Dreamer68

Thanks @RTShaker, @deliver42 and @wrk2cruise for you quick responses!! Yes, I knew about Sunset Bar and Mast Grill but those don't affect cabins below them. 😊 So, Deck 5 smoking section is on the port side. Noted! About to book and put in a deposit. Yeesh, it's actually happening! So excited!

Hello! I searched the Celebrity forum using my title terms but could not find a quick answer. We are about to book a Veranda cabin on the Equinox...deck 6 or 7. I've read somewhere that the smoking area outdoors is on Deck 5 forward and starboard side. However a YouTube video from a year ago of Veranda cabin 6241 (mid-ship port side) shows the guests were given a credit as they were unable to use their balcony due to them not being able to use their balconies as they were above the smoking area on the port side. Is there anyone who was on the Equinox recently who can confirm where the Deck 5 smoking area is? Port or Starboard? Forward or midship? This will help me choose our cabin well. Thanks LOTS!

Thanks for the info about the SS and RS! It helps me adjust my expectations! Now I'm wondering how to give this info to my travel agent without coming across like I don't trust her info. My first time returning to booking via a travel agent in 15+ years.

Really interesting thread about the extent of "revolution" of the Equinox. The Celebrity corporate page implies this ship has been revolutionized as in completely so. Even my travel agent responded today to my inquiry about the extent of "revolution" that "per Celebrity, 80% of the ship was revolutionized during Covid. 100% of the staterooms were revolutionized. " I am disappointed to read and see photos of minimal changes in Veranda staterooms as recent as May (we're looking at booking those). Do bathrooms have shower curtains vs glass doors?

Not to detail this thread but heck, yeah! 💪😂🤣🙋🏻‍♀️

Is there anywhere we can go to find out the extent of revolution/ refurbishment each ship had gone through? The Celebrity site (see screenshot) implies that certain ships were fully revolutionized and my research here on CC gives me different information. We were on the Summit in 2016 - loved it (colours, furniture, design etc.) and this January 2023, were on the Apex... OMG, so gorgeous with the greys and blues that I'd be thrilled if the Equinox that we're considering for Mediterranean 2024 is fully revolutionized.

Hi! I'm considering a Celebrity cruise in 2024 and toggling between the Constellation and the Equinox. I've been reading different info here on the forums. Some say the Equinox has been "revolutionized", others like you say that it has not been totally refurbished.... on the Celebrity corporate site, it shows that the Equinox was "revolutionized" in 2019 pre-Covid. I do not understand the differing information.... can you or any other frequent travelers able to shed more light? See screenshot from Celebrity about their fleet revolution.

@klfhngr - I totally appreciate learning from your story as I read this one year after the last post here. 🙂 I feel vindicated now for being the "bullhorn" that gets my spouse/ kids/ friends back at the gangplank least one hour before sail away. Had a pretty close call in Cozumel this January, arriving just under 30 mins before departure time (underestimated how long my short legs needed to walk from the International Cruise Terminal building to the ship! Ugh. Yes, yes, I know it isn't far for many readers). Celebrity crew members were packing up their Welcome-back-here's-a-cold-wet-towel-and-cold-water tent by the time I got to the ship. Too close for my comfort. 😉

Catching this thread years after its birth...such interesting information here. I especially appreciate the perspectives about living and conditions outside of North America. Indeed, we can learn a thing or two from humans elsewhere and they from us. Decades ago, on our first cruise on HAL, there was no obligation to tip. The service was so outstanding though, that we just HAD to tip. Because I read up pages and pages on CC before my cruise, I went prepared with envelopes and cash for different staff members. It came up to about the same or a bit more than what was suggested as "appropriate amounts" back then. These days, we pay the suggested gratuities at the end of our cruise and not months before due to advance booking. We like the freedom of still having our $$$ to do what we wish to whilst waiting for our vacation. 😉

I read this topic with MUCH interest. I was thrilled to find a special interest Cruise Conversation like "Cruise Foodies". For a definition of "foodie", I lean towards the one that includes "A foodie seeks new food experiences as a hobby rather than simply eating out of convenience or hunger" and this one offered by a contributor to the Urban Dictionary - "Foodie: A person that spends a keen amount of attention and energy on knowing the ingredients of food, the proper preparation of food, and finds great enjoyment in top-notch ingredients and exemplary preparation. A foodie is not necessarily a food snob, only enjoying delicacies and/or food items difficult to obtain and/or expensive foods; though, that is a variety of foodie." A food snob (as defined above re: expensive) misses out on some of the most incredible edible experiences by turning up their noses on seemingly "lowly" places like a roadside stall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the cooks operate out of their makeshift kitchen attached to his motorcycle, with 2 or 3 folding tables and some folding stools for his/ her "restaurant" where the music/ ambiance includes the sputter of engines or whirs of bicycles as various vehicles or modes of transportation whiz by, where the sun, shade, or breeze can add to or take away from the enjoyment of what has just sizzled out of their woks. It's the kind of experience the likes of Anthony Bourdain (love or hate him if you wish) or Gordon Ramsay (love or hate him if you wish) and other Western chefs have had the privilege to experience and appreciate. I am blessed to have grown up a chunk of my life in South East Asia where street food quality, freshness, and/or taste rivals that of 5-star hotels like the Mandarin Orientals or the Grand Hyatts in the country and equally blessed to live now in a city where we have the likes of Daniel Boulud, Marcus Samuelsson, Chuck Hughes, and others. I am hoping I can pose questions to gather great food experiences from foodies on this forum for different travel destinations (yes, off the ship 😉). These will help me choose and/ or plan my cruise vacations. Hope that is okay!🙏

Found the Connie one (trying to decide between her and Ascent for Mediterranean 2024) and will look for the HAL and RCL one. I haven't found enough Inside/ Oceanview sailors who do reviews.

@RichYak, thanks for finding this and posting it. @cgolf1 - you got me at "Thrifty Couple"... 🤣 Totally reading this whole review and any others you might have.

@cgolf1, I hear you on the food restriction challenges. I also appreciated the symbols on the food labels in the Oceanview Café. Our daughter is now dairy intolerant but not a vegan so I was also scouting the Apex for her. While there was attention to detail was evident in informing guests via the labels or the wait staff at the MDRs, some of the execution was still amiss. E.g. on the night we were offered a celebratory treat for our anniversary, the cake delivered to the table at dessert time, albeit lovely, contained hazelnuts which I had said at the start of the meal when the waiter asked about allergies, that I was allergic to. I didn't make a scene. There was no need to. I was however, extremely disappointed in how the ball was dropped. I love cruises for wonderful opportunities to be adventurous. 😍😋 I hope menus everywhere expand using the head chef's creativity and knowledge of different cuisine or ways of cooking that makes delicious meals safe for people with varying degrees of intolerance and allergy.

I've sailed Celebrity Apex, sister of Beyond, this past January. Absolutely stunning ship. If you want to see some photos or read some of my perspective, check out my report on the Celebrity thread. I'd love to get on Celebrity Ascent for the Mediterranean in 2024, the newest sister ship debuting at the end of 2023...but the prices are too high so I might be trying the Norwegian Escape instead. ☺️ So, I have no comparison's but at least, I know the Apex. 😉

PS - a good place to have an idea of the MDR menus can be found on Celebrity's page for the Edge, if you click on Main Dining. There is one sample menu per MDR (only 2 pages). If you click on Cosmopolitan's though, you will get a 16-paged menu that shows a 14-day rotation of the Classic and Signature menus. NOT all the items as available now as any decent head chef would rotate menus based on whatever's in season or available for freshest tasting food and for interest, building capacity and adventure in cooking for his staff too, friends of mine who work in the restaurant and luxury hotel industry (Four Seasons) mentioned. Here's the link to the page. However, you get the gist of what's there. https://www.celebritycruises.com/ca/cruise-ships/celebrity-edge/eat-and-drink/main-dining

I was on the APEX in January. Honestly these 2 photos shared (that came from another poster - so please understand I'm not shooting the messenger 🙏) do not tell the whole story. This is NOT the whole menu for Cosmopolitan on the APEX. Wish people would tell the whole story so others get a chance to see the big picture and not just part of the picture. The top photo is the Classics part of the menu at Cosmopolitan and the other 3 MDRs. This is "set in (soft) stone" and is available any night, anywhere. The "Premium Selection" from that classic menu, as I understood, is that these 3 "premium choices" any and every night but for a fee. *Please note that there is ONE lobster night INCLUDED on the cruise. That means 1 lobster tail for free but USD $16.99 for additional ones. This is not an all-you-can-eat lobster buffet. And yes, I did have a 2nd lobster back in the 90s on a cruise ship for free. I could not eat more than that after having enjoyed starters and wanting Baked Alaska for dessert. But that's just me and my tummy. 🤭 The 2nd picture shared shows the MDR-exclusive items that are available every night in THAT specific MDR. Normandie, Tuscan, and Cyprus have their own exclusive items. This was the Cosmopolitan's exclusive items. And then, there are the Celebrity Signatures (photo NOT included here) and that menu includes 3 starters and 3 mains and this is available at ALL MDRs but they rotate. Or at least they seemed to on my app. E.g. The Signature menu for Cyprus on Tuesday was not the same as the Signature menu on Tuscan on the same Tuesday. This made for psychologically interesting meal outings for me vs a static menu. I think it was very smart of Celebrity to have that twist...albeit probably annoying to some. But I bet if Celebrity had a static Signature menu, people would then notice "the same thing every night" and proceed to complain about "the same thing every night"...yes? Also not included in the pictorial story is the dessert menu which had about 10 items on the list including 1 Exclusive to the specific MDR, 5-6 classics and 2 Signatures that rotate, one usually a flaming dessert (like Cherries Jubilee or Bananas Foster) that they prep in the kitchen/ galley vs tableside like in the "old days". And there is no photo of the kids' menu. So, in all earnestness, at any MDR restaurant for non-suite folks like me, there will be at least 10 starters, 10 entrées, and 10 desserts every night. I don't fully understand the complaints about choices. I was on the Summit in 2016. I'm looking back at the photos of MDR menus I took then. I shared them all in a big review here on CC. Honestly, back then, the MDR had 10 starters and 9 or 10 entrées. See my photo from Day 1 of the Summit MDR in 2016. If you want to see them all from back then, search for my review. When I compare those menus with what I got at every APEX MDR, I really do not understand the complaints about NUMBER of choices.🙄 As for the quality of food, well, I've got something to say there and I did for my review on the APEX though I can actually say a lot more, as a well-traveled foodie, if anyone wants to write me directly. 😉 So if this # of choices are still not enough for non-suite guests (of which I am contentedly one), then, indeed, perhaps consider another cruise line. In my travels, I've noticed how most restaurants with extensive menus (size of a small book!) don't produce meals as memorable as those with intentional signatures of what they do well, just my 2 cents. Summit 2016 MDR menu, Day 1 below: SummitMenu1B.pdf

@Wendylvs2travel, so glad you enjoyed my pictures and even my honesty about the food. 🙂 The food comments (for the MDR and specialty restaurant) were my way of saying, "Hey, Celebrity, don't make promises you can't keep about your level of refined dining". I mentioned that in my survey response. A lot of it was good but some of it was really mediocre or below par (for an MDR). I've been privileged to travel and know what things taste like. Plus during my TA career in a different season of life, I got to experience what luxury and premium service looks and feels like around the world. A meal in any of the hyped-up 4MDRs should technically be better than what I can cook myself for my guests or at least equal to meals in my cities best-loved restaurants. Just my two cents worth.

You are welcome! Bienvenue!| I think you said you were on the Transatlantic later this year, right? Oh, so many sea days to enjoy this gorgeous ship! I'd be curious to know your thoughts on your meals then, as a fellow Montrealer with access to amazing cuisine here. I'm almost tempted to go to Maison Boulud before the summer ends and if Chef Daniel is in the house, ask him curiously, "Is THIS what you envisioned with XYZ (strawberry angel food cake, pannacotta (it was grainy!), etc.) on the Celebrity MDR menu?" 🙄😂🙃 Enjoy your trip!

@CunucuMom, you are so welcomed! If Celebrity pays attention to customer surveys post-cruise and practises design thinking principles and prioritizes the guest experience journey (sorry, somewhat fresh out of grad school 😂), then they would capitalize on lessons learned from the Edge, Beyond, and Apex before the Ascent sails inasmuch as possible. One can hope. 🙏🙂 I just heard they announced the Cruise Director for this inaugural season and he sounds really popular among Celebrity fans. I also loved the video clip of the two brothers who will co-captain the Ascent. They sound like so much fun! The Ascent cruise I was looking at for the Mediterranean is starting to price out of my budget for next year. I'm not sure what happened to warrant a rate increase of 1K per couple for the dates I was looking at. The Constellation for a different routing came up to half of the Ascent prices. So, I may have to be sensible in my choice. Sigh. Those "seminars". I was so hopeful about finding new information about reducing wrinkles and stress and fat...but nope.Dang it! I found out after the cruise what "Destination Gateway" is used for and thought what a loss of space and opportunity to impress and hook current and future fans of the cruise line as that space was not used for any informative seminar during my cruise. 🤷‍♀️ I receive your good wishes and am pleased to report DH recovered well. 🙂

@dazey, glad you enjoyed reading this. I'm leaning with you on the "any tendered port, go with ship-arranged tours". If I am satisfied though with my research and depending on how long we are stopped, I can see myself booking our own local tours. In addition, these local tours depend on reviews, right? I can imagine it's their worst nightmare to return guests late to the port. Yikes. Research takes a lot of time though and I'm learning to be okay with reclaiming some of my time and energy and just pay the extra for the convenience of the ship taking care of my schedule. 🙂 Raw on 5 ... I almost took a cooked Japanese meal as my first try but then I thought, "Hello!? 'RAW on 5. RAW." 😂🤣 If there was a noodle or South East Asian specialty restaurant, I would have gladly tried it. You are right, it's good for a little change onboard as the main menus almost everywhere on the boat was Western-centric. Wishing you a terrific time on the Apex this December! ✨

@Silkroad, as I write this, it is the wee hours of the 31st July and I believe you're getting on your cruise today out in Rotterdam. I just want to thank you VERY MUCH for digging out these photos to share with me despite your busy schedule preparing to fly. This Deluxe OV looks perfect for my needs. I checked on the ASCENT itinerary that I was interested in for May 2024 and as I expected, the last 2 Deluxe OV cabins that were available up until last week are no longer available. 😔 Ah well, perhaps another time...At least I know these exist! ❤️ Wishing you a wonderful cruise!

You're welcome! I met a lovely lady travelling Solo on the Apex. I've seen photos of the solo cabin. Really, really NICE!!! Enjoy your cruise!

All in all, I had a wonderful cruise on the Celebrity APEX. Looks like most of the misses for me were in the food area (and the hard sell for spa services). Service was generally good throughout the ship, our cabin attendant was friendly and attentive. The ship sparkled every day. I loved the modern decor. My OV cabin bathroom felt luxurious thanks to shower doors and a mirror that never fogged up! The entertainment was entertaining. I loved having little chocolates left by my cabin attendant every night. I appreciated the beach towels that magically appeared on our bed the night before each port. I was happy to have another Celebrity canvas bag to bring home. The Cruise Director was hilarious, the Captain's presence daily during the evening shows was appreciated. I felt like he was getting his work-life balance right somehow, y'know? LOL! The misses I mentioned were not huge but made for an inconsistent experience in the guest journey for me, especially the food in the MDRs (clumpy pasta, bland fruit, caring about food allergies, etc.). Also, if a ship is hyped for its art, it would be good for Guest Relations staff and Art Gallery people to know that an art book showcasing Apex's art actually exists. Considering the Apex was launched in 2021, and there is an Art tour onboard, I'm surprised that GR members did not know about this component. 🤷‍♀️ There was an interesting thread by @Bimmer09 about what constitutes a "luxury cruise". Celebrity presents itself as one. I personally do not think Celebrity has reached that level as there are still inconsistencies with some basics. What I found most memorable and impressive was the ship itself. The APEX, if you have not heard me say it enough, is an absolutely stunning ship. Her modern decor appeals to me, a non-Suite traveller. 🙂 I would sail another Edge-class ship in a heartbeat even though I truly enjoyed my time on the Summit as well (we saw her at some of the same stops). Thanks for reading this whole thing which was originally intended to be just a photo dump. I wish you all calm seas and wonderful opportunities for memory making on your future cruises. Signing off with some amazing sunsets as seen from the APEX plus a double rainbow approaching Belize...and my last bite from OVC before we took our sweet time to disembark as we had 8 hours to explore FLL before our flight back to the Great White North.❄️ PS - 2 or 3 days upon arrival home, DH tested positive for Covid. 🤷‍♀️

Glass bottomed boat in Cozumel. VID_20230111_120357356.mp4