fridge

I booked a cruise for May 2023. Please email me at lasse9678 at gmail dot com if you can help with a referral coupon. Thank you!

South Africa. South Africa. South Africa.
By Land or Sea.

We have been to many places, but we will never forget how beautiful South Africa was/is.
we found it more impressive than New Zealand

2 hours ago, Newbury newbie said:

Yes, the US fit to fly test, taken in the UK, needs to be supervised via video link or actually in person. 

That's good news, hopefully that also counts for us Germans. We are flying to Miami on a Saturday. I asked Celebrity if the German Fit to Fly test counts towards boarding on Sunday. Having to queue at MIA or elsewhere for testing would make me anxious. Now I'm waiting for the answer...

8 hours ago, vickykay said:

Are any of the main dining rooms open for lunch?  Theme related lunch menus?

Today is a Seaday and Cosmopolitan is open for Lunch. Dont know about themes 

8 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Can you get a glass of wine in the theater?

Yes

4 hours ago, Jonbiloh said:

Has the buffet remained open for dinner despite the low head counts? 

Yes, Buffet remains open for dinner

27 minutes ago, Lane412000 said:

hey fridge

 

we are onboard also. When we arrived at the port we had a clue something was up  as there were no other taxis or buses.

 

Checkin was interesting as we were awaiting our antigen results someone tested positive so they moved all of us to the next tent as they sprayed our first location.

 

it is very surreal to be onboard with not many passengers. First night we ate at Cosmopolitan and there were passengers at five tables.  
 

To add to the weirdness is we are in one of the Iconic Suites so even makes us more isolated. Makes us feel like our own private yacht x 10

 

Getting ready to leave Rhodes and then Magic Carpet dinner tonight 

Hello fellow passenger 👋 yes, it feels weird sometimes, yesterday i was alone with two other passengers at the Pool at 10am. Yesterday at Normandie, all window tables were occupied, can you imagine?? 😂

enjoy your Dinner at the Magic Carpet, we like the views very much. 

1 hour ago, Couple-Somerset said:

.....and bringing it back on topic...........

 

We're booked B2B in a Suite BUT now realise we could have saved ££££ as there will probably be fewer guests in steerage than in The Retreat lol

 

And the Upgrade offer onboard is actually cheap. We declined because there was no availability on aft Sky Skuites. And with the Ship so empty, we don't need the Retreat or Luminae. 

15 minutes ago, Miaminice said:

fridge

Not saying that there were any positives...

However, if at all you could only see it while in the waiting area. For how long... 30 minutes? Doesn´t say much about the whole day/process. 

 

Anyway... regardless of that, it´s good the protocols are in place and obviously work (as good as they can).

Never said it says much. Just reported what i observed while checking in.

Now i'm concentrating on my beach time in Rhodes 😁

1 hour ago, grandgeezer said:

The poster made the comment "I didn't see anybody being denied boarding because of a positive test".

The question was How do you know that someone tested positive and still was let on the ship?That defeats the whole reason of doing the test to begin with.

Misunderstanding. I meant that i havent seen anybody with a positive test. You can observe that by watching if someone gets a Sticker or not. 

Sorry for the confusion 

5 hours ago, nesheiml said:

Did you have to show proof of a negative covid test before boarding or did you do a covid test there while checking in?

You dont need a negative covid test before boarding, you are being tested while checking in. 

11 hours ago, Miaminice said:

To be fair, they wouldn’t really advertise it… would they?!

The Stickers were attached in the middle of the waiting area. So you could actually see if someone doesnt get a Sticker 

6 hours ago, vickykay said:

Just booked the Apex for next January so looking forward to following along.  Would love to hear your impressions of the four dining rooms.

Thanks.

We are spoiled with Luminae from our previous Cruises, but our experiences in the MDR on Apex are outstanding. Service is top notch, feels like our first Cruise on Celebrity. Dinner tonight in Normandie was superb and matches Luminae... Maybe it is due to the current numbers of Guests, but anyway, i just enjoy this so much..

26 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

How do you know that they tested positive? How do you know that they didn't test positive and then was retested and tested negative?

I dont understand your questions. Everyone with a negative test got a Sticker and was directed to the Ship. I did not see anyone not get an embarkation Sticker...

19 hours ago, Jackson2B said:

Hi @fridge could you post any Eden menus please?  Both from lunch and evening if possible. 

@Jackson2Bhere is the evening menu 

31 minutes ago, keiki40 said:

@fridge
 

Does the Apex call in Mykonos? If yes, are private tours allowed or is it still ship tours only?

Yes, we call Mykonos. Ship Tours only. We booked a beach Transfer since we have been to Mykonos a couple of times. 

11 hours ago, Antropos said:

300+ is substantially less than all previous Apex sailings which were reportedly 500 - 800... is this because so many people canceled last minute? Or is the number of people who are denied embarkation because of a positive COVID test at the terminal rising?

I did not see anyone beeing denied Boarding because of a positive test.

12 hours ago, Happy Clam said:

Who is the bartender in Retreat outdoor bar (by the pool)?

Forgot to mention that this time we booked a Sunset Veranda and therefore have no access to the Retreat 

13 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

If you don't mind, please ask how many crew are aboard

Crew is about 900 

Where is everybody? 😄 Kind of weird with only 10% Capacity but we enjoy every second of it. Embarkation was a breeze and so far we love the Apex.

We usually book Sky Suites because of Luminae and the Retreat, but the 4 MDR look gorgeous and Lunch at Ocean View was great!

Happy to answer questions... 

Summit skipped the Port of Charlottetown and went to Sydney yesterday. She is currently in Halifax and will stay overnight. 

Interesting topic, since we are first timers on HAL, right now on the Nieuw Statendam in Nordkapp, waiting for Sailaway. 

This is our 16th Cruise and we usually sail in Suite Class on Celebrity, so we do compare a lot right now. We took advantage of an Upgrade to Neptune Suite and dont regret it at all. Our Veranda is ridiculously lage and complimentary Laundry is a very nice perk. Do we miss a Butler? Sometimes, yes... 

Neptune Lounge is located very akward between cabins and is not comparble to cozy Michaels or the Retreat Lounge. 

Service in Club Orange is excellent although the Restaurant isnt comparable to Celebritys Luminae - it has only the regular MDR Menu with one Special every Evening. Location is also a bit akward with people walking by all the time and the extractor hood above you, but the atmosphere is indeed nice and relaxing. It is almost half empty every night... And yes, the chairs are comfortable 😉

Overall Service seems very good to top notch with hits and misses. On our last Celebrity Cruise, Service seemed understaffed, which is not the case on this Cruise. 

We love Entertainment on this Ship - live music at a high Level in Billboard, Rolling Stone and Lincoln. Have never experienced this on Celebrity...

9 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

They have said the "M" class will be going back to the all blue hull.  If it is the old dark blue or the lighter Edge blue I guess we will know in a few short weeks.

Follow th_voutsinas on Instagram for pictures. The hull looks dark blue to me...

Cheers Paul! I was very curious about the story with the german couple and after reading it, i somehow recognized myself. I am not a shy person but maybe a bit restrained at the beginning when meeting someone new. But that is why i love cruising on international cruise lines because many of you (americans, brits, canadians…) make it very easy for me to socialize. 

I will never forget the wonderful people we met from all over the world and some even became friends…  

Thanks for sharing these stories 

Escape Room is open. It's 19.99$ for adults, children are free. Greetings from the Symphony