Gracie115

my 2 cents.... Suite class on Apex gives you the "suite deck" up top which has a small pool and bar area that serves drinks & sandwiches on days it isn't raining. They are nice and am sure on warm weather cruises get lots of traffic from suite guests. The suite lounge is just below(unlike S class where it is the old Michael's Club on deck 5). Many prefer the E class lounge, we did not. Found it's atmosphere cold, it's munchies inferior and bar service pretty much nonexistent on our 2 Apex sailings, except the poor bartender. Luminae is far better on the S class. Smaller, more intimate and far more menu choices than the E Class, which does not allow you to pick MDR selections. Eden is a nice area on Apex & the theatre is definitely an improvement over "S" class. Other than that I don't know of anything that I would rate better on E Class. I suppose the technology advances impress some, but that's not what we cruise for.

Totally agree with you about the Solstice class. We've been on 2 cruises on Apex and if we cruise Celebrity again it will be on an S class for all the reasons you state and more.

Oh... you will be amazed at the National Archeological Museum. Our 1st visit to Naples was also to Pompeii and the 2nd one we spent the morning at Herculaneum and the afternoon at the museum. It was a wonderful day. Looking forward to your thoughts on the rest of your cruise. We too are sailing Oceania next month as an alternative to Celebrity.

Xcel....... just can't get past the idea that they named the ship after a spreadsheet...

Yes, very.

We loved the 2 days we spent in Istanbul a few years back. Also hired private excursions. It's a very interesting city with so much to see. The Hagia Sophia was amazing as was the Basilica Cistern. Enjoy!!

That's great it's not bothering you. We had a similar cabin on the Regal Princess, which faced forward and had a large balcony. The staff never moved the furniture so we were able to enjoy it at night. But then that ship is 3 times the size of Riviera so am sure that makes a difference too. Hope the rest of your cruise continues as well as the beginning has!! We board Vista one month from today and can't wait.

That's really too bad. We so enjoy sitting on our balcony at night, watching the stars, listening to the ocean, it's an important part of our cruise, hope it isn't impacting you too much. So far it seems like you are having a great time!!

None on our Apex cruise this past May either.

HI from another ex, X cruiser... pun intended. I'll be following your thread as we are seeking other lines after our last 2 cruises with Celebrity. We also cruised in the Retreat but our last 2 on Apex were disappointing. We really are not fans of the E class. So my question to you is how would you compare the Koningsdam to the S class on Celebrity? That is our favorite class of ship.

Is this something that can be done only once a cruise (7 nighter) or as often as you'd like? Is a day ahead enough notice or should we try to set it up asap (embarkation day?) First time on Oceania next month....so looking forward to it.

I'm glad you made the cruise and sorry this happened to you. When we had something similar happen(not that close to sail date) I have become pretty manic about checking air arrangements very frequently to make sure nothing has happened. Mostly I don't book air with cruiselines, it seems there are too many chances of something going wrong.

Exactly how we feel.

I definitely believe that....beef in Luminae in April was lousy.

We used Overlord for both Normandy and for Mt St Michel (2 different cruises) they are an excellent company, highly recommend them.

Yup...... we found service to be fine, no one better than Sonny and Marcus on any of the ships, but the food was truly only fair and the lack of other options was pretty lousy. I mean how many times can you eat the child's portion of Spaghetti & meat sauce for dinner (apparently 3...for me on our TA this past April)

Very nice to hear of your experience. We love the "S" class ships, after 2 sailings on Apex if we ever book again on X it will be on an "S" class for sure. Prefer the layout, the service, Luminae is SO much better than on E class, and your reports of the butler service are encouraging.

I spoke with Oceania about using our credit for something outside of shore excursions and they told me no......so I guess the answer is no.....

Oceania....which from all I've read has the most, or one of the most comfy beds at sea, outstanding food & service and a pool or two. We'll find out for sure in December.

Haven't read anything about "dire need of a refurb." Sure it's older but I would prefer an older "S" class to a brand new "E" class anytime. Have read quite a few reviews on this forum and a few others and couldn't find ones that complained about the condition of the ship. A few comments about carpeting but little other comments.

Book Equinox no matter what type stateroom. In a suite Luminae is light years better on S class ships than E class. You are able to order from MDR menus, MUCH smaller venue than on E class, especially Ascent as that version of Luminae is supposed to be even bigger than other E ships. No you won't have a "private" top deck but you're in the Med how often would you use it anyway? If not in a suite I would book Aqua on S but not on E. Again, Blu a much better venue than on E class. Martini bar on S class much nicer. You still have Sky lounge with wonderful ocean views at the top of ship, not on E class where only suites get that view. You have real balconies on S class, not a "window" balcony. The only thing we found better on E class was the theater which was excellent. And the price...............

Oceania includes Economy air in their fares. Business is more of course.

This is strange to me, I guess I don't understand Starlink well enough. On a Celebrity Apex TA this past April, which also had Starlink, it never defaulted to Euro's or Spain linked websites. It was the BEST wifi experience we've ever had on a ship.

This has not been our experience on Celebrity. While sailing in a Celebrity suite on Apex this past April we were given "unlimited wifi" as in, use it as much as you want no minutes restriction. BUT it was for 2 devices not unlimited and, yes, since we were in a suite we had the all included package. When I wanted to use my IPAD either myself or my husband had to sign off our phone.

That sure nails the Celebrity of 2023.