Celebrity Beyond
The Beyond is the third ship in the Edge Series for Celebrity. You will find a review on the Edge and the Apex which were done earlier, which are very similar ships. In this review let me focus on what’s new and different versus her sister ships.
For a start, this particular cruise was the Naming Ceremony for the ship so all of the Royal Group Brands and management seemed to be in attendance, which is always good for Worldwide. On this cruise I was lucky to receive a Retreat Suite. This is Celebrity’s version of a ship within a ship concept.
Celebrity Silhouette
We boarded the ship on December 29th, 2022, for a 5-night Holiday Sailing and it was still beautifully decorated from Christmas time. This ship was built in 2011 and is the 4th member of 5 Solstice Class Ships from Celebrity (Also Celebrity Solstice-Equinox-Eclipse-Reflection in that order starting from 2008 through 2012).
Celebrity Apex
Having sailed twice on the Celebrity Edge in the past, I had raised the bar high for the Celebrity Apex. I was not disappointed!! We loved everything about this ship! In many ways it’s very similar in design and engineering to the Celebrity Edge, but it’s decorated very different. The Apex has an amazing style and decor that ranges from very tasteful to subtly crazy and fun artwork and plenty of it. We had a Sky Suite, with that Suite came the Suite Perks including VIP boarding from an upper deck lounge in Port Everglades. The boarding lounge came complete with plenty of comfortable seating as well as plenty of finger foods to enjoy.
Celebrity Equinox
I had the opportunity to recently sail for 3 nights on the Celebrity Equinox out of Miami with a Nassau port of call. I hadn’t been on a Celebrity ship for about 9 months and I personally always enjoy cruising with Celebrity. This cruise was for the 2018 Celebrity Cruises Corporate & Incentive Advisory Board of which I am a member.
The Equinox was built in 2009 and the second in the Solstice Class of ships. Carrying 2,850 guests she is consider a mid-size ship compared to most newly build ships today, but with 12 bars and 9 restaurants she will easily keep you wined and dined for a week…
Celebrity Edge — By Tara Carpenter
We’re doing a 7 night Eastern Caribbean out of Ft Lauderdale. Now this is only her 6th voyage post COVID and we are at about 50-60% capacity. So needless to say things are still not back to normal. All I can say about the pre-cruising process is be prepared to be flexible and have a little bit of grace. Things are still ever changing, and just remember the ship and port staff are not the ones making the rules. Our boarding experience was perfectly fine and we had zero issues but this was not the case for everyone. However, it was handled well by Celebrity, ship staff, and Captain Kate and I think at the end of the day people were happy with how it was dealt with.
Celebrity Edge — By Steve Bloss
Celebrity’s newest and certainly flashiest ship, Edge, is the first in a new class of ship, and it takes everything the line values — food, design, and adult-focused comfort — to the next level.
If you are one of those people who says “I don’t cruise” think again! I was invited to join a 2-night pre-inaugural sailing on Celebrity’s revolutionary brand new ship Edge. This ship is unique in every way and sets the bar high for the entire cruise industry: Contemporary zen-like decor; immersive theater; the Magic Carpet hydraulic deck that serves as pop-up bar, tender station or poolside…
Celebrity Summit
As a member of Celebrity’s Advisory Board we were invited for our annual meeting in San Juan to be the first to preview the totally renovated Summit. It shouldn’t be amazing what 58 million, 38 days and thousands of men and man hours can do but it still is! The end result is a totally new ship and I mean NEW.
Having chartered the ship several times in past years I knew this ship until I walked on the new and improved Summit. I was totally lost, as where the crew members that were not with the ship while in dry dock. This is most total refit I have ever seen. Celebrity is trying to bring all of the ships up…
Celebrity Ascent
The Celebrity Ascent is the fourth in the Edge Class series & debuted in December 2023. Celebrity Ascent is almost a spitting image of its slightly older beautiful sister, the Celebrity. The exception to the Beyond is that the Ascent has added a private dining room for the Le Voyage restaurant by Michelin 3 star restaurateur, Daniel Boulud, as well as a new Chandelier and some new art and decor.
I boarded the Celebrity Ascent on March 24th, 2024 for a 7 night Spring Break sailing to the Eastern Caribbean. This sailing was completely sold out of its 1646 Staterooms/Suites. This sailing embarked over 3400 people plus crew including 351 children under the age of 18.
Cruising on the Ritz Carlton Evrima
I recently had the opportunity to cruise on the Ritz’s first ship – Evrima. After a much delayed and rocky beginning the Evrima is finally here and with a big sister coming later in 2024. This is the first of a wave of hotels entering the world of Ocean Cruising. It is also one of a new trend of sexy yacht like ships coming into the industry.
While the Evrima had a rocky start she is having a beautiful beginning as there is no question the ship is really eye catching both outside and inside. Her sleek lines and striking paint job make the ship stand out in any location. With only 298 suites for 596 passengers and 246 crew, she is trying to live up to the high standards of Ritz Carlton hotels. Her big sister coming in 2024 will have 448 suites.