Entertainment & Activities

Theater and Shows on Celebrity Beyond

The Theatre. The main theater on Celebrity Beyond has experienced a major glow-up from its Edge-class siblings. It now has technologically advanced full screens behind it that are used to enhance and supplement shows, making them next level.

Celebrity Beyond boasts three new shows. Elements uses what has become a Celebrity standard -- acrobatics, dancing and music. The other two, Arte and Stage Door, are lovely surprises. Arte features paintings that come to life on screen, often to dramatic effect. Stage Door goes beyond the typical Broadway/West End show, with filmed commentary on the musicals before numbers and engrossing clips of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in the background as the music is performed. There's even a duet where a live performer sings with a recorded performance of a Broadway star.

Eden. Eden has come a long way from when it first debuted on Celebrity Edge. The garden-inspired space has always inspired oohs and ahhs, as it contains multi-leveled seating, aft views and two restaurants. But the original Edenist performers drew cringes for their overly interactive style.

The current crop of Eden performers on Celebrity Beyond are a bit saucy -- think Berlin cabaret -- rather than intrusive. They are talented and funny, with singing, dancing and gymnastics as part of the show. The House of Decadence show does have some audience participation, but it's campy and fun, as opposed to creepy.

The Club. The nightclub on Celebrity Beyond has actually been lightened up, thanks to the addition of a row of windows on the top level. This has turned it more into a multi-purpose space, rather than just a club. The same performers in Eden do a jazz-inspired show here, so if you like their style, seek it out.

Daily Things to Do on Celebrity Beyond

Celebrity Beyond has a wide range of activities, from trivia to spa and shopping seminars. There are also plenty of places to relax, from the Rooftop Garden to the indoor Solarium to the newly cantilevered Sunset Bar. This is a ship where you can stay as active as you want during the day, or not.

The Celebrity app does a good job of outlining what's going on. While Celebrity Beyond is not a ship that hosts hairy chest contests, there are occasionally events and parties at the Resort pool deck, including a Sailaway party from every port. Movies are often played during sea day afternoons at the Rooftop Garden.

All in all, expect the overall vibe to be more chill rather than thrill.

Nightlife on Celebrity Beyond

Entertainment after dinner is central to Celebrity Beyond, with most people settling into a show at the theater or in Eden or hanging at one of the many bars onboard. Live music or movies can be found at the Rooftop Garden, and you'll always find a crowd, sipping martinis, in the Grand Plaza, waiting for the next show from the expert shaker-tossing bartenders.

The Club has live music as well, and also turns into a nightclub after midnight. Eden hosts a Silent Disco, usually held once per cruise.

Celebrity Beyond has a casino, and it's blissfully smokefree. It's also off on its own, away from the Grand Plaza, so you can choose whether you want to listen to all the bells and whistles. You'll find slots as well as gaming tables for poker (three card and Texas Hold'em), blackjack, craps and roulette. Tournaments are held regularly; check the app for details.

Celebrity Beyond Bars and Lounges

Due to guest feedback, Celebrity Beyond has more bars and lounges than its siblings do -- and several of the ones that are familiar to Celebrity guests already have been given lovely makeovers. Here are a few of our favorites.

For the best views: The Sunset Bar has been revamped completely on Celebrity Beyond, and wow, is it a stunner. Designed by Berkus, the back of the ship bar has a Moroccan and Mediterranean feel, with cantilevered seating that spans two decks. You'll find seats in the sun and shade here, as well as specialty cocktails and a small bites menu. At sunset, it's downright magical.

For a Sailaway alternative: The Magic Carpet concept that debuted on Celebrity Edge is also on Celebrity Beyond -- and it remains an attractive bar with excellent sea views, particularly during sailaways.

For poolside drinks: Hoppen has put her stylish spin on the Pool Bar at the revamped Resort Deck, with new sunken seating areas that are not only stylish, but comfy and coveted.

For a dash of showmanship: The Martini Bar in the Grand Plaza is a Celebrity must-do. A flashing chandelier that has "shows" set to music are a rollicking accompaniment to the flair shown by the agile bartenders.

For the cocktail lover: The World Class craft cocktail bar is a new addition to an Edge-class ship. This small bar serves up innovative drinks in a corner that allows you to either watch all of the Grand Plaza action from above, or sneak away into a quiet corner.

For an anytime pop in: The lovely Eden bar can change its vibe by the hour, depending on what's going on. Quiet during the day, buzzy during trivia or absolutely hopping before a show or the Silent Disco, Eden has excellent cocktails and seating that either allows you to be part of it all or watch the action above.

Pools and Hot Tubs on Celebrity Beyond

The Resort Deck. Celebrity Beyond's main pool area has been expanded, with more seating and a swimming area that is one of the longest at sea. Like its Edge-class siblings, Celebrity Beyond has a signature sculpture that appears heavily in Instagram pics and TikTok videos -- an elephant being held up by a human.

The for-fee cabanas that line the Resort Deck are as visually stunning as ever -- and now they make more sense. Each one now faces the pool and all the action there, as opposed to a corridor. We can see people being more apt to plunk down the $499-per day rental fee, which gets you water, beer, sodas, fresh fruit skewers, limited food selection, cold towels and facial spray. You also get a choice of a bottle of wine, vodka or Champagne.

Tip: There are only a handful of in-pool loungers that sit on the lip of the pool, so show up early if you want to snag one.

Two large martini glass-shaped hot tubs anchor the upper Resort Deck. These can fill up during sea days. What's fun is to go out to the Resort Deck at night, when colored LED lights add a festive atmosphere. This is also where Celebrity holds a Pride party once per cruise.

The Solarium. The adults-only solarium is covered by a glass dome and provides a nice escape if the elements are not cooperating. A giant hot tub surrounds a large pool and there are plenty of lounge chairs looking out. You get quite a bit of foot traffic between the Oceanview Cafe and the Resort Deck, but the Solarium is still an excellent place to relax and read.

The Rooftop Garden. Two new plunge pools have been added to one side ship near the Rooftop Garden. Two things you need to know about these pools. For one, they are pools and not hot tubs. And two, the pools distort the bodies within, almost like a fun house, which everyone can see as you're walking by.

The Retreat on Celebrity Beyond

Open exclusively to suite guests, the Retreat area was also fairly luxe on the other Edge-class ships. On Celebrity Beyond, more space has been added, both to the indoor lounge and within the outdoor areas, which has an entire extra deck added. A large pool is the centerpiece of the outdoor space, which is all attractively designed by Hoppen. Snag a swinging chair at the back of the pool if you can.

The Retreat is designed as a space where you can spend the entire sea day, if you wish. There's a bar and cafe where you can have breakfast, lunch or an afternoon snack, and there are other options inside. A wide variety of seating options, ranging from clustered sofa areas to large daybeds and lounge chairs, are sprinkled throughout. Two hot tubs are also within the complex.

For our money, The Retreat is one of the best suite guest areas at sea, save perhaps for the Yacht Club on MSC. Between The Retreat and Lumiane, it's worth upgrading to a Sky Suite so you can take advantage.

Sundecks on Celebrity Beyond

The two decks surrounding the main pool have plenty of loungers, many facing outward so you can enjoy the sea views. We like that there are options both in the sun and shade.

The Rooftop Garden isn't a sundeck, per se, but it's a lovely place to relax during a sea day. New on Celebrity Beyond are enhanced coverings to ward off sun and wind. We saw plenty of people taking afternoon naps on the tranquil sofas.

Services and Wi-Fi on Celebrity Beyond

Celebrity Beyond has a guest services and shore excursion desk on Deck 3, in a space just off the Grand Plaza. There's a medical center on Deck 2. Celebrity Beyond doesn't offer self-serve laundry, but you can send your laundry out for a fee.

Celebrity Beyond has several onboard boutiques, some with some higher end items. The first Stella McCartney boutique at sea is on the ship, and which also has a partnership with Marni and the New York jeweler Effy. Other designer names you'll find include Cartier, Bulgari and Montblanc. New for Celebrity Beyond is a La Maison du Chocolat pop up, located, ironically, across from the healthier restaurant onboard, Blu.

Celebrity has joined other cruise ships in the What Goes Around Comes Around program that offers preowned luxury goods, such as Gucci, Chanel and Louis Vuitton bags, for sale. Goop products (but not the infamous female-centric candle) are now featured front and center in the spa boutique, as are Beekman 1802 products made from goat's milk.

Basic Wi-Fi is included in all Celebrity Beyond fares. You can pay to upgrade to a premium package; suite guests get premium included in their fare. We found the Wi-Fi effortless onboard. We were able to log into our company's VPN and also stream Peloton classes on our phone.

The Celebrity app is one of the best at sea and is intuitive. We didn't miss a paper program at all onboard.

Spa & Fitness

Spa and Thermal Suite on Celebrity Beyond

Wellness is a pillar of the Celebrity Cruises brand, and with Celebrity Beyond, actress and lifestyle guru Gwyneth Paltrow enters the picture as the line's Wellness Ambassador. You'll find goop products for sale in the stores and also as amenities in AquaClass.

Celebrity Beyond's spa is light and airy, designed by Hoppen. It's really the perfect place to relax and splurge a little on yourself, especially because many of the offerings are somewhat unusual. You'll find some high-tech facial, wrap and massage treatments on tap, with four specialty massage beds, including an I-dome with an infrared sauna and a quartz bed that purports to have special energy healing properties.

Lingo aside, we tried the Ocean Spa Wave bed, which is essentially a combo algae wrap/massage that takes place on a table that undulates like a waterbed. Special headphones add to the sensory experience. It's one of the best massages that we've had on a ship, and worth the hefty price as an indulgence.

Tip: Spa specials are usually offered on port days. Also note that an 18 percent gratuity is automatically added to the price of all treatments.

Beyond the spa treatment rooms, there are plenty of opportunities to pamper yourself at the hair and nail salon, the teeth-whitening room and the Kerastase Institute. Men have a barber shop.

SEA Thermal Suite on Celebrity Beyond

Celebrity has been a pioneer in thermal suites, and the SEA Thermal Suite has many of the features that first appeared on ships, including heated ceramic loungers. There are seven areas within the suite, including a salt therapy room, a water and color therapy rainfall corridor, a hammam, an aroma steam mist room, a crystalarium and an infrared desert.

We were a bit disappointed that Celebrity Beyond lacks the swinging "birdcage" style chairs that are found in the spa on sisters Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Apex. We also missed having a thalassotherapy pool; there is wasted space outside the spa that could be used for some kind of water feature.

The SEA thermal suite is available to all passengers who book AquaClass, or you can buy sailing-long passes for an extra fee. Day passes aren't available.

Fitness and Gym on Celebrity Beyond

Fitness is front and center on Celebrity Beyond, with a huge gym and the latest in equipment and classes, including Pelotons and F-45 training. The excellent health club at sea has top-notch cardio and resistance training, complete with inspiring sea views -- it's one of our favorite gyms at sea. You'll also find a wide array of free weights, from dumbbells to kettlebells. You can take fitness classes, too, although the more intense ones have a fee.

The jogging track on Celebrity Beyond is also better than what you find on most ships, with a sloped ramp that takes you between two decks, making the track more challenging. It's mostly clear of the deck chairs, and it's long enough that you won't get bored going round and round (five laps equals a mile).

For Kids

Is Celebrity Beyond Family Friendly?

Celebrity Beyond welcomes families as travelers, but you won't find kiddie pools, water slides or children front and center. Look to Celebrity Beyond to provide a quieter yet fun set of programming options that you might have to search a bit to find; Camp at Sea is stuck all the way toward the bottom of the ship on Deck 3 while The Basement for tweens and teens ages 12 and older is literally that, on Deck 2.

That being said, you'll find a children's menu in the main dining rooms and also for room service.

Celebrity's Autism Friendly Initiative

Celebrity Cruises touts its autism-friendly initiatives throughout the fleet, and as a quieter ship, Celebrity Beyond might be a good choice. The programming focuses on sensory-friendly toys that can be accessed through a toy lending program. The line also has autism-friendly film showings that are presented in a low lighting, low volume environment where children can freely talk and walk around during the film. (Note: The films are usually offered on autism group cruises and cruises with at least five children with autism aboard.) The line also has special menus that accommodate gluten- and dairy-free diets.

The Social Story program is a written or visual guide that describes social interactions and situations. Families can download these for their autistic children to better cope with social situations and help them prepare for the cruise.

Other autism-friendly policies include priority check-in and boarding; an exception at Camp at Sea for toilet training; flexible age grouping at Camp at Sea and depending on availability, and pagers or phones for parents of autistic children who are signed into Camp at Sea.

Babies and Toddlers on Celebrity Beyond

The age minimum for infants is 6 months on Celebrity Beyond, or a year on sailings with three or more consecutive sea days (including transatlantics).

The Camp at Sea kids club does have a Stay and Play area for toddlers under 3 years old. The name means exactly that -- there is no drop off service for children this young, but it is a dedicated space for parents to hang out and play with their kids or watch family-friendly movies together.

Kids Club on Celebrity Beyond: Camp at Sea

Camp at Sea is broken out into two age groupings. Shipmates are between 3 and 5 and must be potty trained to participate. Expect activities to center around arts and crafts at the Creation Station, and age-appropriate learning activities.

Cadets are ages 6 to 9, and the line has a special nautical program that teaches the basics of sailing, including navigation, time and weather patterns. The Cadets are more likely to have activities in other areas of the ship, including the Rooftop Garden.

Tweens and Teens on Celebrity Beyond

Captains (10 to 12) have a less structured approach to Camp at Sea, with the ability to sign themselves in and out. Video games are in plentiful supply for this age group, thanks to a partnership with Xbox. You'll also find lots of sports activities, scavenger hunts and theme parties for this age group.

Teens have their special Basement area on Deck 2, with the ability to drop in and out. The Spa also has a teen menu, with an emphasis on teeth whitening, facials for sensitive skin, quick manis and pedis, and hair care. You can also schedule mother-daughter spa time.