off on our 10 night adventure.

The party continued as that view moved away from us.

In fact the party had only just begun.

TO THE SHIP

Getting there

If you have read my post Destination:Rome, then this is the cruise ship that I was joining after my train journey from the centre of Rome to the coastal port town of Civitavecchia.

The shuttle bus I caught at the train station dropped us right at the door to the terminal building. That was currently being dwarfed by the huge cruise ship, Celebrity Beyond, docked alongside.

I had already printed out and attached my luggage tags to my suitcase. The first job was to hand it over at the door. It would magically appear outside my stateroom a couple of hours later. I did go back to check it was there before we set sail. Just to be on the safe side!!!

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CRUISE TIP: Your suitcase can take a while to get to your cabin. As well as essentials like documents or medication, my hand luggage includes a change of clothes, and in hot places shorts and flip flops, to keep me going until it arrives.

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Check In

Then it was through the security scanners and into the queue for document screening. Things are constantly changing, but in June 2022 I had my negative covid test and comprehensive travel insurance printed out. My passport was in hand. Then there was my digital boarding pass on the Celebrity Cruises app on my phone, to prove I was booked and good to go. Juggling would have been a useful skill!

I passed the screening, so was allowed up the escalator to the proper check in area. Here the terminal staff, armed with their tablets, made sure your boarding pass was all in order and rechecked your passport. I had already completed the pre-cruise health screening questionnaire, again on the Celebrity Cruises app. Here they went through those questions again to double check you hadn’t developed symptoms of the two worst cruise plagues, norovirus and now Covid, in the past couple of days.

It is quite an intense few minutes. Not least because there is always that lingering dread that they will say, “No, sorry, you can’t come aboard”.

Except that didn’t happen. The lady I was dealing with lifted the tape barrier, and let me through.

And there was the sign every cruiser loves to see. “To the ship”.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

All aboard

Excitement was turned up to full at this point. I was on my holidays and about to board a brand new cruise ship. Not just brand new to me, Celebrity Beyond was about to sail on only her sixth official cruise.

The ship towered above me as I walked out onto the pier and headed to the gangway. Even laden down, with my hand luggage over my shoulder, I was still going to stop for my first selfie with the ship.

Then it was up the gangway where my boarding pass was scanned, crew members welcomed me aboard, and I headed into the ship in a bit of a whirlwind.

Wow!

I knew I was staying on deck 8, towards the rear of the ship. In all honesty I can’t tell you now which deck we boarded on. Like I said, a bit of a whirl. But I did find myself on deck 5 suddenly looking down across the three deck high Grand Plaza, that I was later to decide was the heart of the ship. It was always alive whenever I walked past (or in!).

On the lowest deck was an oval bar, which I knew was their version of the “Martini Bar” that I had seen on other Celebrity cruise ships. There was a grand piano to one side by the dance floor. Then staircases and seating surrounded this in tiers on the next level up.

Above it all was the most spectacular chandelier. It would have its own role to play, entertaining the guests with its dancing light show as the cruise progressed. For now though, looking down on the Grand Plaza, my first impression was just “Wow!”

It was so beautifully designed. So modern and stylish. So unlike anything else I had ever seen.

This was to be my 25^th cruise, although I had doubled up on a couple of ships, so Celebrity Beyond was my 23^rd cruise ship.

Every ship had something that makes it stand out in my memory. But this was something special. People later told me who the designer was, they must have done their research. Not a name I recognised. I certainly liked their work though. Beautiful!

STATEROOMS

Which stateroom to choose?

Stateroom is the fancy name for a cabin. Effectively your hotel room at sea.

There are a whole range of stateroom options on Celebrity Beyond.

Inside cabins, which are generally the cheapest. Oceanview cabins have a window. Veranda cabins, have an outdoor balcony while Infinite Verandas have the “balcony” indoors, and the top half of the window comes down, to create the balcony wall. There is even the option of a single Infinite Veranda cabin.

Then there are the suites, with lots of variety, from two storey Edge villas to the ultimate Iconic suites above the bridge. Nothing in my price bracket, especially as a solo traveller.

They are worth having a look at on the Celebrity Cruises website though, just to see how the other half live.
(p.s. I’m not being paid to promote this!)

To add to your choices there are different classes of cabin. AquaClass, with special spa perks and Concierge class with a dedicated concierge.

Last minute booking

I am always torn between going for the cheapest option and upgrading to the best cabin I can afford.

I have stayed in some perfectly comfortable inside cabins. Then I have indulged in some very expensive balcony cabins, when the destination warranted it. Tales for another time.

In general I tend to find its not too expensive to upgrade to a cabin with a window, which is always nice. Often the single supplement on a balcony would pay for another cruise, and I would rather cruise twice in more moderate comfort than once in absolute luxury. In fairness I appreciate I’m lucky enough to cruise at all, and every one has felt luxurious to me.

On this cruise I booked with two weeks to go. As it happened Celebrity Cruises were offering some cruises with no single supplement. Even better the price of an Infinite Veranda cabin was as cheap as the single version and not that much more than the inside or oceanview cabins.

I didn’t need spa or concierge perks, but the ship was sailing in the Mediterranean. The luxury of a window that opened was too good to miss. I booked an Infinite Veranda room.

Having the flexibility to travel any time paid off and for once I benefited from a last minute deal. Only paying for one was a bonus.

Cabin 8296

You could tell how new the ship was because the carpets in my cabin were so soft that fluff was still coming up when you walked on them.

My keycard was waiting for me at the door when I arrived.

I was impressed the moment I walked in. I had a sofa! The cabin was long and thin, with the bed in front of the window. I had a peek into a few other cabins when the doors were open as I walked down the corridors, as you do! The layouts are not all the same, with some beds further into the room and the sofa nearer the window.

I always set my preference to have the bed set up as a double. In most cabins this can be switched around to turn it into twin beds instead.

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CRUISE TIP: Check your chosen cabin can convert to the type of bed you want. Then set your preference in your online account before you sail. Not what you wanted? Ask your cabin steward to change it on board.

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I sat on the bed, a few too many cushions for my liking. They went on the chairs straight away (and every other day when I got back to my nicely made up cabin!).

And then I looked out of the window. Floor to ceiling windows at that. I knew immediately I was going to enjoy waking up at sea with a view only interrupted by the table and chairs in the small seating area, also with that same view.

The Infinite Veranda

The Infinite Veranda worked by pressing a button near the window. One button worked the blinds that covered the window. The other dropped down the top half of the window, to form a balcony you can hang over for views wherever you happen to be.

There is a disclaimer that the Captain can override the controls and close the windows. This happened to me twice. Once when they cleaned the windows and once when I noticed the fuel bunkering barge tieing up next to us to refuel the ship. I guess that was for safety. I can’t say it impacted on my enjoyment of the veranda though.

It is worth noting that these are mechanical systems, so the blinds and windows are not exactly quiet when they open. No issue for me on my own, but I read a comment from a couple who found it inconvenient when one was sleeping and the other wanted to sit on the veranda in the morning. There are manual folding doors that shield the seating area, but they were quite noisy too.

If you have Instagram check out my reel on @gary_t.ravels to see how the blinds and windows worked.

I did not regret my choice of cabin for a second. It was wonderful lying in bed with the window down on sea days. Though you did have to get out of bed to push the buttons.

Then just poking your head out to see the view in port or even better out at sea, with nothing but the sea around you or an evening sunset.

Perfect!

Cabin Tour

The décor in the cabin was as modern as the rest of the ship. It was very nicely designed.

The wardrobe wasn’t huge, but enough for me. I’ve certainly sailed in cabins with more wardrobe space, and that’s me talking as a solo traveller. I’m not sure how two people would have managed.

There were plenty of drawers though. And as days went on I kept finding extra concealed storage spaces.

I don’t tend to use the mini bar in cabin or hotel rooms, but it was nice to have a fridge.

Then there was a kettle and tea making facilities. Being British I like my morning brew with milk, but there were none of the usual little pots. A quick word with my excellent cabin steward and when I got back I had three small cartons of milk in the fridge.

Plug adaptors are always a consideration on any cruise ship. As a general rule I expect US and European sockets, but they don’t often cater for British plugs. Not a problem on Celebrity Beyond. The white box behind the kettle was a multi plug adaptor that looked like it would cater for any plug. Perfect for charging my camera. There was a USB port by the bed for my phone.

There were helpful extras too. A safe in the wardrobe is fairly standard. Robes are not. Then there was a Celebrity branded beach bag and umbrella. Well you never know where you will end up on a cruise ship.

Bathroom amenities

The bathroom was brand new, so no need to worry about cleanliness. It had a big wide sink, with soaps, flannels, tissues and lotions provided.

The shower was a proper, solid doored, cubicle. No runaway shower curtains clinging to your privates in these showers.

It had refillable bottles of shampoo, conditioner and shower gel provided. They are trying not to have single use plastics here in their attempt to reduce their environmental impact.

Certainly one of the nicest cabins I have stayed in.

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You can now watch my cabin tour on YouTube. Click the link or search Gary Travels

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ITINERARY

One of reasons I love cruises

The itinerary is probably the most important factor for me when I book a cruise.

Price matters. I can’t always afford to go where I want to. But, there is no point going somewhere you don’t want to just because it is cheap.

As I have mentioned I have sailed on 23 cruise ships, with several different cruise lines. They all offer something unique. So while there is certainly a case that loyalty pays, sometimes shopping around does too.

Ultimately the thing that excites me about a cruise is waking up in a different place every day and setting foot in a land I have never been to before. If you cruise enough you have to travel to ever more exotic places to find somewhere new. There is a lot to be said for revisiting old friends though.

I never mind leaving when there is something I didn’t do. It means I always have an excuse to go back.

Celebrity Beyond’s Itinerary

I was officially booked on the 10 nights Greek Islands and Malta cruise.

• Rome, or more accurately Civitavecchia, Italy was the starting point.
• A day at sea, sailing past the Stromboli volcano and through the Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily.
• Katakolon, Greece. Gateway to Olympia.
• Rhodes Town, on the first of our Greek Islands, Rhodes.
• Santorini, a beautiful and historic island.
• Mykonos, a holiday hot spot in the Med.
• Athens, from the port of Piraeus. Capital city of Greece and home to the Parthenon and Acropolis.
• Another day at sea, by which time a rest was well earned.
• Valletta, the fortress capital city of Malta.
• One final day at sea to our final destination.
• Barcelona. The end of the cruise where I disembarked.

This isn’t the story of my visit to these places, other than to the extent they feature as a backdrop to my adventures on this beautiful cruise ship.

I will be telling my stories about these Destinations and Ports of Call on the blog as I go along. I’ll try to remember to add links to the posts as I add more adventures.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Safety Drill

You are on the ship. You’ve found your cabin. The next most important task is the safety drill.

This is mandatory, no questions asked. Failing to attend incurs the ultimate penalty, having your drinks package blocked until you do!

In all seriousness its something you just do. Like the drill on a plane.

I have memories of early cruise drills, standing in a group on the deck of a ship, underneath my designated lifeboat and wearing my life jacket.

Over time they have progressed to meeting in indoor muster stations, that can be a bar, restaurant or the theatre, depending on the ship. On Celebrity Beyond my muster station was the Cyprus restaurant.

Covid changed everything again. Avoiding large groups of people became advantageous. So they moved the safety briefing to a video that you can watch on your phone app, or cabin TV.

Having watched the video you listen to the General Emergency Alarm. Seven short blasts followed by one long blast of the ship’s whistle. I’ve heard it a lot! Thankfully only in drills.

Then you visit your muster station individually and you are good to go.

Next stop – food and drink!

You will never starve on a cruise ship. However after a day of travelling and completing the early ship admin, I’m usually hungry.

I never need anything fancy at this point. A burger and a beer is a common first meal.

On Celebrity Beyond I headed up to the buffet, more formally known as the Oceanview cafe.

Here you can have a feast. There are hot meals and cold meals. A salad bar and a pasta station. There are foods inspired by nations around the World. Then cakes and deserts for afters (or mains if that’s your thing).

Its all included and you can have as much as you like. I ended up with a bit of pasta bake and a bit of prawn paella. I could have gone mad, but controlled myself. I knew there was a lot more eating to come!

There’s a bar too, which I found quicker than waiting for drinks service in the buffet. I was on basic all inclusive, which was good enough to get me a beer to wash my lunch down with.

GOING FOR A WANDER

Looking lost

People famously wander around looking lost on day one of a cruise. In fact it often takes me a few days to properly find my bearings on a new ship.

I often walk out of a lift, set off, then spin on my heels realising I’m going in the wrong direction. I don’t feel bad, because when you are in the lifts you watch everyone else do exactly the same thing.

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HELPFUL HINT: Most cruise ships have all of the odd numbered cabins on one side of the ship and the even ones on the other. Check the number of the first cabin you see, before you wander down the wrong corridor.

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Finding the sun

You are on your holidays, so usually the next thing you want to do is get outside and see the sun.

This is the perfect opportunity to check out the top decks. There is usually at least a pool deck, with a higher deck overlooking it. Quite often there’s an oval running or walking track. People like to get their steps in!

Celebrity Beyond has made a feature of this by creating a Resort deck. There is a central pool, surrounded by sun beds, on deck 14.

Then decks 15 and 16 have a wrap around track, split into running and walking lanes, that loops up and around the ship. The only problem I found with this was that once you got on the track you had to do the loop to get off it again. A sneaky way to fit in some exercise whilst enjoying amazing views.

Finding a bar

I found an escape from the running track loop, that led me towards the aft of the ship.

Giant ornamental butterflies, surrounded by plants, marked the boundaries of the Rooftop garden. Here there was a big screen, and comfy sofas, where later in the cruise you could watch blockbuster movies outside.

But I carried on walking and came to the back of the ship and The Sunset Bar, where this story began.

SAILAWAY

And so I found myself watching Civitavecchia disappear into the distance, with a cool beer in hand, underneath that brilliant blue sky.

This was the afternoon of day one. I was cruising. Again!!

Celebrity Beyond already felt like one of the most exciting cruise ships I had ever been on, and it had only just begun.

There was so much more of the ship to explore. Food to eat, drinks to drink, entertainment to be had.

So much in fact that this story needs a part two. My tale of the cruise ship Celebrity Beyond is to be continued….