ljk76

Enjoy the Silly, been on it twice in regular balconies. Love the Apex, and for cooler weather I think the IVs are perfect. Lounge in comfort on your sofa or bed, depending on your room configuration and feel very much a part of the scenery. For my upcoming transatlantic I think it’s perfect. Strictly for the Caribbean I might prefer a standard balcony for sunning.

Our first European trip was a Med cruise With Regent and it was great! We had a great travel agent who planned our 4 days in Rome, with a well-located hotel, transfers, and some small group tours. I know it was much less expensive than the Regent offering. We did use their included tours, and for the most part enjoyed them. None of our buses were crowded at all, and we generally broke up into smaller groups when arriving at the attraction. This trip gave us the confidence to do more planning on our own, and our next three European cruises were with Azamara. Those three cruises combined probably cost what the first Regent one did. I love their product as well. Yes it’s true that an ocean cruise is mainly a small plates tasting menu…but you learn what to order for an entree later. We never would have thought to visit Malta, and we can’t wait to visit again.

We loved the Summit, especially when we could score one of the large aft balconies …once we even got one of the big corner ones! we loved the Solstice. And now we love the Apex. We actually enjoy the extra space the IV provides and the amazing public spaces with lots of nooks and crannies.

Another great option in to rent a condo through VRBO or the like. We spent a week in Maui in a one bedroom condo directly on the beach, with a great lanai view. Less than half the price of hotels. We were pleasantly surprised that the prices at the full size grocery weren’t too horrendous. We were just selective on what we bought. Even wine was only $1 more for our go to.perhaps you could do the cruise, then add on the condo? I’ve done three “styles “ of visits, plane trips between islands, cruise, one week relax and chill. All have merit.

Thanks! First noticed it on our Apex sailing a year ago. A nice addition!

Thank you! Big sigh of relief!

Did you redeem the points on line or did you call Celebrity?

A related question…are specialty coffees no longer included in the basic drink package? Are they included in perks for Elite+? Thanks, addicted to Cafe Al Bacio!

We sailed to Bermuda on the Summit from Bayonne. If schools are already out expect MANY more children than typical of a Celebrity cruise…our sailing had 600 kids, and it did impact our experience. Bermuda is just so lovely though.

Listen to some of the recordings in the other thread…sounds like a machine gun at times! In 30+ cruises of course we’ve had the creaks and bangs but this is a whole new level of pain.

OMG! I think Celebrity has a major problem on their hands if others are experiencing noise like you did. This was the cabin they moved you to, correct? The audio is worth a million words. Forget sleeping, I don’t know how you enjoyed any time in your cabin.

We are on this cruise as well. Are you doing a proctored test or just a self administered?

Me too! We are on the Apex 4/22 crossing. While looking for a link to the proctored tests I discovered this Pre-Arrival Covid-19 Testing All guests ages 2 and older must present a digital or physical copy of a negative COVID-19 test result at check-in to board their sailing. Guests must present a negative antigen test result taken within 2 days prior to sailing and no more than 2 days before their sailing. Accepted tests are PCR or antigen tests taken in person, supervised virtually, or unsupervised self-administered. Proof of a negative test can be the printed or digital results, a clear photo of your self-test result, or your actual self-test in hand. not at all sure how I feel about relying on the self administered test…how do I prove the date or even that it’s my test, actually? Wouldn’t mind saving the $ and hassle of the proctored test. Trying to find out what others are doing.

We’ve cruised everything from Carnival to Regent. Have a future Med cruise on Norwegian with some friends. Have not cruised with Holland because of their reputation of being too quiet. if we were cruising with kids we would choose Royal. We find the Princess rooms cramped unless you go with a mini suite. No sofa in a basic balcony room. Celebrity is definitely our sweet spot. We have enjoyed cruises on all three classes of ship. The newest Edge class is stunning. We actually like the infinite veranda and feel it adds extra functionality to the room. The food, the service, and the entertainment have been consistently good. Booking well in advance has gotten us the best prices. At this point we do have loyalty perks like free laundry but it’s not a deciding factor. If you can find an itinerary you like at a competitive price I recommend you try them.

Also went in as a sceptic and ended up being a convert! We are on a 15 day transatlantic on Apex this spring and the infinite veranda really grows our space for this crossing.

Just loving the details of your review! Looking forward to a 15 day transatlantic at the end of April on the Apex. We were on the Apex last January and a week wasn’t enough! And reading your review I see I missed several outstanding martinis! we are in a Aqua infinite veranda as we were on our January sailing. I felt it gave the sense of more useable space, which I think will be helpful for 15 days, some of which will be cooler. Some day a suite! Not in the budget for this trip. Once in Amsterdam we hop on a river cruise. I see you have mostly been “loyal to Royal.” What do you like best about their offerings? I think if we were traveling with our family, including grandchildren, I would think in that direction.

Last January in Blu we were able to order from any of the main dining rooms…it made for a wonderful selection!

That is so good to hear . We have a transatlantic cruise this spring that delivers us to Amsterdam where we begin a river cruise. I’m hoping to leave the Apex with as many clean clothes as possible because I don’t think the river cruise will even offer laundry. The trip will be a packing challenge for sure!

Thank you so much for posting! This spring we have a 15 day Apex transatlantic cruise followed by a river cruise. We did book trip insurance through the trip insurance store, but reading your story I am definitely layering Med jet on top of it. I hope you recover quickly and are soon well enough to be cruising again with confidence!

Sailed the Apex last January. We loved the ship so much we are doing the transatlantic in April. We were, and are, in Aqua class on deck 9. the ship is beautiful, the many dining rooms are lovely and offered a huge variety of great food. The spa area is stunning. Lots of entertainment options, and the theater is spectacular. The infinite veranda is a toss up for us. Liked the extra space and light, but it doesn’t have a classic veranda feel. any questions please ask.

I’ve done it both ways. Next spring we have a transatlantic followed by a river cruise, with six hotel nights as well. I still will pack our roll aboards as if they were IT because the idea of losing luggage rattles me. I’m hoping one full size case will be enough for the other “would be nice to have.” Plan to utilize the ships laundry on the Apex crossing, and leave with all clean clothes. But that still leaves 17 nights to go! No laundry on river cruises I’m assuming? I guess there will be some in the bathroom sink! Reading this thread for tips as much as anything!

We once did a Celebrity cruise from Bayonne to Bermuda in August…600 kiddos! Usually we rarely notice kids. We’ve enjoyed many multi generational trips on Celebrity starting when our youngest was six. He loved wearing a tux on formal nights and eating escargot. I think those kind of trips grow future cruisers. Nothing would be gained by going Adults only. But beware of summer cruises, especially any that are departing from big population centers, where air fare can be eliminated for families. We still had a great time on that Bermuda cruise but we never even used the buffet for example.