NCHPcruiser

We have never needed to pre-book either and have always walked in without a wait.  

The way people actually dress at dinner is much less casual than on luxury cruise lines (my only experience being on Crystal).  My husband does occasionally wear a jacket to dinner, but he is in the minority and he NEVER packs a tux anymore.  It is rare to see an evening gown anymore although you’ll see many cocktail dresses on evening chic nights.  

During the day, for the most part, I don’t think the way people dress on Celebrity is all that different than luxury lines.   

1 minute ago, micmacmissy said:

 

This is good to know!  I *detest* the chair hog game.  I don't need to be right near the pool - just need a good comfy nook to relax in!  On our past Celebrity cruises, we really liked the solarium too.

You should have no problem finding a quiet comfortable lounger in the Retreat area, we never did and the ship was at capacity.  Occasionally we did get adjacent loungers by the pool but not often.  We really enjoy the solarium too.  

As to the chair hog question….  If you want to be by the Retreat pool, yes you could very well have a problem, we did pre-pandemic (2/20) on the Edge.  If you simply want a lounger in the outdoor retreat area not at the pool you should have no problem at all.   All this is assuming the Apex Retreat area is similar to the Edge.  I can’t wait to find out next month!  

We have cruised in all three.  The perks with the Celebrity Suite and Sky Suite are exactly the same.  No difference in the level of service that we could tell.  Royal suites get included specialty dining, laundry and bar set up among other perks.  

We did it on our last cruise pre-Covid on the Edge and LOVED it.   I thought it was better than Chef’s Table but that could be because I love Champaign (wine, too, but especially Champaign).    I do not remember the extra cost but we will definitely do it again on our March Apex cruise if offered.  

My experience  is on the Edge where the Chef’s Table is in an intimate  dining room off the entrance of Fine Cuts where I think it will also be on the Apex.   There is one large dining table for I think 12 people (could be 10 or 14, I can’t remember).   To provide separate tables (social distance) they would have to use a different private location which is doubtful.  I don’t think they would simply move it into a restaurant because listening to the sommelier would be disruptive to the others.    We have enjoyed some Chef’s Table experiences more than others.  As has been  mentioned on other threads,  your fellow participants can make or break the evening!  

At this point I wouldn’t be very concerned about being on the waitlist.  Most likely they will get the transfer and if a couple of months out they have still not cleared the waitlist, there is time to make other arrangement to get to the port.  

We have never needed to make a reservation in Luminae though on sailings when they were especially busy they appreciated when we let them know that we would NOT be in that evening or were significantly changing from our usual dining time.   They always tried to seat us in the same area with the same waitstaff so knowing ahead of time prevented them from needlessly  holding “our” table.  

Martha

1 hour ago, Lil Pups said:

We sail next week on the Apex.   Just curious at what capacity the ship has been sailing at.  Thanks

I’m curious as well though our cruise is not until mid-March.  

Last cruise on Edge 2/19 and can’t wait to board the Apex in 7 weeks.  Wish it were sooner but I’ll live vicariously through this thread and learn a little about the Apex in the meantime!  

The longer cruise for sure!  I was skeptical of cruising and was talked into a seven day Caribbean cruise by my sister and mom (11 years ago).  I think it takes a few days to really relax and for me by the fourth or fifth day of that first cruise I was really hating the thought of packing and having to disembark.  Definitely the 11 days (and not Disney either, Celebrity is much better IMHO!) 

10 hours ago, Redtravel said:

We are elite plus. We have sailed in every category except inside.  Many years ago, my TA told me that booking a suite on a mass market ship is not a good choice. If you have the money, book on a ship that has all suites.  While we still sail occasionally on Celebrity , mostly verandas, we have moved on to other cruise lines.  

For us, after cruising Crystal (in a suite), we found we really missed the atmosphere and various entertainment options available on Celebrity (elite plus).    At least on Crystal, the entertainment tended to appeal to an older audience and from what friends tell us, it is very much the same on Regent and Silversea.   We like to dance, but not ballroom.    Although Crystal is no longer an option, we might have sailed with them again if we wanted a very laid back cruise but otherwise a suite on Celebrity with the many varied options available is perfect!

After only cruising with Celebrity we took our first cruise on the Symphony in December. Glad we didn’t wait longer.    While the ship itself is older and in need of refurbishment the crew was absolutely unbelievable as was the food.   After following the Crystal board for a few years, I could understand the tears shed by many at it’s demise.  It truly was, IMHO, a different cruising experience I doubt we are able to replicate even on Silversea or Regent.   We still LOVE Celebrity and can’t wait to be onboard the Apex in March.  

I’m so looking forward to sitting down at the end of each of the next few days in front of the fire with a glass of wine and reading your review!  And dreaming!  We have an Apex cruise planned for mid-March and your report will take me into February (perhaps you should do a B2B?).    Our last Celebrity cruise was on the Edge and we loved it!   

Have a wonderful trip and safe travels! 

Martha 

17 minutes ago, LB_NJ said:

I have never tried it however, have you thought about Disney cruises.

My first  thought was to do a Disney cruise but it seems most are only about 4 or 5 days.  I do understand the logic in starting with a shorter cruise but at the same time, to me it would be a lot of effort (and cost) for only three or four full days on the ship.  Plus, I’m afraid to admit, I’m not really a “Disney” person.   We took our kids when they were 4 and 5 (best trip ever) and again the following year (not as great).   Then they both went a couple more times with choral school groups so I never felt the need to go back.  We have friends who LOVE it and go several times a year without children.      I’m sure we will eventually take her though! 

Orville99, We can only hope she takes to it like your grandson and will want to cruise with us when she is 22.  We might need her help to cruise by then!  

We will as several have suggested most likely stick with Celebrity to begin with.  At least we  know how everything works on Celebrity so won’t be anxious about that, only about how she will like the children’s programs!   If she loves cruising and is eager to go to the kid’s programs,  we can then branch out to RCCL or another family friendly line (or stick with Celebrity).  Eventually we would want to take her on European cruises but that will need to wait until she is much older.  

Thanks everyone!  

Martha 

Homosassa, while it’s possible we will be totally taken by surprise, our granddaughter is very outgoing and social, so we are confident she will love the children’s programs.   I don’t feel I would be “dumping” her but giving her a new experience which I believe she will enjoy.    And if not, I doubt we would bring her again until she is much older.    It’s a different experience parenting in our early 60’s!  We simply don’t have the energy we did 30 years ago to keep up with her all day and a cruise without a break would, simply put, not be fun or enjoyable for us.  It’s not that we don’t love her company, we have her company 365 days of the year (she does not go to daycare, but a half day preschool that follows the school calendar) but we need a break and  are hopeful that cruising can be enjoyable for all three of us.   (It would never occur to us to allow a child free range on a cruise ship!)

Martha 

Glad you decided to book and are on the Apex!  I’ll be eagerly awaiting your post and also looking forward to boarding two weeks after you disembark.   Our last Celebrity cruise was on the Edge (2/19) and we decided we loved the E class ships.   With no travel for almost two years our travel account has grown so we decided to splurge on a Celebrity Suite (DH is a very early riser even on a cruise and I love to sleep when given the chance).  On this cruise the ship is the destination.   We may book an excursion or two but if the ports change or are missed, well, so be it.   

I greatly appreciate everyone’s responses!   We do have all of the legal documentation needed but will need to get a passport for her before her first trip.   Even though our son was her father she does not have his last name (ours) so we will be super prepared for questioning.    And hopefully in a year she will be eligible for the vaccine and if not I guess we will wait another year until she is five.   She has attended preschool for the past two years without incident but quarantining at home would be quite different than on a ship even if that risk is very low.  That prospect is downright scary to me!  We should also wait until RC is not limiting the time spent in the kids club.  Celebrity may be as well.    She is a very precocious, outgoing and active child who would LOVE these programs as much as we would enjoy having her in them!  The kids programs are why we would cruise with her….she has fun and we get a much needed break.  It’s a little more taxing now than it was when I was 30!   Our younger daughter is getting married this summer and we might have to take them along as back up babysitters!  

Smartipantz, my hat is off to you!   Some nights we still say “can we really do this?” and you have been doing it for years.  When we are dog tired and perhaps a little irritable, looking forward to a cruise is helpful.  We have a Celebrity cruise booked (just the two of us) in March and believe me, looking forward to it is keeping us both sane.  

And Starry Eyes, I’ll definitely check out the Family Cruising Board!  It never occurred to me there was such a forum.  

It will be an adventure for sure whenever we get her on a cruise ship!

Martha 

I appreciate the reply’s and perhaps for the moment we will stick with Celebrity for her first cruise which would still be a little over a year away.  Hopefully by then she can be vaccinated and children’s programs on both Celebrity and RCCL will be back to normal (or whatever the new normal works out to be).  

Martha 

My husband and I are raising our three year old granddaughter after the unexpected death of our son last October.  He had sole permanent custody which we now have.   We only began cruising in 2015 and never took our children.  Our experience has been on Celebrity, primarily in suites.    

As you can imagine our travel plans for the future have drastically changed and will now (usually) include a child.   (She will likely be a very well traveled teenager!). Royal Caribbean seems to make sense to us now.  Which ship would be a good starting place for us with a four year old?   Pro’s and con’s?  There are so many ships to choose from!  Most likely we would book a suite so what amenities should we look for with a suite?  

We know the ins and outs of Celebrity having sailed on all but one of their ships, many, multiple times.  (I understand that our Elite + status will transfer to Diamond on RC.)   There is a comfortableness in sailing with Celebrity as we know exactly what to expect.  Learning as much as possible about what to expect with a RC cruise with a child will help my anxiety level immensely!  

Thanks!

Martha 

We do not tip the Retreat Concierge.  Other than an occasional conversation or perhaps making a reservation or two we don’t have much interaction with them.   Typically if we need something we ask our Butler for help who we do tip at the end of the cruise.  How much (or little) depends on the service she/he provided.    Extra tipping is not required to ANYONE although many do.  Who we tip extra changes from cruise to cruise depending on service that goes beyond the expected.  

We recently took our first Crystal cruise after sailing solely with Celebrity for years.  It was a wonderful cruise with the absolute best food and crew of any cruise we have sailed on.    Were it not for the abysmal internet we would have already booked another (glad we didn’t!) although we would have continued to cruise Celebrity as well.

I think one important difference regarding the financial situations of the two lines is that Crystal was NEVER profitable once Genting purchased it and certainly not profitable prior to the pandemic.   While I don’t understand the why, from what I’ve read GentingHK purchased Crystal to up it’s PR profile.  

I believe investors think (as do I) that cruising has a bright future and while I never “pay ahead” for a cruise we are not worried about losing our current deposits or the full payment already made for our March cruise due to a financial crisis with Celebrity or RCCL.  

47 minutes ago, judla said:

This COVID testing is really perplexing and stressful.  So the PCR test  kits we purchased at Publix or received from the government aren't any good for the cruise?  We had a PCR test done in December after exposure and it took 4 days to get the results back.  I paid 29.99 for one kit of 2 tests at Publix and the one Celebrity wants us to use is $69.99 for 2 tests?  I am so very confused.

The test purchased at Publix and from the government are not PCR test.  They are at-home rapid test and will not satisfy Celebrity as they will not provide any “proof” of negativity.   It would simply be your word that you didn’t test positive.    The at home option that will satisfy Celebrity is the same type test but the cost includes the service of monitoring the test through the test companies portal  while being conducted (about 15 minutes) so it’s  more expensive.  After the person watches you do the test and can visually confirm the results you will be emailed confirmation of the results which Celebrity will accept. Those test can usually be purchased through eMed or Celebrity (and most likely other sources).   

We have dined in Luminae since it opened and at least on a warm weather cruise have never seen or heard of anyone being discouraged from wearing shorts at breakfast or lunch.   I see no reason for them to be discouraged.   Certainly gym shorts shouldn’t be worn.  We have seen someone turned away because they were wearing shorts at dinner in Luminae.   

My husband no longer takes a tux on cruises but  he does continue to bring a sports jacket or two because he knows I like them.   Even chic nights seem rather casual now though many still do make an extra effort.