Dave Judy

Texed, We are on the Apex on 1/28 and would love to hear from you regarding ship occupancy…

Regarding the Canary Islands… We stopped there on a the Apex TA two years ago in October. The weather was great and the two Celebrity excursions we did were very enjoyable (this was during COVID and all wearing 😷). One was to Teide National Park and the old lava fields. I would enjoy another return to the Canaries…

Barcelona is a beautiful city for pre and post cruise - We have been there many times. Arrange to stay several days if you can. Most people stay near Placa Catalunya and La Rambla. We prefer the Sheraton Four Points in Poblenou, a few miles away and it’s much cheaper. I have emailed the front desk prior to our trips about specific queries and always gotten a timely response. They also have a nice breakfast buffet and the staff is wonderful. https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/bcnfp-four-points-by-sheraton-barcelona-diagonal/overview/ They are at the tip of another “Rambla” though much more local and less touristy. 1. There is so much to see and experience. The HoHo buses are great for an extensive overview of the city. The mass transit (subway, tram, funicular, train) is also easy to use and they have inexpensive multi-day passes. 2. Among many sites, we have particularly enjoyed La Sagrada Familia and wandering the old Gothic Quarter. Barcelona is an amazing city and you will enjoy whatever time you spend there.

Enjoyed your balanced review. We have been on the Apex twice during early 2022 and were excited that capacity was 50% or less. I’m curious about the numbers on your recent cruise and how busy dining rooms and buffet area were? Even with low capacity, Eden shows and “The Club” shows were always packed. Glad you had a great time.

We think we saw your daughters around the ship (was one of them running laps on an afternoon sea day?). We had just met the other couple at the bus stop and were playing the, “ Do you know them ?” Game when you discover cities in common, so might not have noticed other passengers. I do remember it was full by the time we hit town…

ScottishClover, we actually met pre cruise over a discussion about Hammershus. We were able to get on the local bus around 2:15 pm and had a marvelous time out at the ruins. We took the 5:00 bus back and had a wonderful tour of a few villages and the beautiful Borneholm countryside. We are both retired educators from the USA, so feel a special kinship. We brought OD (Only Daughter) along - she’s a chemistry teacher, and had a great time with her exploring all of the ports. Your review was detailed and outstanding in a different way. A great read - Thanks!

We are following you on the July 20th cruise. Your Port comments are invaluable. Big Thanks !

We are also on the Apex, leaving on July 20th. Your information is very helpful. Big Thanks!

We have TAP air booked for our Apex cruise in July. Business class was about $1,300 round trip. Figured we would roll the dice…