I was in a ladies' room on the Celebrity Beyond, and as I washed my hands (thoroughly!) I looked in the mirror and said to myself: This would be a great place to take a selfie.
No, really. The wallpaper made for a stunning backdrop: A large, colorful floral pattern on a black background. And I wasn't surprised to see such care taken in a normally nondescript space. The Beyond is full of design touches that make you want to pull out your iPhone and document the moment.
I can't say for sure that this was Celebrity's stated purpose, but creating attractive spaces for social selfies and staged shots is a real design trend. And why not? Photo/video documentation is an ingrained pastime among many cruisers, particularly those in the Gen-Y and Z bracket, and ship shots are terrific for marketing and promotional purposes. Celebrity Cruises granted every passenger in our cabin free internet on one device (with the option to upgrade to paid plans for those who want more devices or bandwidth), so the urge to snap and share was hard to resist.
Meanwhile, on my strolls during port calls, I saw people of all ages in Instagram-ready outfits, hats and bags Reel-ing and TikToking in charming squares, by azure seas and beside glorious monuments (ahem @captainkatemccue). Why shouldn't a hotel or cruise ship get in on the action?
So on my rambles through the ship I identified some of the best places on the Beyond to strike a pose. If you have your own suggestions, @ me.
Eden, the aft lounge that overflows with photo options. Photo Credit: Rebecca Tobin
Eden
Eden, on the Beyond's aft Deck 5, is a green, leafy, chill, ethereal space that is absolutely perfect for snaps. Hanging basket chairs? Living walls? Green chairs in the shape of a flower petal? A towering, two-deck bar? Artfully crafted cocktails? I think you could have your own Eden account and never run out of things to photograph.
This sculpture outside the Blu restaurant
The sculpture outside the Blu restaurant on the Celebrity Beyond. Photo Credit: Rebecca Tobin
Blu is an exclusive restaurant reserved for AquaClass passengers, but this sculpture outside is for everyone. Plus the white, floral relief in the background is a fun, neutral background.
The peacock outside the Cosmopolitan restaurant is pretty cool, too.
The Beyond's bow
Called a parabolic ultra
bow, an x-bow or an inverse bow, the Beyond's straight bow is unusual
enough to make a photo here unforgettable. Get your picture now before
this ship profile is the new normal (and use the term #parabolicultrabow
for extra impact). Plus nothing says, "I'm on vacation and you're not,"
like a shot of yourself next to the cruise ship.
Lobby staircase
The staircase of the Beyond's Grand Plaza. Photo Credit: Rebecca Tobin
The staircase in the Grand Plaza is an official backdrop for the Beyond's professional photographers, who were keeping busy on the line's Evening Chic nights. But I saw people staging their own mini photo shoots here. The staircase pattern repeats itself in other parts of the Plaza, and there's also a cool catwalk that takes you across Deck 5 to the Fine Cut steakhouse.
The Sunset Bar
It's hard for me to express how much I liked Nate Berkus' Sunset Bar design. The Moroccan-style tiles, the palm chandelier, the arched doorways, and all the lounge chairs grouped in conversational areas surrounded by greenery give the standard aft bar a really chic upgrade. Celebrity enlarged the Sunset Bar on the Beyond, so there are more places to get comfortable, day and night. This is where you can get your wake shot. On the other side, the walkway from the Sunset Bar to the Rooftop Garden is a particularly nice place, too. Which brings me to:
Anywhere with a cocktail, really
The hat-trick: The author, holding a cocktail, in Eden, at sunset. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Rebecca Tobin
Why is this? From coffee cups to coupe glasses, when I scroll through my phone, why do I see so many pictures of myself with a drink in my hand? (OK, in my defense, it was a two-week trip.). And I definitely have the de rigueur video where my husband and I raise our glasses. The Beyond has 32 food and beverage venues, so there are plenty of places where you can toast and Boomerang to your heart's content.
Anywhere with a sunset view
Also fortuitous, the Beyond has a ton of outdoor spaces that make the golden-hour vacation photo the ne plus ultra of your feed. The Sunset Bar is a great place to start, but there's more: I particularly recommend the Magic Carpet, the Rooftop Garden, the gently curved jogging track above the pool that connects decks 15 and 16 and the infinity plunge pools.
/A-nook-in-the-Sunset-Bar..jpg?tr=w-600%2Ch-340%2Cfo-auto "A nook in the Sunset Bar.")
A nook in the Sunset Bar. Photo Credit: Rebecca Tobin