Apex or Reflection ship for Caribbean Cruise?

[Ex-Airbalancer]

2 hours ago, debhaz22 said:

I'm sorry...but what is S and E-class ships?

This link shows the different class of ships 

https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/Flyers/12030112_CEL_FleetGuide.pdf

[terrydtx]

31 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Just one person's opinion, but I think the Infinity Balcony concept is among the stupidest marine design we have seen in over 50 years of extensive cruising.  Unless we were cruising in an E-Class  suite that had a real balcony, we would opt for one of S-Class ships in a cabin that had a real balcony,  

 

Hank

Hank, you are not the only one who thinks the same, hundreds of CC members and myself agree with you. If was not sailing in Suites or aft facing verandahs, I would not be on an E Class ship. If IVs were such a great idea, we would see the concept copied on other cruise lines by now.

Edited February 14, 2023 by terrydtx

[Crazy planning mom]

The Apex has traditional Balconies in the back of the ship called Sunset Verandas.  They also have covered balconies called Porthole Balconies.  Otherwise, the non-suite balconies are the Infinite Verandas which people have described in this thread and are not traditional balconies.

[bikerunner]

3 hours ago, debhaz22 said:

the Apex has balcony cabins right?  (not familiar with this at all!  lol)

I would look at youtube reviews and walkarounds on the ships.  They are very different but like said both great.  As much as ports are important the ship also makes a difference in the total experience overall.  I enjoy both overall because of service and many other things.  S class use to be my favorite but now about even with the E class ships.  Im good with the infinite verandahs with them adding extra space in the room and give me my solitude away from the general ship when I need it.  Also the more modern feel is great in them  The S class are definitely more traditional.  Great layout on how the ship is laid out overall.  I look more to itinerary now since I know i would just enjoy the cruise with Celebrity.  

[kearney]

If you really like to enjoy the art on a ship... the E class is the way to go. But we prefer the S class. There seem to be more places to enjoy a drink and different live music. S class has the Martini bar in the atrium and the Passport bar..tucked a bit back on a lower deck in the atrium (louder music and sometimes dancing). Ensemble lounge on 5 is quite with usually a trio.. near the specialty restaurants. The world Class Bar... a bit further away from the atrium and the Sky Lounge in the bow with large windows with a view out front (Edge has no forward view like this)...and the Sunset bar on the top deck aft. Edge main indoor bar is the Martini bar... which is in the atrium. What I don't like on Edge is that the atrium has a mall feel...with the specialty restaurants opening to the atrium and the loud music... not the nice quiet feel of the various specialty restaurants on S class (except Sushi on 5..which is on the atrium). Eden is nice to visit..but seats were so uncomfortable that we spent little time there... and while you have no view out the front of E class.. Eden does have a nice view out back with three story bank of windows. the hallways in the public areas and elevators on E class are better if you have a scooter.. but if your cabin is forward and you want to head to the Martini bar.. you either need to change elevators on 4 or drive down the passenger cabin to get to the aft elevators. I liked the 4 dining room options on Edge, but DH didn't care for it... because we had a different wait staff each time. DH did not like the IV cabin... since he likes to sit outside... I always burn so actually liked the IV. I would sail Edge again...but not at a premium to S class. Another thing about S class... if you want a quiet place to read... someplace outside your cabin..there are lots of places... from the library, card room... to Sky Lounge in the afternoon (except perhaps during trivia). E Class ships are worth trying but if you are just going to do one to try Celebrity.. I would go with S class. One more thing... if you want to purchase a Tiffany or Cartier product... E class is the way to go.. BUT be warned.. prices..at least for Cartier are the same as in the US...and when you arrive back in US port... the crew will likely take you to customs so that you can pay duty on your ship board purchase... so if you think you will save a lot... I think the duty limit is about $800. So keep that in mind.

[Lastdance]

Do your homework and choose the best fit for you.  I find benefits with both ships, but if that is a tie, book for the itinerary.  If you want a more glitzy ship, book Apex.  Just make sure that you have watched the videos ad understand the differences in balconies onboard each ship.  Go with your gut feeling!  

Please return and share!

[MISTER 67]

4 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

E class ships = Edge class which includes Edge (oldest), Apex, Beyond, and Ascent (Dec 2023). There is a fifth unnamed ship still to be built. 

 

S class ships = Solstice class which include Solstice (oldest), Equinox, Eclipse, Silhouette, and Reflection (youngest).

 

To complete the discussion, there are the older M class ships (Millennium class) which includes Millennium (oldest), Infinity, Summit, and Constellation (youngest).  First ships to have specialty restaurants (the original ones were beautiful). They are all still in service. 

 

Gone but not forgotten are the beautiful C class ships (Century class) which include Century (oldest), Galaxy, and Mercury (youngest). 

 

And finally there is Horizon and Zenith which were the first two ships built by Celebrity in the early 90's. No balconies on those ships back then.

Don't forget the Meridian which IIRC was Celebrity's first ship built originally as the Galileo Galilei for the Lloyd Trestino line. Never sailed on her but did sail on her sister ship, the Marconi when she was the Costa Riviera, still one of our favorite cruise ships. Wanted so badly to sail on the Meridian but the schedule never worked out for us.

Edited February 14, 2023 by MISTER 67

[George C]

1 hour ago, MISTER 67 said:

Don't forget the Meridian which IIRC was Celebrity's first ship built originally as the Galileo Galilei for the Lloyd Trestino line. Never sailed on her but did sail on her sister ship, the Marconi when she was the Costa Riviera, still one of our favorite cruise ships. Wanted so badly to sail on the Meridian but the schedule never worked out for us.

I sailed her when she was the Marconi in 1979 when it was a Italian line and also I believe 1987 when she was Costa , never knew it became a celebrity ship . Both cruises were in my single days.

[phoenix_dream]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Just one person's opinion, but I think the Infinity Balcony concept is among the stupidest marine design we have seen in over 50 years of extensive cruising.  Unless we were cruising in an E-Class  suite that had a real balcony, we would opt for one of S-Class ships in a cabin that had a real balcony,  

 

Hank

100% agree. Much prefer S or M class especially if not in a suite. Apex is beautiful but not nearly as comfortable in so many ways. Also, as an older cruiser I prefer the older demographic I see on S or M class versus E class. On Apex now. Paid a fortune for a Sky Suite only to have a couple toddlers in the cabin next to us whose parents treat their balcony as a playground.  Not unique to E class but truthfully less likely on S and M, especially longer cruises. 

Edited February 14, 2023 by phoenix_dream

[mahdnc]

1 hour ago, MISTER 67 said:

Don't forget the Meridian which IIRC was Celebrity's first ship built originally as the Galileo Galilei for the Lloyd Trestino line. Never sailed on her but did sail on her sister ship, the Marconi when she was the Costa Riviera, still one of our favorite cruise ships. Wanted so badly to sail on the Meridian but the schedule never worked out for us.

 

Yeah, I left that off the list because she wasn't built for Celebrity.  However she does have the distinction of being Celebrity's first ship.  I think there were skylights for a couple of cabins or suites which is interesting.  I never sailed on her nor did I ever actually see Meridian.

[MISTER 67]

1 hour ago, George C said:

I sailed her when she was the Marconi in 1979 when it was a Italian line and also I believe 1987 when she was Costa , never knew it became a celebrity ship . Both cruises were in my single days.

The Marconi became the Costa Riviera, the Galilei became the Celebrity Meridian.

[SRQbeachgirl]

13 hours ago, debhaz22 said:

We're hoping to get some opinions/advice on whether to choose the 8 night Caribbean cruise on the Reflection or the 7 night on Apex?  Anyone??  THANKS!

 

We have that 8-day itinerary on Reflection booked, specifically because of Tortola. Been wanting to go there forever. We also returned recently from a 7-day Eastern Caribbean on the Reflection and fell in love with the ship. Can't wait to sail on her again.  

[LaCal]

What slots have you liked the best?

[Pickels]

23 hours ago, Texed said:

S Class:

Solstice, Eclipse, Equinox, and Reflection

 

E Class:

Edge, Apex,Beyond, and soon Ascent 

 

Oops, I was a little late.  😄

Silhouette also in the S class. [Sister ship of the Equinox].

[Texed]

8 minutes ago, Pickels said:

Silhouette also in the S class. [Sister ship of the Equinox].

You are correct.  I can't believe I left off Silhouette.  Thanks for the correction.  😊

[terrydtx]

12 hours ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

We have that 8-day itinerary on Reflection booked, specifically because of Tortola. Been wanting to go there forever. We also returned recently from a 7-day Eastern Caribbean on the Reflection and fell in love with the ship. Can't wait to sail on her again.  

I would choose Tortola if on the itinerary. In 2018 we did a 10 day private catamaran cruise with 3 couples and loved the BVI. BVI is probably our favorite place to visit in the Caribbean.

 

Last year we did a whole family vacation to St Thomas and stayed on the beach in beautiful condos. Love the USVI and BVI you can do luxury land trips there for 1/3 the cost of Hawaii.

[Cruise a holic]

Both are great choices.  We have sailed many times on all of the S class ships.  Reflection and Silhouette our favorites.  Depends on your budget .  The Apex is also a great ship!  Sailed on her in Dec/Jan and will again in March.  A different experience.  Better suite perks on the E class ships.  But we really enjoy the S class ships.

 

You cannot go wrong- look at the itinerary and cost.  Enjoy your cruise.

[Pickels]

1 hour ago, Texed said:

You are correct.  I can't believe I left off Silhouette.  Thanks for the correction.  😊

Sailed on both, two great ships!

[montythecat]

Tortola is an excellent reason for choosing Reflection. There are,

however, other good reasons for choosing an S class ship, namely

no infinity balconies, a forward facing lounge and generally more

views out to sea from the bars and lounges within the ship. I

wasn’t particularly keen on the pool area when we were on Apex.

[denuzzo]

On 2/14/2023 at 9:10 AM, SlightDraw said:

We were on Reflection two weeks ago. Very nice ship. Very clean, food was great. One of our best cruises.

lawn club grill!!

Would you happen to know who the casino host is on Reflection?

[crusinthrough]

I asked the same question not long ago.  My choices were AQ on Apex or suite on Reflection for the same price.  I chose the Reflection and glad I did.  I was a bit worried after being on the Edge and Beyond but I can honestly say I preferred the Reflection.  The rooms were a bit dated and less technology around the ship but overall I liked the Reflection better and would make the same choice again.  It was the vibe of the ship, the flow of the ship and overall design.  As other mentioned, the Reflection has a real balcony and the Apex has an IV.  There are mixed opinions on these.  I didnt't hate nor like the IV.  It did make the room feel bigger but in no way did it feel like I was ever sitting on a balcony even with the window all the way down.  Of course, these are subjective opinions. 

 

If you are in a suite, Micheal's Club with a bar and seating is better than the Retreat lounge but the Retreat has its own pool, which is not on the Reflection. You cannot go wrong on either.

 

Unrelated question - I could not figure out how to use my phone to control the lights and tv on the Beyond.  Did Celebrity not include this feature to keep the costs down? 

[Texed]

4 hours ago, crusinthrough said:

If you are in a suite, Micheal's Club with a bar and seating is better than the Retreat lounge but the Retreat has its own pool, which is not on the Reflection. You cannot go wrong on either.

And, the bar tender Cranston is a hoot.  😁

[TeeRick]

On 2/14/2023 at 7:34 AM, debhaz22 said:

We're hoping to get some opinions/advice on whether to choose the 8 night Caribbean cruise on the Reflection or the 7 night on Apex?  Anyone??  THANKS!

In general I personally would choose an S-Class ship (like Reflection) over an E-Class ship (like APEX).  To some extent it would be an itinerary driven choice.  You did not mention the type of cabin you are considering.  If in a suite, APEX has a nicer Retreat area to consider and both ships have Luminae for dining.  If in Aqua then both ships have Blu for dining.  If in a balcony cabin, Reflection has traditional balconies. APEX has the Infinite Veranda (non-traditional) so you need to do your homework a bit on these.  Many do not like them, others do.

[Team Stag]

In 2021, we sailed on the Edge and then the Reflection.  At the time, the Edge was newest ship available and Reflection was on like it's 3rd cruise (coming back online).  The Edge being new was beautiful and fantastic.  The Reflection (which we had been on before) was in great shape and the only minor complaint I could come up with was a small mechanic knocking while under full speed (none of the rest of the party noticed it & nobody online has since said anything about it - so I'm assuming it was resolved or settled).

 

We enjoyed the Reflection so much our cruise for 2022 was on the Equinox (a sister ship to the Reflection - aka S-Class) but also ended up returning to the Apex late 22 for a family trip.  Personally, if I was booking a suite, I would go with the Apex.  If I was not booking a suite on the Apex, I would go with the Reflection.  I enjoy the smaller bars that the Reflection has vs the giant ones on the Apex.  Also, Tortola was a great port to visit.  Really enjoyed our stop there last year.

Edited February 16, 2023 by Team Stag

[DCPIV]

3 hours ago, Texed said:

And, the bar tender Cranston is a hoot.  😁

 

Cranston is the man!