Live on the Apex March 18-25, 2023

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, Zoe506 said:

 

Are you talking about Anne Martinez from Vegas?? She was incredible! Best performance the entire week in our opinion.

 

Also, she made up for the terrible comedian from the night before. 🙂

🤮 yes. All the other shows in the theater were good to excellent, in our opinion.

[Jim_Iain]

Can't believe your cruise is already over.    Seems like you just boarded.   Thanks for the great Live post.   

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Can't believe your cruise is already over.    Seems like you just boarded.   Thanks for the great Live post.   

You think the cruise went fast...

[garyl62]

 

Thanks to everyone for following along, asking questions and providing encouragement along the way.  This was my first attempt at a live thread and while I wanted to provide a direct connection to my trip, I also didn't want to become linked to my computer and not spend time relaxing.  Hopefully I came up with a happy middle ground.  I know I felt it was easy to keep up with some daily information yet still didn't feel like I "needed" to get back to post something.  I've posted most experiences along the way so this will really just be a recap and I'll skip reposting photos so if anyone is jumping in now take some time and review the previous pages for some additional details.

 

DW and I have sailed M & S class ships, but never an Edge class so we were looking forward to seeing everything the Apex had to offer.  We usually sail in suites, but have also sailed in standard balcony’s so we set out wanting to explore the entire ship as we’re not sure we’ll continue in the Retreat with the constant price increases Celebrity is putting forward.  We selected a Celebrity Suite for this trip and vacillated back and forth about placing a move-up or even just upgrading in the final few weeks before our sailing but decided to stay with our original booking as we felt the balcony of the CS suits our tastes very well.  We enjoy being on the balcony and having a space large enough for a dining table as well as some type of lounge chairs to relax in and we felt the RS and EV would not give us that space.

 

Embarkation was a breeze.  We had an 11:00 check-in, arrived at 10:55, could have boarded by 11:05, but I wanted to enjoy a Diet Coke and almond croissant in the terminal before walking onboard so it was about 11:15 before we boarded.  We went to our cabin, dropped our bags (room wasn’t completely ready) and then headed to explore.  Only thing we missed was the new normal of no welcome champagne and no escort to our cabin, but that was only due to it being our first time on this class ship, and probably because we were not in a RS or higher.  Not a big deal.  The remainder of the day we had lunch in Luminae, explored the ship, relaxed in the Retreat Lounge and our luggage had arrived by 3:00 so we unpacked rested for a bit. 

Rather than going into detail about the ports and sea day activities I’ll let the previous posts speak to those and just say it was a great week.  Weather could have been a little better, seas a little smoother, but the things that Celebrity controls were about as good as we’ve ever had.  Our highlights of the week were our cabin, the Retreat Lounge staff, and the specialty dining.  That’s not to say Liam our butler, James our cabin attendant or Yusma our waiter in Luminae were not fabulous, but we were exceptionally pleased with those first three things.

 

Our cabin was better than we had even hoped for.  The seating was spacious, and the balcony was exactly what we wanted.  A table to eat at, and some chairs to lounge in, yet enough room to still walk around and not feel anything was squeezed in place.  The bedroom was typical, but the bathroom really added to the suite.  With two entry points, separate vanities and a nice rainfall shower with plenty of room to move around in it, we commented several times during the week how we were so happy we selected this cabin.  Now if Celebrity doesn’t price it out of our reach it will be great!  Next year’s price is currently 46% higher than what we paid for the exact same ship and itinerary this year.  This was the first time in six years we did not book a future cruise for March of the following year and that decision was directly a result of the price increase.

The staff in the Retreat Lounge were fantastic!  Typically we don’t ask much of a Retreat Host/Concierge unless we need a reservation changed or some help with OBC.  This week was completely different.  While we had things we needed to resolve (canceled excursions, Dinner on The Edge reservation conflicting with sold out Eden and a few other details) we felt we just spent more time talking and getting to know these three more than we’ve ever done before.  Carollyne, Elena and Jat were almost like daughters by the time we left.  I think all of us had moist eyes when we said goodbye.  Complementing them was Patrick at the bar.  Within 10 minutes on day one he was already our best friend and was telling us how he would take care of us all week.  The thing was, he backed up those words and was always cheerful and going out of his way to ask what he could bring us even if it was just a coffee from the machine, or water from the self server cooler.  This team of 4 would make me select a future cruise just to be onboard with them again!

 

Finally the specialty dining was equal to any we’ve had before, but put together it was the best we’ve ever had on one ship.  We had Fine Cut twice, Raw on Five, Le Grand Bistro, and Eden Restaurant.  Unfortunately Dinner on The Edge was postponed and then canceled as I’ve written about before.  We reserved all these prior to sailing, but with the Edge dinner just a place holder before sailing we needed to move some things around and then again after the it was postponed once.  Every time we were accommodated and got a table even though things were typically “sold out”.  While many rave (rightfully so) about Eden we felt Fine Cut was equal in quality.  Our waiter in FC was probably the best we’ve ever had on a Celebrity ship.  I didn’t include this before, but our waiter was Mushy, when Dinner on The Edge was canceled he left a message in our cabin and said he had just heard that the venue was canceled and if we wanted to come back to FC and dine with him he would arrange for us to get a table and would provide us with a memorable dinner in place of the Edge.  We opted for Luminae, but I’ve never had such service and attention from a waiter!  Every meal we had was spot on, items were cooked perfect, always offered anything we wanted to complement the standard serving and we always left appreciating the service the staff had provided.

 

While I said we started the trip with the intentions of exploring everything onboard we did not follow though on spending as much time in Oceanview or any of the four MDR’s as we planned.  Nor did we sit by the pool to get a feel for that space.  I will say we want to return to the Edge class, I’m still not sure we’ll be happy with an IV, but I’m sure an Aft/Sunset veranda will be great and with all the restaurant options available I’m sure we will have another cruise to remember.  That’s not so say we won’t keep looking at something in the Retreat, but for now our memories of this trip will need to carry us through for a while.

 

[NjoyCruises]

Thanks @garyl62 for your postings we enjoyed your pictures and thoughts. You are getting us pumped.  We are going on the Apex next winter for a B2B.  

[scrapcreator]

Thank you for taking the time to share your photos and your experiences. We can’t wait to be onboard.

[Pantheral]

Thanks for all you efforts in this review! I've never had the fortitude to try a Live review but you have provided a template that I might be able to execute on our Alaska cruise in June!

[garyl62]

4 hours ago, Pantheral said:

Thanks for all you efforts in this review! I've never had the fortitude to try a Live review but you have provided a template that I might be able to execute on our Alaska cruise in June!

Thanks!  I hope you do something while in Alaska.  We are taking a southbound Seward to Vancouver in late July with a land tour before.  If I can manage my time well I may try to do one again, but it would be interesting to follow along with you before then.  I don't recall seeing as many Live From threads on AK trips.

[Jim_Iain]

Gary -  I have a question for you as will be taking the same cruise on April 15. 

 

I was putting together a timezone chart for the kids and noticed that Belize, Cozumel and Grand Caymen don't recognize Daylight savings time -   Looks like Belize is 2 Hours ahead of Florida.  

 

Do they do the timezone changes the night out of Key West and the night before arrival into Belize?

[Zoe506]

15 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Gary -  I have a question for you as will be taking the same cruise on April 15. 

 

I was putting together a timezone chart for the kids and noticed that Belize, Cozumel and Grand Caymen don't recognize Daylight savings time -   Looks like Belize is 2 Hours ahead of Florida.  

 

Do they do the timezone changes the night out of Key West and the night before arrival into Belize?

They changed the time zone the night out of key West and the night before arrival to Ft Lauderdale. 
 

Ship time and local time did NOT match in Belize. 

[Cap_D]

1 hour ago, Zoe506 said:

They changed the time zone the night out of key West and the night before arrival to Ft Lauderdale. 
 

Ship time and local time did NOT match in Belize. 

Can confirm from somewhere on the way to Grand Cayman (where tendering doesnt begin until 10 am shiptime).  It was explained at some point that one time zone change was to avoid multiple shifts during the cruise.  Retreat staff have been accommodating, as have the Luminae team.  

 

@Jim_Iain, from what I gather from your always helpful posts, you both may enjoy meeting and reminiscing with Arturo in Luminae who has been with the company 22 years on many of the other classes of ships.  He is a pro.  You'll likely also see Summit while in Cozumel. Cruise Director is Britany from Canada (great voice and personality).  Also, they had Dinner on the Edge on Tueaday night out of Belize.  We observed it was very windy on the MG, and hair was windswept.  Eden is beyond worth it.  We also had a sea day lunch at Luminae and Eden Cafe, and each were great and worth the effort to get to both. 

Edited April 6, 2023 by Cap_D

[Jim_Iain]

12 hours ago, Zoe506 said:

They changed the time zone the night out of key West and the night before arrival to Ft Lauderdale. 
 

Ship time and local time did NOT match in Belize. 

Thanks much .    I didn't realize they stay on ship time.  make sense.

[Jim_Iain]

11 hours ago, Cap_D said:

Can confirm from somewhere on the way to Grand Cayman (where tendering doesnt begin until 10 am shiptime).  It was explained at some point that one time zone change was to avoid multiple shifts during the cruise.  Retreat staff have been accommodating, as have the Luminae team.  

 

@Jim_Iain, from what I gather from your always helpful posts, you both may enjoy meeting and reminiscing with Arturo in Luminae who has been with the company 22 years on many of the other classes of ships.  He is a pro.  You'll likely also see Summit while in Cozumel. Cruise Director is Britany from Canada (great voice and personality).  Also, they had Dinner on the Edge on Tueaday night out of Belize.  We observed it was very windy on the MG, and hair was windswept.  Eden is beyond worth it.  We also had a sea day lunch at Luminae and Eden Cafe, and each were great and worth the effort to get to both. 

Thanks -    I did make a reservation for Eden on the night out of Key West.  

 

Look forward to meeting the staff all the names are new to me.

[Cap_D]

@Jim_Iain At Eden - Ask Parvash (Maitre D) for a seat near the rear windows unless you want a kitchen view (those are the two options).  All the waiters seemed top notch, but we had Chet who had an inner energy that added to the food experience.  Sommelier was stellar too.  Chef was exacting.  Can't imagine a better use of OBC, even if its on a second visit to have them make you a filet, other than winning at the casino.  

 

The Maitre D, hostess, and Dennis (som) in Luminae are terrific and I think you'll find them helpful for guidance on the rest of the restaurants and menus.  Can't recall if you have a favorite table at Luminae, but the tables in section 1 behind the host stand are a bit quieter than the rest of the dining room where the service area runs the length of the venue. 

 

Grand Cayman - 10 minute tender ride, and last return tender leaves 4:30 shiptime, and line was about 20 minutes to fill a tender around 4 pm.  Well tented and plenty of Celebrity crew to assist.  There were plenty of tenders, so wait is purely the time needed for people to board.  Sandbar next to port is a nice place to get a drink and watch the ships and tenders.  Friendly owner and bartenders.  Can/vans will fill to capacity unless you buy out the seats.  $6 to public beach, no issue getting a return seat.  

 

 

Edited April 7, 2023 by Cap_D

[davekathy]

The CC was doing priority tendering for Elite and above at Belize and Grand Cayman. 

[Jim_Iain]

10 hours ago, Cap_D said:

@Jim_Iain At Eden - Ask Parvash (Maitre D) for a seat near the rear windows unless you want a kitchen view (those are the two options).  All the waiters seemed top notch, but we had Chet who had an inner energy that added to the food experience.  Sommelier was stellar too.  Chef was exacting.  Can't imagine a better use of OBC, even if its on a second visit to have them make you a filet, other than winning at the casino.  

 

The Maitre D, hostess, and Dennis (som) in Luminae are terrific and I think you'll find them helpful for guidance on the rest of the restaurants and menus.  Can't recall if you have a favorite table at Luminae, but the tables in section 1 behind the host stand are a bit quieter than the rest of the dining room where the service area runs the length of the venue. 

 

Grand Cayman - 10 minute tender ride, and last return tender leaves 4:30 shiptime, and line was about 20 minutes to fill a tender around 4 pm.  Well tented and plenty of Celebrity crew to assist.  There were plenty of tenders, so wait is purely the time needed for people to board.  Sandbar next to port is a nice place to get a drink and watch the ships and tenders.  Friendly owner and bartenders.  Can/vans will fill to capacity unless you buy out the seats.  $6 to public beach, no issue getting a return seat.  

 

 

Definitely will visit a couple times.   Out third cruise to British Isles we will celebrate both Iain's Birthday and My BIL's.    I have reservations for the BIL's but haven't booked for Iain's Birthday yet.