Celebrity Apex to the Caribbean 2023 - mainly photos for anyone interested

[mason525]

Thanks- your pictures and commentary are wonderful and helpful! Not sailing until February but anticipation is everything.

[CunucuMom]

20 hours ago, Dreamer68 said:

Hope you enjoyed the food porn. 🤣

 

 

Yesssssss!  Absolutely enjoying the food porn as well as the beautiful non-food photos and your narrative.  Thank you for taking the time to share.  Best wishes for a Happy Anniversary and many more years of shared joy. ❤️ 

[Dreamer68]

On 7/19/2023 at 5:36 PM, hcat said:

We also enjoyed the live  plants on these ships.. One of the caretakers on EDGE gave me  short tour..very interesting!

What a nice caretaker! I felt that way of the crew member who paused to tell me about the Art book. To balance all the calories in, I did my best to use the stairs. A dear friend loves art so I did my best to record all the art I saw on the ship for her. The crew member was just going about his business striding down the stairs when he saw me take my photo and then linger at the information plate about the art piece so he told me about the Art book and how it was at the Retreat library and that Guest Relations might have limited guest passes for non-suite guests to get to see the book. When I mentioned it to Guest Relations, the crew member there just about scoffed at me...a mix of a hrumph and a huff, wrinkled her brows together and said somewhat sternly, "We don't give out guest passes. There is no such book". Yeesh...so I wasn't dripping in platinum and diamonds, no need to be so dismissive, eh? Anyway, a couple of days later, CD Shawna mentioned the Art book and actually offered it as a prize for her daily activity. Take THAT, Guest Relations officer! Muahahaha! Sadly, I did not catch the name of the crew member who thoughtfully told me about the Art book. I assume yours is proudly displayed at home now. 🙂

[Dreamer68]

3 hours ago, debfed65 said:

Hello and thank you for sharing all this pictures...you have a great eye for sure!  

 

Could you please send a picture of the Sunset Bar and that area of the ship?  I know they are a bit different between Edge, Apex, Beyond and the new Ascent. 

 

We have been on the Beyond and are doing at TransPacific on the Edge this coming April.

 

L❤️VE the Edge Class ships! 

 

Thanking you in advance 

 

 

Hi there fellow Canadian!
Sadly, this is the only photo I have of the Sunset Bar. There were too many people for me when I was there to take a photo without my looking rude or intrusive. Sorry! The Sunset Bar is right behind/ beside the Rooftop Garden. That whole area is just lovely. You can however see more photos if you Google Apex Sunset Bar. There is a website where people share photos of their cruises that sounds a bit like "deck" and "plans". 🙂 How awesome that you are doing the TransPacific on the Edge. I hope you share a review then. Is that the 18-day one from Sydney to Hawaii with stops in Bora Bora and French Polynesia? I'm looking at that one for 2026 for DH's milestone birthday. That would be such an excellent itinerary to enjoy these spectacular Edge-class ships!

[debfed65]

2 minutes ago, Dreamer68 said:

Hi there fellow Canadian!
Sadly, this is the only photo I have of the Sunset Bar. There were too many people for me when I was there to take a photo without my looking rude or intrusive. Sorry! The Sunset Bar is right behind/ beside the Rooftop Garden. That whole area is just lovely. You can however see more photos if you Google Apex Sunset Bar. There is a website where people share photos of their cruises that sounds a bit like "deck" and "plans". 🙂 How awesome that you are doing the TransPacific on the Edge. I hope you share a review then. Is that the 18-day one from Sydney to Hawaii with stops in Bora Bora and French Polynesia? I'm looking at that one for 2026 for DH's milestone birthday. That would be such an excellent itinerary to enjoy these spectacular Edge-class ships!

Thanks for the pic.  The sunset bar is one of our favourite places on the ship so I was just curious to see your photo.  No big deal, I can certainly google it.  

 

And yes, the transpacific starts in Sydney with 2 stops in New Zealand, 3 ports of call in French Polynesia and ends with a stop in Maui, and ending in Honolulu.  We are booked on it this coming April 2024. Lots of days at sea in between to enjoy the beautiful ship!

 

We recently did the transatlantic on the Beyond and it was spectacular so I am very excited to do the Pacific.  Our agent said there is something quite magical about crossing the Pacific Ocean so we can't wait!  

 

I have pictures of the Beyond Sunset Bar...if you would like to see them I can put them on this thread.  If not, no worries. 

 

Happy Cruising and thank you for your awesome pictures and commentary !!!

[Dreamer68]

12 hours ago, Silkroad said:

I’m enjoying your review very much. We sailed the same itinerary aboard Apex in early December 2022, and we board her again at the end of this month. It’s lovely to revisit some of our favorite areas through your photos and observations.

Ooh, the Apex twice in one year! How lucky!! What were your favourite memories onboard? I am fascinated with how diverse yet alike people are. ❤️

[hcat]

41 minutes ago, Dreamer68 said:

What a nice caretaker! I felt that way of the crew member who paused to tell me about the Art book. To balance all the calories in, I did my best to use the stairs. A dear friend loves art so I did my best to record all the art I saw on the ship for her. The crew member was just going about his business striding down the stairs when he saw me take my photo and then linger at the information plate about the art piece so he told me about the Art book and how it was at the Retreat library and that Guest Relations might have limited guest passes for non-suite guests to get to see the book. When I mentioned it to Guest Relations, the crew member there just about scoffed at me...a mix of a hrumph and a huff, wrinkled her brows together and said somewhat sternly, "We don't give out guest passes. There is no such book". Yeesh...so I wasn't dripping in platinum and diamonds, no need to be so dismissive, eh? Anyway, a couple of days later, CD Shawna mentioned the Art book and actually offered it as a prize for her daily activity. Take THAT, Guest Relations officer! Muahahaha! Sadly, I did not catch the name of the crew member who thoughtfully told me about the Art book. I assume yours is proudly displayed at home now. 🙂

i enjoy looking through them..as well as the other goodies they gave us.  

On EDGE, they placed some copies on the book cart in EDEN.. They were snapped up quickly.. we got ours on the Tour.

 

sounds APEX is running short on supply.

[hcat]

google APEX ART..

several videos you might enjoy!

[Dreamer68]

2 hours ago, Ellesor826 said:

Was that a photo of an OV cabin and if so, what was the location of it?
Looked really nice, bright and roomy….I was thinking, we could do that!

Have only done balcony but I really like that cabin!
Thanks so much. 
R
 

Ooohhh... so nice to "meet" you! I have not come across many CC members who might be interested or travelling in an OV or even an Inside cabin. Indeed, it is an OV cabin! I need to be able to see outside but not necessarily need a balcony. We had a balcony on the Summit the last time we cruised and we underutilized it due to our habits and interest so DH and I pondered carefully this time around about getting an Infinite Veranda or an OV. This OV was 3126 and it was perfect for us. The cabin itself is the same size as as the Veranda ones (minus the balcony space). It was close to the theater and on the same deck as Normandie and Tuscan MDRs. We had our own long corridor which separated us from the sounds from the Grand Plaza where Martini Bar is. Guest Relations and the iLounge were also on this deck. The savings I got booking an OV vs an IV I put towards an excursion for us in Cozumel. 😉

For our next cruise, potentially on the Ascent, I am interested in trying the Deluxe Oceanview. It looks interesting!

[Dreamer68]

1 hour ago, mason525 said:

Thanks- your pictures and commentary are wonderful and helpful! Not sailing until February but anticipation is everything.

Thank you! I wish you a very pleasant sailing in Feb. 2024. Some contents may have changed by then but the beauty of this ship will continue to shine. By the way, the ship was gleaming clean every day! Her crew does an incredible job keeping her that way.

[Dreamer68]

1 hour ago, CunucuMom said:

Yesssssss!  Absolutely enjoying the food porn as well as the beautiful non-food photos and your narrative.  Thank you for taking the time to share.  Best wishes for a Happy Anniversary and many more years of shared joy. ❤️ 

Hahaha! OVC food porn, glad someone else is enjoying those photos. I only posted half of my food memories! I am a well-travelled foodie and hold my own in the kitchen so food was an important criteria in choosing our ship. Sharing photos now is like updating my gratitude journal. Thanks for the Anniversary wish. I'll share what Celebrity did for us as I had noted in my reservation we were celebrating an anniversary. That little bit will come in the MDR photos.

[Dreamer68]

Continuing on...before I move to the MDR photos, I'd like to share these of the 3-story Grand Plaza where the Martini Bar is. On the Celebrity app, there are actually 2 timeslots where a "light show" is noted at the Martini Bar. How intriguing! I believe these are at 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm. Very convenient to walk out of the theatre shows to the Grand Plaza and witness a lot of joy and excitement. The Apex  Martini Bar is quite different than the Summit's Martini Bar. Wow! This makes me think of the term "glowing up". 🤭 FYI - I'm allergic to alcohol (yes, such a thing exists) so unfortunately, you will not see photos/ stories of bars and drinks here. Sorry!

[Dreamer68]

Dang. My write-up about the MDRs got deleted coz I pressed the wrong button and it's later than I thought so, I will stop tonight with another shoutout to Eden. I came here for a pre-lunch snack. Lunch is complimentary but dinner is not. Very healthy looking options. I was tickled to see Grey Poupon mustard alongside Marmite at the sauce and condiments corner. I chose the pork belly sliders and potato salad. I so wanted to try these flowery seats at Eden and I got to! I also came to Eden on another day for the Captain's Club members for some welcome or something. The bartender made me a nice mocktail as I'm allergic to alcohol, as mentioned earlier. Although I don't drink, after seeing their drink menu, I wish I did. Check out the photos.

 

Eden is also the other performing stage on the Apex. I was not here every night but the two that I was, I enjoyed a fantastic violinist and amazing acrobatics from the ships 2nd team of entertainers. PS - if I'm not allowed to post videos of performances, someone please let me know. I have a bunch from the theatre that I was going to post later.

[hcat]

amazing!

EDEN also has nice seating up one level..perfect for readjng..if it's not too sunny along the window wall.

[Ellesor826]

9 hours ago, Dreamer68 said:

have not come across many CC members who might be interested or travelling in an OV or even an Inside cabin

I understand….Nice to “meet” you too ☺️

I could not an inside cabin either, we need our daylight hence always choosing balconies.  We’re on Apex next year in the infinite balcony, but I must say, your room looked lovely.  Nice and bright, a window with ample light and plenty of space.  
Truly something to consider with the Edge class ships with future sailings-itineraries if the balcony v OV pricing is substantial for the more port intensive cruising we’re looking to do.  
Thanks again!!
R

[hcat]

we booked the Art Architecture & design tour for ASCENT  ..each E ship has diff art and ASCENT has some diff layouts.??

 

got a discounted price but it did not mention an ART book..hard civer or the soft style.  

 

we have enjoyed our Inf balconies..use it as seating area facing inward  Best of course was the Sunset Veranda.but they are often booked up way ahead, pricey etc..

[Dreamer68]

4 hours ago, hcat said:

amazing!

EDEN also has nice seating up one level..perfect for readjng..if it's not too sunny along the window wall.

Absolutely! I shared more Eden seating options (without labels though, I think - I had meant for this to be mainly a photo dump/ sharing of this incredible ship but oops, my thoughts got included) earlier in my post, towards the beginning. My fave was the colourful hanging cocoon chair (?) I have no idea what to call it! Do you? LOL!! It was wonderful to catch the sunset quietly from here.

Edited July 21, 2023 by Dreamer68
punctuation

[Dreamer68]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

we booked the Art Architecture & design tour for ASCENT  ..each E ship has diff art and ASCENT has some diff layouts.??

 

got a discounted price but it did not mention an ART book..hard civer or the soft style.  

 

we have enjoyed our Inf balconies..use it as seating area facing inward  Best of course was the Sunset Veranda.but they are often booked up way ahead, pricey etc..

Interesting about the different art and layout. May I ask how much is the tour you mentioned for ASCENT? I will decide later if I will splurge on that or not, considering as mentioned, I am not a true blue art aficionado but have learned to appreciate it and consider sharing what my eyes see with my artsy friend back home. I think ASCENT's inaugural sailing is end of 2023, right? I am looking forward to trip reports and reviews from ASCENT.

I figured I'd enjoy the Infinite Verandas too although wow, some people are passionate about their like or dislike for them, eh?  I guess I will know once I try them if I do. I'm looking at a deluxe OV on the May 2024 ASCENT sailing in the Mediterranean (the one up front of the ship with a slanting window) and well, there is only 1 of those left...which means I will most likely NOT get it (snapped up by someone else) as my group will not be able to decide which cruise to book before September...that OV is spacious and if not for the slanting window, seems just like an Infinite Veranda cabin but several hundred $$ cheaper per person. A girl can dream...

[dazey]

Very much enjoying your review.  We have been on Apex before and will be again in December on the same itinerary as yours.  Cannot wait.

 

Did you do any excursions either through Celebrity or private?  As two ports are tendered I plan to use Celebrity for those as we had a tender experience in Martha's Vineyard(bad weather) and want to make sure ship waits for us if delayed.

 

I also enjoy Eden especially for lunch and even breakfast.

 

Thanks so much for refreshing my fond memories of Apex.

[lola2013]

13 minutes ago, dazey said:

Very much enjoying your review.  We have been on Apex before and will be again in December on the same itinerary as yours.  Cannot wait.

 

Did you do any excursions either through Celebrity or private?  As two ports are tendered I plan to use Celebrity for those as we had a tender experience in Martha's Vineyard(bad weather) and want to make sure ship waits for us if delayed.

 

I also enjoy Eden especially for lunch and even breakfast.

 

Thanks so much for refreshing my fond memories of Apex.

Are you sailing December 9?

[psternklar]

Thank you for the pictures!

[dazey]

lola2013: Yes on 12/9,  

[lola2013]

1 minute ago, dazey said:

lola2013: Yes on 12/9,  

See you on board.  Have you joined our roll call?

[lola2013]

3 minutes ago, dazey said:

lola2013: Yes on 12/9,  

Just found you on the roll call 😎

[Dreamer68]

9 hours ago, dazey said:

Very much enjoying your review.  We have been on Apex before and will be again in December on the same itinerary as yours.  Cannot wait.

 

Did you do any excursions either through Celebrity or private?  As two ports are tendered I plan to use Celebrity for those as we had a tender experience in Martha's Vineyard(bad weather) and want to make sure ship waits for us if delayed.

 

I also enjoy Eden especially for lunch and even breakfast.

 

Thanks so much for refreshing my fond memories of Apex.

Hi there! So lucky you will be returning to the Apex. Enjoy your reunion with this gorgeous ship.  If I get on the Ascent next May, I will try Eden for breakfast. 🙂

Excursions, we did 1 through Celebrity and 3 private (1 being our own walkabout at Key West). I can share some more after the MDR photos if you'd like.