CELEBRITY CRUISES: CELEBRITY BEYOND IN THE ITALIAN RIVIERA & FRANCE

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This summer, Trey and I went on a 9 night cruise around France and the Italian Riviera with one of Celebrity Cruises’ newest and most luxurious ships— the Celebrity Beyond! Celebrity Beyond is part of the Edge class, which has some of the most beautiful staterooms and suites, 8 speciality restaurants, and 4 main dining restaurants, and world class entertainment every night! And to top it all off, every port we docked at, was some of the most amazing destinations in Europe. To be totally transparent, I never thought I would be a huge cruise person, but I genuinely LOVE cruising now, and loved doing a European cruise with Celebrity Cruises!

Click Here to Learn More about Celebrity Beyond & the routes!

Here is a full recap of my experience with Celebrity Cruises: Celebrity Beyond on their France & Italian Riviera route.

This post is sponsored by Celebrity Cruises but all thoughts and views are my own.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

New to Cruising? Here is a general overview in pertaining to Celebrity Cruises, and specifically, their Celebrity Beyond ship!

What’s Included in Celebrity Cruises — The set price of Celebrity Cruises includes a variety of different things depending on the type of state room you book and the package you decide to purchase. For the most part, the package includes –
1. Your accommodation – of course this varies between an inside room, a room with a balcony, a suite room, etc.
2. “All Included Fare” Package – if you opt in to buy this package, it comes with classic beverages package (regular beverages and alcohol, but not premium drinks), basic internet, and the tips at the end of the cruise.
3. Food – breakfast, lunch, dinner, late night bites, and room service

WiFi & Roaming — Basic wifi package is included in the “All Included Fare.” You can upgrade to a higher speed, which I recommend if you need to do any streaming. For the most part, WiFi works great but we noticed during Sea Day, it’s the weakest considering everyone is on the ship and it’s just out at sea all day. Overall, reliable!

Shore Excursions — As relaxing as a cruise is, it can also be go go go! Especially when you are stopping at some amazing ports! I highly recommend looking at your shore excursion options early so you have a general ideal of what you want to do at each port. I would also recommend booking excursions directly with Celebrity Cruises. That way, you’re guaranteed a high quality and safe excursion, as well as returning back to port on time.

Reservations — The first day that you get on the ship, spend some time exploring it and start making reservations! Whether it’s dining at the speciality restaurants or a couple’s massage, the ship does have limited capacity so you’ll want to book before things sell out!! Also the first day always has special discounted rates!

Medication & First Aid — There is a first aid facility on the ship but bring enough medication with you!

Motion Sickness — From my personal experience, you can hardly feel the ship move if the weather is good! But if it’s windy or the waves are strong, then of course there’s a chance you’ll feel it! Our cruise averaged 14MPH, so the ship actually moves VERY slow. But if you’re worried about being nauseous, I would recommend motion sickness pills! But at all of the ports, you’ll also be able to find a Pharmacy. Furthermore, book midship and book mid cabin (not too close to front or rear, and not too high or low on the ship), you’ll most likely feel the ship move the least.

WHAT TO PACK

There is a dress code on Celebrity Cruises, with most nights being a “smart casual” such as pants and slacks, button up shirts, and dresses. There’s also Formal Nights where you can bring your best outfits! Keep in mind that there are some parts of the ship that require specific dress codes for dining, such as no shorts or flip flops, and while going from the pool to your room, you can’t just be in a bathing suit. Depending on how long your cruise is and what you plan on doing, here are my recommendations!

Formal Wear – Cruising is the BEST opportunity to overdress! Especially because there are dedicated formal nights, I would highly consider packing a suit and a nice dress! Basically something you maybe wouldn’t normally wear on an average dinner out.
Work Out Wear — Celebrity Beyond has an amazing gym and a beautiful walking track on the upper deck. If you want to get some exercise time in, I would recommend some good shoes! They also have Peloton machines.
Comfortable Clothes – Bring comfortable clothes for excursions (especially walking shoes) but also for during the daytime of the cruise.
Day Bag – Bring something to carry your belongings during excursions like a tote bag or small backpack for water, your camera, a towel if you are going to swim at the beach!
A Portable Steamer / Iron – The cruise does have laundry services but the price can add up and if you’re tight on time or trying to get off the ship, the last thing you want to wait on is pressed clothes!

Balcony of Sky Suite on Celebrity Beyond

ON BOARD FEATURES OF CELEBRITY BEYOND

As I had mentioned earlier, Celebrity Beyond has amazing specialty restaurants but on top of that, specialty cocktails and bars, spa and wellness center, and even a night club!

In the Grand Plaza, you’ll find Cafe Il Bacio, where I got my iced lattes every morning, and the Martini Bar, which also has amazing entertainment from the bartenders in the evening. There’s also a stage and dance floor where they host silent disco.
Resort Deck: Rooftop garden and outdoor movie nights, a main swimming pool, adults only Solarium Pool, jacuzzi’s, cabana’s, and tons of lounge chairs for tanning!
Theatre: A main theatre with entertainment every single night
Casino & Shops
Night Club and Lounges
Specialty Restaurants include: Le Petite Chef, Eden, Raw on 5, Magic Carpet, Le Voyage, & Fine Cut Steakhouse
Wellness Spa, Fitness / Gym Center with cycling classes, yoga and meditation, and a walking track.

ALL ABOARD CELEBRITY BEYOND

The day before the cruise ship leaves the port, you should be all checked. I would recommend downloading their Mobile App as soon as you book! You can find all the information you need for your trip, from what time you have to get on the ship by, to what the events are throughout the day, to the times restaurants are open!

Celebrity Beyond France and Italian Riviera

DAY 1: BARCELONA

We flew into Barcelona the day before the cruise because we were already in Europe. Make sure you have a bit of cushion, as the cruise waits for no one! With flights delays and luggage being lost during the summer time, I would highly recommend getting a couple days early if you can!

Even the day that the actual cruise departs, you can book an excursion the morning of, so some people were exploring parts of Barcelona. Trey and I opted to get onto the ship around 10AM, so we can drop off our bags and fully explore the ship! This way, we can get our bearings and have a general idea of where everything is! We like to visit every floor and explore as much as we could. Visit all the specialty restaurants and the spa to get a feel for any reservations you want!

By 6PM, the gangway went up and we were ready to start cruising!! I always try to go to as many events as possible! On most days, our ship docked around 8AM and the gangway went up around 4PM!

DAY 2: MARSAILLES

For our trip to Marsailles, we opted for an excursion, which was “Luberon Villages: Discover the Secrets of Provence.” We went to a Lavender Musuem, spent some time in Luberon and Rousillion, and had some free time to walk around! It was a little underwhelming because lavender season ended early and we didn’t get to see any fields! The towns were still cute but I would have explored Marsaille or Cannes instead during off-season for the Lavender Fields!

DAY 3: VILLEFRANCHE SUR MER

We spent the day on our own, exploring Villefranche Sur Mer, Eze, and Monaco! Because Villefranche’s port is so small, the cruise ship was unable to dock right on the shore. So in order to get off the cruise ship, you have to take a Tender (smaller boat), which adds in about 20 minutes or more. Keep in mind the tenders are constantly moving and you might have to wait for one as well. They’ll announce a last Tender time, so you know exactly when you need to return. If you are on a Celebrity Cruise excursion, you also have tender priority to get off the ship!

DAY 4: SANTA MARGHERITA

This was probably one of my favorite ports! We opted to go on an excursion and did an Olive Oil Tasting at the Belmond Splendido Hotel in Portofino. The food was delicious, and the Belmond hotel was unbelievably beautiful. It felt like such a luxurious experience, and we had a great time! We first took a car from Santa Margherita to Portofino and had a nice walking tour. I thought Portofino was so charming!

From Portofino, we decided to walk back to Santa Margherita, which was about 2km. The weather was perfect and it was beautiful to see more of Portofino!

DAY 5 & 6: LIVORNO

We docked in Livorno for 2 days, which gave us the freedom to explore further without having to return to the ship. Some people went to Florence and got hotels overnight, but we decided to return to one of my favorite places in the world — Cinque Terre. We left when the ship docked and came back in the evening!

The next day, we had plans to go to Florence, but we ended up being too tired and just wanted to stay on board the ship and enjoy all of the on board amenities.

DAY 7: DAY AT SEA ON CELEBRITY BEYOND

Day at Sea is probably one of my favorite days! At first I wasn’t sure how I would be able spend an entire 24 hours on a cruise ship without being bored but now Trey and I have to make an itinerary of what we want to participate in and what we have to skip! There are just endless amounts of activities going on the ship at all times, including different types of trivia, sports competitions like pool volleyball, football toss, and archery, as well as shows throughout the day! The Rooftop Garden is showing movies, and all the bars, restaurants, and shops are open!

DAY 8: SICILY

I didn’t have too many expectations for Sicily but I LOVED it. Our excursion was Taormina by Land and Sea, so we started with a walking tour around Taormina and it was the most charming little town! It was super cute, gave me quintessential Italy vibes, and had great food and shopping. Then we hopped on a boat and explored Taormina by Sea, in which there was a grotto tour and at the end we go to hop off the boat and swim!! It was such a fun day and Trey’s favorite excursion!

DAY 9: NAPLES

I haven’t spent much time in Naples, but I couldn’t resist an opportunity to visit Capri and the Amalfi Coast. We did a Capri excursion on this day and took the first ferry we could over to Capri from Naples. We had a walking tour, an opportunity to explore on our own. From there, we took another ferry to Positano and ate at our favorite restaurant, reliving all of our favorite Eurosummer memories from last year. It was the sweetest way to wrap up our trip!

Because this is our last night on the ship, the food and entertainment is typically some of the best they have so make sure you reserve your seats to the shows, and swing by your favorite restaurant! Most of the time, the shops will have a sale the last days too!

DAY 10: CIVITAVECCHIA / ROME

We arrived in Civitavecchia the next day, and it was time to head home! We had a noon flight out of Rome so we left the cruise ship around 8AM, but typically most guests are required to leave by 9 or 10AM.

I hope you found this recap of the cruise helpful!! Let me know if you have any questions below!

xx Jules