garyl62

2 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I have to retract what I said about the retreat hosts.  Tonight 100% attentive.   

Glad to hear that, when we sailed they were very engaging with us, maybe not always wandering around, but they did come and talk with us often enough that we felt they were paying attention to us and interested in how our cruise was going.

1 hour ago, Cruising Is Bliss said:

 

I've been thinking about doing a live blog for my next cruise. For such a long cruise (94 days) I'll be keeping a personal travel diary anyway. Could you estimate about how much time it takes you each day?

I'm sure Jim will give you some insight on his experience, but a month ago while on the Apex I wanted to do a live thread, but also not have it become anything laborious. I'd say I spent less than 10 or 15 minutes a day making one or two posts with a few photos.

We're still a few years away from retiring and my DW is a teacher so our schedules and length of sailings are limited.  We do a lot of Caribbean over Spring Break and are ready for a swan song there too, but it's hard to find something else in March for only a week.  Our next cruise is a southbound from Seward to Vancouver in July with a 6 day land tour before the sailing.  Really looking forward to AK (our first time) and if your husband enjoyed Vancouver you should consider something up in that area coupled with some time exploring the area on land also.

Great review, can really identify with the shopping thoughts. While we may spend a few hundred dollars of OBC on something, I can understand a high end store or two, but give us some every day options (with more inventory in sizes aligned to the demographics onboard) too! 

4 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

BTW.  The guide said we aren’t supposed to allow photos inside but the Secret Service wasn’t there so shoot away.   Not sure if he was kidding or not.  I obviously took a few. 

When I saw your photos I was surprised, our guide told us we could not take photos and didn't add anything about the Secret Service 😉 She did offer to take one of the two of us as we left, and I did manage to lag behind our group in a few places and snap a few quick ones as we left a room or two.  Glad you enjoyed it also, we enjoy history and this is a place with stories you don't hear about often.

I love the photo of Iain at the bar!!

Jim, enjoy your day in Key West! We really liked the Truman White House and had a great docent named Ann who really brought history to life.

it will beinteresting to hear about your adventures today and your "winner" for Key Lime pie! 

4 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I believe Pepe's it will be ---  

 

It's incredible --- years and years ago Trader Joe's had a Key Lime that was one of the best I had ever had.   It was so tart you would immediately pucker.    I recently stopped into a Trader Joe's and they no longer have it. 

We have enjoyed Amigo's as you can order a full slice that is actually 1/2 slice of both The Key Lime Pie Bakery and The Key Lime Pie Company

5 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Joan,

 

The current Concierges are Carolyne, Elena and Jat.    We haven't met any of them yet as they had lines 4-5 deep sorting out things.   

 

We have plenty of time to meet them.

 

All 3 of them are great! We actually had a tear in our eyes when we left last month. If it's appropriate, greet them from me sometime while you're onboard. 

I've been waiting for you to start this, looking forward to following along and see your comments about the first leg compared to what we thought last month.  What type of cabin have you ended up with? 

55 minutes ago, cruisinfly said:

Hi,

 

The cruise planner for my upcoming Solstice Alaska cruise has an "Alaska Destination Pocket Guide" available for purchase for $32. Has anybody purchased this? What "coupons" do you receive and is it worth it? Is there any information I can't get from website destination guides? 

 

The marketing states:

Overview

Make the most of your visit to Alaska with this pocket-size guide to the wonders of the Last Frontier. It’s portable, easy to use and packed with informative content on history, culture, dining, shopping and attractions – plus valuable money-saving coupons and insider tips for exploring on board and ashore. Created by cruisers just like you, the Alaska Destination Pocket Guide is your must-read insider’s guide to the best of the Last Frontier.

 

Highlights

• Expert tips for exploring nature, culture, recreation, dining and shopping.
• Must-see stops on board and ashore.
• Exploration maps for each port of call.
• Walking tours of port highlights with insider information on the must-see spots.
• Over $500 in money-saving offers from onboard venues like Spa, Art, Casino, Retail, Shore Excursions and more, as well as free gifts and special offers from retail and dining locations in the ports of call.
•  

Thank you!

I was looking at this in my planner over the weekend and I'm also interested in your question about the coupons and offers from the locations in the ports of call.  Hopefully someone with some knowledge about the "coupons" as you asked will be able to provide us some information.  I'm wondering if those coupons are ones people actually find worthwhile, or if they're just something like buy an entree and get a free soda.

1 hour ago, Gracie115 said:

 

Was the tasting menu even available at Eden last week?  As I recall a few months ago that menu was eliminated, or has it not been brought back.

After our waiter explained the entire standard menu item by item and was ready to discuss what we wanted to start with I asked if the tasting menu was also a possibility and he said "yes it is, but it is a $120 upcharge per person" and ended his comment a little firmly.  I decided not to ask any more questions about it as we had plenty of selections on the main menu.

Depends on what makes a more memorable experience for you.  The view at Eden is great, but then again so is any aft view so is that unique enough to make it a reason to pick Eden?  The menu at Eden is also unique and the preparation is excellent so if you want something different that you won't find at home then another vote for Eden.  After eating in both last week we picked FC twice and Eden once.  If you can only pick one I think Eden is something to do for sure, but IMO and for my tastes once I've done it I'd select Fine Cut every time if I could only do one per cruise.  It's a steakhouse menu but still has starters of scallops, crab cake, tuna and a number of salads, plus entrees of Lobster, Lamb Chops, Dover Sole etc so you can always mix a couple entrees and get anything you want. We left Fine Cut feeling the meal was the best onboard, while we left Eden thinking the experience was great.  Can't go wrong with either.

Jump over and look through the Live From thread I just finished from last week.  We ate several meals in specialty dining and I commented on several of them and posted a few photos.  IMO I think the experience of Eden is not to be missed, but I would rate the food and the menu in Fine Cut as the best on Apex. 

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.

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.

On 3/22/2023 at 8:45 AM, terrydtx said:

Gary, I am enjoying your blog, we will be on the Apex in September in Amsterdam sailing to Athens. We are in a Sky Suite and look forward to the Retreat deck and lounge. Has the Retreat deck been open for lunch on port days?

Sorry I didn't respond earlier, yes the Retreat Deck does serve lunch on port days.

@asnaleah Actually we selected a Celebrity Suite for the size of the balcony. We enjoy spending time on our balcony both relaxing and having a full breakfast. This balcony provides a proper table and chairs, as well 2 chairs for relaxing.

I doubt it's smaller than the S class Celebrity Suite balcony unless you compare it to one with the deeper angle balcony. We were very happy with the size of this and would book it again without reservations. 

Well all good things must come to an end..... although an upgrade on a three class aircraft is a nice way to finish a trip! Now I just need to figure out how to get my coffee and almond croissant ready for me when I get up.

If anyone has more questions just ask, I'll post a final review within a day. 

6 hours ago, Cap_D said:

Gary, how was tendering to Grand Cayman?  We are considering a day pass at a hotel, but have read plenty about  congestion and other issues.

Our arrival time was 10:00 and as our Cruise Director said the night before, "With a 10AM arrival, everyone will be showered, dressed, finished breakfast, and all ready to go at exactly 10AM so the lines will be long.  Please be patient"

We went onshore around 10:30 but since we were in the Retreat we had priority access.  No issues at that time, but there were several long lines we went past on the way to the tender.  We came back about 90 minutes later and there were still some lines then also.

If you're in the Retreat you will have no problem, not sure about various Captain's Club status benefits, but if you just line up as a non-excursion tender it could be a wait.

2 hours ago, Texed said:

Waffles?  😋

With strawberries 😉

Quick update from today as we enjoyed our last sea day before ending our cruise tomorrow.

Started with coffee and snacks and the retreat lounge and then decided to go to ocean view for a quick breakfast. Sat outside with an aft view and enjoyed some waffles and coffee.

Then we had a mid morning appointment with the future cruise representative and booked something else for the summer of 2024. Once that was over we had nothing but free time so we spend some time on the Retreat Sun deck, did some more shopping to use up  our OBC, then our Butler had arranged a nice surprise of shrimp and cheese and some champagne for a mid afternoon snack on our balcony.

Getting ready to go to Eden for dinner and then we will come back to pack and get ready head home tomorrow. 

56 minutes ago, Beachlover1989 said:

Wonderful information Gary! Thanks for sharing!

 

We are on Apex in a CS in August and I was wondering how you feel about the split bathroom?

We LOVE IT!!!  We are very happy with this suite. The split bath gives the illusion of having 2 bathrooms. We can both be getting ready at the same time, our toiletries are stored in separate rooms and in the middle of the night neither of us needs to navigate around the end of the bed to get to the bathroom.

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks Gary.     We will be on for 3 cruises and suspect the TA may be a good choice.   Our first stop is Bermuda and they may schedule that for the event.

 I am not sure how it would work on a TA. I was told they typically pick an area where they feel there will be calm seas and good weather. I think they also try to pick a route where they can travel at a slower speed to reduce the wind yet still make it to the next port on time.

12 minutes ago, tcmagnum said:

 

May I ask the price?

 

We booked it before we boarded and I know we got a discount so I don't recall the standard price, but the refund we received was $224 for two of us.

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Nice review Gary.   I know it has been rather disappointing all the cancellations of the Dinner on the Magic Carpet.   Curious how it works?    When looking at the option to book the only day and time available is Day 1 - Fort Lauderdale 10 AM

 On this schedule Jim they normally planned for it to be on the sailaway from Belize. The seas were rough and it was spitting rain when we left there so they postponed but gave us plenty of notice. The frustration for us came the next day as we were sailing away from Cozumel and only found out it was canceled when we showed up. The start time is 7 PM and they will inform you on the first day which day it will be. 

 We planned other specialty dining around that day of Belize. . If you have something planned and there is a conflict the retreat host will probably be able to make changes for you. They got us in restaurants when there was no availability but yet we got in immediately for a prime time reservation.