Live from Apex - 6/19

[poffles]

6 minutes ago, pumpkin 11 said:

What is the cap for premium package drinks $15 (per drink)? I know classic is $9...

 

$15 I believe is still the cap so you pay the difference for anything above which is not a big deal but still sad.

[pumpkin 11]

1 minute ago, poffles said:

 

$15 I believe is still the cap so you pay the difference for anything above which is not a big deal but still sad.

😄 haha. There is only so much I can drink!

[poffles]

22 minutes ago, pumpkin 11 said:

😄 haha. There is only so much I can drink!

 

That's what I thought too ... then I started cruising 🤪  Cheers 🍻

 

[KKB]

2 hours ago, Eloise4Ever said:

I would appreciate hearing from somebody onboard how the traditional self-service dining options are being run at the moment. Are guests permitted to serve themselves or is all food served by staff?

On Millennium the staff served in the buffet area; I'm quite certain that is fleet-wide, if not industry-wide.

[PTCruizer]

Not on this sailing but relieving the maiden crew!! With what I’ve heard about the slow internet I’ll post when I can. First surprise came when we went to check in for our American Airlines flight. They require vaccination proof before checking in or you have to check in at the counter. They are using an app called Verifly. You need to download and put your information in this app at least the day before you fly or you won’t be able to check in on line. I asked if this was strictly for American and the gate agent confirmed that it was. My good wife was able to negotiate all the hurdles and get us approved so we didn’t need to check in at the counter. Saved us an hour I bet. 
 

So, we’re on our way to Athens and I’ll post about our experience with the travel after we arrive. 
 

Cheers. 

[PTCruizer]

21 hours ago, skubapooh said:

Looks like Greece has just dropped their outdoor mask mandate:

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/greece-ends-mandatory-face-mask-162227429.html

 

Hopefully the cruise ships aren't far behind...

Has anyone been able to find any other reports about this yet? All I have been able to find is the one Reuters article. Great news for those of us getting ready to sail. Hope Celebrity sees this news. 

[Miaminice]

38 minutes ago, PTCruizer said:

Has anyone been able to find any other reports about this yet? All I have been able to find is the one Reuters article. Great news for those of us getting ready to sail. Hope Celebrity sees this news. 

It‘s happened a few days ago already.

 

[Aloha 1]

7 hours ago, Lagranger36 said:

Active roulette yes and it’s double zero.

 

BJ minimums $10 at 6/5 pay for BJ.

6/5 is a rip-off. Any standard 3/2 tables?

[Luckynana]

1 hour ago, PTCruizer said:

Has anyone been able to find any other reports about this yet? All I have been able to find is the one Reuters article. Great news for those of us getting ready to sail. Hope Celebrity sees this news. 

 

PTCruizer...have a wonderful cruise!!!  I'm so jealous!

[ocdb8r]

8 hours ago, poffles said:

 

Yes this is a bummer really.  I ordered one drink there while on the Edge, it was the Forbidden as it sounded like it might be good and the presentation of it in the apple glass looked so cool.  I figured a few dollars extra from my Premium package I would try it but lets just say it didn't live up to my expectations.  Firstly it did not get presented in a glass anything like the menu picture (think they were out of that glass or they simply didn't have it) and the taste was nothing what I expected and I kept thinking it was the wrong drink and I even double checked with the bartender;  I took maybe two sips and left it.  It all seemed so odd.  That taught me not to be so easily enticed by a picture and especially not if it cost me any extra $$.  

 

This is the same drink we ordered...it is now $20 (meaning $6 extra, after the 20% gratuity, even if you have the premium package.  It DID come as pictured though!

 

50 minutes ago, Aloha 1 said:

6/5 is a rip-off. Any standard 3/2 tables?

Nope, all BJ tables are now 6/5 (dealer mentioned this was a change implemented fleet wide).

 

3 hours ago, KKB said:

On Millennium the staff served in the buffet area; I'm quite certain that is fleet-wide, if not industry-wide.

 

Yes, NOTHING is self serve (not even sugar for your coffee, which is presented to you packet by packet, nor ketchup, which is hand pumped for you at every location).

[Daleed77]

We are on the 6/3 Apex cruise so thanks for posting! 
 

We got the Move Up offer and I’m still trying to justify $600 per person to move from AQ1 to a Sky Suite. Is the Retreat and Luminae worth that? 
 

Thanks,

Dale

[Lastdance]

3 hours ago, Daleed77 said:

We are on the 6/3 Apex cruise so thanks for posting! 
 

We got the Move Up offer and I’m still trying to justify $600 per person to move from AQ1 to a Sky Suite. Is the Retreat and Luminae worth that? 
 

Thanks,

Dale

I am not understanding 6/3...do you mean 7/3.  In terms of 600 per person, it would depend on how much you paid for an A1, along with 1,200 being considered a ;ot of money to you!

[wrk2cruise]

I look at it as nearly $100 pp/pd so in my opinion very borderline worth it.  Just remember a min bid is probably not very likely to get the upgrade either.  From what I've seen the MoveUp min bid amounts haven't been a deal.

 

If it's the 7/3 sailing, they haven't been selling cabins for over a week so I'd assume it's at it's capacity cap which I would think would include a cap on the number of suites they want to book to avoid overcrowding in Luminae and the Retreat.   I doubt there will be much MoveUp activity.

[skubapooh]

23 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

I look at it as nearly $100 pp/pd so in my opinion very borderline worth it.  Just remember a min bid is probably not very likely to get the upgrade either.  From what I've seen the MoveUp min bid amounts haven't been a deal.

 

If it's the 7/3 sailing, they haven't been selling cabins for over a week so I'd assume it's at it's capacity cap which I would think would include a cap on the number of suites they want to book to avoid overcrowding in Luminae and the Retreat.   I doubt there will be much MoveUp activity.

The MoveUp offers seem to be quite steep. Just a couple years back we were offered a Sky Suite to Royal Suite upgrade on a 12 night cruise for $450 per person. Now THAT was worth it. Ever since they've rolled out the MoveUp system, there don't seem to be many deals to be had.

[drarill]

8 hours ago, PTCruizer said:

Has anyone been able to find any other reports about this yet? All I have been able to find is the one Reuters article. Great news for those of us getting ready to sail. Hope Celebrity sees this news. 

this is true.  Our tour guide in Rhodes gave us the news yesterday. Still, the use of masks during the cruise has not been an issue for us.  IMHO too many unvaccinated children, some even screaming and crying in Luminae. 

[drarill]

5 hours ago, Daleed77 said:

We are on the 6/3 Apex cruise so thanks for posting! 
 

We got the Move Up offer and I’m still trying to justify $600 per person to move from AQ1 to a Sky Suite. Is the Retreat and Luminae worth that? 
 

Thanks,

Dale

IMHO it is. 

[drarill]

1 hour ago, skubapooh said:

The MoveUp offers seem to be quite steep. Just a couple years back we were offered a Sky Suite to Royal Suite upgrade on a 12 night cruise for $450 per person. Now THAT was worth it. Ever since they've rolled out the MoveUp system, there don't seem to be many deals to be had.

I agree with you.  We paid $2000 per person to move up from our origina SkySuite 1 to the Royal Suite.  The service has been fantastic but I still think that we paid too much money 

[drarill]

On 6/22/2021 at 12:28 PM, little britain said:

I’m sure someone else said just put the hotel details; not the ship info….. but what address did you put for the ship - The port at Piraeus??

that's what I did 

[drarill]

On 6/21/2021 at 3:49 PM, aswoff said:

This should make us hopeful that they will lift the mask requirement 2 weeks later on 6/28!

Hi. Did you read this??

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/25311-royal-caribbean-2-covid-19-cases-on-adventure-of-the-seas.html?fbclid=IwAR3mD-rsaKpqAmF0PaCIBm8ylPbGje6PvtxAi1X5-cXfxam3B2bDeyQGuJc

 My best guess is that they will keep a flexible mask mandate on board, but who knows.  One of the problems with the current sailing is that many crew members  received the second Moderna shot on June 13, which means that they are not completely immunized yet. (link to the Cruise Director's Instagram page)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQDTlZfhG3d/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

 

 

[little britain]

1 hour ago, drarill said:

this is true.  Our tour guide in Rhodes gave us the news yesterday. Still, the use of masks during the cruise has not been an issue for us.  IMHO too many unvaccinated children, some even screaming and crying in Luminae. 

What is the mix of nationalities on board please?

I thought they could only have a very small % of unvaccinated guests?

[Kreative03]

1 hour ago, little britain said:

What is the mix of nationalities on board please?

I thought they could only have a very small % of unvaccinated guests?

I would say mostly US, with a smattering of Europeans. I’ve seen several folks whose primary language is Russian and Spanish based on their interaction with crew but I wouldn’t guess at nationality by that alone.

 

There are are under 20 children onboard I believe. Teens aren’t required to provide vaccination status if under 16, but our two for example are.

 

And apologies to @drarillfor the crying child(ren) in Luminae. Occasionally things are out of our control and we do swiftly exit them if that happens. Might not have been ours but I’m the first to apologize on behalf of all parents. We also take feedback. It’s the first vacation in over a year for us and a lot of newness. They will be tamed by the 7/17 summit cruise, I promise! (I know someone else on here is doing the same 2 we are)

 

[Kreative03]

Touring updates:

Wednesday we did a celebrity tour - catamaran -  in Cyprus and then went straight back to the boat since it’s a shorter stop. There was a shorex person on our tour trying to help manage and perfect it. We all got fresh snorkel gear and were allowed to take it home which is a nice touch, though most folks left it. First stop was near a cave and a decent  snorkeling site. They called one of the swim stops a beach stop - but in reality the beach was something you could swim to only as a ridiculously strong swimmer in the time we had. The tour had 2 boats of folks and it seemed Iike everyone enjoyed the sail and the swims.

 

Did yesterday in Rhodes with a private guide. Went all the way around the island and they mentioned the outdoor mask mandate has been lifted and it was nice to be “free” fully outdoors like we are in the US. Not a ton of tourists in the area unlike prior stops. My last visit in Rhodes I explored on my own and would’ve preferred to do that again, as you can manage well in old town…but family desires.

 

 

 

 

 

[ocdb8r]

On 6/23/2021 at 6:25 PM, Eloise4Ever said:

Thank you to Kreative03 for starting this thread and to others onboard who are posting here. It is wonderful to read about the return of our beloved Celebrity to Europe 🤩. 

 

We are considering making a booking on Apex for August or September. I would be really grateful if anyone currently onboard could ask Cruise Director Giuseppe when his contract finishes? He adds so much to our cruising experience I would hate to miss him by a week or two.

Spoke with Giuseppe today. His contract was originally up in August, but yesterday they asked him to stay on until the naming ceremony in November, and he has agreed.  He did say he will take a short (2 week) holiday in September.

[ocdb8r]

6 hours ago, Kreative03 said:

I would say mostly US, with a smattering of Europeans. I’ve seen several folks whose primary language is Russian and Spanish based on their interaction with crew but I wouldn’t guess at nationality by that alone.

 

There are are under 20 children onboard I believe. Teens aren’t required to provide vaccination status if under 16, but our two for example are.

Agreed. I would guess 75% American, with some Europeans.  Some of the Russians and Ukrainians are family of crew taking advantage of family rates that are often not available on new ships for the first 6-12 months (but due to the low bookings, were permitted). As mentioned, there is also a large Park West group in board as well, which is fairly international.

 

I would also agree with children numbers...very low and has not been an issue for us (group if 7 adults) at all... although we are not in Luminae.

Edited June 25, 2021 by ocdb8r

[bama4cruisin]

2 minutes ago, ocdb8r said:

Spoke with Giuseppe today. His contract was originally up in August, but yesterday they asked him to stay on until the naming ceremony in November, and he has agreed.  He did say he will take a short (2 week) holiday in September.

Since we’re on the TA on October 10, this sounds good!  8 sea days requires many activities; although, I am happy to relax, read, sip a glass of wine 😃