A postcard from ‘Beyond,’ Celebrity’s newest cruise ship
At the star-studded christening of “Beyond” in November at Port Everglades, Celebrity Cruises CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo seemed ready to head off any puns.
“During my naming remarks for Celebrity ‘Apex,’ just about a year ago, I told the story of our ‘Edge’ series and how we went from the edge of cruise ship design to the apex of sailing, to now having gone above and beyond.”
I can think of one more pun. (Wait for it).
Celebrity’s newest is a ship of ultra-cool spaces — the kind you’ll want to stop and take a photo and stream on social media because you’ve never seen anything like it on a cruise ship before.
The Rootop Garden on Deck 15 has an actual garden — it takes a moment to square the sensory perception of something close to a forest growing out of a deck at sea. An artful elephant overlooks the pool and cabana areas on Deck 14, just one of many fun installations throughout the ship. The Eden Bar (Deck 5) and Eden Restaurant will leave you gasping with how-didthey-do-that views of the wake too, as you sip craft cocktails that are as pretty as the ship. Same in The Theatre, featuring a Daniel Wurtzel-designed air fountain almost as entertaining as the “cirque’’ style shows.
Even if you lock yourself in your cabin and stare off into the infinity-veranda view from an Edge Stateroom the whole time you’re at sea, you’ll wonder how they managed to bring the balcony experience inside the room. Not to mention other highlights such as the food, mentioned elsewhere here; convivial fun at the Flair Shows around the Martini Bar in The Grand Plaza, which succeeds in giving the ship a meeting place where people actually want to meet; and the efficient, friendly crew. (Is that the captain mixing the martinis? Well, yes — at least for a few moments — she was).
All of it, resisting all puns until now, goes far beyond most cruise experiences. Way Beyond.
What’s cooking
The best party I ever attended was aboard a 312-foot superyacht in Miami. (No names here, but Beyoncé and Jay-Z had vacationed aboard it in Italy the summer before). How
good a party? Questlove, who would go on to win an Oscar for his documentary “Summer of Love,” was the DJ. LA artist Patrick Shearn was commissioned to create an original piece of art just for the party. The clothes on the revelers’ backs dancing across all five decks overlooking Miami were so in the moment, “Vogue” covered it.
And, oh, Daniel Boulud was the chef. Michelinstarred Chef Daniel Boulud.
Everybody began to sense this party was like few others, and you could tell everybody was upping their games, as Boulud stood steady in the swirl around the chef station, shaving truffles over warm parmesan-and-mushroom tarts so precisely the lighter than-air-slices sometimes fluttered off and trufflescented the seabreeze. (Did I mention it was the best party?)
So, where am I going with this? To Celebrity “Beyond,” where Chef Boulud is now similarly elevating cruise cuisine on an even bigger ship — 1,073 feet, to be exact — with his first-ever restaurant at sea, Le Voyage.
Just like aboard the superyacht in Miami, Chef Boulud seems to be elevating the game of all the restaurants aboard “Beyond.” The menu at Luminae, the private restaurant in The Retreat, even features three of the chef ’s signature dishes
— a chilled carrot and ginger velouté, Moroccan chicken tagine with saffron couscous and raspberry pistachio vacherin dessert. Wonderful here — and seeming to up the game everywhere else on board, too. Even at Le Grand Bistro on Deck 4, where the pastries look like they were flown in that morning from the Boulevard Montmartre.
Delicious moments to look back on, years later, and remember you were there. And the DJ went on to win an Academy Award.
Overheard
“So Warren Buffett invites me for lunch. You know who Warren Buffett is, right? Oh, wait, you’re on a Celebrity Cruise — of course you know who Warren Buffett is.” — Frances Dilorinzo, comedian, playing to the crowd in The Theatre on Decks 3 and 4.
Don’t miss No. 1
The Magic Carpet. Setting aside you could spend a lot of time just in how-did-they-do-that awe of the orange-popsicle colored outdoor elevator as an engineering feat, the multi-purpose platform hugging the starboardside of the ship also serves as a breezy sky bar on the top Deck 16, an extension of the main pool area on Deck 14, an al fresco dining space on Deck 5 and a dock for the ship’s tenders on Deck 2. Fun! Well, maybe not as fun as it could be, I suppose. You’re not allowed to ride on it when it’s moving between decks, for example. Just enjoy the skosh more room overlooking the ocean — and marvel at the engineering feat as you sip a glass of Perrier-Jouët when it comes to a stop on Deck 5 for Dinner on the Edge.
Don’t miss No. 2
The two-story aft Retreat Sun Deck, featuring the Nate Berkus-designed Sunset Bar on Deck 14-15. This would be the place to introduce a sunset to anyone who’s never seen a sunset. (Then again, after seeing one at sea from here, every other sunset might disappoint.) At the very minimum, this would be the place to take anyone who’s ever said they’re not interested in taking a cruise. Talk it over as you make the next booking over a cold Fin Du Monde at the fin du bateau.
IF YOU GO Celebrity Beyond
Sailing six- to nine-night itineraries to the Bahamas and Caribbean from Port Everglades until May, www. celebrity.com. Accommodating up to 3,260 guests, with 1,646 staterooms and 1,400+ crew; 30+ food and beverage options, including Le Voyage, Michelin-starred Chef Daniel Boulud’s first restaurant at sea; The Spa, F45 Fitness, Aqua Class for wellness seekers, which includes access to the ship’s cleancuisine restaurant, Blu, and unlimited access to spa facilities (salt room, sauna, steam, showers, etc.); resort deck, several entertainment venues, including a jazz joint, state-of-the-art theatre for Broadway and West End musicals, featuring a Daniel Wurtzel-designed air fountain; all-suite, all-inclusive two-deck The Retreat; 8,966 feet of shopping across Decks 4 and 5, including Bulgari, Cartier and Louis Vuitton, among many others.