Folsomdoc

We sailed Apex a few weeks ago. We live in N. California so we are spoiled. But, the wine selection in Luminae, the Retreat Lounge-atrocious. The upcharge is one thing. But, as I stated on another post, given the world is awash in good wines at reasonable prices it’s a disgrace that a company with the buying clout of RCG can’t do better. We are researching other higher end cruise lines as that was a major disappointment.

24k May 17, 2003 Dallas, Texas #7 Posted 17 hours ago We do music charters every year last few on summit, you should get all meals in Luminae except it is closed for lunch on port days . You should also get free drinks all day in suite lounge , there is also a small outdoor retreat which serves a limited lunch. Wish that were true. Each charter company makes its own rules. Luminae is available for breakfast for suite guests but otherwise is a specialty restaurant with attendant up charge. Likewise Blu is a “chop house” for this cruise also a specialty restaurant. Suite guests have access to the retreat lounge 7:30-5 but 24/7 access to the retreat deck.

We are sailing on the Smooth Jazz Cruise in February of 2025. We’ve tried to do this for a few years but it sells out quickly. Since it’s a charter all the perks of suite travel are pretty much nil-we get breakfast in Luminae but otherwise it’s a specialty restaurant for example. But, my question is this specific cabin. It’s adjacent to a penthouse suite separated by a door. Now this is a music cruise with some pretty big names (in the smooth jazz world) so I assume one of them will be in the penthouse. If it’s a sax player who likes to rehearse, well, gonna get loud. Any first hand experience with this cabin? We found a You Tube video that really played it up in terms of space and the balcony, but really want to know about the noise level from our neighbor. Thanks!

We sailed Apex March 23rd. Fort Lauderdale was full of spring breakers. The ship was not. They’d be bored on board I’m sure. While Celebrity is trying to reach a younger demographic nothing they are doing makes me believe they want the spring break crowd with all it’s craziness.

Same experience on Apex recently.

Correct.

We used Luggage Valet last month disembarking at FLL on Apex. We were in an Aqua Sky Suite. We flew first class on AA, had one checked bag. It cost $29-that is the fee for Luggage Valet and is not waived for first class. We recieved our boarding passes and a luggage tag about noon the day before, delivered by our butler. The tag had only our connection destination not our final destination. I checked with the retreat concierge who told me not to worry, it was all embedded in the bar code. When we arrived in California the bag was among the first 20 on the belt with priority tags attached. I had tracked it with an Apple air tag which was not always right, but came around at some point. It traveled on our flights all the way.

Off Apex a few weeks ago. Haslinger not available. Mountadon was. Not as good as it was in the past unfortunately.

We had several duplicate charges we needed to reverse while onboard Apex. One popped up a second time. A bit of a PIA to have to watch this daily then get someone to fix it but that’s the way it is I suppose.

We did get what we considered above and beyond service from our steward, butler and regular waiter in Luminae. We did give them each an additional cash gratuity.

We are just off Apex. The champagne widely available was Montaudon not Haslinger. Montaudon has had its day but what we had was just passable. The sparkling wine in our suite was from France but not a champagne. It was just OK. In general we were disappointed with the wine selections. We enjoyed Luminae with just a few misses. We also had an Aqua Sky suite. We thought we’d take advantage of the thermal suite and Blu, but we did not. If you don’t you are spending a lot of money above the coast of a sky suite and getting nothing for it. You’ve sailed top cruise lines where there are all suites. Celebrity retreat class is there attempt to replicate that. You’ll be in a bubble of sorts but one trip to the OVC on a sea day will pop that! We enjoyed our cruise but would consider the lines you have cruised for our next adventure (add Crystal to the mix).

Both Caymus and Grgich are well known Napa cabs (I assume you mean the cab) but IMHO are very overpriced. Caymus tends to be a big bold have it with a steak kind of wine while Grgich, in good years, seems more balanced to me. One of the problems they and many producers are facing is climate change. The summers are hot and long which produces really ripe grapes. The wines are higher in alcohol and jammy. Lots of folks like that style and seek it out so the wineries roll with it. The cabs from Sonoma county always seemed a little softer. Now to me they drink like the Napa cabs of 10 years ago and that’s what I go for although I drink far more Pinot Noir than cab. BTW Grgich makes a great Chardonnay in cool years. Problem is, not many cool years.

Forgot to mention: luggage valet worked brilliantly. Cost $29. We had one large suitcase we sent along. Butler delivered our boarding passes and the luggage tag the afternoon before departure. Next saw the bag at our home airport.

Her badge said butler. She told me she had 23 staterooms. But same woman served as our butler. Honestly, we are low maintenance. I like fetching our cappuccinos and treats from Bacio every morning using my little caddy which I ordered from Amazon thanks to a tip on this forum.