APEX of our year, 12/3 — 12/10/22

[barbeyg]

For our mains, Ken again went with the recommendation of our waiter, and he chose the Peppered Tuna with potato purée, spinach and pinot noir sauce.  He normally doesn’t choose tuna, but this was amazing!  I chose Citrus and Chili Braised Short Ribs with pickled chilis and steamed rice buns.  After seeing a serving of this go by, I asked the waiter to please give me only one piece of short rib, since the plate normally comes with two.  So, when you look at the picture, imagine twice as much meat. I still had enough to share a bit with Ken. 

 

[barbeyg]

We both finished with the Ricotta Cheesecake.  So pretty and tasty!

[barbeyg]

We had dinner at Le Petit Chef for my birthday. I completely forgot to take any photos. However, we had the menu that included Tartlet of Slow-Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes (over feta) and this tomato tart was over-the-top!  I don’t eat tomatoes often, and this was SO bursting with flavor that I ate it all.  Ken could tell you I normally would never eat that much of a dish with tomatoes as the main ingredient. 

 

We then had Poached Shrimp and Persian Cucumber Salad, followed Braised Short Rib of Beef, finishing up with Strawberry Chantilly Napoleon.  All were excellent. 
 

I thought that Le Petit Chef would be a one-and-done for me.  Cute and fun, but for some reason I thought this meal wouldn’t compare to the other meals.  The manager of the dinner came around to thank each of us for attending, and she was touched when I told her this meal rivaled Luminae. Which it did.  We will attend Le Petit Chef again.

[barbeyg]

We ate in the Oceanview Cafe several times.  Ken does not like buffets, and we usually pass on the Windjammer on RCI, because there is nothing that stands out enough for him to eat the buffet.  Celebrity is definitely a step up with their buffet, and we grabbed several quick meals at Oceanview, including the pizza in the restaurant that is directly behind Oceanview, aft on the ship. This was the best pizza we have had at sea.  And the pizza restaurant is open when the buffet restaurant is not. 
 

One day, I grabbed a cake dessert that was infused with some kind of liquor, maybe rum? Anywho, this cake tasted like pure rum, so strong that I could not eat it. It was dripping with rum. 😂 I told Ken that whoever made it must have forgotten they had already poured rum over the cake, and poured more.  Ken liked it though, and finished it for me. 🤭 That was the only food item I tried onboard and couldn’t eat it.

 

Another day, there were some wonderful cakes out for lunch dessert.  We both enjoyed the carrot cake. 

 

 

[Luckynana]

Belated Birthday wishes to you, Barb!🥂

[barbeyg]

We saved Eden for our next to last night aboard.  We knew it would be a great dinner, when we were seated at the wake of the ship. 🙂 We love a wake view!

 

 

Our waiter was very entertaining, and asked us about our likes/dislikes.  I mentioned that I’m a Cajun girl, so enjoy food filled with flavor.  Cajun food is not necessarily spicy, though it can be. We just love to flavor our food, using all the spices at our disposal. 🙂  We both ordered the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake appetizer, and it was excellent.  I did take a small bite before remembering to take a pic, so excuse the smeared sauce at the top. And that glass apple you see at the top right is the Forbidden drink, which tastes like apple pie.  The shrimp you can barely see (which I forgot to take a pic of) is the Pan Roasted Carabinero Shrimp that the waiter brought us because I mentioned I’m Cajun.  It was outstanding as well.

 

 

[barbeyg]

7 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

Belated Birthday wishes to you, Barb!🥂

Aww, thank you!  ❤️ It was a great one! 

[barbeyg]

Ken ordered the Branzino in Crispy Bread, a great main course.  I opted for the Nova Scotia Lobster Casserole, which was everything I imagined it would be. 
 

 

[barbeyg]

And last, but certainly not least, were the desserts. Ken chose the Aztecs Chocolate Pie.  I requested the Lemon Meyer Tart.  Ken loved his dessert, and I still want another lemon tart!  It was the best dessert I had onboard, and that was a very high bar, let me tell you!

 

 

[barbeyg]

I will try to finish my last few posts tomorrow evening, and over the next couple of days, post all the daily Celebrity Today newsletters.  Have to prep for work tomorrow. 😭 

 

Have a great evening!

 

[ljk76]

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. 

[barbeyg]

16 minutes ago, ljk76 said:

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! 
 

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. 

Thanks. 🙂 There were still a few martinis left that I wanted to try as well. Guess I will have to try them the next time.

 

With RCI, for years it has more than satisfied what we are looking for in a vacation.  And the benefit of the loyalty program fit our lifestyle the best of any loyalty program.  When our son was younger, it fit the bill for family. He loved the kids program, and so did we. We had to ‘force’ him to check in with us daily when he was a teen. 🤣 

 

We love the look of the RCI ships (as we do Celebrity now), and how the ships are designed to disburse people so you don’t have to feel crowded.  We love the fun activities and shows.  The ice shows, the dive shows and the Broadway shows are our favorites.  RCI is tops for entertainment, and has lots of venues for live music.  I like that if I want to be adventurous, I can zip line, or do laser tag, or try a dry slide down multiple decks. 😂. We also love the private island CocoCay, and especially the upscale Beach Club.  I also am very partial to Central Park, and enjoying a drink in the evening there, while listening to a guitarist or pianist.  Such a beautiful place to hang out.
 

We chose Celebrity because now that we are almost Diamond+ with RCI, we are locked in with benefits there, so wanted to try this line that has been beckoning to us for a while now. 😁  We will be sailing both going forward. 
 

Have a great TA! Our first retirement cruise will be a TA.

 

Edited December 12, 2022 by barbeyg

[vacruizer]

Thank you! I was onboard last week as well for my first Celebrity sailing  and am enjoying your review! I had a great experience (except for a horrible noise issue in my room that left me sleep deprived)! but can’t wait to go back! I’ll not do a move up bid ever again, though!

[barbeyg]

1 hour ago, vacruizer said:

Thank you! I was onboard last week as well for my first Celebrity sailing  and am enjoying your review! I had a great experience (except for a horrible noise issue in my room that left me sleep deprived)! but can’t wait to go back! I’ll not do a move up bid ever again, though!

Wow, I’m really sorry to hear that. 😕  What a real shame.
 

We were on deck 10, and had no sound issues where we were located, right off the rear elevator area. Can you share where you were so others know?  

[Lastdance]

11 hours ago, barbeyg said:

We had some nice touches in our cabin, courtesy of our butler, Rajeev.  In our first day discussion with him, we asked him not to send afternoon snacks every day, that an occasional one of meats, cheeses and/or fruit would be nice, but not necessary.  He also knew my birthday was last week, and I told him I preferred a low-key birthday celebration. The second day, he left a vase with flowers in the cabin, and those were fresh to the last day! Took a pic the first and last days. He also decorated and left cake on my birthday. Very nice! 

 

 

 

Rajeev was our butler for our b2b/TA.  He always made me laugh, as we had him for 26 days.  We were on deck 10 on our first cruise, but changed to a SS on deck 11 for the TA.  He got permission to stay with us and we were so happy!  Happy belated Birthday!!!

Edited December 13, 2022 by Lastdance

[vacruizer]

23 minutes ago, barbeyg said:

Wow, I’m really sorry to hear that. 😕  What a real shame.
 

We were on deck 10, and had no sound issues where we were located, right off the rear elevator area. Can you share where you were so others know?  

I was deck 12, starboard side, just a few rooms from the aft. It was a concierge class infinite verandah and under the galley for the oceanview cafe. Loudest room I’ve ever had - the banging and thundering noises (carts rolling?) went on 24 hours a day. 
 

The rest of the experience was exceptional, though!  I found myself drawn to Eden much of the time. What a stunningly beautiful space made even better with plenty of seating, great bartenders, and music and entertainment at night. Don’t want to hijack your review.. but really enjoyed the ship, service, and food overall.  And the art..so much thought was put into not just decorations, but thought provoking works of art. 
 

Thank you again for the review!

[terrydtx]

5 hours ago, barbeyg said:

It was! I loved having asparagus with breakfast, and I must confess I ordered this same plate three different mornings. 😁

On the Reflection in August, we never did make it to Luminae for breakfast, we had our butler deliver breakfast to our balcony each morning. He would call our room about 5 minutes before delivery and it was hot and correct every morning, even the eggs benedick was hot, and the eggs were perfect on delivery. We ordered things not on the room service retreat menu and were accommodated. 

[Cruise a holic]

18 hours ago, barbeyg said:

A sampling of breakfast in the Retreat. Ken enjoyed the pancakes in the background each day with his meal.  I also tried an omelette one day. It was very good too.

 

Was this breakfast from luminae?  Didn't know the retreat serves breakfast?  Just though a limited menu lunch.

[PKB]

BarbeyG, saw your avatar says "Tennessee mountain home."   The photo looks amazingly familiar to where we live.  We could be neighbors!

[barbeyg]

2 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

Was this breakfast from luminae?  Didn't know the retreat serves breakfast?  Just though a limited menu lunch.

Yes, this is Luminae.  There is breakfast available every day in Luminae.  There is lunch available at sea days in Luminae, or a limited menu on the suite pool deck while in port.  🙂

[barbeyg]

2 hours ago, PKB said:

BarbeyG, saw your avatar says "Tennessee mountain home."   The photo looks amazingly familiar to where we live.  We could be neighbors!

We live in a little town called Maryville, outside the city limits, with an awesome view of the Chilhowee Mountain (Foothills Parkway).  Are we neighbors?  😀

[PKB]

40 minutes ago, barbeyg said:

We live in a little town called Maryville, outside the city limits, with an awesome view of the Chilhowee Mountain (Foothills Parkway).  Are we neighbors?  😀

Not next door neighbors but close!  We are in Johnson City.  I am very familiar with Maryville.

[barbeyg]

1 hour ago, PKB said:

Not next door neighbors but close!  We are in Johnson City.  I am very familiar with Maryville.

We fell in love with this town some 25 years ago.  When we relocated to TN 17 years ago, we decided to buy there.  We still love living here.  

 

And I am familiar with Johnson City too.  When we relocated to TN, we drove all over the place, and settled for the greater Knoxville area, so we could be close to the Smokies.  🙂

[txtechmk]

I'm enjoying reading your review.  We were on the Apex last summer and loved every minute!  We ate breakfast in the Luminae every morning except one.  I love being waited on and eating leisurely. I found the breakfasts to be outstanding.  I'm not a fan of the Oceanview Cafe and waiting in line for eggs and then trying to find a seat, but that's just me.  Celebrity and the Retreat has really spoiled me.......

[George C]

22 hours ago, barbeyg said:

We had dinner at Le Petit Chef for my birthday. I completely forgot to take any photos. However, we had the menu that included Tartlet of Slow-Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes (over feta) and this tomato tart was over-the-top!  I don’t eat tomatoes often, and this was SO bursting with flavor that I ate it all.  Ken could tell you I normally would never eat that much of a dish with tomatoes as the main ingredient. 

 

We then had Poached Shrimp and Persian Cucumber Salad, followed Braised Short Rib of Beef, finishing up with Strawberry Chantilly Napoleon.  All were excellent. 
 

I thought that Le Petit Chef would be a one-and-done for me.  Cute and fun, but for some reason I thought this meal wouldn’t compare to the other meals.  The manager of the dinner came around to thank each of us for attending, and she was touched when I told her this meal rivaled Luminae. Which it did.  We will attend Le Petit Chef again.

Great review, we want to sail Apex , did beyond 10 days ago in sky suite and Edge last year in Penthouse which was amazing. We are big fans of Le Petit Chef did it last 3 celebrity cruises. We were disappointed in Luminae on our cruise food and service  didn’t match our previous cruises but retreat area is great .