Apex - 6/26/21 as live as possible 😃

[verizon]

20 minutes ago, hcat said:

Could someone translate the posts that are  not in English? ..thanks.

Here you go.

I'm not sure it will be a lot of noise from downstairs. During this cruise, Eden was quite calm. If you don't get an answer from this board, try it on the Edge sails.

[norwega]

On 6/27/2021 at 9:51 AM, dreams_of_travel said:

It will from everything I've read.  Sadly I will not be able to try it b/c I my travel friend is not willing to try this (she's never actually used Uber before, and despite my assurances on the simplicity won't budge), but would rather schedule a private car.   I like using Uber, and have used it all over the world.  It does save the hassle of having to have local currency, as well as being able to track your journey, and not being taken for a "scenic" route just to increase the fare. 

We used Uber 4 or 5 times in Santiago, Chile in 12/2019.  One older man took us on the scenic route.  Uber credited us 75% of the cost later as he didn't take the most direct route.  I asked about this to an Uber I just took in Wisconsin a week ago.  He confirmed that the most direct route has to be taken, or close to it, or the driver will be penalized.  

[PTCruizer]

5 hours ago, little britain said:

@PTCruizer enjoy lunch! Grateful for the info about the boats from Fira to Oia as the car hire company says he doesn’t have any cars available for our date!! Glad to know he’s busy! Back to the boat idea- Plan B!!

 

Was that a ships tour to Lindos? I seem to recall taking a public bus out there! 

Yea, it was a ships tour. We very rarely do ships tours but we didn’t want to chance anything with this trip. 

5 hours ago, Shadow9612 said:

Must have been so amazing as I imagine the density of people was far reduced compared to pre-pandemic.

 

It was so amazing. Lindos was not crowded at all. No wait for anything and even with the narrow streets you never felt crowded. You can see the lack of people in this shot from the Acropolis. 

 

 

[Shadow9612]

8 minutes ago, PTCruizer said:

It was so amazing. Lindos was not crowded at all. No wait for anything and even with the narrow streets you never felt crowded. You can see the lack of people in this shot from the Acropolis. 

Wow, beautiful. It's like you are at a private viewing of the Acropolis.  

[towel-animal]

Can you confirm if the dishes served at the Chef's Table dinner are exclusive to the Chef's Table experience? A few years back I noticed on Reflection, that the Chef's Table dinner was a collection of dishes taken from the Murano menu with the addition of wine pairings — which led me not to book. If the food being served cannot be found elsewhere, I'd definitely be interested in booking this.

Edited June 30, 2021 by towel-animal

[little britain]

13 hours ago, Kreative03 said:

@little britain we stayed at Grand Hyatt pre and post cruise. I would not recommend the hotel due to location, but there is a nice rooftop pool with a view of the acropolis and the restaurant does a very decent breakfast and dinner. We stayed solely because my sister is a Hyatt Globalist :). 

 

They do offer a shuttle during the day but it is limited in its times and does not go out/back during the evening.

Thank you for the advice. I’ve now swapped to another hotel. 

[PTCruizer]

12 hours ago, towel-animal said:

Can you confirm if the dishes served at the Chef's Table dinner are exclusive to the Chef's Table experience? A few years back I noticed on Reflection, that the Chef's Table dinner was a collection of dishes taken from the Murano menu with the addition of wine pairings — which led me not to book. If the food being served cannot be found elsewhere, I'd definitely be interested in booking this.

I am pretty certain that the dishes we had at the chefs table aren’t going to be found anywhere else on the ship. That said, you will find similar proteins and sides in the other restaurants but not similar preparation and presentation. For example, the main course was a duo of short rib and filet which while I’m sure you’ll see elsewhere, not together or prepared like this was. I will post the menu and some photos later. 

[PTCruizer]

On Wednesday we were in Santorini until 10:30 pm. We booked a ships tour to Oia which included a walking tour of Oia, a stop at the Santos winery and a photo stop in Fira. The walk through Oia would have been better if our tour guide wasn’t Frau Blucher from Young Frankenstein. The lady was just not pleasant and downright mean. She barked orders and treated the group like we were in kindergarten. Chastising those who stopped to take photos of the incredible views in Oia. She pushed the group to hurry to a location where she then put us on our own for an hour. Made no sense at all. Luck of the draw I guess. We made the decision to bail in Fira and not ride the bus back to the tender stop.  The winery visit was nice. We tried three wines and they were served with some Greek Mezzes. After the winery the bus stopped in Fira for a photo op. Those that wanted to leave the tour were free to do so. Lunch was at Argo restaurant which was very nice. We took the cable car down to the port and tendered back to the ship. Here are a few photos from the day and the pool deck. Oh, the sunset was spectacular.  

[grayjay]

Great pictures! Brings back lots of fond remembrances

I just wondered about the non-enforced security rules that allowed you to get off on your own. Good for you - I have read tales of ships currently cruising in Europe that wouldn't have allowed people back on board who separated from their ship's tour. Someone told us they really had seen people sent off with their luggage sitting outside. So these strict rules seem to be weakened by and by.

[Luckynana]

 

PTCruizer..your cruise looks like a dream come true!!  Looking forward to getting on a ship;  alas, my next cruises aren't until February and then April of '22.  Enjoy the remainder of your cruise!!

[Shadow9612]

14 hours ago, PTCruizer said:

Here are a few photos from the day and the pool deck. Oh, the sunset was spectacular.  

Your photos are beautiful @PTCruizer. 

[Stu UK]

Does the cruise stop in Cyprus if so are there any additional testing requirements apart from those checks on boarding Apex?

[PTCruizer]

On 7/1/2021 at 6:41 PM, grayjay said:

Great pictures! Brings back lots of fond remembrances

I just wondered about the non-enforced security rules that allowed you to get off on your own. Good for you - I have read tales of ships currently cruising in Europe that wouldn't have allowed people back on board who separated from their ship's tour. Someone told us they really had seen people sent off with their luggage sitting outside. So these strict rules seem to be weakened by and by.

GrayJay, Celebrity was allowing guests on this tour to leave the group in Fira if they wished to remain in town and not go back to the ship. 

[PTCruizer]

17 hours ago, Stu UK said:

Does the cruise stop in Cyprus if so are there any additional testing requirements apart from those checks on boarding Apex?

Yes we went to Cyprus. We filled out a health questionnaire prior to arrival but there was no additional testing. 

[PTCruizer]

On 7/1/2021 at 12:14 PM, PTCruizer said:

I am pretty certain that the dishes we had at the chefs table aren’t going to be found anywhere else on the ship. That said, you will find similar proteins and sides in the other restaurants but not similar preparation and presentation. For example, the main course was a duo of short rib and filet which while I’m sure you’ll see elsewhere, not together or prepared like this was. I will post the menu and some photos later. 

Here is the menu from the Chefs table. Photos once I get home. 

[PTCruizer]

Just off the Apex after a great cruise. One that will stand out for a number of reasons. I’m sure that we will never again have the opportunity to have a billon dollar cruise ship practically to ourselves. There were no positive cases of Covid among the crew or passengers for the second straight week. This had everyone’s spirits up on the last day. The crew were fantastic and so happy to be back at work. The ship is beautiful and everything functioned properly. There were a few mornings where we had to wait for the shower water to get hot but otherwise the cabin was perfect. Embarkation and debarkation were quick and easy. We walked our own luggage off at 0630. No customs at the pier and we were on our pre-arranged tour by 0700. 
 

The food in Blu seemed to get better as the week went on. I wasn’t looking for the healthy option so for me it’s not much of a difference from the main dining rooms. We ate in Tuscan one night and it was very good. In the buffet you get served cafeteria style. We decided that we like this and hope it stays this way. 
 

That’s it for now. I’ll work up a detailed review once we’re back home. Here are a couple photos from Mykonos. 

[Waterluv]

Thank you for sharing. Super glad all went well. I’ll be on her April next year for my birthday! Welcome home

[little britain]

@PTCruizer in Santorini you didn’t happen to notice if they were offering the local boat between Fira and Oia did you? 
 

Never seen Mykonos look so empty! Great pics. 

[jimbri]

Thank you for the Pictures - Beautiful

[bama4cruisin]

Thank you for taking us along!  Your comments have me even more excited to board her in October!

[Aloha 1]

On 7/1/2021 at 5:14 AM, PTCruizer said:

I am pretty certain that the dishes we had at the chefs table aren’t going to be found anywhere else on the ship. That said, you will find similar proteins and sides in the other restaurants but not similar preparation and presentation. For example, the main course was a duo of short rib and filet which while I’m sure you’ll see elsewhere, not together or prepared like this was. I will post the menu and some photos later. 

RE: Santorini. Did you use ships tenders to get to Fira or the bigger local tenders that drop off at the new port? If the latter was there a provided shuttle into Fira?

[drarill]

On 7/3/2021 at 1:47 AM, little britain said:

@PTCruizer in Santorini you didn’t happen to notice if they were offering the local boat between Fira and Oia did you? 
 

Never seen Mykonos look so empty! Great pics. 

Hi. We were on the Apex two weeks ago and that's what we did. Went to Oia on our own via boat, then a bus took us to Fira.  Thirty Euros pp 

[Miaminice]

1 hour ago, drarill said:

Hi. We were on the Apex two weeks ago and that's what we did. Went to Oia on our own via boat, then a bus took us to Fira.  Thirty Euros pp 

 

 

🤔 Should have been 15 Euro pp

 

 

[Miaminice]

Question to those just off the Apex.

Was express walk off or early departure offered?

 

Our 12 nt cruise on Reflection was canceled and we now bit the bullet and replaced it with Apex. However, we will add a week on one of the islands, probably Naxos or Paros. So we want to get one of the ferries as early as possible.

 

Thank you!

[Miaminice]

18 hours ago, Aloha 1 said:

RE: Santorini. Did you use ships tenders to get to Fira or the bigger local tenders that drop off at the new port? If the latter was there a provided shuttle into Fira?

Only ship tours tender to the port accessible for busses.

All others tender to the base of the cable car station / stairs.