Final conclusion about the Maiden Voyage on Apex

[Germancruiser]

I posted my little report on the „ Live from the Apex“ topic. I just decided to write some final comments of said Maiden Voyage in a new topic. 

As I wrote I loved this very very special Maiden Voyage on board Apex. Every minute of it. I was not very impressed when I saw the first pictures of Edge- esp. the Infinity cabins. 

I booked a cruise on Apex for 2020 because I wanted to see for myself if I would like the new Generation of X- ships. That was- of course canceled as have been my two voyages on board QM2. 

So i just booked as soon as the new Inaugural cruises came out and I could manage to be fully vaccinated by then.

 

Let me say first, that I would book another cruise on an Edge- Class ship in a heartbeat. The ship is magnificent and very very well thought over. Little details one just things about when seeing them. The public restrooms- such luxury and high end fixtures- for example. 

 

So many nice and calm little nooks and crannies- to read ones book or enjoy the sea go by. Loved it. Both sides of Eden outside- for example. The port side section- of course for smokers- but there were so few smokers around- I sat there quite often- and if some passengers came out to smoke- well, it was outside, fresh air- so it did not bother me at all. 

 

Did I like everything and all ? No , of course not- the night live I found is very vibrant and lively - the few passengers ( 672 out of 3000) who where on board loved it. My friends and I did not. The Martini Bar- even though very popular is not a place to enjoy a nice Martini and a conversation with friends. Due to the ongoing loud music and the constant  Show the bartender celebrate it is impossible to get a word in edgewise if not yelling loud. 

 

We tried to go one deck up to Al Bacio- but since the Grand Central is an open space even that did no work. Anyway we found some nice and quite places to sit and enjoy drinks. The Sunset Bar i absolutely wonderful- the same goes for the Roof Top Garden-  if they don‘t have a party going on up there. 

 

The service and the food both have been absolutely wonderful- I might  say the best in years. All crew and staff have been so nice and kind and quite happy to be back on board. All in all a very nice vibe during the whole cruise. 

 

The four dining room concept is - in our - my opinion a great idea. Much calmer then the big MDR. 

 

I stayed in a Sunset Verandah cabin- and loved it. Yes- it is a long walk to the elevators, but that I did not mind in the least. Very good for exercise. I managed to get closer look into those Infinity Verandah Cabins- and I did not like them - so I would not book into one of those. 

 

Al Bacio- one of my favorite place to be during the day- again - the staff- wonderful. 

 

The pool was the biggest I have ever seen on board a ship.

 

It needs to be mentioned that Apex has a soot problem. My otherwise wonderful verandah had to be cleaned every day because of soot that sat there every day on every surface. Also very obvious in the aft part of the upper deck and the Sunset Bar. I had to get some clothing cleaned twice due to soot stains. I do not know what caused that lot of soot- maybe it is the different way they put the chimneys - I have no idea if they are called thus. Anyway they smoke goes sideways not up as on the other ships. I have no idea if this is the reason- or that we where sailing very very slow.  I am sure they could get rid of that problem or at least reduce the soot if they would install other or proper soot filters. 

 

I am looking forward to book a another voyage on one of the Edge Class ships- maybe next year- the Beyond- would love to make a Transatlantic voyage on one of the Edge Class ships. 

 

Oh I forgot to mention the Islands we visited - they have been great of course- other then Cyprus - I have been to all places and it was nice to see them again - and so calm - because we alway have been the only ship in port. In Cyprus we just walked around the old town a bit. We should have booked an Island Tour to see more of this island- well next time I know. 

 

The Entertainment Team led by the very very nice and kind Cruise Director Jay Guiseppe, did a wonderful job to entertain us. The two or three shows we watched have been great. Andrew Derbyshires one man show we all loved- great voice - very nice guy to talk to also. 

 

So all in all- a wonderful, special cruise in very strange times and I am glad, thankful and yes- I feel blessed to have been able to take this voyage. 

 

[ipeeinthepool]

Thanks for your review and your final comments.  It will be interesting to see if you can find a nice quiet spot so easily when the ship begins to sail at capacity.   It is disturbing that you seem to be in agreement with so many people that don’t like the IV balcony concept.  The decision to design a ship with a balcony concept that  doesn’t appeal to so many cruisers will be questioned for a longtime.  

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review.

[excitedofharpenden]

Thank you for your thoughts. It looks like the Martini Bar is once again as on other Celebrity ships not a place for me. A pity, but I'm sure I'll find a quiet spot from what you say. 

 

Phil 

[bebe08]

Thanks for your review.  We have booked B2B on Apex for April 2022.  It will be our first time on this class of ship.  We booked the Infinite Veranda...figured only way to know for sure if we will like them is to try them.  I think I read the only traditional balconies are the Sunset verandas which you have mentioned have soot problems, or Suites which is not for us.   Doesn't leave a lot of options for those who want a traditional balcony.  

[TeeRick]

Great and timely review.  Thank you very much!

[Travelexpert35]

Thanks for the great review. I agree with you about the soot problem. I had travelled last Feb on the Edge and we were watching a movie outside on the upper deck. We encountered soot as we were sitting there. We quickly left that area. We’ll see what happens with this issue.

[excitedofharpenden]

17 minutes ago, bebe08 said:

Thanks for your review.  We have booked B2B on Apex for April 2022.  It will be our first time on this class of ship.  We booked the Infinite Veranda...figured only way to know for sure if we will like them is to try them.  I think I read the only traditional balconies are the Sunset verandas which you have mentioned have soot problems, or Suites which is not for us.   Doesn't leave a lot of options for those who want a traditional balcony.  

The category 1As and 1Bs forward and aft also have traditional balconies. Friends booked into one of them for our cruise next year as they didn't fancy the infinite veranda. 

 

Phil 

[little britain]

Thanks for your review and answering all my questions!

We are also in a SV next month… I’ll pack black trousers!!

What deck were you on? I wonder if it’s worse the higher or lower you are? 

[mafig]

What was your cabin number?

[terrydtx]

Thank you for the review, we want to try an Edge class ship at some point. One thing is clear you either  love the IV cabins or you don't,  not much middle ground it seems. 

Edited July 5, 2021 by terrydtx

[hawkesbaynz]

We will be looking for one of those balcony cabins if we book an Edge class. I imagine they go quickly. Strange how Celebrity went over to this IV concept when balcony cabins have become de rigeur on most cruise ships. I wonder if they will be heavily discounted when the ships are old and the next new concept arrives?

 

My wife does not like sunbathing on the sun decks and we spend alot of the sea days relaxing on our balcony. She would not cruise in a window/inside cabin. We will have to choose carefully for port intensive trips or very early.

 

Thanks for the report. 

[bebe08]

39 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

The category 1As and 1Bs forward and aft also have traditional balconies. Friends booked into one of them for our cruise next year as they didn't fancy the infinite veranda. 

 

Phil 

Thanks Phil good to know.  I got my (incorrect) info from FB...I should know better lol.  Now the gears are turning should I change my IV for a traditional...perhaps I will stick with the IV so I can experience firsthand.  Glad to know there are options though if it turns out we enjoy this class of ship but not the IV.  I will share my thoughts after our cruise...just have to wait till next April lol.  

[bruzin_for_a_cruizin]

1 hour ago, excitedofharpenden said:

The category 1As and 1Bs forward and aft also have traditional balconies

Are you 100% certain of that? I am booked in a concierge-class IV on the APEX in November, and when I was doing my research, I learned 1A/1B was a "porthole balcony."

Perhaps I misunderstood, though...

[Germancruiser]

Thanks all, for your kind comments. I did not know about the 1A and 1B cabins - even though I saw from the outside that there must be some at the very front of the ship. 

I was also surprised, that they built a ship with this new balcony concept and built it with almost ONLY  Infinity cabins.  A nice mix would have been - well- better I guess- but I suppose people get used to them. 

For me they are more like cabins with a big window of one which can be opened. 

I also forgot to mention that my SV was on Deck 12 - cabin 12262- to be exact. Also those SV are a bit larger than the IF- Cabins. 

Edited July 5, 2021 by Germancruiser

[Cruising89143]

Thanks for the update. We’re booked on the Edge so I assume a lot of your comments could also include this ship.
 

One thing that we loved about the S class is the bar placement. Going to miss the old style martini bar. We booked a corner aft S1 so I assume that we will be dealing with the soot issue. 
 

Thanks for taking time to share your thoughts. 

[Germancruiser]

crusinggator- that is what I thought- i really miss the Martini Bar of the Millennium Class- before it was even Solsticeized. Even on board Solstice Class I like the Martini Bar more. 

Not it has been turned into another show venue- very much to the liking of most passengers i might add. 

Of course all my comments and reports only my personal tastes. 

[TraderSam]

Thank you for taking the time to put your thoughts into words. Much appreciated.👍🏻

[kwokpot]

6 hours ago, Germancruiser said:

t needs to be mentioned that Apex has a soot problem. My otherwise wonderful verandah had to be cleaned every day because of soot that sat there every day on every surface. Also very obvious in the aft part of the upper deck and the Sunset Bar. I had to get some clothing cleaned twice due to soot stains. I do not know what caused that lot of soot- maybe it is the different way they put the chimneys - I have no idea if they are called thus. Anyway they smoke goes sideways not up as on the other ships. I have no idea if this is the reason- or that we where sailing very very slow.  I am sure they could get rid of that problem or at least reduce the soot if they would install other or proper soot filters. 

 

This was a problem on the inaugural Edge Eastern Caribbean cruise in December 2018. I made a specific note of it and even took pictures of the stained seating at the Rooftop Garden. I'm not sure how this can be remedied. 

[excitedofharpenden]

2 hours ago, bruzin_for_a_cruizin said:

Are you 100% certain of that? I am booked in a concierge-class IV on the APEX in November, and when I was doing my research, I learned 1A/1B was a "porthole balcony."

Perhaps I misunderstood, though...

Yes, it is a porthole shape from the outside because of the ship superstructure, but it’s like a normal balcony with a sliding glass door to access it from the cabin. 

 

Phil

[miched]

The Matini Bars on all of X ships are usually very noisy.   It was really bad when they would have a DJ a banging away on the electric drums.  It was so load that you would have to point to the menu or write on the frosted top the drink you wanted,  

 

Not a place to have a conversation or enjoy a drink

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅
 

 

 

 

 

[wendyam76]

@Germancruiser - thank you for your review. I see you were wondering about the 1A/1B staterooms. Hopefully these photos will help. They are smaller than normal balconies (on Solstice class etc) but the rest of the stateroom is the same as  the other staterooms on Edge. We did a week in Aqua and then a week in one of these and loved both!

Wendy

[Covepointcruiser]

Have always had a soot cabin with any aft cabins balconies on all ships.   We have also not enjoyed the tobacco smoke from smokers in the Sunset Bar.   Maybe the new ships burning natural gas will eliminate this problem.   Best to be prepared for the soot with the aft cabins.

[irvington]

Thanks, this was really helpful. I prefer a quiet place to have a drink or read a book or watch the sea, so helpful to know where to avoid. 

[Germancruiser]

Thanks again all for your nice comments. Wendyam- thanks for posting the pictures- so they are indeed porthole balconies- they are looking great!

 

Kwockpot- very interssting- so the Edge has the same problem- I thought as much- since they are twins. I don´t understand why  X did not see to the problem - when they are aware of it since 2018.

 

I take it all aft cabins have a little soot problem. My first aft cabin was on board Silhouette in 2019 - but I did not see much soot on the balcony there.