LIVE Apex Suite Review 2/25-3/4: Love in the Time of Relaxed Luxury

[abbydancer2003]

4 minutes ago, jelayne said:

Charla, did you mean drunk server or drink server?
 

I was wondering too ....

[LisaLeone]

1 hour ago, abbydancer said:

I was wondering too ....

From the sounds of it, a drunk server totally tracks!

[padgman1]

Very nice pictures, Charla !

 

Please tell us Jeremy applied some sunscreen  and didn’t become a spiny lobster !!!

[SFOflyguy]

Charla,

 

I am such a "fan boy" of yours!  My husband and I need to meet you and Jeremy on a Celebrity cruise sometime soon. I only wish my hubby would want to cruise as much as you...but I'm game to share a cabin with you anytime!

 

You should start your own travel website and become an influencer.  You've convinced me to book a Royal Suite on the Solstice out of LA this Saturday!  I'm a long-time ex Crystal Cruises addict, and looking forward to being spoiled in the Retreat.

 

Cheers!

[GenerationX]

20 hours ago, westcoastsue said:

Oh yeah! And the Perrier Jouet Fleur champagne.

This is the champagne Jeremy and I drank at our wedding reception. It holds a special place in my heart.

[GenerationX]

15 hours ago, jelayne said:

Charla, did you mean drunk server or drink server?
 

Oops! Yes, that was a typo. I can neither confirm nor deny the blood alcohol level of the server or its role in his weird behavior. 😂 

[GenerationX]

Oh sit right back and you’ll hear a tale of how the Retreat lounge saved my life this morning.  Explanation below, Jeremy and I were out partying till 1am last night and as a result slept in till 10am and woke up in the predicament of desperately craving sustenance when almost all the breakfast options were closing.  I had to go to the retreat lounge to make an appointment for future cruises and when I finished I saw there were still a few pieces of fruit out from the lounge breakfast spread left out (sharing the full retreat areas hours sheet from our cruise below in case anyone is interested). A server who was putting things away helped me get the fruit and when I thanked her and mentioned it was much needed because I slept through breakfast she said “oh ma’am please wait let me go to the back and get a few more things for you!” Before I could object she disappeared and returned with a plate of charcuterie and pastries.  Jeremy joined me for the late morning snack then we headed up to the pool deck where Tiago and Atish promptly delivered more cold water, chilled fruit skewers and mimosas. Bada bing, bada boom, GenX has been resurrected! 

 

We’ve reached the point in the cruise where I start to get a little sad.  

 

Granted we have two full days left, but we’ve left our last port and now it’s a slow roll (last night literally) back to reality.

 

Speaking of last night, due to said ship rolling and technical issues, the production show was cancelled last minute. There was a singing group performing instead but Jeremy wasn’t very interested, so we went and had a martini in the grand plaza then went to dinner a little early.  

 

We got to Luminae about 7:45 and it was busy, I’d say about 75% full, but no wait for a table.  We arrived the same time as a fun couple from Virginia that we hung out with in St. Thomas and the 4 of us decided to dine together.  

 

Our waiter came over quickly and reminded us of the items from the MDR “classics” menu that could be ordered in addition to the Luminae menu for the night.  He also gave good recommendations on which items on the menu for that night were the best.  (He told us that each night before dinner service the chefs have the waiters taste each of the appetizers and entrees and walk them through how the dishes are made, allergens, etc.)

 

The drink servers seemed to be running behind so our waiter took our drink order after they hadn’t made it to our table after a few minutes.  Poor guy did his best on the wine front, but had no clue.  Next time I’ll just use my patience skills and wait till Arnold is free to come over to assist with my wine selection.  Once Arnold did free up and come by he made a great recommendation for a cote du Rhône to go with my entree.

 

We for the most part followed our server’s recommendations and I started with the ginger crab cake and Jeremy started with the tuna carpaccio and seafood velute then we both had the lamb loin for entree. We also split an order of the black bass.

 

We were very happy with everything.  The sweet spicy thai peanut sauce on the crab cake gave it a unique twist.  I had a bite of Jeremy’s soup and the broth was excellent. You could tell someone put some love into making the seafood stock for that soup.  

 

My lamb was a bit past the medium rare that I’d ordered it, but seasoned well, and the sausage on the side was really good.

 

The sea bass didn’t have much flavor on its own, but was much better when dunked in a once again really flavorful broth poured in the bowl.  I could’ve eaten just a plate of the mushroom dumplings served on the side of the bass dunked in that broth.

 

For dessert we split the strawberry cheesecake on the MDR classics dessert menu and as soon as it arrived at the table, there was Arnold’s arm placing a tiny glass and pouring me my favorite after dinner 20 year port.  Our dinner company couple was more adventurous and split this cool looking Vacherin. 

 

After dinner the 4 of us went up to the pool party on the top deck, but it was a little too windy for us and turned into a lot too windy for us when the magic carpet, which had been acting as a wind break, moved up a deck.  Instead we went back down to the grand foyer where there was an equally popular Motown party with live band going on.  

 

While we listened to the music I got to check out Craft Social for the first time this cruise. I think someone had asked about the beer currently on tap. Pics are below.  I think the one turned to the side was Guinness. 

 

One of my favorite little activities on the E class ships is over the course of the cruise to make a point of ordering a Manhattan and a rye old fashioned at Eden and Craft Social (and on Beyond, also World Class Bar) and see which bar makes the one I like best.  

 

I’ll be trying an Eden old fashioned tonight and will go on Manhattan quest tomorrow and will report back on my winners.  

 

More back in time catch up posts coming soon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FRMPEI]

Hi Charla,

 

Always love following along with your live Trip Reports. Not sure if I could do a live report because I know how much time it takes me to do post cruise Trip Report. I do have a question for you regarding your recent check-in at terminal 25. On a YouTube video I noticed at the entrance to Terminal 25  separate que line set up with "arrive times" was this que line still there for your arrival and was there a line/que for "Retreat guests"?

 

On another note we have just become fans of the "Travelling Gamblers" on YouTube who are also on a your sailing in the retreat. If you see them in retreat or Cafe Bacio be sure to say Hello to Joyce and Jon.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[westcoastsue]

1 hour ago, GenerationX said:

This is the champagne Jeremy and I drank at our wedding reception. It holds a special place in my heart.

It is our favorite too but only for very special occasions. Have to “make do” with Lauren Perrier, Veuve or Taittingers!

[terrydtx]

Charla, loving your live from blog. We will be on the Apex in September and in a Sky suite. Last year on the Reflection I was able to get Macallan 12-year-old scotch and it was in the Premium drinks package. From the list of premium spirts this year I do not see this, can you ask if possible, to see if it is available on the Apex?  Thank you in advance.

 

Edited March 2, 2023 by terrydtx

[terrydtx]

23 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Charla, loving your live from blog. We will be on the Apex in September and in a Sky suite. Last year on the Reflection I was able to get Macallan 12-year-old scotch and it was in the Premium drinks package. From the list of premium spirts this year I do not see this, can you ask if possible, to see if it is available on the Apex?  Thank you in advance.

 

Charla, I should have added the Mccallan was available in Michaels club and my BIL and I finished it off the day before the cruise ended.

Edited March 2, 2023 by terrydtx

[GenerationX]

5 hours ago, westcoastsue said:

It is our favorite too but only for very special occasions. Have to “make do” with Lauren Perrier, Veuve or Taittingers!

Same! It has a special place in my heart but not a regular place in my budget!

[GenerationX]

4 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Charla, loving your live from blog. We will be on the Apex in September and in a Sky suite. Last year on the Reflection I was able to get Macallan 12-year-old scotch and it was in the Premium drinks package. From the list of premium spirts this year I do not see this, can you ask if possible, to see if it is available on the Apex?  Thank you in advance.

 

 

Thank you! Happy to help.  I want to say I’ve seen this bottle on the shelf in a couple of bars.  I’ll take a more focused look and report back on availability and whether it’s still included in premium.

[GenerationX]

Quick real time update from Apex:

 

My husband and I both had good afternoons in the casino and are celebrating our luck with sunset cocktails in Eden with live music from the fantastic Radio Duo out of Brazil. 

It was surprisingly easy to tempt Jeremy to try a sip of my cocktail…🍎🐍😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GenerationX]

6 hours ago, FRMPEI said:

Hi Charla,

 

Always love following along with your live Trip Reports. Not sure if I could do a live report because I know how much time it takes me to do post cruise Trip Report. I do have a question for you regarding your recent check-in at terminal 25. On a YouTube video I noticed at the entrance to Terminal 25  separate que line set up with "arrive times" was this que line still there for your arrival and was there a line/que for "Retreat guests"?

 

On another note we have just become fans of the "Travelling Gamblers" on YouTube who are also on a your sailing in the retreat. If you see them in retreat or Cafe Bacio be sure to say Hello to Joyce and Jon.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

Thank you!

 

I think they did still have the queues set up for arrival times, but there was a separate area to the far left with a sign for the Retreat check in. We booked this cruise late so our express pass had a 1:30 boarding time on it but we went up to the man at the Retreat sign and all he did was check that we were suite guests and we were escorted right inside even arriving before 11am.

[terrydtx]

4 hours ago, GenerationX said:

 

Thank you! Happy to help.  I want to say I’ve seen this bottle on the shelf in a couple of bars.  I’ll take a more focused look and report back on availability and whether it’s still included in premium.

Thank you my BIL who will be on the Apex cruise with us, and I like a Macallum in the Retreat lounge before dinner. He will be very happy if we can still get one.

[westcoastsue]

BTW Charla - I have been following your “Live from” posts for a while now, but this is the first timeI’ve chimed in! My husband Kit and I are doing B2B Pacific Coastals on the Solstice in April. It’s very convenient since we live an hour south of San Pedro. Anyway we are planning to sign up for the Veuve Cliquot pairing dinner due to your high recommendation of this event. So looking forward to it!

[GenerationX]

 

Ugh, we’ve come to the last full day of our cruise.  To give some idea of what kind of shape I’m in after silent disco and partying in the club till 3am, we’re sitting in our poolside cabana and my husband just informed me that I managed to snoring sleep through an entire loud, bumping music aqua Zumba class.

 

The main pool deck is packed and so is the pool, which is slightly cooler than bath water thanks to the sun and number of people. I’m glad I made our cabana reservations in the cruise planner in advance because they’ve been completely booked for every sea day.

 

Yesterday, after having sea day lunch at Luminae, Jeremy and I went to the premium wine tasting event.  I believe the cost was $90 per person and all the wines tasted were sold on the ship for $150 or more.  Cheese lovers that we are, we were really there for the cheese as much as the wine and there were some very good ones offered.  

 

The best part was as the event ended, there was still half a bottle of the Caymus left and one of the somms came by and poured Jeremy and I a glass for the the road.

 

After the tasting we hit the casino where the card table was friendly to Jeremy and the dancing drums penny slots were very friendly to me.

 

After cocktails in Eden we went up to dress (and I put on my new favorite accessory) for chic night dinner in Luminae.  We got there about 8pm and it was completely full. We had about a 15 minute wait for a table.  Once we got seated the wait was totally worth it. I think this may have been our best overall meal of the cruise so far.  

 

The kale soup and ceasar salad were on point. Jeremy and I were both torn between having the scallops and the lobster so we each ordered a plate of both. The lobster tail was just the right size for me considering we were eating two other courses and I found myself swirling everything on the plate in the champagne sauce. The scallops were a little on the small side but cooked perfectly and delicious.

 

Even Jeremy who had proclaimed himself too full for dessert couldn’t resist several bites of the baked Alaska.

 

We wanted to celebrate finally coming to agreement on a cruise to celebrate Jeremy’s 40th birthday this fall, so Arnold brought us a bottle of the champagne we had during the premium tasting. We got a 20% discount on the bottle as part of the premium beverage package.  I’m gasping myself as I say this but I think I like it even better than veuve.

 

After dinner we changed into more party friendly attire and hit a packed grand foyer dance floor for silent disco then headed to the club till the DJ shut us down.  

 

When we got back to the room, my tequila soaked husband looked at the coffee table, groaned and said “call Albert and tell him to come take this [bleep] out of our room!”  I guess he’s enjoyed his cruise.

 

It was one of those nights of cruising where everything was just perfect and you fall asleep feeling happy and blessed just to have each other and have the life you do.

 

Our agenda for the rest of the day:

 

-More rehydrating before lunch at Rooftop Grille

 

-Come back to the cabana to spend the afternoon enjoying our included bottle of champagne

 

-Head to the room to start making up tip envelopes and thank you notes for the folks who’ve gone above and beyond for us this week.

 

-Tea Time meeting in the lounge with future cruises (See? I told you guys MSC hasn’t convinced me to completely break up with Celebrity…yet.)

 

-Happy Hour on our veranda before packing and one last dinner in Luminae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[George C]

23 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Charla, loving your live from blog. We will be on the Apex in September and in a Sky suite. Last year on the Reflection I was able to get Macallan 12-year-old scotch and it was in the Premium drinks package. From the list of premium spirts this year I do not see this, can you ask if possible, to see if it is available on the Apex?  Thank you in advance.

 

We love the upper suite perks you get two liters of your choice for suite , we still have the 12 year Macallan in our liquor cabinet from previous cruise.

[bunnyette]

Great review but don’t forget to tell us about your day in St Thomas…

[cruise47]

You guys hit a Grand Slam Home Run with your review. 

[terrydtx]

46 minutes ago, George C said:

We love the upper suite perks you get two liters of your choice for suite , we still have the 12 year Macallan in our liquor cabinet from previous cruise.

The retreat lounge seems to find ways to get the liquors passengers ask for, so I hope they can find a bottle of Macallan for us in Sept. Last Year the Michaels club lounge on the Reflection found a bottle of Antica Vermouth for us to make the best Manhattans.

Edited March 3, 2023 by terrydtx

[George C]

45 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

The retreat lounge seems to find ways to get the liquors passengers ask for, so I hope they can find a bottle of Macallan for us in Sept. Last Year the Michaels club lounge on the Reflection found a bottle of Antica Vermouth for us to make the best Manhattans.

Agree they didn’t have Hennessy cognac on beyond they had no problems getting that , we have requested a few things they are very accommodating. We sail in 13 days haven’t made up my mind yet what two bottles we wanted for our suite, normally a 12 year old scotch and Bombay sapphire gin.

[sdnich]

I am curious with you having access to the retreat deck why you would rent a Cabana ? We have rented one for our edge cruise in a couple weeks but we don’t have a  beverage package so we’re doing it for the bottle of vodka and the beers and waters .But also to have a nice place to sit without having to deal with the chairhogs! 
Would you rent one again on another cruise? And I know they are different ships but I’m curious how many split cabanas they had I know on the edge there’s only six cabanas. ??

I am very sorry that your cruise is coming to an end. But it looks like you’ve had an amazing time 🛳🥂

Edited March 3, 2023 by sdnich

[LouChamp]

Aloha. Glad you are enjoying your voyage. Thank you for sharing the food pictures. Macallan is my favorite at home and in every restaurant we dine.

Enjoy!