There’s nothing like the buzz of a Maiden voyage. As Celebrity Beyond casts off from the England port of Southampton on a May afternoon, the fizz is flowing, guests are full of anticipation and expectations are high. Touted as the new gold standard in top shelf cruising – longer, sleeker, jazzier than before – Beyond is the gleaming result of its parent company, Celebrity Cruises, Imagineering. This billion-dollar vessel is equipped with all manner of innovations, including a rooftop garden, cantilevered pools and a floating platform that moves to different floors, but for now that all must wait. Crew and passengers, some wrapped in blankets to ward off the chill, are singing, carousing, and clinking glasses as the ship slips down the Solent towards the English Channel. Ahead is a 10-night jaunt around Western Europe.
With a full day at sea there’s ample time to explore the third ship in the company’s ultra-luxe Edge series. Several thousand passengers are on board, many with the same idea, and it fast becomes evident that Beyond is remarkably accommodating. For those wanting diversions, there are plenty to be found, including a lofty plaza with eateries, bars and attractions. For those seeking solitude, it’s surprisingly easy to slip away from the crowd. My first stop, naturally, is the sleeping quarters. My tranquil stateroom on deck six manages to be feel both cosy and capacious, with over 22 square metres of living space that includes a veranda with a full-width, remote-controlled window. It may be modest compared with the ship’s two-storey apartments with private plunge pools, but the stylish approach to comfort and the visual codes are the same. As are the finishing touches, such as an arresting black and white portrait by Los Angeles photographer Gregory Prescott in my ensuite bathroom.
More than most cruise ships, art is everywhere on Celebrity Beyond. The vessel hosts a permanent collection created by almost 700 practitioners plucked from across the globe. Some of the work is whimsical – by the main outdoor pool is a monumental sculpture of a white elephant balancing precariously on the back of a man, by French artist Fabien Mérelle – while other pieces are seductively avant-garde. One of the most memorable is Odyssey, an immersive tunnel created by Fredrikson Stallard, the Swedish-British duo Patrik Fredrikson and Ian Stallard. This dark walkway of soundscapes, lights-capes, video and reflective bronze sculptures is a fantastically disorientating hall of mirrors that evokes the notion of universal infinity, kitschy funfairs and the decadent salons of Versailles.
When it comes to statement design, Celebrity has a truly distinct handwriting. The company has enlisted a dream team of heavy-hitting designers and tastemakers to finesse its ships. British architect Tom Wright, best known for Dubai’s sculptural Burj Al Arab hotel, conceived the majestic exterior spaces and the so-called “Magic Carpet”, an ambulating bar that hovers over the ocean and offers killer cocktails, comfy seating and some of the ship’s best views. Trailblazing British designer Kelly Hoppen applied her signature brand of fashionable symmetry and luxe materials to the ship’s interiors and to The Retreat, a ritzy space for suite guests. American designer Nate Berkus, meanwhile, was engaged to reanimate the two-deck Sunset Bar. Inspired by beach clubs in Mexico, Greece and Uruguay, Berkus created a series of intimate spaces with relaxed seating and a smart palette of terracotta, brass and bronze.
Tempting though it is to do nothing but soak up the jovial vibe, you really don’t have time. By sun-up on day three we’re moving through the misty waters of the Bay of Biscay towards the charming French port city of La Rochelle, where onshore options include excursions to the nearby Bordeaux vineyards and insightful city tours. Those who prefer to wander can stroll past the sea-facing gothic towers of the Vieux Port to the Marché du Centre Ville, an inviting covered food market where the produce is exceptional, both in range and quality, even for France. Oyster-lovers will be in heaven: one purveyor was offering 15 different local varieties from four to 10 euros a kilo. Snag a table and you can make a lunch of them there and then.
On the following day, the magnificent Spanish City of Bilboa takes shape outside my window. A few of us opt for a morning visit to Zabala Txakolina, a small family-run vineyard in the high, green hillsides, where we learn that Bilbao is the de facto capital of the Basque Country, that the fight to protect the Basque language and the urge for independence from Spain remain strong, and that parts of Game of Thrones were filmed here. At the vineyard, owner Iraxte Eguskizaga takes us through her winemaking process and treats us to a tasting, accompanied by idiazabal, a delicately smoky Basque sheep’s milk cheese.
The afternoon is spent exploring Bilbao and snacking on pintxos (the Basque version of tapas) at Gure Toki in the old city’s Plaza Nueva before heading back to Beyond via the captivating Guggenheim Museum. It’s hard to overstate the impact of Frank Gehry’s architectural masterpiece. Titanium swirls from every angle, prompting the illusion that the structure is in motion. Synchronise your visit to coincide with one of the timed bursts of Fujiko Nakaya’s Fog Sculpture #08025 (F.O.G.), which envelops the museum in a filmic blanket of mist, and the experience will stay with you for life.
A natural fog rolled off the water as we sailed into Lisbon the next morning. The delightfully walkable Portuguese capital is a melange of elegant palaces, medieval churches, and boldly modern aesthetics. Check out the tile shops, climb one of the towers and make a beeline for the bakeries. Souvenir-hunters should visit Loja das Conservas, a fish-lover’s paradise with dozens of varieties of locally produced canned seafood, packaged with humour and panache. In Spain’s Cádiz, another stop on another day, it’s the evocation of the past that wows me. As one of Europe’s oldest cities, it features endless, whitewashed walls, Roman ruins, labyrinthine streets and, if you climb to the top of the cathedral bell tower, magnificent views.
Málaga offers marvels, too, but of the artistic variety. Casa Natal Picasso is the birthplace of the legendary Andalusian artist, situated in the historic Plaza de la Merced, and the nearby Museo Picasso hosts work from every era of his life. If that’s not edifying enough, the Museo Carmen Thyssen should thrill fans of 19th-century Spanish painting, and the harbourside Centre Pompidou outpost, an eye-catching underground gallery, hosts ever-changing exhibitions. Eventually, Málaga’s bustling eateries are calling – El Pimpi near the Museo Picasso and the Ático Bar & Restaurant on the rooftop of the AC Hotel Málaga Palacio exert a particular pull. But we take the cruisy option and head back to Beyond for its on-board dining options.
Breakfasts are well catered for (a favourite spot of mine is the alfresco cafe) as are light lunches (Eden Restaurant at the rear of the ship is the perfect spot to watch the ocean fly by), but dinner is where the real action is. Myriad options include zinging French at Normandie restaurant, Flinstonian steaks at the steakhouse, a raw bar for fresh seafood, and, the most sought-after reservation, nouvelle cuisine at Le Voyage from acclaimed chef Daniel Boulud. For drinks, there’s no going past the circular Martini bar in the ship’s plaza, with its swagger of chrome seating, prohibition-era vibe and displays of cocktail-making. Entertainment choices range from silent discos to full-scale musical productions in the theatre, which has state-of-the-art rotating stages and elaborate projection screens.
Not all events in the theatre are high-tech, though. On one “at sea day”, Captain Kate McCue agreed to a Q&A session with her cat. Bug Naked, the captain’s hairless elf-sphynx, travels on board and has something of a cult following with around 59,000 followers on Instagram (some 300,000 fewer than her telegenic owner). McCue, a San Francisco-born 44-year-old, made headlines in 2015 by becoming the first American woman to helm a “mega” cruise liner. Diversity is front and centre on Beyond. More than 70 per cent of McCue’s bridge crew are female. In September, Oscar-winner and CEO of lifestyle brand Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow, is hosting a nine night Goop at Sea cruise. In November, the celebrated US gymnast Simone Biles will officially become the vessel’s so-called “godmother”.
Our final port stop is the fascinating city of Palma on Mallorca, the largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands. It’s another jam-packed schedule, beginning with a sharp espresso in a cafe opposite an imposing gothic cathedral and a visit to Fornet de la Soca, an ornate patisserie, for ensaïmadas, the ethereal sweet spiral treats. Next, it’s a whirlwind tour of venues that begins with Stick No Bills, a vintage poster boutique, takes in Babel (a bookshopcum-wine bar), and tapas at the fishmarket of exquisitely cooked scallops, mackerel and garlic prawns. A blackboard saying “Corgi + wine inside!” catches my eye. At Cav, we meet Charlie Prymaka, an English-born winemaker and his long-haired corgi, Bao. Prymaka has worked in Australia, the US and Spain and is passionate about natural wines. Soon enough, we are, too.
After our Palma peregrinations, I crave serious downtime, so I retire to the ship for a full body Ocean Wave massage in the spa. My therapist runs through the process: she will apply a seaweed-based treatment, then cocoon me in foil. I’ll lie on a specially designed waterbed that vibrates, and over the next 100 minutes I will have a series of massages, showers and wraps. It is ridiculously relaxing, and once she has finished, I head to the Sunset Bar for a final glass of cabernet sauvignon as darkness falls. Tomorrow will bring Barcelona and my final disembarkation. If the calibre of a cruise is measured in how little you want to leave it, Celebrity Beyond is a resounding success.
The writer travelled as a guest of Celebrity Cruises.
